Why are Raymond Williams' discussions around culture relevant to the area of media theory?

This will guarantee that the ‘top brass’ positions in all major corporations and political groups will always be filled by the bourgeoisie.  Aspects of ‘high culture’,  such as art,  opera,  literature etc.  are usually connected with ‘educated’ people – the people that can truly understand and appreciate it because of their level of intelligence.  This has created a certain level of acceptance whereby only people with a certain level of education will be accepted.  Therefore,  the base structure is dictating the entertainment that people seek in their spare time.  He also called these people ‘cultural elites’.

The second approach  is artistic culture.  This is based on the aesthetic values of life,  such as the search for human affection through high culture.  He believed that people were forever in search of the ‘perfect moment’,  something that can be achieved by being able to appreciate these forms of entertainment.   The perfect moment is the essence of culture.

“culture is a state or process of human perfection…..”

Based on the above theories,  Williams suggested a programme designed at getting more people involved in high culture,  by bringing them up to level of intelligence whereby they can understand and appreciate it.  He revealed  this in the book ‘The Long Revolution’.  In this book he attempts to “reinterpret and extend”  the ideas put forward in his previous work,  “Culture and Society”,  from his own experience in a society that was still changing.  In “The long Revolution” Williams  explains the world as he sees it,  essentially suggesting a series of mechanical changes in peoples views,  by proposing a programme of specific recommendations:

• Access to education

“There are clear and obvious connections between the quality of a culture and the quality of a culture and the quality of it’s system of education.  In our own time we have settled to saying that the improvement of our culture is a matter of improving and extending our national education…...”

• Dedicated programme concentrating on reading.

“It is only in our own century that the regular reading even of newspapers has reached a majority of our people, and only in our own generation that the regular reading of books has reached a bare majority”

• Promote the use of standard English.  Williams was irritated at the fact that as groups expand across islands,  countries,  continents,  they develop different forms of language. For Williams believed that communication is fundamental and that everybody is born with the desire to communicate.  

“The very factor which gives the group its social cohesion can become the factor cutting it off,  to an important extent from similar groups elsewhere”.  

Williams said that if people were follow these three practices,  the world would change.  For example,  people who didn’t normally go to university would,  and would get involved in organisations such as political groups and the media,  areas that are traditionally dominated by the ‘cultural elites’. This would mean that people from ‘lesser’ classes and backgrounds would get involved in politics,  government and media groups,  bringing different opinions and their own view of the world – increasing understanding of different cultures. This is why Williams refers to the revolution as a demographic one – bringing distanced groups together through cultural understanding.  Their ‘social being’ would change,  allowing people to become more involved in other forms of high culture.  “social being determines consciousness”

“it is a genuine revolution,  transforming men and institutions,  continually extended and deepened by the acts of millions,  continually and variously opposed by explicit reaction and by the pressure of habitual forms and ideas”  

Williams designed four models that he believed were the possible types of state.  Here I have related them to the media,  showing for each model how the media would be run.

• Authoritarian -  The media totally controlled by the political regime,  all newspapers state approved. Television state controlled.  

• Paternal -  Media is designed to ‘guide people to educate country’.  This is based on Williams’ opinion of the BBC,  who’s role is to inform,  educate and entertain.  It should expose people to art, literature,  classical music etc,  elevating people to certain level of standards.

• Commercial -  Plurality of operators,  media a ‘booming’ industry,  ‘free press’.  In this case the BBC in the UK would have to change their role in educating the nation in order to compete with the sheer number of television operators,  such is the case today.

• Democratic -  William’s proposal,  there would be plurality in media operators but legislation would exist through the cultural and political elite,  forcing media institutions to behave acceptably,  and continue to educate.  Creating a freedom of speech scenario to a certain extent,  where more or less anyone can get involved and have their say.

The importance of communication in Williams theories mean that the media plays a huge role.  A large amount of communication in today’s society is through newspapers,  television,  film,  the internet etc.  As you can see from the four models above which are related to the media industry,  the type of government,  which can be affected by the long revolution that Williams proposes,  will dictate the types of communication we can be part of,  and the way in which we are communicated to.  

For example if the base structure continues to determine the superstructure,  the media industry would be controlled by the bourgeoisie who would continue to develop their ‘own’ people,  with the lower classes not being educated enough to be able to appreciate what is being shown on television,  played on the radio,  or printed in the newspapers.  

However,  if  the long revolution came into effect Williams’ suggestion would mean that more education would be more widely accessible,  people would be encouraged to read,  and with the

promotion of ‘proper’ English,  communication to people within the higher classes,  whom have developed a separate version of English to the lower classes,  would become less complicated.  With these processes put into practice,  people from lower classes will go to university and be able to gain positions in authority and the media.  These people,  from different backgrounds would then go on to produce their own forms of communication which will be influenced by their own experiences,  in turn developing a more plural media industry,  allowing more people to continue their search for that ‘perfect moment’.  

Bibliography

Williams, R,  “Problems in Materialism and Culture,  1980,  Redwood Burn LTD

Williams, R,  “The Long Revolution”, 1961,  Chatto & Windus

Branston, G & Stafford, R,  “The Media Students Handbook”,  second edition,  Routledge,  1996

Munns, J & Rajan, G,  “A Cultural Studies Reader”,  Longman London,1995

Williams, R,  “Culture and Society 1780-1950”,  Chatto & Windus

Blumler, J & Gurevitch (1995) The Crisis of Public Communication: Routledge

Briggs, A & Cobley, P (1998) The Media: An Introduction: Longman

Gardner, C (1979) Media, Politics & Culture: Macmillan

Grossberg, L et al (1998) Media Making: Sage

Inglis, F (1990) Media Theory: An Introduction: Blackwell

Levinson, P (1999) Digital McLuhan: A Guide to the Information Millennium: Routledge

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