Culture & Context

February 4, 2013

How to Read a Culture/Cultural Text

Reductionism

Thick Description

Multiperspectival

• Psychological• Sociological• Economic• Historical• Marketing• Theological

Multilevel

• Locutionary - Locution• Illocutionary - Illocution• Perlocutionary - Perlocution

Locution

The act of saying something in a particular medium of communication.

(Words, images, music, film)The literal significance of the utterance.

He kicked the ball.

Illocution

What someone does in saying something.The intention or the aim of the speaker or the

activity – the purpose.(a promise, a warning, a command.)

He scored a goal.

Perlocution

What we bring about by saying or doing something.

How what we say or do is received by the listener.

What is the effect, impact or consequence?

He won the game.

Multidimensional

1. The world behind the cultural text.

The background context from which a cultural text emerges. Cultural texts embody the

worldviews of their makers – their beliefs, goals, convictions and concerns.

Multideminsional

2. The world of the cultural text.

Every cultural text contains some kind of proposition. Find the argument.

What is the proposition? What is their proposal about what it means to be human?

It is displayed in the products & practices – it is implicit.

Multidimensional

3. The world in front of the text.

What effect does it bring? What impact does it have?

What is my response?It this worldview liberating or imprisoning?

Do I accept the proposed worldview?