Culture Wars Research Articles

The revival of radical popular education in Italy as a new form of cultural and class struggle: The case of popular schools in Rome

The aim of this article is to examine the revival of popular schools in Italy, focusing on the ‘network of Roman popular schools’. This is a little researched but highly relevant topic in sociology nowadays, due to the innovative way it links politics and education in an increasingly unequal society. Inspired by research gathered over 4 years of participant observation and 28 in-depth interviews, I describe the way in which popular educators combine social mutualism, typical of Italian Antagonistic Left movements, with critical pedagogical practices: education is considered by activists as a way of doing politics by other means, in line with the origins of popular education enacted by the labor movement in the two past centuries and in particular with the pedagogical experience promoted by Lorenzo Milani, in turn capable of uniting Gramscian and Freirian thought. Popular educators address their educational actions to the social recognition of subaltern students, who are otherwise stigmatized by the dominant culture. In this way, a very interesting counter-hegemonic practice seems to be generated that entails not only the learners’ identity but also that of the educator themselves. This analysis leads to the identification of new popular education as a form of class and cultural struggle aimed at restoring social recognition to the working class.

Curating conflict-related sexual violence: Museological visibilities at the Imperial War Museum

While often under-researched, mis-catalogued, and obscured from public display, conflict-related sexual violence is acutely entangled in the story of conflict that the Imperial War Museum tells its visitors, beyond the dichotomous characterisation of present/absent, hidden/revealed or remembered/forgotten. This article outlines and characterises ways in which the Imperial War Museum curates conflict-related sexual violence, illustrating how this equates to gendered and gendering arbitrations on what is appropriate, representative, and moreover what counts as conflict-related sexual violence and as the material and visual culture of war. Curatorial practices are found to both reflect and actively (re)produce patterns of representation in sexual violence discourse, through a prism of visual hierarchies inherent to modern museumification and the Museum’s titular imperial legacy. Insights from this case can help guide ambitions of a more activist, feminist curatorial practice, one invested in disrupting harmful patterns and centring what is marginal.

Too woke or not too woke, that is the question: Brand responses to culture wars

Culture wars are conflicts between two groups with polarized beliefs about politics and other cultural phenomena. Of late, culture wars have moved to brands, marketing, and corporate activism. In modern brand culture wars, opposing groups will assemble on social media with the express purpose of either damaging a brand’s value or defending brands. Brands are then left in the precarious situation of navigating between two powerful factions in determining strategy moving forward. This manuscript explores the relationship between brand communities and corporate brands, addressing culture wars on a variety of hot-button topics. We scraped data from X—formerly known as Twitter—to analyze the impact of culture wars on social media behavior and sentiment. Drawing from the analysis of the data from X, as well as an examination of extant literature, we then propose a typology and offer a decision tree to guide brands dealing with culture wars levied at their corporations.

Rethinking the Gender-Culture-Law Nexus through the Lens of Child Marriage and Bridewealth Payment

The effect of child marriage and bridewealth payment on women’s agency is significant for access to justice and development programming, especially in the context of the goal of peaceful and inclusive societies. As prevalent practices in sub-Saharan Africa, child marriage and bridewealth payment hugely influence the ability of women and girls to exercise their agency. Indeed, these issues stand at the intersection of an intense cultural struggle between the custodians of culture and change agents. Based on field data collected in 10 countries in Africa, notably in eastern Nigeria, this paper argues that the exercise of agency by women and girls is not a self-enforcing activity. Rather, it is shaped by factors ranging from deficient and poorly implemented legal structures to lack of resources, entrenched cultural norms, and social pressure for normative conformity. By exposing culture and law as enablers and contributors to development, the article urges policy attention to needs-based factors that motivate and constrain women’s agency.

Restoring the question of culture: identity, essence and the unknowability of difference

Throughout the 20th century the question of culture was a central pillar of social scientific thought. From Durkheim to Levi-Strauss, from Stuart Hall to Dennis Cosgrove, the question of culture and cultural difference was a touchstone for understanding the structures, norms and expectations that organised society. Yet, today the concept has disappeared from the academic landscape, including geography, where it is absorbed into other debates and terms, or discarded as an antiquated essentialist construct. Despite pressing political debates about culture wars, identity politics, cultural appropriation and nativism, there seems to be little interest in discussing, debating, much less theorising, the concept of culture as a credible explanatory tool. The aim of this lecture is two-fold: first it explores what has been lost by forsaking the question of culture (in geography and elsewhere); and second, it endeavours to reframe the question of culture in terms that emancipate it from the problem of difference. Indeed, at its heart, I argue that while geographers commonly study difference as an obvious empirical fact of life, emerging and receding at various scales, the nature of difference itself is unknowable. Yet rather than seeing this as an obstacle to theorising culture, the lecture uses it as an invitation to think culture differently: culture not as an explanation for difference but as an elucidation of the phenomenon of claiming difference. The lecture will focus on explaining this distinction and how it fundamentally changes the question of culture. The plenary lecture explores and develops arguments examined in my forthcoming monograph, Dreams of Presence: a Geographic Theory of Culture (University of Toronto Press, 2024).

From Popularity to Suppression: Cockfighting and English Society c.1730 to the 1835 Cruelty to Animals Act

ABSTRACT The reasons for cockfighting's relatively successful legal suppression by Act of Parliament in 1835 were complex, subtle and nuanced. This study begins by placing cockfighting's social and cultural functioning across the period from c. 1750 to 1835 in far clearer historical context, stressing the centrality of wagering. During this period, cocking had a key place in the cultural wars that increasingly focused on so called ‘blood sports' and animal-human relationships. Opposition to cockfighting came from two directions: concerns about animal suffering and the behaviour of attenders. There was a decline in plebeian cockfight reportage after 1800 but cockfighting continued to enjoy support amongst some groups, most importantly within the elite, up to and beyond 1835. There was increased humanitarian concern about cocks’ treatment, although such concerns were still not widely accepted. The success of reformers was less due to worries about cruelty to animals per se, than to their ability to link cockfighting to human behaviour and notions of moral degeneration such as gambling or drinking. Increased attacks on these aspects from the 1770s led by local magistrates, more pressure on Parliament from the 1820s, and wider social changes in the early 1830s, finally led to the Act.

«Confrontation of fonts: Gothic vs Antiqua» in the language politics of the Third Reich

The article is devoted to the consideration of the script in the modern history of the German literary language, associated with the design of its normative graphics (graphemics), in particular the «font dispute: antiqua vs gothic» in the first half of the 20th century. For a significant period of historical development, the German literary language is marked by «cognitive dissonance» caused in the linguistic consciousness of its speakers by the collision of «conflicting» variants of Latin characters. The parallel use of various graphic variants of writing (diglyph), especially at the stage of the modern history of the German language, is marked by the influence of various extra-linguistic factors (ideology, confessional, cultural differences, national and state policies, etc.). A pressing issue is the consideration of the radical and controversial language policy in the totalitarian Third Reich in 1933–1945. Declaring Fraktur as a «national script», a symbol of identity and the embodiment of basic doctrines (unity of the nation and German-speaking ethnic groups, anti-Semitism, «struggle for culture», the idea of superiority), the National Socialists in 1941, at the stage of reorienting their policy towards «Eurocentrism», declared it replacement of the previously rejected antiqua as «normative German writing». The article provides a critical stage-by-stage analysis of the scenarios of the language policy of National Socialism in the «dispute about graphics», attempts to use a «compromise font» (Futura). Ideologemes associated with this practice are analyzed as lexical markers (Sprachregelung, Kulturkampf, Schrifttum, Judenlettern, deutsche Volksschrift/Normalschrift, etc.). The result of the study was the construction of a model of «font strategy» as a special linguistic-semiotic phenomenon of the language policy of the Third Reich. The conclusions note a peculiar reflection of the «font dispute» in different types of texts of 1933–1945 and in the military discourse of the Third Reich.

Voluntary Geographies of Internationalism: The Contributions of a Radical Mexican Family to Global Pacifism, Feminism, and Anticolonialism

This article addresses geographies of internationalism, feminism, pacifism, and anticolonialism, by investigating the case of pacifist and feminist activist Clementina Batalla Torres de Bassols (1894–1987) and her son, geographer Ángel Bassols Batalla (1925–2012). Based in Mexico and involved in global conferencing on pacifism, women’s rights, and geography, this activist and scholarly family provided examples of voluntary commitment to internationalism as both an ethical stance and a political option. Although not extraneous to Cold War logics, as they explicitly sympathized with the Eastern Bloc between the 1950s and the 1980s, the Bassols Batallas acted independently from party logics, following their family history rooted in the independent socialist traditions of Cardenismo and of the Mexican Revolution. They voluntarily contributed to international circulation of ideas without seeking any leading role in the international associations with which they worked. This case allows for constructing ideas of voluntarism and individual agency as drivers for internationalism and informal diplomacy. Furthermore, although some aspects of their pacifism and feminism might seem outmoded, these scholars and activists fostered ideas of social and cultural struggles across plural axes through transnational, anticolonial, and multilingual engagement that can still inspire critical and decolonial geographies.

For Every Book Their Reader: Book Challenges and Library Trauma

Since 2021, public and school libraries have become the frontlines of a cultural war. Regardless of the political tendency of the local area, material challenges have been submitted against libraries nationwide. When library workers handle material challenges, under the principle of intellectual freedom, they have often faced retaliatory actions from political groups, such as online attacks on them organized by political groups and budget cuts targeting the libraries. These challenges may create stress and trauma for library workers, both in the action of the banning, and the anticipation of it. For librarians experiencing trauma or at higher risk of exposure to traumatic events, this poster aims to illustrate a library trauma cycle within the context of material challenges. It highlights how library workers face an increased likelihood of trauma when material challenges are prevailing in the nation and how the internalization of trauma occurs within the context of the library and its community. The poster then suggests possible interventions to halt the library trauma cycle, calling for action from library administrators and board members.

The Power of a Brand: Paramount, Heartland Narrowcasting, and Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone is, above all, the story of a brand. By situating the popular series in relation to both the streaming and culture wars, as well as a related schism in academic media studies, this article proposes that the political economy of media corporations and the narrative aesthetics of media texts must be understood in tandem. As the Paramount Network’s signature property, Yellowstone manifested the channel’s demographic mission to include women and “narrowcast” to heartland viewers. By sophisticated generic and narratological innovations, Yellowstone went further to create an aesthetic protocol of brand loyalty where the process of branding, at once ancient and modern, physical and symbolic, was made self-consciously central to the show’s redescription of rural cowboying as a cultural identity and marketable lifestyle. The show’s intertwining of branding and belonging, as well as its vigorous use of product placement and merchandising, modifies prior assumptions in the field of franchise studies. In the gap between brand synergy and brand dilution, Yellowstone presents itself as a paradigmatic case study for the new imbrications of narrative entertainment, commodity fetishism, and identitarian politics.

Repertoire policy and activities of the national opera and ballet theaters in the conditions of military aggression

The purpose of the work is to identify changes in the repertoire policy of these institutions based on the analysis of the activities of the national opera and ballet theaters of Ukraine, which are determined by the influence of Russian military aggression and worldview and value transformations that are being formed in Ukrainian society and are aimed at protecting cultural and national identity. The research methodology is based on such scientific methods as analytical, comparative, and art studies, which made it possible to obtain reasonable research results and formulate appropriate conclusions. The scientific novelty of the work consists in the generalization and systematization of the activities of the national opera and ballet theaters (Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa) in the conditions of military aggression and the study of the corresponding changes in the repertoire policy, caused by the rejection of the repertoire related to Russian culture, instead of the promotion by the national opera theaters and ballet of Ukrainian culture and its values ​​among the international community. Conclusions. As a result of the conducted research, it was established that in the conditions of martial law, art, and in particular opera and ballet, in addition to continuing to perform their immediate functions, become expressions and symbols of indomitability and national stability. Modern productions, reflecting the drama of the time, make it possible to convey the complex emotions of the people, their pain of loss and hope for victory in an artistic form. In addition, national opera and ballet theaters acquire other features in their activities, transform into cultural hubs engaged in charity, volunteering, joining various public initiatives, especially among foreign colleagues and partners. Performances of opera and ballet troupes become an important component of the informational and cultural struggle against aggression, demonstrating the strength and beauty of Ukrainian culture to the world. The abandonment of the Russian repertoire by Ukrainian opera and ballet theaters during the war is a significant and symbolic step, driven by both cultural and political motives, which is part of a wider process of decolonization of Ukrainian culture and a break with the imperial heritage. This step symbolizes the desire for cultural independence, support of national identity and rejection of any form of cultural dependence on the aggressor country. Thus, the national opera and ballet theaters in Ukraine, despite all the difficulties, continue their activities, fulfilling not only a cultural, but also a social and patriotic mission in the conditions of war.

Exploring the political frontier in Australian schools: Bernsteinian insights on Civics and Citizenship education

Contemporary liberal democracies face complex and disruptive challenges, such as toxic populism, culture wars, political polarization, religious fundamentalism, the climate emergency, global conflicts, and the influence of powerful social media platforms. This is the disconcerting world that young people are growing up in and need support in understanding and mediating. This paper critically analyses the Australian Civics and Citizenship education curricular response using the theoretical insights of Basil Bernstein to understand the types of citizens it aims to nurture. Through analysing the language of the Australian Curriculum, the processes and intellectual influences behind its creation, and specific curricular content descriptors, the paper illuminates the social and ideological assumptions embedded in its vision of educating for democratic citizenship. We argue that political education remains a domain that Australian curriculum framers, schools, and teachers have approached cautiously. The paper highlights the curriculum's inadequacy in addressing early twenty-first-century political imperatives related to democratic deconsolidation, falling short of Bernsteinian ideals.

Bacurau

When released in theatres, Bacurau sparked a massive controversy due to its graphic depiction of violence and its alleged connection to Brazil’s socio-political climate, marked in recent years by profound political polarisation and cultural wars. This article explores an often-overlooked aspect of the film: the use of humour and its articulation with horror and science fiction imaginations. Our argument is that humour plays a key role in Bacurau, establishing connections between speculative fiction and historical reality, which underpins the film’s political work. We look at the significant attention that the interactions between humour, horror, and science fiction have received in Brazilian cinema produced over the last decade, and we conduct a detailed analysis of the use of humour in Bacurau, one of the most prominent films produced in the country during this period. We seek to understand how the interweaving of humour and speculative fiction is employed in the film, and if it is used to address controversial issues such as identity politics, racism, regionalism, and colonial legacies. We also investigate the extent to which this unconventional combination serves as a strategic tool for engaging with Brazil’s contemporary landscape of social and political unrest.

Guide to Understanding and Supporting International Medical Graduates in Hematology/Oncology by the ASCO International Medical Graduates Community of Practice.

International medical graduates (IMGs) are an essential component of the oncology workforce in the United States, comprising a third of all practicing oncologists and almost half of hematology/oncology fellows. In this article, we discuss the contributions of IMGs in the US oncology workforce, review unique challenges faced by IMGs, and propose potential solutions to overcome these challenges. ASCO's IMG Community of Practice was established with the mission to connect, mentor, guide, raise awareness, and overcome the challenges unique to IMGs interested in pursuing medical oncology in the United States. The content of this article is based on discussions at the IMG Community of Practice meetings at ASCO's 2023 and 2024 Annual Meetings. IMGs bring an inherent diversity of thought and experience to the oncology workforce. They provide high-quality, culture- and language-concordant care to a diverse population of patients with cancer. However, IMGs in oncology face significant hardships throughout their careers, including visa-related restrictions, psychosocial and cultural struggles, as well as differential treatment while applying for residency and fellowship training, and early career positions. Greater awareness of these challenges among the members of the hematology/oncology community, along with institutional and individual efforts to support IMGs, is warranted. We encourage oncology professionals and institutions to join our efforts in recognizing the unique paths of IMGs and providing support and advocacy to maximize the potential of IMGs in the US oncology workforce.

Jesuits, Jansenists, and the Culture Wars

Abstract This introductory article explores the relevance of studying the Jesuit-Jansenist conflict in early modern France against the broader background of modernity as such and its inherent problems with fragmentation, isolation, and polarization in all areas of culture. It begins with a reference to the particular use of the study of early modernity and its religious and sociopolitical problems by the two prominent dissidents of the twentieth century, Leszek Kołakowski (1927–2009) and Jan Patočka (1907–77), in order to draw some potential parallels between the contemporary “culture wars” and the conflict between the Jesuits and the Jansenists. The contributions, stemming from a conference held at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań in March 2023, celebrating the four-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Blaise Pascal, shed light on various aspects of classical culture, education, tradition, and innovation in the areas of theatre, music, and philosophy in seventeenth-century France.

The Platformisation of Cancel Culture

Cancel culture claims, narratives and practices now play out in predominantly platformed spaces, spanning from progressive publics and accountability practices to reactionary/anti-woke/far right publics. We argue that platform affordances, architectures and cultures serve as a nodal point to bring together a disparate set of practices, discourses and ideological positions to facilitate polarized, reactionary, and or strategic networked publics in the context of digital politics and the (re)emergence of culture wars. Papers within this special issue speak to our argument in varying ways. They explore the mechanisms, sentiments, tolerances, and practices in local and global contexts. They consider how certain practices manifesting as social justice interventions apply to negatively impact marginalized groups, theorize the role of and power of platforms in propelling cancelations, and track the rituals associated with cancel culture on platforms. In doing so we encompass perspectives and case studies from the global majority to inform what has to date been a largely Western area of focus and scholarship.

From Institutional Trauma to Institutional Healing

The societal struggles in American higher education have intensified in recent years, impacting various facets of academic life. Enrollment declines, rising costs, student debt, and emerging alternatives pose significant threats to colleges and universities. The COVID-19 pandemic further strained institutions, leading to deeper budget cuts and potential closures. Falling tuition revenue coupled with culture wars and political polarization have led to prolonged institutional trauma in higher education institutions. Conservative-leaning states have restricted faculty tenure, courses dealing with social and political inequity, and DEI initiatives, while progressives emphasize universities’ role in fostering critical thinking and truth. Organizational trauma can significantly impact an organization’s well-being. It can arise from a single catastrophic event or persistent issues such as workplace biases, discrimination, and poor communication. For many campuses, this manifests as chronic stress, apathy, and mental health challenges, leading to turnover of faculty and staff and low productivity. Understanding and addressing organizational trauma is crucial. Strategies include fostering resilience through supportive leadership, trust-building, and inclusive practices. Thoughtful solutions and collective efforts are needed to heal and strengthen American democracy. The 2024 elections remain uncertain, raising questions about the future of not only higher education, but American democracy. Addressing these challenges requires a concerted effort to bridge divides, promote critical thinking, and uphold the purpose of higher education. The path forward remains complex, but collective action is essential to repair and strengthen American civic health.

The Propaganda of Freedom: JFK, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, and the Cultural Cold War by Joseph Horowitz (review)

The Propaganda of Freedom: JFK, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, and the Cultural Cold War by Joseph Horowitz (review)

Policy Solutions: Pandemic recovery will depend on political rediscovery

The current culture wars have been showing up in schools and districts, making local school board races increasingly partisan. The 2024 presidential race is placing even more attention on the partisan divide in local education policies and decisions. Columnist Jonathan E. Collins writes that education advocates can leverage this focus and help put aside partisan politics and meet the post-pandemic challenges students face.

Post-World War II perspectives on Choi Seung-hee: ideological blind spots in Asia-based and Anglophone scholarship

ABSTRACT During and before World War II, Japanese colonial rule cast a profound impact on the cultural and artistic landscapes of its colonies. Choi Seung-hee (1911–1969), a prominent cultural figure from the pre-war period, skillfully navigated the delicate balance between her roles as a representative of Korean national dancer and an emblematic figure within the Japanese empire. Her dual identity elicited diverse public reactions, ranging from slander to praise. In South Korea, post-Korean War, ideological divisions led to the marginalization of artists like Choi who moved north, ambiguously referred to as “Choi X.” In North Korea, autocratic rule infused her evaluations with strong nationalism. In China and the Soviet Union, Cultural Cold War ideologies impacted her assessments. Japan’s perspective reflected its post-colonial introspection and issues. In contrast to the ideologically saturated research in Asian contexts, contemporary Anglophone scholarship on Choi, transcending nationalist confines, nonetheless exhibits distinct limitations. This study primarily scrutinizes the diverse perspectives reflected in Choi research, drawing upon news reports, visual materials, academic studies, and personal observations in China, South Korea, and Japan. The aim is to chart the trajectory and representative viewpoints of Choi research in post-World War II Koreas, China/Soviet Union, Japan, and the Anglophone scholarship. Through literature review and critical analysis, this research underscores how nationalist, socialist, Aesthetic Orientalist, Sinocentric and (Pan) Asian political/non-political ideologies have shaped perspectives on Choi amidst the Cultural Cold War and decolonization. Moreover, it reveals how transnational ideological constructs and dominant research paradigms have shaped and reshaped Choi’s image.