<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Perhaps the problem is located in the
idea that cultural studies teaching is a form of 'recruitment': how many
students get marked down because they refuse to accept the various political
shadings of cultural studies (which are broadly, in their own understanding,
Left)? Perhaps none, - I've never encountered a cultural studies scholar
who is no less than absolutely scrupulous about this. Charlotte Brunsdon's
work on pedagogies of the feminine (collected in her 'Screen Tastes') is
interesting in this respect. I think there are a lot of very well meaning
scholars who believe themselves to be left-wing and yet endorse ideas that
are quite reactionary. In my previous posts I've tried to stress that the
really important divide (at this present moment) is between the pro- and
anti-human (which could be understood as pro- and anti modernity or pro-
and anti-Enlightenment); the trouble is the really nasty, local, attacks
on basic ideas (such as Howard's immediate cancellation of funding for
the New Media Arts Board) tend to overwhelm wider alignments. In this sense
I absolutely reject Liz Jacka's idea of concentrating on local, tactical
battles in all their specificity; this is an approach derived from one
of the most conservative trends in history and philosophy of the past 300
years, namely German historicism, the small is beautiful (exemplified by,
among others Von Herder), of course arising from the fragmented nature
of Germany before unification, but still a powerful draw after it (see
Lukacs, The Destruction of Reason, and the trend toward Alltagsgeschichte).
(Not to say that I don't adore Liz's work on TV history.) We need
to be able to grasp *both* the macro and the micro - and the mediating
strands between them - simultaneously ( I s'pose this is related to Marx's
dialectic, but even Marx didn't predict the parlous state of affairs we
find ourselves in today). </font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Still, I think all cultural studies
scholars believe themselves to be left-wing. Whatever that means. <br>
My two cents.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">over to Bill O'Reilly to explain why
I shouldn't be paid any more....</font>
<br>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Jason </font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><br>
Dr Jason Jacobs<br>
Senior Lecturer<br>
School of Arts, Media and Culture<br>
Griffith University<br>
Nathan Campus<br>
Queensland 4111<br>
Australia<br>
Phone: (07) 3875 5164<br>
Fax: (07) 3875 7730<br>
</font>