Final Theory/Practice Project

Final Practical AssessmentI'm a visual and practical learner, I need to engage these qualities to complete the final stage of this research. I will start by posing a question or thesis I want to answer or cover. My topic: Societal value judgement of objects and things as a discursive formation.

Post Five

Foucault defines power as not a thing, but a relation, productive, exercised through the social body rather that solely the state. Power is a large factor in my topic, as items are often associated with class and power, such as guns or a Rolex (both with significant events behind them as reasoning). For these examples associated qualities are the reasons behind a judgement.

Decomodification; which occurs when the exchange value surpasses that of its material use value, for particularly sentimental like antiques or heirlooms. As suggested antiques could be an interested avenue to explore in my final project. 
The fetishizing of objects increases exchange value, gives the associated items of a specific brand, make or model a sense of exclusivity.

Post Four

In writing my Seminar Presentation I have defined my topic down to a specific theory. I intend to explore the history, influences, theorists, academic work on and practice of societal value judgment of object and things, as a discursive formation. That is a culturally specific set of conventions and context constructing the basis of consideration, rather than signalling an outcome. This is a social practice which can sway in a number of ways

I found this piece on questioning the manner in which we classify by Borges particularly relevant to this direction of thinking. He looked at how a Chinese encyclopaedia classified animals under a series of adjectival headings such as “those that tremble as if they were mad, innumerable ones and those drawn with a very fine camelhair brush” and how this is seen as being ineffective from the view of a western society. He takes this opportunity to highlight the limitations of our own classificatory system, by which we do not think of an alternative (Gottdiener, Boklund-Lagopoulou and Lagopoulos, 2003).
This work was said to have 'shattered' all familiar landmarks of thought for Foucault; a highlighted influence in his work.

Going back to week 4's reading, Stevens deconstruction of the empty milk carton covers all assessable bases that would come to mind in the context of our modern disposable society, however not so much for criteria outside of this, such as that described in the piece above.


For future reference: (a) belonging to the emperor, (b) embalmed, (c) tame, (d) sucking pigs, (e) sirens, (f) fabulous, (g) stray dogs, (h) included in the present classification, (i) frenzied, (j) innumerable, (k) drawn with a very fine camelhair brush, (l) et cetera, (m) having just broken the water pitcher, (n) that from a long way off look like flies. In 'The analytical language of John Wilkins', Borges assesses the differing possibilities of categorisation, giving my research a whole new window of inspiration.

After additional reading up of the below sources I have a few new considerations to get down; that 'things' become so embedded in everyday life that they become an unrealised part of our lives, commodification also is a factor: becoming a commodity, 'favourite things', what excels an element above all the categories into this elite area and why do these things often disregard societal judgement and celebrities as they become an item for consumption by the public, all thoughts I wanted to get down somewhere. This last note on celebrities could also be extended to animal, once objectified for mass consumption they both can surpass humanisation to optimize their purpose, process.
 
From Giorgio Agambens reading: "Objects that refuse to behave predictably in the manner they are designed to become irritating and inconvenient." A note on functionality.

Resources considered:

Burrell, G. (1988). Modernism, post modernism and organizational analysis 2: The contribution of Michel Foucault. Organization studies, 9(2), pp.221--235.

Connor, Steven (2011) “Batteries” in Paraphernalia: the Curious Lives of Magical Things. London: Profile Books, pp. 23-25

Foucault, M. and Faubion, J. (1998). Aesthetics, method, and epistemology. 1st ed. New York: New Press.

Gottdiener, M., Boklund-Lagopoulou, K. and Lagopoulos, A. (2003). Semiotics. 1st ed. London: Sage Publications.

Hernadi, P. (1989). The Rhetoric of interpretation and the interpretation of rhetoric. 1st ed. Durham: Duke University Press.

Kimball, R. (1993). The perversions of M. Foucault. The New Criterion. [online] Available at: http://www.newcriterion.com/articles.cfm/The-perversions-of-M--Foucault-4714 [Accessed 7 Aug. 2014].

Macey, D. (2004). Michel Foucault. 1st ed. London: Reaktion.

Panneerselvam, s. (2000). A Critique Of Foucault's Power and Knowledge. Indian Philosophical Quaterly, XXVII(1 & 2).

Smith, B. (1988). Contingencies of Value: Alternative Perspectives for Critical Theory. 1st ed. Harvard University Press.

Wang, G. (2013). Study on Contemporary Emotional Experience Product Design Based on Iphone. Springer, pp.719--724.

The 'WHAT' part 2 (Definitions)

A few definitions I can refer back to in writing my seminar presentation and for future reference, from my past and present culture studies courses, as well as the previously discussed Foucault definitions.

the arts of existence (life as a work of art): 'techniques of the self' or 'arts of existence' as 'those reflective and voluntary practices by which men not only set themselves rules of conduct, but seek to transform themselves, to change themselves in their singular being, and to make of their life into an oeuvre that carries certain aesthetic values and meets certain stylistic criteria'. -Foucault (1992) [1984]. The Use of Pleasure. The History of Sexuality: Volume Two. Tr. R. Hurley. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin, pp. 10-11.

epistemology: the study of knowledge and systems (western or otherwise)

episteme: How the culture thinks about itself (Believing that one areas cultures are natural forces the idea that other cultures are unnatural and own is the only way)

Representation: how discourses work, in words, music, gesture, visually [Think of people as a walking set of signs who without speaking or attempting to create meaning produce class sex race status popularity, do so.

Culture: Foucault describes culture as 'a hierarchical organization of values, accessible to everybody, but at the same time the occasion of a mechanism of selection and exclusion'.

Foucault (2001). L'hermeneutique du sujet. Cours au Collège de France, 1981-1982. Paris: Gallimard Seuil, p. 173.

Discourse: Discourse is a rather slippery notion in Foucault's work but at the most basic level he uses the term to refer to the material verbal traces left by history. He also uses it to describe 'a certain "way of speaking"'. Foucault (1972) [1969]. The Archaeology of Knowledge. Tr. A. M. Sheridan Smith. London: Tavistock, p. 193.Discursive formation: The discursive formation is roughly equivalent to a scientific discipline. discursive practice: This term refers to a historically and culturally specific set of rules for organizing and producing Different forms of knowledge. It is not a matter of external determinations being imposed on people's thought, rather it is a matter of rules which, a bit like the grammar of a language, allow certain statements to be made.
Ethics: Ethics concerns the kind of relation one has to oneself. The essential condition for the practice of ethics is freedom, the ability to choose one action, not another. Foucault makes a distinction between moral codes (which are simply collections of rules and precepts) and ethics. He suggests there are four aspects to how the individual constitutes him/herself as the moral subject of his or her own actions. The first aspect relates to the part of the individual which acts as the focus of moral conduct. The second aspect concerns what makes an individual recognize their moral obligations. The third aspect relates to the means by which individuals transform and work on themselves. The fourth aspect concerns what sort of person an individual might want to be.
Events: An event is something that has a beginning and an end. Every human experience, activity, idea and cultural form can be analyzed as an event or as a series of events.

Aesthetics: A guiding principle in matters of artistic beauty and taste; artistic sensibility

 

This last definition and our discussions of 'events' in class struck an idea, I am going to navigate through my research using this concept of events as defined here be Foucault.

Human aesthetic and value judgements are constantly evolving, due to changing influences which can be classed as events. To draw on a previous example, of the Jeep and the Prius, the environmental awareness rise would be an 'event', and I will use this definition as a key point in explaining the translation (theory into the social practice, or product) in each example.

 

The 'HOW'

How I will undergo my research.

Michel Foucault will be the ‘thinker’ central to my project. His definitions and theories will be the angle from which I make my arguments from. I will compile a list of definitions from academic sources, from him relevant  to my research. Influences which could be attributed to shaping his definitions, theories and self include his gay sexuality, criticized as playing part in his perspectives on power,  his context, born in 1926 not long after the end of the first world war, in  Poitiers, France, to an upper middle class family. He developed an early interest in cultural studies followed by a few years studying abroad. He died in his 50’s of Aids, living with a terminal illness for the last part of his life was sure to have affected his outlook.

 

Ideas for Project:

Human Value Judgement of objects/things.

The concept as a theory, identifying the subconscious process as a theory, looking at the reasoning and moral/aesthetic/cultural/class influences on it, and explaining how it translates into practice. With use of real life examples of the theory in practice I can properly explore my research topic. Example Ideas: iPhone vs android (smart phones) and how qualities other than essentially functional and materialistic ones such as emotive, moralistic and brand experience become the main criteria. Another example could be Coca Cola Vs. Pepsi, Two identical black tops, one Kmart, one Sass and Bide or  a Hummer and a Prius (electric car). For this last example my arguments could include a historical look at

views which have essentially changed toward the value judgement of each car compared to each other. Before the rise of the environmental movement and prominence of global warming as a human influenced appearance, a bigger more powerful car would be desirable over a smaller, more efficient one. However after this values rearrange and this is no longer the case.

Example: Crocs shoes in comparison with Louboutin high heels. Convenience comfort and affordability is almost completely disregarded for style, status, appearance and 'sex appeal'.

The 'WHAT'

In selecting a topic I need to consider which weeks reading text to use to refer to, to create a thesis on a theory and which to explore in practice throughout the course of the semester.

Reading - Week 4: Connor Stevens “battery”

The way he dissects the object in a variety of ways got my attention enough to decide the heading ‘objects and things’, the focus of my assessment. Exactly which direction I will take it could cover the relationships humans form with objects, the way we make value judgements of objects and ‘things’ or even some sort of deconstruction of aesthetics.

Stevens considers the meaning and value of ‘things’ in a modern sense, such as the everyday drained carton of milk, once highly valued now reduced to a’ flimsy husk’, in the context of a modern civilized society.

Is this because it holds not aesthetically pleasing values or because its use has expired? Both? Neither?

 

Couldn’t find any background information on Connor Stevens. Will have to explore the influences of another ‘thinker’ I employ later on.

Considering selecting a key cultural philosopher like Marx or Foucault, to utilize as a structure (use this individuals definitions and insights to explore a certain strand/concept), as meanings vary so widely.

 

I found the book ‘Biographical Objects: How Things Tell the Stories of People's Lives’ By Janet Hoskins a significant influence. The book is about how six men and women from Indonesia narrate their own lives through speaking about their possessions. From domestic objects to personal ones, they depict the 'things' as together forming their identity through 'self historicizing.'

Hoskins takes the position that objects and a persons opinion on them display the inner workings of a human. I would like to adopt a similar stance in my research assessments.

 

 

Student Details

Student Name: Kelly Campbell
Identification Number: S2918726
Content: 2000 words (excluding sections of referenced definitions and sources)
Class: 3005HUM, Cultural Theory, Cultural Practice
Date: Semester 2, 2014
Teacher: Pat Wise
Contact: Kelly.AnnCampbell@hotmail.com
Notes: Forgive me for the somewhat simple or tacky images, I sometimes need to be visually stimulated to keep focused on what I'm writing about. You will have also noticed that the blog posts view backwards, as they appear in the order I wrote them.