The Path of Culture: From the Refined to the High, from the Popular to Mass Culture. Issue 2 (19th September 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Markus, György
• Is Part Of: Critical horizons. Volume 14:Issue 2(2013)
• Page Start: 127
• Page End: 155
• Publication Date: 2013-09-19
• Subjects: refined culture -- popular culture -- high culture -- mass culture -- bilateral works -- "pop" science -- kitsch; Critical theory -- Periodicals; 142.05
• DOI: 10.1179/1440991713Z.0000000003
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1440-9917

Abstract

Abstract : From the late seventeenth century on the idea of culture underwent a gradual transformation. Originally this concept referred essentially to the "refined" way of life of the ruling social elite (which certainly included among others also such activities as listening and making music, reading works of literature, commissioning works of fine art). Popular culture, on the other hand, refers to the usually collective practices of groups of rural and urban workers taking the form of performance. They were not only excluded from refined culture, but it was regarded as completely unsuitable for them, potentially creating dangerous social aspirations. It is with the great social transformation from feudal to bourgeois society that the idea of refined culture was replaced by that of "high culture" encompassing both the arts and the sciences: works claiming universal human significance. This "high culture" for a considerable time coexisted with the remnants of popular culture. It has been only due to the great technical advances that its true opposite, "mass culture" emerged, at the turn to twentieth century, claiming an empirical universality: being understandable and truly interesting to everyone. In economic respect, there is a competitive relation between high and mass culture. However, it is argued that there can be no cultural competition between them. For they posit differing and potentially co-existing receptive attitudes. The characterisation of this difference and the discussion of the seeming exceptions to the so-articulated conceptual scheme occupies the concluding part of this essay.