I fear I am the last one to post this week; it has been one of those weekends, so be it...
I had a difficult time trying to read everything and wrap my brain around all of it; so I am going to try to comment on one section I might have some semblance of a grasp on - hegemony. From what I understand, hegemony is control. Well, if we are speaking of control and hegemony as rhetoric, since this is a class concerning rhetoric, I think I can agree with the simple definition of control. Now, as to who has control is a debatable question. Is control found in the political powers that be, the societal powers that be, or is it found within the self? I was reminded of the ancients, the way they addressed crowds and the way they won the admiration of the audience. Hegemony seems to define what the ancients were doing - breaking classes down by domination and subordination. Being the dominate individual or class definitely gives you the upper hand in society because you create thought and have power which makes others subordinate allowing you to have control.
Isn't that what we, as teachers, do in the classroom on a daily basis? We try to dominate a room of 30+ unruly teenagers, who will eventually submit to our demands, ultimately giving us the control needed for social progress in a culture of learning, right? Control, that is the key; but how it is established and practiced is based on how the dominate individual sees and understands him/herself. Thus enters hegemony.
So what really governs and controls us? The reading says, based on my meek interpretation, that our culture determines our social process which in turn offers us our ideology. However, there are many different cultures I belong to; therefore, I follow a variety of social processes and eventually end up with several ideologies; but where are those ideologies found? In society or in me? The readings left me with nothing more than an almost infinite list of questions. So what does that say about my social process and culture? All of this only hurts my always-already confused head. Amen- So Be It!
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You are not the last to post...I fear I may have that honor. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think you certainly do have a point that we practice hegemony in the classroom--though I would argue that it's more interpellation. We have certain standards for our students, and we want them to behave in a certain way. If they behave inappropriately, there are consequences. Essentially, they DO have a choice...but they don't. In order to try and avoid the "warden" aspect of teaching, we try to present it in a way that they have a "choice," but, in reality, do they?
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I agree with the idea of interpellation in the classroom-the illusion of control subdues the masses. Allowing choices, that really only lead to one true outcome or goal, is a propaganda tool we use on a daily basis as instructors. Then, we are ruled by the administration that plays the same game with us. It is truly a depressing thought.
ReplyDeleteAs far as your question about cultural ideologies, I think it is more social than it is in you. I come from two ethnic backgrounds: a Hispanic and Iranian heritage. Although both seem to be distant from one another, there are several aspects of both ideologies that are in agreement: elders, religious traditions, machismo, value of family, etc. So although, in my case, cultural ideologies may seem distant, they are actually very similar, just a different set of language and terms are used.