Cultural Studies - Workshop by Dr. Kalyani Vallath (Thinking Activity)

Welcome Readers!

                                           There is something weird in the above gif of Mona Lisa, isn’t it? Well, it seems because one has a clear and accurate picture of Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and it seems hard to believe what this graphic file actually tries to mean! Well, I have attempted to connect it with the vast field of literature that is ‘Cultural Studies’. What I found in this gif is how the use of media can construct the culture and how it analysis and interpret the cultural artifacts. So, what I can read and interpret through this gif is that it allows critical scrutiny of art without any prior prejudices. The major thing I found is that it contains a multiculturalist program. And obviously, it is a field of literature so it analyzes a text with the spectacles of ‘culture’.

                                  So, this blog is made on the grounds of a thinking task assigned by Prof. Dr. Dilip Barad Sir to reflect my understanding of the concept of 

CULTURAL STUDIES –

WORKSHOP BY DR. KALYANI VALLATH

And this blog also includes- how would I explain a layman about Cultural Studies and how would I introduce Cultural Studies if asked in the interview. I had also tried to include the illustrations that Dr. Kalyani Vallath madam explained to us in the productive workshop that was conducted on the 27th of December 2019 at the Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University. 

Cultural Studies-

Cultural Studies is an interdisciplinary study which analyzes with theoretical perspective – the functioning of the cultural materialism, social interaction, popular and mass culture and other practices with various disciplines.

                                  This is what I believe (for now) Cultural Study is, as a concept. It is a broad field which covers various other subjects in it that is to say- Psychology, Anthropology, Economics, etc.

                              To understand Cultural studies so deeply, the first thing we have to study is ‘Culture’. Culture is a social construction which is marked by its uniqueness and gives a sense of ‘belonging’ to a person with pride. Like language, Culture is also an acquired phenomenon. 

                               This most insightful workshop on Cultural Studies by Dr. Kalyani Vallath ma'am had provided us a wonderful understanding of the subject. Dr. Kalyani Vallath ma'am is a highly passionate teacher from Trivandrum, Kerala. Ma'am is an edu-entrepreneur who persuaded her doctoral degree from Canada University on Children Cinema.

                               In the introductory session Prof. Dr. Dilip Barad Sir gave a profound introduction of Dr. Kalyani madam where Sir mentioned that Ma'am is running a finishing school where students are trained to work effectively in their respective jobs. In the institute, all skills and abilities are taught which helps to function productively in society. Ma'am has made a perfect space for Literature and students of Literature in society in  Vallaths TES.

                             The most important unit of NTA NET is Cultural Studies and Dr. Kalyani ma'am came all the way from Kerala to provide us the 'best of brains' knowledge of Cultural Studies.

                                             

                             Ma'am explained a huge field of Cultural Studies, it's beginning as well as the key concepts like Popular Culture, Mass Culture, etc. Right from the Frankfurt School of Germany to Popular Culture, I got a perfect outline of the theories and the very basic foundation of Cultural Studies.

The key points which Ma'am is taught us with her energetic style are-

✔Basic introduction to Culture and Cultural Studies

✔Cultural Studies as #interdisciplinary studies

✔Evolution of Cultural Studies

✔Various interpretive theories

✔Rise of Cultural Theories with a brief note on the eminent Thinkers.

✔The diversity of India

✔ Marxist Revisionism

✔Hegelian Dialectical Method

✔Dialectic of Enlightenment

✔New Left

✔Repressive Desublimation

✔ Working class Culture & Mass Culture

✔ Cultural Materialism

✔Foucault and Archeology and Genealogy

✔ Episteme and Dispositif

✔ Cultural Intermidiaries

✔ Popular Cultural studies

✔ Subcultural Studies

✔Trauma Studies

✔Appadurai and his five scapes

✔Queer Studies

✔Visual cultural studies

✔Celebrity Cultural Studies

                                 It was truly a dynamic, effective and energetic day where we learned the most valuable lessons from Cultural Studies and had a vigorous discussion with Dr.Kalyani ma'am.

                              I express my sincere gratitude to Dr.Kalyani madam for her productive deliverance of Cultural Theories and I ardently thank Prof.Dr.Dilip Barad Sir for his efforts in providing the 'best of brains knowledge' to us and arranging this fruitful workshop.