New class culture : how an emergent class is transforming America's culture / Avrom Fleishman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fleishman, Avrom.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Elite (Social sciences)--United States.

Elite (Social sciences).

Social classes--United States.

Social classes.

High technology--Social aspects--United States.

High technology.

Social change--United States.

Social change.

Popular culture--United States.

Popular culture.

United States--Social conditions--1980-.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (154 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Distribution:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024

Place of Publication:

Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

A new class is emerging in the wake of the information economy and is altering American culture. Instead of arguing about values in aesthetic taste or morality, this book sheds new light on the culture wars by examining the social sources of recent cultural developments. Both opponents and defenders of the current cultural scene have neglected the class factors in culture generally and in present society. If the new class is added to our picture of American society, its input into the cultural marketplace helps to explain present trends in postmodernism, mixtures of high and low culture, and other recent developments. Both opponents and defenders of the cultural scene have neglected the class factors in culture generally and in present society. Instead of arguing about values in aesthetic taste or morality, this book offers a new perspective on the culture wars by inquiring into the social sources of the argument. When a new class is seen to have emerged in the wake of the information economy, its effects on cultural taste and style will help to explain both their strengths and weaknesses. The book's message is that much of the heat generated in the culture wars may be lowered and clarification obtained by observing a principle in social and aesthetic matters: every class has its culture. When the social functions of both high and popular cultures are acknowledged, it becomes possible to criticize current offerings for their effectiveness or limitations in fulfilling those functions. If the new class is added to our picture of American society, its input into the cultural marketplace helps to explain present trends in postmodernism, mixtures of high and low culture, and other recent developments.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Preface

1 Our Cultures and Our Classes

2 The Field of Cultural Discourse

3 Class Amnesia

4 New Class Mentality

5 New Class/ New Culture

6 A Cosmopolitan Class?

Select Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [139]-142) and index.

ISBN:

9798400690778

9786610468737

9781280468735

1280468734

9780313012655

0313012652

OCLC:

53431471