Hamlet | Cultural Studies: ThAct

Exploring Marginalization in Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

This blog post is written as thinking activity assigned by Barad Sir. In this blog post we have to analyze marginalization of two characters, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from Shakespeare's play Hamlet with reference to cultural studies. 

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"questions of politics, power, indeed on all matters that deeply affect people's practical lives"

New Historicist approach within the cultural studies looks for power struggles in history. They analyze the literary text from Marxist perspective, about class struggles, power struggles, and power politics. This is evident in the play Hamlet. Where we can find such class conflict among elite class kings Hamlet and Claudius and lower class servants like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. 

Marginalization of The Characters 

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern both are minor characters from Hamlet. They are basically plot driven characters. They does speak significant dialogues in the play but now most us do not recall or forgot those dialogues since they are not prominent character like Hamlet, Claudius and even Polonius. Both the characters are students of the same university from which Hamlet have studies, and still we largely ignore these characters based on their class. 

Both characters are merely pawns at the hands of powerful characters like Hamlet and Claudius. They are summoned by Claudius to spy on Hamlet, but their role remains superficial and expendable, as they lack any true influence or autonomy. 

 

They try to please the king but are not smart enough to understand what's really going on. Hamlet sees them as just "sponges" that soak up the king's favor until they're no longer useful. In the end, they die because they were just pawns in a bigger game. Their story shows how powerful people use and throw away those below them.

Modern Parallels to Corporate Power

The fate of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Hamlet mirrors the displacement experienced by modern workers in times of corporate downsizing or globalization. There are several parallels between corporate employees and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. They are manipulated into betraying Hamlet, and ultimately discarded without a second thought when their usefulness has run out. The policies like "Hire and Fire" is similar to this, where employees are being exploited during their youth and company make profit on the work and value of these people. And when they are no longer in use for profit they will be fired from the job. 

Most of the people who are working tirelessly more than twelve hours in such corporate firms. At the end they feel alienated from the family, and sometime from their life also.  Like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, they are caught in the middle of larger power struggles, whether it’s global competition or corporate reorganization, without any real power to influence the outcome.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are used by both Hamlet and Claudius, without care for their individuality or humanity. This is very similar to how modern workers are often reduced to mere numbers in corporate world, where profits matter more than people's lives. Just like in "Hamlet", where they are treated as unimportant in the political struggle, workers can be seen as pawns in the system of global capitalism.

Existential Questions

Later in the 20th century Tom Stoppard re-writes these two characters in his play, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead". In this play, Stoppard further alienates these two characters and place them into postmodern context. This work was published in 1966, and it was the time when post War disillusionment and technological progress was it's peak. Writers like Albert Camus, Samuel Beckett, and Herold Pinter writing about fragmented identity, human nature. and absurdism of postmodern world. 

In the similar manner, Tom Stoppard had put these two characters in more absurd way then they were in Hamlet. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern represent typical human beings, stuck on a journey aboard "spaceship Earth," reflecting life in the 20th or 21st century. Their voyage has no clear destination, except for the inevitable end that is death, for individuals who are, in a way, already lifeless or lost. Corporate workers also are like same they just work constantly day and night with thinking about their self, family and friends, and still they seem marginalized in the eyes of corporate tycoons. 

Cultural and Economical Power Structure 

New Historicist study of the characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Shakespeare and in Tom Stoppard's play offers critical insight about their respective culture and power struggle within it. As Michel Foucault has said that history is always governed by dominant ideology and power struggles, and it is essentially history of oppression of marginalized people like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. At that time there was monarchy, and people were exploited by the kings and royalist. 

In contrast with Shakespeare's time, in postmodern times the place of monarchy is filled by various multinational companies, who for their personal gain, exploit the working class people and their value. And such repetitive working displace human beings from themselves and from the society. Now the power is in the hand of multinational companies, and workers are mere objects for them who can make them profit. 

Conclusion 

After understanding the approach of New Historicism within the cultural studies, it gives a clear understanding of how every age within the history is revolves around it's power dynamics and elite ideology. This is very much true for contemporary time also, where the voice of people belonging to poor and peasant class are unheard by those who are in power. 

Thank you.

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

Thinking Activity

This blog is prepared in response to the thought-provoking thinking task assigned by Prakruti Ma'am. In this blog where we dive deep into critical reflections on key questions surrounding Jean Rhys' masterpiece, "Wide Sargasso Sea."

Share your thoughts about the concept of the hysterical female (madwoman in the attic) with reference to Rhys' novel. How is insanity/madness portrayed in the narrative of the text?

Jean Rhys's novel "Wide Sargasso Sea" is essentially a story about two Creole characters, Annette and her daughter Antoinette, who are both victims of their white European husbands. Like the wide Sargasso Sea, these characters are stuck in the "sargasso" of the socio-cultural and economic setups of their time.

The people here hate us. They certainly hate me.’ Straight out she said that one day and it was then he laughed so heartily.

Throughout the novel, both characters display traces of madness. In Annette's case, it is more visible, whereas Antoinette’s madness is implied and psychological. After the death of her husband, Alexander Cosway, Annette was alone for a long time before marrying Mr. Mason. He became more authoritative, both with Coulibri Estate and with Annette herself. She even forgot her son Pierre in the burning house, an event that took a heavy mental toll on her from which she never recovered, eventually being confined to the attic.

  

This kind of depiction of female hysteria and mental illness was a common theme in the works of Victorian-era women writers. Susan Gubar and Sandra Gilbert conducted a feminist study of five women writers, including the Brontë sisters and George Eliot, and published their influential work "The Madwoman in the Attic" in 1979. In it, they analyzed why these authors often portrayed women with hysteria.

Gubar and Gilbert proposed that this portrayal was part of a distinctively female literary tradition, depicting women’s hysteria and their subsequent banishment to the "Frozen Landscape," often represented as the attic of a house. Women who were autonomous and resistant to patriarchal society were frequently labeled as mad or hysterical.

Such was the case with Antoinette. She was unable to share her desires, thoughts, and feelings with her husband, despite his constant attempts to connect with her. Antoinette was unwilling to open up and instead relied on the opinions of others, such as Christophine and Aunt Cora. This is evident when her husband says, "In her way, not mine..."

Because of the emotional distance between them, her husband became attracted to the housemaid, Amélie. When this news reached Antoinette, she became anxious and restless. Fearing loneliness, she even asked Christophine to use Obeah on her husband to bind him to her, because she does not wanted to end up like her mother.  Meanwhile, Daniel Cosway's letter further fueled the husband's belief that Antoinette's mother was a madwoman, and that Antoinette would likely follow in her mother's footsteps. This suspicion became clear in his mind, which led him to cast Antoinette into the attic, where she eventually lost all sense of time and space.

Provide a comparative analysis of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea. How are both the texts uniquely significant in capturing female sensibility?

Wide Sargasso Sea is considered as a postcolonial feminist prequal to Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Bronte in 1847. In her work Rhys does not only captured the feminist aspect of the novel but also set her novel in postcolonial background. 

Jane Eyre is bildungsroman novel about it's titular character who later marries to The Husband (Mr. Rochester) despite of being aware about Bertha Mason's condition (Antoinette) who is confined in Mr. Rochester's household attic. She knows that Mr. Rochester is already married and betrayed her by not telling it. Yet she married to him. This shows how women of that would think. They are virtuous women who does not oppose to patriarchal power of that age. They are considered as Angel in the house, who remain subservient to their husbands much like the character of Pamela. She also returns to Mr. B after having been sexually assaulted multiple time. 

On the other hand, Antoinette is much more developed character than her mother Annette and Bertha Mason. Because at the end Antoinette know what she has to do in order to escape from the confinement. 

"I was outside holding my candle. Now at last I know why I was brought here and what I have 

to do. There must have been a draught for the flame flickered and I thought it was out. But I 

shielded it with my hand and it burned up again to light me along the dark passage."

These lines shows that Antoinette is much confident, in contras with the other characters like Annette, Bertha and traditional women like Pamela and Jane Eyre. 

Which aspects of Wide Sargasso Sea can be considered postcolonial? Briefly discuss some of the major elements of the text which reflect the postcolonial condition.

The Creole identity of characters like Antoinette and her mother, Annette, plays a major role in shaping their postcolonial identity. Due to her Creole background, Antoinette struggles to communicate with her husband and others. She feels alienated from white Europeans and is no longer accepted by the black native people because of her Creole heritage. Antoinette is also afraid of them. She is called a "white cockroach" because of her hybrid identity.

Earlier, Antoinette was able to communicate with her biological father, Alexander Cosway, but later, her Creole identity prevented her from bonding with her stepfather, Mr. Mason. Because of her hybrid identity, Antoinette experiences two versions of truth, identity, and reality. Moreover, she is stripped of her own religion and follows Christianity, like her white father, since Creole identity followed the practices of the father rather than the mother. The native practices, such as 'Obeah,' are considered regressive, while Alexander Cosway, who superficially followed Christianity, is viewed as progressive because it was the religion of the masters.

Another major instance of postcolonialism is seen in the description of places. When her husband constantly talks about England, neither Antoinette nor any of the workers in the house are charmed by the image of England. In their minds, England is no longer a significant place but rather the origin of their white masters who come to rule over them. England has lost its appeal to them.

In the novel, there are several instances where both Jamaica and England are described in contrasting ways. The Caribbean islands, particularly Jamaica, are portrayed as exotic and natural, not significantly developed. They are seen as raw, rural, and less progressive compared to the image of England, which is presented as advanced, progressive, and developed, though somewhat abstract. Native places like the Coulibri Estate are depicted as spaces of rest and leisure, emphasizing their connection to nature and simplicity in contrast to the industrial and urbanized image of England.

Thank you...

J. M. Coetzee's "Foe" | Material

 Thinking Activity | "Foe" 

In this blog post I will be doing comparative and critical analysis of  Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" and J. M. Coetzee's "Foe". 

Introduction

"Robinson Crusoe" by Defoe is one of the widely recognized earliest realist novels published in England. This novel was published in 1719 and captures the euphoria and imagination surrounding the widespread colonialism of European countries, especially England. It is considered a prototype of English colonialism. 

The story is about the castaway Englishman Robinson Crusoe's adventures and his subsequent colonization of a man named Friday (a native) who lives on that uninhabited island. This work is a prime example of how European countries carried out their project of mass colonization all over the world, whether in the East, the Caribbean, Africa, or America. 

Robinson Crusoe and Colonialism 

Daniel Defoe's 'Robinson Crusoe' has influenced many generations, especially because it has been widely adapted as a book for young readers in comic books and cartoon stories. Daniel Defoe's 'Robinson Crusoe' can be seen as a clear reflection of the time in which it was written. In the story, Robinson takes control of the island, transforming it into a livable place, and the relationship between him and the (non-white) Friday mirrors the mindset of colonialism. The novel suggests that white European men, by using their intelligence and hard work, could turn foreign lands into productive environments. When Friday, a native, is saved by Robinson, he becomes his servant out of gratitude. Robinson, as the "kind master," teaches him European language, culture, and Christian religion, reinforcing the colonial idea of European superiority. Meanwhile, native people's own culture, language, tradition, customs, and habits are neglected and marginalized as inferior or evil in comparison to that of their white masters. 

Today, if we see the novel very critically because we have passed through that horrible phase of colonialism, but at that time people who read this book were very much inspired to such things and inspired by the character of Crusoe, and seen him as quintessential of every English men. 

Defoe sparked the national imagination of the English people and helped define the idea of "Englishness" through the character of Robinson Crusoe. His work also played a major role in promoting Euro-centrism, stressing on the European values and superiority over other cultures.

Characters And Deconstruction in "Foe"

"Robinson Crusoe" and "Foe" feature the same characters, but "Foe' introduces an additional female character, Susan Barton, who also serves as the narrator for the first four chapters of the story. Coetzee also adds a character named Mr. Foe, who is modeled after Daniel Defoe. Mr. Foe is portrayed as a writer and publisher, adding a new layer to the narrative. 

Robinson Crusoe's name is slightly changed in Foe by removing 'e' from the name. It makes it like 'Cruso' in Foe. By doing this J. M. Coetzee also makes a point that how written language can lead to construction of identity and words can serve authors purpose in constructing particular ideology as in the case with Robinson Crusoe and Colonialism. 

Moreover, Coetzee also removed the initial two letters from Defoe's name and introduced the character of Mr. Foe. It is important to note here that "Defoe later added the aristocratic sounding 'De' to his name, and by changing "Defoe" back to "Foe" in his novel "Foe", J.M. Coetzee symbolically returned Defoe to his original name. This act can be seen as a deconstruction of Defoe’s self-fashioned identity, questioning and undoing the meaning behind his constructed name and social aspirations.

"I knew he knew something, though what he knew I did not know" 

- Susan Barton 

In contras with male castaway in Robinson Crusoe, female castaway Susan Barton is there in the Foe.

She came on the same island where Cruso and Friday are living, and started developing pity for Friday after witnessing his condition as tongueless African slave. She wanted to publish the story of Friday but the publisher Mr. For wants to alter the story. 

Robinson Crusoe and Friday

Friday has lived with me for many years. He has known no other master. He follows me in all things.

- Cruso

It is obvious that Crusoe and Friday's relationship is that of master and slave. From the very first moment Crusoe came on the 'virgin' island he started to cultivate the island and Friday. Crusoe grew wheat to make his own bread and gathered fresh grapes from a nearby valley to make raisins for extra nutrition. He also tamed and domesticated wild animals, enclosing goats to get milk and relying on the meat of wild animals for food. This highlights how he took control of the natural environment for his survival.

He also changed he food habits of cannibal Friday and offered him milk and bread and subsequent goat meat. Friday was very much subservient to Crusoe from the beginning when he see him shooting a wild animal with pistol. 

As long as our desires are moderate we have no need of laws.

- Cruso

Crusoe was the sole God like master and ruler of island and of Friday. What Crusoe thinks is the law and order for Friday. He also converted Friday into Christian religions stripping him from his own religion. 

Major Difference Between Crusoe and Cruso

In J.M. Coetzee’s "Foe", the character of Robinson Crusoe is deconstructed as "Cruso," and this transformation changes in how we view colonial heroes. Unlike the original Crusoe in Daniel Defoe’s "Robinson Crusoe", who is often seen as a strong and God like colonialist figure, Cruso’s character challenges this idea. 

In Coetzee's version, Cruso is portrayed as more vulnerable and flawed, and superstitious. This shift suggests that the image of the colonial hero is not as clear-cut as it once seemed. By rethinking Cruso, Coetzee critiques the traditional ideas of colonialism and questions the values associated with the original Crusoe. 

Robinson Crusoe in Defoe's novel 

•  Rational and relied on reason
•  Well-educated and civilized
•  Strong-willed and God-like colonizer
•  Enterprising and adventurous
•  Optimistic and lucky
• Omnipotent and capable (created a "miracle" on the desert island)
•  Consistent and reliable in his narrative
•  Represented wisdom, power, and British superiority

Cruso in Coetzee's Foe

• Foolish and superstitious (relies on superstitious practices rather than reason)
• Old and impotent
• Passive and stubborn
• Uncertain and inconsistent in telling his history (gives contradictory accounts)
• Narrow-minded from isolation
• Shows little vitality and has slovenly appearance
• Unreliable narrator (stories vary and are hard to reconcile)
• Has no desire to be saved or escape the island

Coetzee deliberately made Cruso the "complete antithesis" of Robinson Crusoe to deconstruct the idealized English colonial hero that Defoe created. This was done by Coetzee to challenge Euro-centrism and  European superiority and the idea that it was not innate but rather fabricated by writers like Defoe. The stark contrast between the two characters serves to deconstruct the "national characteristics" or "Englishness" that Defoe's original novel helped establish.

Thank you...

The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon

Greetings, this blog post is crafted in response to the thinking activity assigned by Megha ma'am on the non-fiction text The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon.

Frantz Fanon a psychiatrist, thinker, writer and a philosopher was one of the earliest propagators of post-colonial studies. He was born at Martinique during the French colonial era. He is often considered as one of most influential black writer and anti-colonialist in the history of postcolonialism. His writing also influenced number of later generation writers like Edward Said and his acclaimed work Orientalism (which is probably influenced by concept of Manichaeism) James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Ralph Ellison, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, bell hooks, Wole Soyinka, Aime Cesaire, and Amiri Baraka.

His works include Black Skin, White Mask (1952), A Dying Colonialism (1959), A Wretched of the Earth (1961), and Towards the African Revolution (1964).

What is the role of violence in colonialism with reference to the wretched of Earth?

"All that he[natives]has ever seen on his land is that he can be arrested, beaten, and starved with impunity"

Throughout his life, Fanon strove to decolonize the black people not only in his birthplace Martinique, and South Africa but for all the black identity across the globe. His book The Wretched of the Earth was originally written in French language and later it was translated into English language. In this work Fanon acknowledges the role of violence in the process of decolonization from their masters. 

Fanon makes it clear from the beginning that colonial rule is violent, extreme, and racist. It does not allow any form of communication or dialogue between the colonizers and the oppressed people.

"The police and military ensures the colonized are kept under close scrutiny, and contained by rifle butts and napalm"

According to Fanon, the whole process of colonialism is deeply rooted in violence and military regime, and to come out of that we must use the same weapon of violence against the white peoples. Fanon also got the inspiration from Sartre's existentialism thoughts about how an individual can construct themselves. Sartre mentions these lines in his preface to the text that, 

"You are making us into monstrosities; your humanism claims we are at one with the rest of humanity but your racist methods set us apart."

Fanon deeply criticized the superficiality of white people about humanism. At one point Europeans preaches the ways of humility and brotherhood and on the contrary they are doing violence on the native people. Sartre also discusses at length about violence in the preface that violence is used mainly to take control over the native people. White people considers black as their commodity and they exploit both the people and natural resources. This kind of cyclical nature of violence and oppression was routine for native peoples. Violence is inflicted not only on the bodies of the colonized but also on their minds, targeting their thoughts, beliefs, and identity.

"a sly-boots, a lazybones and a thief, who lives on nothing, and who understands only violence."

Because of the deep-rooted and systemic nature of colonial domination, Fanon argues that liberation from colonialism can only be achieved through violent means, involving intense and bloody struggles, with "red-hot cannonballs and bloody knives." And at last, native people started to unite and gave a bitter and violent response to the European masters which Fanon puts it as "after a murderous and decisive confrontation between the two protagonists.” 

"no gentleness can efface the marks of violence; only violence itself can destroy them."

"Only after a murderous and decisive confrontation between two protagonists"

Violence in the colonies is not just used to keep the enslaved people under control. Its goal is also to strip away their humanity, making them feel less than human. 

"violence in the colonies does not only have for it's aim the keeping of these enslaved men at arms length, it seeks to dehumanize them"

Everything will be done to erase their traditions, replace their language with white masters, and destroy their culture. According to Sartre, the violence is at first not recognized by natives, they are very much terrified of it. But it is stored deep down in their psyche, and at last they return back their violence on their masters.  

According to Fanon, 

“to destroy the colonial world means nothing less than demolishing the colonist's sector, burying it deep within the earth or banishing it from the territory.”

In his opinion, to successfully decolonize ourselves we have to jeopardize the existing colonies which is the symbol of violence, racism, and physical and psychological mental agony. And have to bury it deep down in Earth from which it can never stem and harm anyone. He also emphasizes that violent resistance has positive effects both psychologically, by making strong minds of the rebels, and politically, by paving the way to create a new society that ultimately leads to the new political unity. If the native do not achieve independence by the means of violence they may have to suffer from neocolonialism which is merely handing of the power and the oppression of natives would be continue at the hands of the bourgeoisie class. 

What Kind of Violence? Who Will Be Ready For It?

By counter violence Fanon surely does not mean that native should wage armed war against the white master because it would be of no use since they will obviously have more weapons and ammunitions. 

Moreover, Nationalist parties that represent the working-class citizens and the lower bourgeoisie are especially hesitant to follow the revolution because they have something to lose. These include laborers, small shop owners, and artisans who can earn out a living within the colonial system. They focus on improving their wages and living conditions rather than seeking radical change. As a result, these nationalist parties are not true revolutionary forces and would be satisfied with gaining some power within the existing system.  

Fanon argues that, peasants mases, rural class people which he calls lumpenproletariat. He suggests using guerrilla warfare, sabotage, attacks, and disruptive actions to harm trade and make production in colonized areas costly. He believes this strategy would work because it would hurt the colonizers' main goal to exploiting the colonized land and making sure its people buy the products made by the colonizers' industries.

What is the national bourgeoisie and why does Fanon think it is “useless”?

National bourgeoisie are products of colonization, they are native people but are heavily influenced by their colonial masters. These individuals imitate and mimic the ways of their white masters. This group includes those from the business class, the urban proletariat, and shopkeepers, who often occupy privileged positions in the colonized world. They have little to lose whether the current power of the white master remains or not, as they continue to benefit financially from their relationship with colonial authorities. 

In contrast, the lumpenproletariat, or those from the lower strata, suffer far more. Fanon argues that these peasant-class individuals can be used against the bourgeoisie as "spearheads."

"the peasants must throw their bourgeoisie overboard"

Moreover, to succeed  a national revolution needs to be socialist. If it fails or if the local business class gains control, the new government, even if it appears independent, will still be under the influence of imperialists. And this imperialist people will exploit native people in the same manner as the white colonialist. That is the reason why Fanon believes that they are "useless". 

References

Fanon, Frantz. “Preface to Frantz Fanon's Wretched of the Earth by Jean-Paul Sartre.” Marxists Internet Archive, https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/sartre/1961/preface.htm. Accessed 28 October 2024.

Fanon, Frantz. The wretched of the earth. Grove Press, 1963

Worksheet | Cultural Studies

Hello, this worksheet contains various terms that are used or referred in the realm Cultural Studies. In this worksheet we have to analyze and understand below mentions terms with help of ChatGPT/Gemini chatbot along with our own understanding of the concept. 

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• Slow Movement
• Dromology
• Risk Society
• Postfeminism
• Hyperreal
• Hypermodernism
• Cyberfeminism
• Posthumanism

Slow Movement

The "Slow Movement" is a cultural response to the fast pace of modern life, promoting mindful, deliberate, and sustainable living. Originating with the Slow Food movement in Italy in the 1980s, it has expanded to various areas like urban planning, education, and lifestyle. The Slow Movement encourages deceleration, prioritizing quality over speed and focusing on meaningful engagement, sustainability, and well-being. Perhaps we should learns from Sloths (Despite being one of the "laziest" creatures, sloths live in harmony with their environment by conserving energy and moving at a natural pace) how slow things down(not to become lazy). 

Key Characteristics

The Slow Movement encourages people to slow down and question the belief that faster is always better. It argues that our fast-paced, technology-driven lives make it difficult to think carefully and connect meaningfully with others and nature. Slow activists believe that rushing prevents us from truly understanding life's complexities.

The movement also critiques the hurried pace of modern society, affecting our daily lives and decisions. Instead, it promotes a more thoughtful way of living, where taking time helps us build stronger relationships and connect more deeply with the world around us.

Example

The "Slow Food Movement" promotes traditional cooking, local ingredients, and sustainable farming, countering fast food and the loss of culinary diversity. A day to day example would be department's academic life wherein students and teacher's are always engaged with various technological devices whole day, and it gives us the illusion that time moves faster than when we are at home. This mirrors the movement’s critique of how technology-driven, hurried environments can disconnect us from a more mindful, slower experience of life, such as the difference we are feeling when we're at home.

Contemporary Relevance

The Slow Movement challenges the modern "culture of speed," addressing issues like mental health, environmental sustainability, and cultural preservation. In a world driven by productivity and technology, movements like "slow living" and "digital detox" offer ways to reduce stress and reconnect with meaningful experiences.

Dromology

Dromology is a concept introduced by the French philosopher Paul Virilio in his study of speed and its impact on society and culture. The term comes from the Greek word 'dromos', meaning "race" or "run." In cultural studies, dromology refers to the study of the logic of speed, particularly how technological advances have accelerated human life, communication, transportation, and the flow of information. Virilio argued that the increasing speed of modern life fundamentally shapes human experience and alters the way we perceive and interact with the world.

Key Characteristics of Dromology

Speed as Power: In dromology, speed is a form of power. Those who control speed, whether in terms of communication, transportation, or decision making have greater influence over society. It resembles the concept of Power and Knowledge given by Micheal Foucault, in that he says power is everywhere and all people possess it whether elite or masses but those who have power in abundance controls the others by producing the Knowledge.  

   

Compression of Time and Space: With rapid advancements in technology, distances and geographical boundaries become less significant. Information, goods, and people move faster, compressing the experience of time and space. This leads to the "shrinking" of the world, where events happening globally feel immediate and local.

Acceleration of Social Life: The constant demand to act, decide, and respond quickly leads to a fast-paced society where individuals are pressured to keep up with the speed of technological advancements. This creates a sense of urgency and often leaves little room for reflection or contemplation. As speed becomes more central, cultural practices, social relationships, and even political structures adapt to prioritize efficiency and rapid response. This can result in a focus on short-term results and immediate gratification, and for this reason teenagers are addicted to social media and scrolling of reels which gives them instant gratification. 

Example of Dromology

Social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok show how dromology works today, as they focus on spreading information quickly and getting instant reactions. News and trends move so fast that people often react immediately without much time for deep thinking, which is what Virilio warned about. With the internet, smartphones, and 24-hour news, this fast pace affects everything from politics to personal relationships. It can cause stress, burnout, and shallow engagement with important issues, while creating a culture that values speed and convenience over careful thought.

Being Digitally Available 

Virilio's ideas about speed changing our experience of time and space can be seen in how digital communication, live media, and social networks let us interact with people around the world instantly. This makes us feel like we are everywhere at once, but it also leads to information overload and makes us feel disconnected from the real world. It would also devoid the depth of human experience.

Dromology has both good and bad sides. On one hand, speed brings great efficiency, convenience, and global connections. But on the other hand, the constant rush of life can make things feel shallow and less meaningful.

Risk Society

The concept of "risk society," coined by sociologist Ulrich Beck in his book "Risk Society: Towards a New Modernity" (1992), refers to a societal framework where the production and management of risks become central to social, economic, and political life. This is a kind of loop wherein risk generates more risks. At the same time these risks are for our own betterment (PCs and Computers for information and communication) and it also raises issues (easy access to adult website for children). 

Risks are not real but becoming real. Risks are potential disasters. 

Moreover, as Van Loon argues what he calls Culture of Warnings that, we are currently living under the threats of various kinds of warnings. Wherever we go we are instructed that do this and that to avoid the potential dangers. This culture does not produced only by techno culture and government but by commerce also. For example many food products, particularly those marketed as organic, low-fat, or gluten-free, capitalize on warnings about the dangers of processed foods, chemicals, or allergens. They often present themselves as safer, healthier alternatives to more mainstream products, and by consuming their products we will be more safer. 

The concept of risk society shows how connected our lives are today, with people facing various risks like climate change and health threats. This focus on managing risks can lead to changes in policies and how society behaves, along with a greater demand for accountability from leaders. However, it can also create fear and anxiety, as many feel overwhelmed by these risks. 

Post-Feminism

Post-feminism is a cultural and theoretical movement that emerged in the late 20th century, which critiques and builds upon feminist ideas while emphasizing individualism, choice, and empowerment. It posits that the goals of feminism have largely been achieved, thus shifting the focus from collective struggles to personal empowerment and agency.

As we have studies in everyday life that in this era of globalization and consumerism identity is what we consume. And post-feminists believes that women are individual and free to make their choice and thus can create their own identity without any complain. It is in the hands of women that they want to achieve their status as traditional women or modern or they can be both simultaneously. In popular movies also women are portrayed as free individual who are exploring their sexuality freely. 

Hyperreality

Hyperreality is a concept from cultural studies, mainly developed by French philosopher Jean Baudrillard. It refers to a situation where the line between reality and its representations gets blurred, making the simulation feel more real than actual life. In hyperreality, people often find themselves drawn to these appealing and convenient simulated experiences rather than genuine ones, leading to a new reality built from images and symbols.

"We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented, it's as simple as that"

- Truman

The best example of hyperreality is the movie "The Truman Show". Both share key similarities in how they depict the blurring of reality and simulation. Truman lives in a fake world controlled by a producer, reflecting hyperreality’s idea that media representations often replace genuine experiences. The movie highlight the loss of authenticity, as Truman's relationships are all scripted, similar to how people engage with manipulated media in real life. The film critiques how media shapes our perceptions, making it hard to distinguish truth from illusion. In the movie Truman struggle for self-awareness and authenticity in a world dominated by artificiality, similar to Baudrillard's ideas about hyperreality.

Hypermodernism

Hypermodernism is a cultural and philosophical idea that comes from postmodernism. It focuses on the complexities of modern life and highlights how globalization, fast technological changes, and consumer culture affect us. In hypermodernism, traditional boundaries and structures become less clear, reflecting the rapid changes happening in society.

It focuses on the rapid changes in society by technology and globalization, and consumer culture, altering our perception of time and space. It acknowledges fragmentation and multiple identities, leading to disorientation. Consumer culture influences self-worth, tying it to material possessions and brands. This era blurs the lines between reality and simulation, prompting people to engage with representations as if they were real.

Example 

In the era of technology and urbanization people tends to travel in bigger cosmopolitan cities like Mumbai or Bengaluru. In these cities people feel isolated and alone despite being surrounded by many peoples. This happens because of fragmented social structures in those big cities. 

As we have noted that hypermodernism blurs the line of real and copy, many people believes that the reality shows like Big Boss and Roadies are real and not scripted. Thus majority of people engage with hyperreality. 

Cyberfeminism 

Cyberfeminism is a feminist theory that looks at how feminism connects with digital technology. It focuses on how the internet and digital tools can empower women and challenge traditional gender roles, while also recognizing that these technologies can sometimes reinforce existing inequalities. Emerging in the late 20th century, cyberfeminism highlights the potential of online spaces to create new identities and communities for women. 

Cyberfeminism demonstrates that women can build their communities on online platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, it would give them means to engage in digital activism, such as the #MeToo movement in the past. Donna Haraway published her work A Cyborg Manifesto, in which she argued that women can use online spaces to counter the existing patriarchy, considering such platforms to be gender-neutral. However, we must also consider who is coding the algorithms for AI, and if they are men with a patriarchal mindset, then the AI tools will likely be biased as well.

Posthumanism 

In contras to Humanism, this concept believes that human are no longer at the center of universe. This concept critiques Anthropocene with the growing technological advancement, ecological and animal welfare concerns. It encourages a more inclusive understanding of existence that considers non-human entities and the complex relationships between them.

Thank you...

References 

Schweigert, Sabine. “Dromology: Media, speed and a negative horizon.” Medium, 8 August 2022, https://medium.com/@SDNue_Social_Design/dromolgy-media-speed-and-a-negative-horizon-4d05b71383f0. Accessed 27 October 2024.

Walker, Michelle Boulous. “What is the Slow Movement? How can it change your life?” Scroll.in, 25 July 2019, https://scroll.in/article/931594/what-is-the-slow-movement-how-can-it-change-your-life. Accessed 27 October 2024.