A Critique of the Book

Mahmoudi, Sirwan; Mohammadzadeh, Hamideh; Yaghoobi, Ali

doi:10.30465/crtls.2025.51205.2912

A Critique of the Book "Meaning Culture and Social Life"

Document Type : Research

Authors

Sirwan Mahmoudi ¹

Hamideh Mohammadzadeh ¹

Ali yaghoobi ²

¹ PhD Candidate in Cultural Sociology, Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

² Associate Professor of Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30465/crtls.2025.51205.2912

Abstract

This article examines and critiques Stuart Hall's book "Meaning, Culture, and Social Life" through a descriptive-analytical method. The main focus of the book is the examination of what meaning, culture, and their relationship with social-political life are. The analysis shows that despite the importance of the book, the translation of part of the English text, which is merely an introduction to the main discussion, as well as formal and content-related deficiencies such as not including footnotes for terms and proper names, writing errors, weaknesses in equivalency selection, and a lack of consistency in the translation detract from its value. Hall, influenced by Gramsci, expands the concept of hegemony from class domination to discursive struggle in culture and media. Unlike Edward Said, who sees representation as a tool for Western dominance over the East, Hall views it as fluid and resistible. According to Hall, there are also criticisms regarding his writing and analytical style and methodology, which sometimes lead readers to face difficulties in reading and understanding his works. Other criticisms that can be written about him include a fluid and reductionist view of culture and ignoring historical, social, and economic structures. Despite all this, in the age of digital capitalism, Stuart Hall's perspective remains very important and fundamental as a beacon of hope in today's social struggles.

Keywords

Culture

Discourse

Meaning

Power

Representation

Semiotics

Subject

Subjects

Sociology

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