MH Cultural Studies 4

Question 1

Which concept from performance studies, developed by Judith Butler, argues that gender identity is produced through repeated stylized acts rather than expressing a pre-existing inner essence?

Accepted Answer

Gender performativity

Answer

Butler's theory of gender performativity holds that gender is not a fixed identity but a set of repeated performances that create the illusion of a stable, natural gendered self.

Question 2

What does 'thick description,' as introduced by Clifford Geertz, contribute to cultural analysis?

Accepted Answer

An interpretive approach that layers context, meaning, and significance onto observed cultural practices

Answer

Geertz's thick description involves interpreting cultural practices by situating them within the webs of significance and local meaning that make them intelligible, moving beyond mere behavioral description.

Question 3

In diaspora studies, what distinguishes diasporic cultural identity from simple immigrant assimilation?

Accepted Answer

Diasporic identity maintains dual or multiple cultural attachments while living outside an ancestral homeland

Answer

Diasporic cultural identity is characterized by a sense of ongoing connection to an ancestral homeland alongside adaptation to the host society, producing hybrid identities that resist singular national affiliation.

Question 4

The term 'subaltern,' as used in postcolonial cultural studies after Gayatri Spivak's influential essay, refers to:

Accepted Answer

Marginalized groups whose voices are systematically excluded from hegemonic discourse

Answer

Spivak's essay 'Can the Subaltern Speak?' examined whether those occupying the lowest strata of colonial and postcolonial societies can articulate their experience within dominant representational frameworks that systematically silence them.

Question 5

What does the concept of 'moral panic,' introduced by Stanley Cohen, describe in cultural sociology?

Accepted Answer

A disproportionate societal reaction to a perceived threat posed by a group or behavior, amplified by media

Answer

Cohen coined moral panic in 'Folk Devils and Moral Panics' (1972) to describe episodes where media and public figures amplify a perceived social threat out of proportion to its actual danger, often targeting a 'folk devil' scapegoat group.

MH - Master of Humanities Practice Test

MH - Master of Humanities Practice Test

MH Cultural Studies 4