Contribution short abstract:

The "Cultural Marxism" of Cultural Studies has only played a minor role within the discipline. I ask about the relationship between anthropology and cultural studies, how the two can learn from each other and help us envision a critical anthropology.

Contribution long abstract:

The "Cultural Marxism" of Cultural Studies has received some attention in anthropology, but has generally only played a minor role within the discipline, even within Marxist anthropology. While it seemed too Marxist for mainstream anthropology, it seemed as too culturalist (or post-Marxist) for economically oriented neo-Marxists, both within and outside anthropology.

This unfortunate constellation precluded both a critical dialogue or a friendly convergence of Cultural Studies and Anthropology. This is unfortunate because Cultural Studies offers an entry point into Marxism, that seems very promising for anthropologist. The focus on popular culture and “the people” seems to fit well with anthropology, without losing sight of political economy and crisis tendencies. Cultural Studies could also help to overcome the “economic bias” so often associated with Marxism, though not by abandoning issues such as class struggle, but by extending it to the cultural domain – which in turn makes it easier to grasp and explore ethnographically.

In my talk I ask about the relationship between anthropology and cultural studies, how the two can learn from each other and help us envision a critical anthropology. I address these questions in relation to my own work. In my older research on Hauptschüler I took inspiration from Paul Willis and Raymond Williams and combined this with an anthropological approach to Marxist notions of ideology and alienation. In my my current research on hooligans, I develop an ethnographic approach to conjunctural analysis, thus building on the writings of authors such as Stuart Hall and John Clarke.