Astrophotography subculture and a semiotic analysis
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Purpose statement
This essay presents information on culture and identity based on Stuart Hall and Kath Woodward as well as information on the Astrophotography subculture and a semiotic analysis on three objects from this subculture and how this is indeed a subculture based on Paul Hodkinson’s four criteria’s.
1.2. Culture according to Stuart Hall
According to Stuart Hall (2003:1), culture is about “shared meanings”. Culture: Hall (2003:1) “is not so much a set of things…or a set of practices. Primarily culture is concerned with the production and the exchange of meanings…between the members of society or group”. As he points out, this exchange of meanings is what gives us our own identity, and tells us where we belong in society.
The choice of one’s identity is portrayed through a representational system which acts as a “language” (Hall 2003:1). This is done through the use of signs and symbols in order to represent a person’s thoughts, feelings, ideas or concepts. These signs and symbols are not so much about the connotation of the subject matter but rather what they mean. In other words Hall (2003:1) believes “language is therefore central to the process by which meaning is produced”.
The “produced and exchange of meanings” as Hall states (2003:1) is what organizes and regulates a members social practice; it influences one’s behaviour, guides and directs one’s actions and thoughts, and has practical effects on how each member lives their lives on a daily basis. This can be individually or as part of a group where in this case members will share a similarity in their social practices. It is therefore through these everyday practices that an identity is formed within a culture.
1.3. Kath Woodward’s notion on culture and identity
According to Kath Woodward (2004:6), an identity is an “active engagement”. It requires an awareness on one’s part as well as an element of choice, which in turn becomes the importance of identity. Woodward
1.1. Purpose statement
This essay presents information on culture and identity based on Stuart Hall and Kath Woodward as well as information on the Astrophotography subculture and a semiotic analysis on three objects from this subculture and how this is indeed a subculture based on Paul Hodkinson’s four criteria’s.
1.2. Culture according to Stuart Hall
According to Stuart Hall (2003:1), culture is about “shared meanings”. Culture: Hall (2003:1) “is not so much a set of things…or a set of practices. Primarily culture is concerned with the production and the exchange of meanings…between the members of society or group”. As he points out, this exchange of meanings is what gives us our own identity, and tells us where we belong in society.
The choice of one’s identity is portrayed through a representational system which acts as a “language” (Hall 2003:1). This is done through the use of signs and symbols in order to represent a person’s thoughts, feelings, ideas or concepts. These signs and symbols are not so much about the connotation of the subject matter but rather what they mean. In other words Hall (2003:1) believes “language is therefore central to the process by which meaning is produced”.
The “produced and exchange of meanings” as Hall states (2003:1) is what organizes and regulates a members social practice; it influences one’s behaviour, guides and directs one’s actions and thoughts, and has practical effects on how each member lives their lives on a daily basis. This can be individually or as part of a group where in this case members will share a similarity in their social practices. It is therefore through these everyday practices that an identity is formed within a culture.
1.3. Kath Woodward’s notion on culture and identity
According to Kath Woodward (2004:6), an identity is an “active engagement”. It requires an awareness on one’s part as well as an element of choice, which in turn becomes the importance of identity. Woodward