Deck 13: Critical Cultural Theory

Question 1

Which of the following statements does not describe a hegemonic idea?

A) It is an idea that can be taken for granted
B) It is an idea that can be put forth without much justifications
C) It is an idea that is only known by a small group of people
D) All statements describe a hegemonic ides

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What do Marxists argue is at the heart of the class conflict?

A) The problem of race and gender
B) The problem of gender and labor
C) The problem of labor and value
D) None of the above

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following elements does not refer to the proletariat?

A) They have no control over the means of production
B) They are alienated because they are defined by nothing, which pushes them to commodity fetishism
C) They create value but have no control over the exchange
D) All of the above refer to the proletariat

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following statements correspond to ideological apparatuses?

A) It is used to hide the nature of oppression
B) It creates a distorted reality for people to believe in
C) It makes it difficult for people to resist the oppression
D) All of the above

Question 5

Which theory postulates that while social phenomena vary, the underlying structures remain the same?

A) Poststructuralism
B) Essentialism
C) Structuralism
D) Queer theory

Question 6

To what/whom does "petite bourgeois" refer?

A) Skilled employees
B) Intellectual professions
C) A coordinator class
D) All of the above

Question 7

What do social constructionists argue?

A) Reality is out there and can be identified through scientific reasoning
B) Reality is constructed by the bourgeois class
C) Reality is constructed through discourse
D) None of the above

Question 8

Which of the following methods of social control are not repressive state apparatuses?

A) The police
B) The media
C) The army
D) All of the above

Question 9

Therborn (1980) argued ideology functions on three levels. What are they?

A) What exists, what is visible, what is feasible
B) What is good, what is permitted, what is powerful
C) What exists, what is good, what is possible

Question 10

Which of the following are key principles of critical theory?

A) Critical theory is used to develop new theories that can predict human behaviors
B) Critical theory is multidisciplinary
C) Critical theory privileges theorizing over praxis
D) None of the above

Question 11

What does "centering the margins" mean?

A) It refers to the way those in power occupy positions of privilege
B) It sets out to change perspectives on society by looking at it from the viewpoints of the oppressed
C) It aims at making voices from the margins heard
D) All of the above

Question 12

What is "postcolonialism"?

A) A political system of resistance to colonialism
B) A cultural approach to social life in former colonies
C) An approach to communication practices from the perspective of (previously) colonized peoples

Question 13

Which domain of theory did Foucault greatly influence?

A) The study of linguistics
B) The study of knowledge
C) The study of pragmatics
D) All of the above

Question 14

Which of the following statements does not refer to Foucault's approach to discourse?

A) Discourse is reality
B) Discourse refers to interaction between individuals
C) Power is situated in discourse
D) Engaging in discourse is a way of exerting power

Question 15

How do critical researchers understand the concept of "identity"?

A) Identity is who people are
B) Identity is tackled from an essentialist viewpoint
C) Identity is tackled from a social constructionist viewpoint
D) All of the above

Question 16

What is the ideological practice that praises men while undermining women called?

A) Misogyny
B) Patriarchy
C) Sexism
D) Rhetoric

Question 17

Which wave of feminism in the US dealt with women's enfranchisement?

A) First wave
B) Second wave
C) Third wave
D) Fourth Wave

Question 18

What characterized the third wave of feminism?

A) It drew attention to domestic violence and reproductive rights
B) It broadened the scope of the feminist movement
C) It pushed for the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
D) It supported voter rights

Question 19

What is one of Judith Butler's main contributions to queer theory?

A) She pushed for the word "queer" to be used rather than "gay" or "homosexual"
B) She re-visited the distinction between sex and gender
C) She highlighted intersection between race, gender, sex, and class
D) She stressed equal pay

Question 20

When was the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote ratified?

A) In August 1920
B) In August 1940
C) In August 1950
D) In August 1930

Question 21

Contemporary approaches to gender theory are deconstructionist. Explain what this means and entails.

Question 22

Explain what "commodity fetishism" means.

Question 23

Briefly state the main reasons why the proletariat is alienated.

Question 24

Discuss the differences and similarities that exist between Marxist theories and postmodernism.

Question 25

Discuss how identity is conceptualized in critical theory (give examples from both critical gender theories and critical race theory).