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Bricolage Bricolage is the skill of using whatever is at hand and recombining them to create something new. According to Levi-Strauss,    "The bricoleur is someone who uses 'the means at hand,' that is, the instruments he finds at his disposition around him, those which are already there, which had not been specially conceived with an eye to the operation for which they are to be used and to which one tries by trial and error to adapt them, not hesitating to change them whenever it appears necessary."      In his essay Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences Levi-Strauss compares the working of the bricoleur and the engineer. The bricoleur, who is the “savage mind”, puts already existing things together in new ways, and makes do with whatever is at hand. What Levi-Strauss points out here is that signs already in existence are used for purposes that they were originally not meant for. As opposed to the bricoleur, the engineer, who is the “scie

The School system in Totto Chan (Source: Google Images) The following are some points I have copied verbatim from the original text that highlight the peculiarities of the school Tomoe Gakuen which was run by Sosaku Kobayashi. Please keep in mind that "I" is the author's voice. Questions from this text are usually about the unique schooling system that was followed in Totto Chan's school (Tomoe Gakuen).  Unique Teaching Method →Schools normally schedule one subject, for example, Japanese, in the first period, when you just do Japanese; then, say, arithmetic in the second period, when you just do arithmetic. But here it was quite different. At the beginning of the first period, the teacher made a list of all the problems and questions in the subjects to be studied that day. Then she would say, "Now, start with any of these you like." So whether you started on Japanese or arithmetic or something else didn't matter at all. Someone who liked composition mig

(Source : Google Images) What is Popular Culture? by John Storey John Storey wishes to map out the general conceptual landscape of popular culture. It is a daunting task. When we use the term ‘popular culture’ there stems from it an implied otherness . Popular culture is always defined, in contrast to other conceptual categories; folk culture, mass culture, dominant culture, working-class culture etc. To study popular culture we must first confront the difficulty posed by the term itself. Depending on how it is used, quite different areas of inquiry and forms of theoretical definitions and analytical focus are suggested. The main argument the readers will take from this book is that popular culture is in effect an empty conceptual category , one which can be filled in a wide variety of often conflicting ways, depending on the context of use. Tony Bennett “the concept of popular culture is virtually useless, a melting pot of confused and contradictory meanings..” Culture What is Cultur

Social Background of The Awakening by Kate Chopin Set in New Orleans and on the Louisiana Gulf Coast at the end of the 19th century, The Awakening has been described as a case study of 19th-century feminism. The central theme of the novel is self-ownership. Self-ownership signified a woman’s right to have control over her own body and identity. The heroine of The Awakening longs for this kind of bodily autonomy. The Significance of 1899 The Awakening takes place during a time when a woman was still considered her husband's property. Louisiana, where the novel takes place, was a largely Catholic state and governed by Napoleonic law. And the Napoleonic law robbed women of all their rights. Napoleonic Code The Code stated, “A husband owes protection to his wife, a wife obedience to her husband,” An adulterous wife got two years in prison while an adulterous husband got a modest fine. A wife could only sue for divorce if the husband attempted to include his mistress in the family hous

A feminist reading of the play "Medea" by Euripides Source: Google Images This Greek tragedy, known for its protagonist's astounding actions, is considered to be a proto-feminist play. Medea plans out a calculated murder plan to kill Glauce and her own children. The reason for such an act of cold-hearted revenge is due to her passionate love for Jason. Though her actions are not something a person with genuine love would do, Medea, a woman with a savage temper does not shy away from giving justice to her thwarted heart. What Jason did is ethically and morally wrong, but what Medea did is still a debated topic. Medea is a headstrong woman. Her words and fierce temper stands out throughout the play. And the play provides a sophisticated treatment of the female gender. The relationship between the chorus and Medea is one to be noted. The women of the chorus are horrified and enthralled by Medea’s words and deeds. They have pity for her, but they do not interfere or stop Mede