This blog will comprise a collection of ephemera, mess and miscellaneous artifacts reflecting on the writer's life.

Monday, November 28, 2005

A machine for making authenticity OR identity and culture III


Thanks to David for this wonderful diagram.
It sorts everyone out and obviously I place myself in the totally useless and fake fourth quadrant.
Dr Joolz, being of the anti-BBC television series of the classics camp, also could happily sit in the low culture bit.
It reminds me of Basil Bernstein's work, especially the lavatories section of Class, Codes and Control which describes four kinds of lavatory from the totally tidy (strong classification) to the very messy (weak classification).
You can see again where I stand on this one.
Rumour has it that these were actually based on real North London colleagues' lavatories.
Here is a helpful description of ways of dividing things up using semiotics.
Also the wonderful grid and group work of Mary Douglas in Natural Symbols.
However, I gave up with Bernstein and Douglas in the end as it did my head in.
I hope Michaela and Marianne can make sense of this grid.
Anyway, I have to get back now to doing my two entries for this encyclopedia.
How do I know it is authentic?
Because all the people I admire and respect are the editors, that's why.
This is called Kate's machine for authenticity and one day I will draw you a diagram but not today.

2 comments:

JP said...

Just for the record - I LOVE Bleak House!

Digigran said...

Hey ho
Looks as if I shall have to consign myself to quadrant 4 too- I aspire to high art but just can't resist the other stuff- This time out in craft market aat Buxton I bought baby towels with tacked on teddy in a pocket! Not high culture in any body's book- but I love it and so, I hope will digibaby, who is scheduled to arrive in 4 days. Even more kitsch opportunities to follow.