Theme 2, part 2: Critical Media Studies

The texts of the second theme where easier to read than last theme´s texts, but still there where some complicated concepts to work out. I think the most interesting topic of this theme was the connection between culture and the politics of a society. t

Unfortunately, I missed this week´s seminar, since I had another mandatory lecture in another course. I think that the lecture, by Henrik Åhman, this week was interesting and therefor I feel that I might have missed a good seminar. I liked that the lecture was sort of a history lecture, based on the different “isms” that have affected our society, Communism, Nazism and Liberalism.

One of the things I bring with me from the lecture is the importance of reading a text in the light of the author´s perspective. Åhman begun to speak about Benjamin, Adorno and Horkheimer by saying in what context they had published their texts. For example Benjamin, who was Jewish, was tortured in a prison camp by the Nazis. As Åhman said, the fact that Nazis and fascism affected Benjamin is something that shows in his texts.

Another topic that Åhman talked about was culture´s role in society during this period. For example, with the help of smart photographers there was a great fandom created around Hitler. Films of Hitler was made to speak to people´s hearts, not brains, in an aim of creating a appealing picture of Hitler. It was very interesting to see the propaganda film “Triumph des Willens”.