Week 7-Barker, Chapter 14 (Cultural Politics and Cultural Policy)

As we have all experienced and currently experience is cultural politics and policies; and it is with these influences that create tension and even disrupts our ability to live in society at some levels. As we are affected by these influences, much of it has to do with political power, which Barker identifies as social regulation that is productive of the self, enables some kinds of knowledge and identities to exist and not others. And power is usually translated into authority and leadership, but this isn't always a good thing for society. Further, we understand different types of people exist through cultural politics and policies, such as intellectuals. To note here, Antonio Gramscian describes traditional and organic intellectuals as individuals who are active in our culture, but play very different roles. How does an individual identify with political decisions being determined within cultural politics and policies? We see movements and languages transforming because of the influence of power and politics, however, as discussed previously in the text on identity, where does an individual find their "true" identity when we see differences in beliefs, ethical and moral standards? Hall suggests an individual's identity or self-discovery are merely fictions of temporary meaning. Our culture continues to struggle with this issue of cultural power and in turn we discover governmentality ultimately creates institutionalized forces and further challenges of power.