Ideas Matter: ‘The insecurity of the ruling class and the rise of the cultural elite’

From the series ‘The elite: old and new’, theme of the boi
charity’s event The Academy, held online in November 2021.


Political discourse revolves around questions of power relations.
Yet defining who really has power over society seems harder than
ever. How do we understand the ‘elite’ and what gives them power?
Has the elite changed its character, and if so how, and from
when? This lecture examines the role of culture in elite
self-understanding and self-definition and looks at how culture
became a key battleground in challenges to their authority.


Lecture by Professor Frank Furedi, sociologist and social
commentator; author, 100 Years of Identity Crisis: culture
war over socialisation


THE ACADEMY ONLINE IV: The elite: old and new To view the full
programme and some suggested background reading to the talks,
please visit  https://theboi.co.uk/academy-online-iv  


ASSOCIATED READING


For this lecture you may wish to read:-


‘The Power Elite’ by C. Wright Mills, 1956
https://amzn.to/2ZpC1TB

‘100 years of the culture war’, Frank Furedi, spiked, 17
September 2021 https://bit.ly/3E0Tscg



THE ACADEMY In the context of today’s instrumental approaches to
knowledge, The Academy summer school is a modest attempt to
demonstrate the value of scholarship, and of the worth of the
university as a place of free enquiry dedicated to the pursuit of
truth.


DONATING TO THE BOI CHARITY The BOI charity is committed to
continuing to host discussion and debates throughout this period
when society is restricted by measures to tackle coronavirus. In
order to help us realise events such as the Academy Online,
please consider a donation, small or large.
Visit: https://theboi.co.uk/donate


IDEAS MATTER PODCAST Ideas Matter is a podcast that takes the
most important issues of our times and explores the ideas and
intellectual trends that have shaped where we are today.


You can subscribe and listen to Ideas Matter on iTunes, Podbean,
Spotify or SoundCloud. For full details of all episodes, visit
the podcast page on our website


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