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International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

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224147

The hermeneutic concept of culture as meaning making

Johan Fornäs

pp. 49-88

Abstract

In the twentieth century, 'sociological" ideas of culture as sets of norms and values paved the way for the semiotic or "hermeneutic" concept of culture, related to interpretation or signifying practice of meaning making. This allows for fruitfully thinking together all the earlier spheres of meaning. This definition of culture further implies a promising understanding of what culturalisation might mean. Chapter 5 depicts how it was gradually developed by scholars like Ernst Cassirer, Paul Ricoeur and Clifford Geertz, and how Raymond Williams and Stuart Hall in British cultural studies came to embrace it after having struggled with various ways of combining the previous ones. Part I finally concludes with a summarising overview over the interrelations between the four main concepts of culture.

Publication details

Published in:

Forns Johan, Fornäs Johan (2017) Defending culture: conceptual foundations and contemporary debate. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.

Pages: 49-88

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-57810-1_5

Full citation:

Fornäs Johan (2017) The hermeneutic concept of culture as meaning making, In: Defending culture, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 49–88.