论雷蒙德·威廉斯的文化分类

Classification of Culture Proposed by Raymond Williams

雷蒙德·威廉斯利用常见的文化三分法,从不同角度对文化进行了分类:从文化本体角度将文化分为理想的、文献的和社会的;从社会-历史角度将文化分为亲历的、记录的和选择的;从政治学角度,根据文化霸权概念,提出了另外两种文化三分法,即文化过程社会释义三分法和文化过程本体三分法。其文化分类说明了文化的多样复杂性:文化既是文本的、社会历史的、动态发展的,更是政治的。

Raymond Williams classifies cultures from different perspectives according to the common tripartite classification of cultures. From the ontological perspective, cultures are classified into ideal culture, documentary culture and social culture. From the social-historical perspective, cultures are classified into lived culture, recorded culture and culture of selective tradition. From the political perspective, another two cultural tripartite classifications are proposed based on the concept cultural hegemony： one is traditions, institutions, and formations which are operative in the process of social and cultural definition, and the other is the dominant, the residual, and the emergent of any internal cultural process. His classifications of cultures indicate cultural variety and complexity. Meanwhile, culture presents its textual, social-historical, dynamic, and political nature.