2. Everyday Life and Cultural Theory
The Critique of Everyday Life by Lefebvre:
It is the multiple perspective offered by a
traditional and yet changing countryside mixed
with a profound engagement with the
transformation of urban life that can account for
the huge scale of the project.
3. Everyday Life and Cultural Theory
• As France was reconstructed
– Modernization = Consumer Culture
– Affected by American temptation
• Directed especially on women
• Modern EDL
– As Marxist: exploitative, oppressive, bureaucratic society of
controlled consumption
– As Romantic: energies within the ED can be used to
transform it.
– Modernity and EDL constitude a structure.
– Intense experience Moments of sensations Everday life
4. Everyday Life and Cultural Theory
Lefebvre:
Modernization = Consumer Culture
Transformation American temptation
Coca cola, TV, blue jean, electric cooker
Especially directed on women
5. Everyday Life and Cultural Theory
Colonialism of EDL by capitalism
Commodity, market, money seize EDL
Transformation continuation process
6. Everyday Life and Cultural Theory
• Colonized relationship
Americanization Particular way of life Cultural globalization
• EDL was colonized by capitalism
– Continuation of imperialism
– Urban cities shows global domination of ethnicization.
– Colonial relations with US ended up with Americanization.
7. Foundations
• Lefebvre’s work:
Total man or Total person
• Humankind no longer alienated
Results in the “end of history”
• The telos of history having been reached
– Insistence on la Fête (the festival)
• As a moment other to the capitalist everyday and
enacting a critique of the seperation of the aesthetic
from the social, art from life.
8. Foundations
• By placing la Fête at the end of history
– Privilege creativity for the transformation of EDL
– Decline of centrally organized society
• EDL
– Capitalist modernity
• Increase homogenity
• Social differences deepens
9. Foundations
Hegel
Human
society is in
state of self-
alienation Lefebvre
• Dealination of
human being
• Creation of Total
Person
Marx
Production
process of
Capitalism
generates
d.o.l
Transformation of EDL
Alienation
Themselves Each other
(Expression of human potential)
10. Foundations
• EDL
• Alienation under conditions of modernity
• Transformation of EDL
• Due to dealination of human beings and creation of total person,
which is “end of history”
11. Foundations
• Total Person + La Fête Statist Transformation
• Promotion of festival as a model
– End of history = Dissolution of the State
– Festival is part of popular EDL but a radical
reconfiguring of daily life that is anything but
everyday
• It becomes visible at moments of “effervescence”
(Blanchot)
12. Foundations
Everyday is visible through
Festivals (carnival) Revolutionary Situation
symbolic anticipatory
overthrow of overturns
oppressive cultural values
social structures social hierarchies
(differences, gender, class)
alienation
(possibility of living otherwise is glimpsed)
13. That which repeats itself constantly…
• Everyday life
– Ordinary, Banal, Recurrent, Repetitive
• But also involves extra ordinary as being part of the routine
– Cycle of work and leisure
• Seperation of society experience into labor,
leisure, love, etc
– Leisure (ex. camping), continuation of alienation of work
• Articulates real needs
• Commodifies desires
• Bounds up with commercialism
• Continuation of festival!
14. Hypermodernization
• 1950-1960’s, period of hypermodenization
– Esp. France, Germany
• From rural to empire-oriented
• Catholic to fully industrialized, decolonized, urban
– Double articulation
• Complex colonial relations btwn traditional France and
decolonization of French colonies, Algeria
– Exploitation of immigrants
– Culture industries (americanization)
15. Hypermodernization
Constrained time
Space
Suburbanization Commuting
Time
Reduces free time
“Surplus Labor”
16. • City full of constraints and production of
boredom
– Urban space with Do’s and Dont’s
17. Semiotics of Postmodern
Symbol Signal
Meaning experienced Instrumentally reduced
through narrative meaning, on/off
themes of culture more communication,
replate DO’s/ DON’Ts
Fullness, multiplicity
(Polysemy)
Society of prohibition
and commands
18. May 1968, urbanism and the Situationists
• Leftist students’ taking control and workers’ strike
• Lefebvre and Situationists
– Urban ED containing the conditions to transform
• Dérive: to wander, to drift around the city Loitering?
• Détournment: negating elements of culture as a prelude to
their transformation
• Derive is a practical detournment
– Observant in aimless, assumes that the ED can be best percieved as
a form of unconsciousness.
– Drafting around cities, form of urban “free associations”; designed
to reveal the hidden secrets of EDL.
19. May 1968, urbanism and the Situationists
• Focus on:
Urban Fabric
Restore Transform
La Fête EDL
