CULTURE AS DOMINANT, RESIDUAL AND EMERGENT

1. Cultural as Dominant,
Emergent and Residual
PREPARED BY: MARIA MERLLAN E. MIER, LPT

2. Culture as Dominant
 The dominant perspective are the ones that are most prolific within our
society
 e.g. politics, religion, conventions
 Residual (past) elements are also present within hegemonic culture
 These residual elements are constantly being “reinterpreted, diluted,
projected” in order to become absorbed into the dominant culture
 If the residual element is antagonistic to that of the dominant, it is
marginalized by the dominant-sometimes successfully and sometimes not so.

3. Culture as Residual
 Refers to the cultural beliefs and practices that are derived from a much earlier
era
 These can often reflect very contrasting beliefs to those of the dominant cultural
perspective, including politics and religion
 It is possible for residual beliefs to remain ‘dominant’, despite the cultural
conditions of which they need to exist being gone
 For example women being intellectually subordinate to men or religious moralities
 There are also practices that are so ingrained into our society that their presence
is still apparent
“The sun rises”
(Which derives from the belief that the sun goes around the Earth)

4. Culture as Emergent
 Are elements of a culture which are substantially alternative or oppositional
to the dominant
 These are not to be confused with cultural novelties
 Emergent are subliminally developed within culture through practices such as
new social interactions through the changing societies
 They challenge the dominant in that they present very different ideas to it
 By developing from the margins of society, emergent can eventually become
dominant – however this is not a guarantee
“All dominant practices were once emergent, but not all emergent practices will
become dominant”

5. In our society…
 We live in predominantly consumerist society
 There are still examples of residual elements in our society
 Residual elements can also cross over into emergent, as the beliefs begin to
once again prevail.