![]() New narratives compete with the old, displacing established norms and patterns of action. In times of chaos, competing narratives vie to create transformational change. In other words, the culture wars pervading present-day politics and economics are clear indicators of coming shocks. Put the two ideas together and the story reads: culture can change fast during periods of heightened complexity, when imagined futures create a sense of fear and radical uncertainty. This is transforming how cultural forces are understood. They have also begun to belatedly recognise that ‘imagined futures’ are cultural realities that shape present-day decisions. Yet over the last decade and more, anthropologists have gathered evidence that in times of chaos and volatility, culture can, contrary to conventional wisdom, change fast. ![]() Another, that it is about history, the idea that somehow the past can be recreated, and nostalgia. One prevailing idea is that culture is slow to change. Eagleton’s version: “Culture can be loosely summarised as the complex of values, customs, beliefs and practices which constitute the way of life of a specific group”. It defies definition, if not description. The result is that it is often misunderstood. ![]() Terry Eagleton said that “‘culture’ is one of the most complex words in the English language”. Long Read Culture Wars Defying Definition ![]()
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