Culture as Counter Hegemony

Culture as

Counter Hegemony:

A Malaysian Delusion

“Being subversive,

for the sake of being subversive,

does not a counter hegemon make.”

Date: 22 August 2012

Student Name: Arfah Hani Abdullah

Student Number: t.b.c.

Module Code: V94025

Module: Cultural Policy

Course: MA Cultural Studies

University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus

School of Modern Languages and Cultures

2012-2013

CONTENTS

Introduction

Hegemony and Cultural Hegemony

The Durian Model

Common Sense or Revolution

Counter Hegemony versus Hegemony equals the New Hegemony

Hegemony is here to stay

Counter Hegemony: The Malaysian delusion persists

Conclusion

Afterword

Bibliography

Introduction

While it may be desirable for some quarters within the Malaysian arts and culture industry to see themselves as embodying significant parts of a larger counter-hegemony vis-à-vis the state, closer examination finds this is not the case. Undoubtedly many and varied acts or elements can and have been labelled alternative, unorthodox, controversial and perhaps even greatly subversive. Upon further inspection however, these acts are found to be isolated, infrequent and too sporadic or disconnected to be counted as part of a cohesive counter-hegemony that poses serious challenges to the status quo of the prevailing state.

This paper looks at the definitions of hegemony, cultural hegemony and counter-hegemony to build a framework from which my argument will hinge upon. The inclusion of a “durian model” proves useful throughout this paper as a recurring symbol of cultural hegemony in Malaysia; and the idea that counter-hegemonic ideals are not only counter-productive but also ironic and an exercise in futility.

Furthermore, this paper puts forward the view that if one were to measure the collective temperature of whatever alternative or subversive cultural acts there are, the result would at best be lukewarm. That in fact there exists no...