Study Guides: Realisms
In chapter 3 Appadurai discusses the relationship between "the word and the world":
I understand these two terms in their widest sense, so that word can encompass all forms of textualized expression and world can mean anything from the means of production and the organization of life-worlds to the globalized relations of cultural reproduction discussed here (51).
Word in this sense includes music, television, and cinema—three of the most influential art forms in contemporary life. In our class (as in many other CMS classes), we are studying the influences of such media in the actual lives of real people. Key to Appadurai's point is his discussion of realisms, which begins on page 53.
Film Examples
- Devdas ( Sanjay Leela Bhansali, 2002; 183 minutes)
- This mainstream Hindi film is a good example of "capitalist realism," a term defined by Michael Schudson and referenced by Appadurai on page 53. Schudson compares Western advertising to the official art of the Soviet Union, called "Socialist Realism." Like Western advertising, Hindi film offers a dazzling vision of a world perfected by the consumption of commodities.
- Chandni Bar (Madhur Bhandarkar, 2001; 150 minutes)
- This is an example of traditional cinematic realism: actors play "ordinary people," often from lower-class settings and situations.
- India Cabaret (Mira Nair, 1985; xx minutes)
- Appadurai discusses this television documentary on pages 38 and 61-62. As Appadurai notes, the program's relationship to reality is complicated by the fact that many of its interviews are scripted and rehearsed.