Cultural Theory and Popular Culture

In the West high culture “originated in the classical world traditions of intellectual and aesthetic life in Ancient Greece (from C. 8th century BC – AD 147) and Ancient Rome (753 BC – AD 476) (High Culture, 2018). For example, “the Parthenon, the painting and sculpture of Michelangelo, themusicof Mozart, etc.”, identifies the exemplary works of high culture of the west. Since high culture is associated with upper class society, the term popular culture on the other hand is shared by the masses of the society.

Popular culture follows the emerging patterns, lifestyle, literature, beliefs, attitudes and leisure activities that are sophisticated and “more appealing to the masses”, unlike high culture (High Culture, 2018). Since industrialization took over the society, it affected the individuality of different nations, where certain crafts and rituals were practiced to maintain the identity of these nations. The term popular culture at one point was associated with low culture, but today it mainly caters masses, due to a high impact of mass media in our societies.