Culture, imperialism, and LCSH
If we look at LCSH as a text or a narrative, we can analyze it in a way that is similar to Edward Said’s criticism of 19th and 20th century novels in Culture and Imperialism.
A crucial aspect of Said’s premise is that the novel as we know it couldn’t exist without imperialism and that when we read Conrad, Austen, and Dickens, we need to be conscious of the ways that empire permeates daily life and is expressed through literature. The “hegemony of imperial ideology” cultivated a discourse of domination which in turn validated and supported nations’ imperialism and colonialism (12). Degrading essentialism of others, grandiose self-definitions, and incidental, marginal appearances of the colonized are frequent in 19th and early 20th century novels from England and France and continue to pervade American media today. We must also examine the ways in which voices of resistance are shaped by imperialism. He refers to a “structure of attitude and reference” to describe the systematization of imperialism in cultural practices.
There are many points to be taken from Said’s work…too many to go into detail here. What I want to take note of is the way that prejudices and attitudes can be so pervasive in a culture that they may be taken for granted or may be unrecognizable. Beliefs, practices, and ideology of powerful groups directly shape culture and its productions. LCSH was created at a time when white men were privileged and other races and civilizations were inferior, and although the language has changed dramatically, the structure of LCSH remains largely patriarchal and hierarchical. We can apply Said’s “structure of attitude and reference” to thinking about the cultural influences on the creation of LCSH and analyzing the ways the structure of LCSH reinforces and contributes to culture.
Said, E. (1993). Culture and imperialism. New York: Knopf.
