Cultural transformations in England in the 60' s

 

This work about the Cultural transformations in England during the 60' s , is the result of a methodological study using present day resources in particular audio-visual, i.e: cinema, photo, television, radio, record. A long introductory chapter takes up some problematics, essential for understanding the subject-matter: on the one hand the advancements of "Mass culture" in the socio-economic and technological context in the 60's and, on the other hand, the emergence of a "Pop culture" in England, intended for 'the young, The first part deals with the transition period 1955-1963, still marked by the post-war difficulties and also by the Angry young men's intellectual rebellion, and it attempts to understand, in which political, social, cultural context the Beatles phenomenon may have originated. The second part assesses the consequences of this phenomenon and describes the cultural life in the "Swinging London" in the mid 60's, with its most outstanding expressions in Arts, fashion, music. This second part also tries to define what "Pop culture" is, when at its climax (1966), The third part mainly analyses the cultural disruption at the end of this decade: the psychedelic "counter culture", the hippies, the 1968 events in connection with the Pop movement. It also tries to show all the closer relations occured between "mass culture" and "high culture", decisively boosted by the Beatles' record Sgt Pepper (1967).

 

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