Turner

One of the first images I saw when thinking of London was an image of a soldier dressed in red wearing a tall, furry, black hat. Therefore, my topic for the final project is the British Guards. I will examine them as a cultural icon in London and relate them specifically to Buckingham Palace. To make my topic more specific, I will focus on the Queen's Foot Guards and the five different regiments that exist within them. Culturally, I will examine the power relationship between each regiment and compare what each contributes to the culture. Also, I will research the history of the guards and how they have transformed into a more social part of London culture with, for example, the Changing of the Guards, which is a big tourist attraction. I will focus on why some tourists do not view the Guards as serious members of British society. Instead, most just want a photo opportunity or a chance to make them break from their stern character.

Before I am able to do this, I need to make sure I understand what kind of theoretical approach I am going to take as well as the cultural aspect I am going to examine. I am going to be focusing a lot on the power relations between the different foot guards and how this power has influenced the culture. This ties into Ch. 1 of the Turner text when he dicusses Marxism and ideology. On page 23, Turner states, "...cultural studies analysis is aimed toward a particular end- that of understanding the ways in which power relations are regulated, distributed, and deployed within industrial societies." This is the approach I will take for my project. Turner further explains the new idea of critical Marxism which negates the fact that culture is completely dependent on econimic relationships. Instead, there are other determining factors that make up society such as political influences, which is what relates to my project. Also, the discussion of semiotics is important to my project. Turner makes a point to say that it is important within culture to be able to understand different types of representation including gesture and dress. Within my project, different images and concepts that go along with the foot guards, such as their different collar badges and plumes will help show cultural significance. Finally, it is important I know how to read the different cultural aspects I encounter as "texts". This relates to Ch. 3 of Turner's text. I need to make sure I am able to relate different articles I read and videos I see about the British guards to what I actually see. It is important that I am able to combine the analysis of each different type of media I use. I am extremely excited to get a closer look at the British guards.