What is Myth? | Roland Barthes | Keyword
Summary
TLDRIn this video, David explores Roland Barthes' concept of myth and its function within socio-cultural contexts. He explains how myths serve to transmit messages and naturalize certain narratives, using the example of roses symbolizing passion. Barthes' semiology is introduced to discuss the relationship between signifiers and signifieds. David further illustrates how myths can reinforce dominant ideologies, like France's imperialism, and the importance of challenging these narratives.
Takeaways
- π The script discusses Roland Barthes' concept of myth and its function within socio-cultural contexts.
- π£οΈ Myth is defined as a form of speech that can extend to various media, not just verbal communication.
- π Myths serve a didactic purpose, teaching us messages and values through cultural stories.
- π¬ Barthes explores myths as part of a semiotic system, focusing on the relationship between signifiers and signifieds.
- πΉ The example of a bouquet of roses is used to illustrate how a signifier can represent a signified, such as passion.
- π Semiology, the study of signs, is used to understand how language represents abstract concepts.
- π«π· The script provides an example of a French magazine image to explain how a sign can become a signifier for a deeper signified, such as erasing France's imperial guilt.
- π Myths operate according to dominant ideologies and power structures, naturalizing certain narratives.
- π« Myths can foreclose possibilities for dialogue and challenge by naturalizing certain ideas as the only truth.
- π The study of myths aims to reveal their artificial nature and encourage a more critical engagement with them.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video script?
-The main focus of the video script is to discuss Roland Barthes' concept of myth and how it operates within a socio-cultural context, specifically through the lens of his text 'Mythologies'.
What does the script suggest is the primary function of myths?
-The script suggests that myths serve the function of conveying messages and teaching us something, often in a didactic manner.
How does the script define a myth?
-A myth, as defined in the script, is a type of speech that can extend to other media and is meant to convey a message, often serving a cultural purpose.
What is the difference between a signifier and a signified according to the script?
-The script explains that a signifier is something that stands in for a concept (the signified), and together they form a sign. The signifier is the physical representation, while the signified is the abstract concept it represents.
Can you provide an example of a signifier and signified from the script?
-An example given in the script is a bouquet of roses as a signifier for the passion (signified) one feels for their partner.
What is first order semiology?
-First order semiology, as discussed in the script, is the study of how a signifier represents a signified, creating a sign, such as roses representing passion.
How does the script explain the role of culture in the formation of myths?
-The script explains that myths are culturally agreed upon and adopted, serving a useful purpose in transmitting messages and ideas.
What does the script suggest is the role of myths in society?
-The script suggests that myths operate to naturalize certain narratives and ideas, making them seem as though there is no alternative, and serving the interests of certain groups in society.
How does the script describe the process of creating a myth?
-The script describes the process of creating a myth as involving the transformation of a sign (created by a signifier and signified) into a signifier for a new signified, creating a deeper level of signification.
What is the script's stance on challenging myths?
-The script suggests that instead of opposing myths with a supposed 'truth', we should challenge myths by creating new myths or interpretations that can open up more possibilities and challenge the status quo.
What does the script recommend for those interested in learning more about Barthes' ideas on myth?
-The script recommends reading Barthes' text 'Mythologies' for a more in-depth understanding of his ideas on myth.
Outlines
π Introduction to Myth and Semiology
David introduces the video by explaining that he will discuss Roland Barthes' concept of myth and its significance in society. He emphasizes the importance of understanding myth not just as a story, but as a form of speech that can be conveyed through various media. Barthes' approach to myth is explored through his text 'Mythology,' where he delves into the function of myths within a socio-cultural context. Myths are described as conveyors of messages, teaching us something and often agreed upon culturally. David also mentions the use of semiology, the study of signs and their meanings, to understand how words represent things in the world, which is crucial for grasping Barthes' perspective on myth.
πΉ The Concept of Signifier and Signified
The second paragraph delves into the concept of signifier and signified, using the example of a bouquet of roses symbolizing passion. It explains how a signifier (roses) can stand for a signified (passion) to create a sign, which is a cultural agreement on the meaning of certain symbols. The paragraph further discusses how this concept extends to abstract ideas and relationships, illustrating how language and cultural meanings are intertwined. It sets the stage for understanding how myths work on a deeper level of signification, building upon the first-order semiology.
π Deeper Signification and Myth
This section explores how a sign from first-order semiology can become a signifier for a new signified in the realm of myth, which is second-order semiotics. Using the example of a French magazine image of a black child saluting the French flag, the paragraph illustrates how the image can be interpreted at a deeper level beyond just patriotism. Barthes suggests that the image might serve to erase or absolve France of its imperial guilt, using the child as a symbol to convey a message of benevolence and innocence. This process naturalizes certain narratives and can foreclose alternative interpretations, which is a key function of myths in society.
π The Role of Myth in Society
The final paragraph discusses the role of myth in reinforcing dominant narratives and the power structures that benefit from them. It explains how myths can naturalize historical events or societal norms, making them seem inevitable or 'natural.' The paragraph also touches on the idea that challenging myths is not about opposing them with truth but rather by creating new myths or interpretations that can redirect the narrative. Barthes encourages engaging with myths critically to reveal their artificial nature and to open up possibilities for different dialogues and interpretations, which is the duty of the study of mythology.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Myth
π‘Signifier
π‘Signified
π‘Semiology
π‘First Order Semiology
π‘Second Order Semiology
π‘Naturalization
π‘Hegemonic
π‘Deconstruction
π‘Cultural Economy of Meaning
Highlights
Myth is a type of speech that conveys a message.
Myths are not reserved for verbal speech but can extend to other media.
Myths serve a cultural purpose and are agreed upon within a culture.
Myths are didactical, teaching us something.
The example of Icarus is used to teach humility.
Myths are part of a semiotic system, studying the relationship between a signifier and a signified.
The word 'tree' is arbitrary and has no natural connection to the object it represents.
Semiology is the study of how words stand in for things in the world.
The example of a bouquet of roses symbolizing passion.
Cultural economy of meaning bestows certain artifacts with specific significance.
Myth comes into play when a sign becomes the signifier for another signified.
First order semiology deals with direct representation, while myth operates at a second order.
The image of a black child saluting the French flag is used to discuss patriotism.
Myth can naturalize historical events, making them seem inevitable.
Myths can serve certain interests and reinforce dominant narratives.
The study of myths aims to reveal their artificial nature.
Balth suggests engaging with myths by creating more myths to challenge the status quo.
Balth encourages the insertion of new myths to open up possibilities and direct narratives in a benevolent direction.
Transcripts
[Music]
hey everyone back again today i'm going
to be talking about khalambalt's idea of
myth and mythologies and actually going
to be talking about signifiers and
signified so
really a lot of things here in order to
explain
principally myths now before jumping
into that hi i'm david if you're new
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yeah let's jump into this so i'm
developing this idea principally from
his text called mythology now he does
mention this in other texts as well he
does get into the idea about myth and
the importance of myth in his other
texts like writing degree zero but i'm
gonna focus on mythology because that's
where he really gets into the weeds of
this term and how myths operate within a
specific
socio-cultural setting and the really
the function
that they serve so he begins by saying
that myth is a type of speech which is
to say that there is no specific kind of
myth
there are certain ideas maybe certain
real things in the world that can belong
to myths but to understand myths
requires that we first acknowledge it as
a form which is a form of speech which
can extend i should qualify can extend
to other media as well so it's not
reserved for just verbal speaking it can
happen in writing it can happen in
through pictures it can happen through
film it can happen through uh you know
newspaper print whatever it can really
include anything now what makes myth
a myth
and there are going to be a few
different
uh defining qualities as we go through
here but perhaps the biggest one is that
a myth is meant to convey a message
and so in that way it is a little bit
didactical that is it's teaching us
something when we hear a myth that myth
is relaying to us a message and we can
think of so many different examples
about that like the myth of uh icarus
and the idea that you shouldn't
uh fly too close to the sun and we use
that to teach us about humility maybe to
teach us
about reservation
to teach us about patience not to go too
far ahead with anything and that's just
one example you know there are so many
more myths serve the purpose
of transmitting messages to people and
they are
cultural we agree upon them culturally
and we come to
adopt them and to then further transmit
them culturally and so they serve a
useful purpose which is why they've been
around for so long and there are so many
different examples of age-old myths that
we tell our children and tell
people we encounter in order to
teach people now because myth
or the myth that balf is talking about
here is not reducible to a specific
story
but is instead a kind of a way of
speaking a way of telling stories
he's here interested in studying them
abstractly which is to say he's not
going to focus on specific myths per se
even though he will to give examples
he's more concerned with studying them
as
being part of a language as a part of a
semiotic system and so for that reason
he uses what he calls borrowing from
he uses semiology which is really the
study of
language really specifically it's about
studying the relationship between
a signifier and a signified now to put
it even more simply it's about studying
how a word can stand in for a thing in
the world
and how these two things are often in
fact always incongruent
the words that we use to describe things
in the world
are arbitrary there is no natural
connection between
a tree that we might see in the world
and the word tree in english t-r-e-e
that we use to represent that thing
yet we are able to form entire
communities and civilizations
using
these
codes in the form of language that we've
just agreed upon culturally now
semiology goes one step further
to say that
our relationship to language is not just
about utility it's not just about having
an easy way to facilitate communication
it's not just about having words that
stand in for things in the world because
we are confronted as well with some very
abstract things that don't so easily
lend themselves to language
and the word that we use to understand
these more abstract things in these more
abstract relationships are signs
so we have a signifier we have a
signified
the signifier representing the signified
and then we have a sign that bridges the
two
which is might seem kind of confusing
but let me give the example that balth
gives because i think it's i think it's
good normally i would give my own if it
was unclear but uh i think that this one
is good
so he uses the example of a bouquet of
roses
if you have a bouquet of roses and you
want to give it to your partner as a
sign of your passion
what you are effectively doing
is using a signifier the roses to stand
in for your passion the signified which
you're going to give to your partner
now on their own what we have here
is on the one hand the signified your
passion and on the other hand the
signifier your roses but that would only
make sense to you if we only understood
these in terms of the relationship
between the signifier roses and the
signified passion but because culturally
we have an entire economy of meaning
that
bestows
us or inscribes these artifacts with
this kind of meaning
then we are able to then transmit that
deeper meaning to somebody else so
the roses are just then almost naturally
imbued with this idea of passion and in
that setting where you
maybe it's valentine's day whatever
you're giving your partner roses that
are then meant to convey that passion
and so in that moment where there is an
almost
inextricable association
a kind of in detachable association or
undetachable between the roses
and passion or your love
it means then that it has become a sign
so the equation would go as follows
signifier plus signified equals a sign
but it doesn't just happen neutrally or
automatically you know it has to be
bestowed with this meaning and has to be
repeated over and over and over again in
order for
the signifier and the signified to
become a sign
because if for example i
thought that
a pile of gravel could stand in for my
passion and i gave it to somebody to me
that pile of gravel
was exactly what i wanted it to be it
was a signifier of my passion for
somebody
but it's not it hasn't attained the
status of a sign because it hasn't been
culturally acknowledged to
inextricably be associated with passion
it was only
specific to me but with everything we've
discussed up till this point we haven't
yet arrived at myth
myth comes into the picture
when this sign that we've arrived at
now becomes the signifier to another
signified that is on a deeper level of
signification
so what i just described in the case of
the roses is an example of what he calls
first order semiology
or first order semiotics and myth enters
the picture when the sign of the first
order system in this case that i
discussed the bridging of roses with
passion
now becomes a signifier
for or to another signified that can
then mean something else it can become a
new sign which at this level is not
totally important but at this level is
actually called signification
now the example that balth gives for
this
is is different and he gives the example
of a french magazine that has a picture
of a small black child
and he's you know writing this in the
50s i believe a small black child in
military uniform saluting the french
flag
so if we applied what i just did this
first order semiotic analysis we could
say that this is an example of
patriotism uh and so what we have here
is the depiction of a black
child in military garb
standing in for acting as a signifier of
french patriotism and then the two
things become interlinked and they are a
sign
now second order semiotics that exists
at the level of myth will then take this
sign
the link between this child and
patriotism and say that it is actually
meant to stand in for something else a
new signified and that news signified in
this context could be any number of
things but belt proposes that it might
be in this context an erasure
of france's imperial efforts in algeria
so now this black child is doing more
than just represent french patriotism
this child is standing in as a
uh
as an erasure
or as a
as a way to absolve france of its
uh imperial guilt in order to say or to
represent
look
this black child loves france so
therefore france doesn't have a problem
uh with its imperial efforts there's
nothing wrong
imperially with france
and so what we have here is a deeper
meaning that is being conveyed through
this image that balth is describing not
just french patriotism but actually an
effort to absolve france of its
violent past and at the time ongoing
harms it is inflicting on
african nations including algeria and
there's no reason this can't go further
i mean i don't necessarily have the
capacity to go further but if any of you
listening you have any ideas you know
you could definitely comment how could
it go further now that we've established
a new sign associating this child with
this idea about
french benevolent foreign policy
how can we go further taking that as a
signifier in a new chain of
signification now what myths do
is they operate then
in accordance with certain dominant
streams of thought and of power
what narratives are going to be
proclaimed through myth
why are some ideas going to be
represented and others maybe not so much
for whom do these myths benefit because
a myth serves the instrumental purpose
of making these ideas seem
natural to naturalize in this case
france's imperial efforts to say that
look they are good we have the example
of a black child here enjoying
everything that france has done being
very proud of france
excuse my cat
being very proud of france and so
people read that and they come to almost
subconsciously associate france with
this benevolence and this does serve
certain interests specifically in this
case it serves a certain bourgeois
interest perhaps it serves
the interests of various politicians of
just upper ranking officials who
establish to some way or other in some
way or other
what people should be thinking about
france's foreign policy so myths operate
to naturalize history to make things
appear as though there is no alternative
that they're you know france's uh
military and imperial efforts just had
to happen and they had great effects and
so what happens as well
is
we come to associate certain signs with
certain things certain signifiers with
certain signifieds and what that does is
it kind of forecloses the possibilities
afforded by language where we come to
make intrinsic associations between
certain ideas certain signifies and
certain signifiers in order to foreclose
the possibility of having different
interpretations and through repetition
they become to be naturalized to such an
extent that it gets very difficult to
actually challenge them to actually call
attention to them so insofar as it does
that it forecloses an engaging possible
engagement with them it forecloses the
possibility of dialogue it forecloses
politics to happen around it and so it
is the duty of
mythology
the study of myths to reveal the extent
to which these myths are artificial now
about employee employees implores that
we don't just approach myths by saying
that they are false and we need truth to
oppose them he says that will only lead
us astray because myths are clever
they're just going to reincorporate
counter narratives within its narrative
in order to proffer itself up and so the
task should then be not to oppose myth
with
some kind of transcendent truth it
should instead be to
demonstrate
myth by being more mythic
to
insert more myth into myth to
potentially direct it into a more
benevolent direction to enter that
next order of semiotics to turn that
sign into just another signifier for a
new chain of signification that can open
up more possibility that can
direct us in such a way as to challenge
a hegemonic status quo that propels
certain narratives in certain directions
for the benefit of a few
and yeah that's
essentially
what balth is getting at here there's
more to it he does layout uh kind of
taxonomize the different kinds of myth
to some extent and like different ways
to understand them
and to get all that you really got to go
and read it which i definitely recommend
yeah i hope i gave you fair introduction
here if there's anything i excluded that
i shouldn't have i'd love to hear about
it anything that i got wrong i'd love to
hear about it
and yeah if you like what i did like
share subscribe leave five stars if you
can on the podcast platform and i'll
catch you next time take care
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