Question 8

8) Watch the first part (at least) of Mouse Trapped 2010 and Mickey Mouse Monopoly, and explain USING SPECIFIC ELEMENTS FROM THE FILMS how they are good examples of the different approaches of political economy and cultural studies. Define each approach briefly, and CITE GROSSBERG’S ARTICLE IN YOUR RESPONSE. (100-150 words)





Political Economy is the study of how politics and economics connect and relate. It is the idea that economy drives society. Cultural studies is the study that suggests that culture drives the economy. One way to look at how they are different is to look at Grossberg’s quote, “But cultural studies and political economy were never so intimate…First, because cultural studies ignores the institutions of cultural production, it celebrates popular culture and gives up any oppositional role; second, because cultural studies ignores economics, it is incapable of understanding the real structures of power, domination, and oppression in the contemporary world.” (Grossberg, page 626)

Grossberg was very specific and outright about the differences between political economy and cultural studies. Grossberg first presents a point of view that is also held by scholars like Karl Marx. Grossberg is explaining that because cultural studies just studies “popular culture” and doesn’t look at where it comes from, there’s no way for “unpopular culture” to argue with what is popular. There are no different points of view other than the popular, which is definitely different than politics (with all the different beliefs and parties) and economics (when there are other way in which our economy could function, like with a socialist of a communist structure for example). Grossberg says flat out that “cultural studies ignores economics,” which I’d venture to say is a large part of political economy. This statement implies that because cultural studies can’t factor in how the economic status of the world plays into popular culture, it can’t understand the factors that play into what people buy, which Grossberg says are the concepts of “power, domination, and oppression.”

Grossberg also says, “For the fact of the matter is, that for political economy, in every instance, in every context, somehow, almost magically, the economic appears to be the bottom line, the final and real solution to the problem, the thing that holds everything together and makes everything what it is… cultural studies argues that interest are themselves culturally produced, that part of what is involved in political struggles is the articulation of particular subject groups (particular identities) to particular interests. There are no originary and authentic interests, immediately and unproblematically defined by economic position, capable of linking the base to the superstructure.” (Grossberg 654) Here what Grossberg is saying is simple, where as cultural studies does not contain the idea that “political struggle” leads to popular culture, where as political economy contains an idea that money and the economy are the bottom line for everything. Political economy is based on that the economy drives society, but cultural studies are based on an array of factors. An example of this idea would be as follows: a Burberry raincoat doesn’t sell out of stores at a cost of $500 a pop because the economy is going well, it sells because people are willing to pay $500 for that raincoat in general.


Mouse Trapped makes an obvious statement about political economy in regards to culture. This documentary makes the statement that for one of the biggest (and most popular) entertainment companies; they pay their employees the least. One employee says, “The numbers say it all. I mean with the amount of money that the company makes, that Disney makes, as a whole, it’s hard to believe that we get paid this. After three years, I’m not even at eight dollars.” This movie would be making the argument of political economists, that economy, and money, drives society.

Mickey Mouse Monopoly makes a statement about cultural studies in regards to culture. Much like Karl Marx would argue that as a society we are disconnected from the use-value of our products, this documentary would argue that we have disconnected from the underlying arguments that are made by Disney films. The argument here is that people love Disney because culture loves Disney, that because Disney is a good corporation that makes good products and provides good services, it is popular. Additionally, Mickey Mouse Monopoly makes a statement about political economy when it discusses the media conglomerate that Disney has created. The documentary says, “Disney is a tran-national media conglomerate; owning T.V. and radio networks, cable systems, Internet sites, music studios, media productions companies, magazines, sports teams, theatres, and theme parks. As a result, Disney exerts a tremendous influence on nation and international culture,” and “Media conglomeration raises fundamental concerns about its impact on democracy. Because enormous conglomerates like Disney own so much of the media, they exercise unprecedented control over the images and messages we’re exposed to. The result is that we’re presented with a very limited world view; skewed and dominated by corporate interests.” The argument here is that Disney is popular because it owns the media that we see, conditioning us to have a certain view of Disney and the corporation that it represents.