NAME: CHRIST TANTYA WAHYUNI

STUDENT NUMBER: 120110101079

A. TITLE: THE HEGEMONY OF AMERICAN POP CULTURE IN

MEG CABOTS ALL AMERICAN GIRL
B. RESEARCH AREA: MARXIST CRITISM
C. INTRODUCTION:
1. Background of Study
Nowadays, American pop culture takes the dominant position in the world.
Modern people will listen to American Music, watch American movies, and eat
American food. Some of them are even living with the American lifestyle.
American pop culture comprises the tastes, preferences, customs and behaviors
embraced by the broad mass of the American public at any given point in time.
The origins of American pop culture lie in the Industrial Revolution of the
late 18th century, when rural people migrated to American cities in large numbers.
Several factors unique to the era allowed pop culture to develop and flourish. For
instance, densely populated cities permitted news of cultural items to spread
rapidly by word of mouth, new means of mass production made consumption of
cultural items less expensive and a rising middle class gave larger numbers of
people the income necessary to consume them. Examples of early American pop
cultural items include serial novels and tabloid news magazines.
Meg Cabots All American Girl is the New York Times best-seller novel that
tells the reader about American pop culture and the stereotypes inside it. Samantha
Madison, the main character of the novel is against the popular culture. Instead of
wearing the fashionable and up to date clothes, she dyes her entire wardrobe black
because she is mourning for her generation. She also believes that the trendy
fashion is only dedicated for fake girls like her sister, Lucy.

Due to her strong opposition for the latest trends, Sam is often mistreated by
her friends in her school and society. They do not even bother themselves to be
friend with her and even turned their faces away every time they pass each other.
The only friend Sam has is Chaterine. Both of them are often being bullied and
mocked by the popular students in their school.
Based on the novel, the main reason why Samantha is outcast from their
society is the lifestyle. Samantha is a student who does not wear trendy fashion,
listen to popular music, join the favorite clubs in the school and watch the popular
TV programs. Thus, she is often called as weirdo and freak.
The setting of the novel is America in 2002. At that time, MTV is one of the
most popular programs among the teenagers. However, instead of enjoying this
program and idolizing the DJ, Samantha prefers watch documenter films. She also
does not join the popular clubs in her school such as cheerleading or sport because
her hobby is drawing celebrities pictures. She is also never invited to the parties
that held by the popular students in her school.
In the first half of the novel, Samantha was described as the subordinate
character in her society. She used to have no friends and was ignored by her
friends. However, in the middle of the story, Samantha turned to be the major
character; the popular student whom respected by many people around her. Many
of her friends invited her to their parties. Some of them even copied her weird
fashion style and wear black outfits. It happened after she saved Presidents life
from terrorist and this incident is reported in national and international news.
Based on this novel, we can find that media (powerful character, television,
magazines, advertisement, etc) in the society have a big role to create or even
change the tradition or culture. In American Popular Culture Historical and
Pedagogical Perspectives, Seymour Leventman stated:
The popularization of culture is a historical product emerging
concurrently with the culture of the masses, i.e., peoples liberated from
traditional class structures. So, pop culture with its broadly appealing
folk sources comes into play as expressions of political ideologies,
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supporting visual imagery on movie sound tracks, or as vehicles for

selling products in TV mass advertising, as examples. (2006:9)
It means, popular culture is spread from the commercial media such as TV
and advertisement. The main purpose of it is to sell products and make money
from the mass society. It is also a part of politics which soon, people accept it to
get the respect, success, and power.
Therefore, to analyze this novel, I use Raymond Williams cultural
materialism as the theory. In the literary studies, cultural materialism is a study
that uses a literary as the source of historical study. This theory explores the
processes by which hegemonic forces in society appropriate canonical and
historically important texts. The further explanation about the cultural materialism
and hegemony will be discussed in the chapter two, the theoretical framework.
2. Research Topic
The novel has some interesting topic to discuss. The main character that used
to be subordinate character in her society because she is different from the
people around her turns to be the powerful character. Thus, the topic in this
research focuses on the analyzing the hegemony and cultural materialism that
happen in American Pop Culture. Raymond Williams Cultural Materialism is
used to analyze this novel.
3. Research Questions
1. How does the novel describe the hegemony of American Pop Culture in
the novel?
2. How does the American Pop Culture affect the main character in the
novel?

4. What is the critical position of the author toward the hegemony of the
American Popular Culture that showed in the novel?
4. Goals of the Study
There are two goals of this study. The first goal is general goal, and the
second goal is specific goal. General goals of the study are to apply theories that
have been given in English Department Faculty of Letter and to fulfill the final
exam assignment. Besides, the author hopes this thesis becomes reference for
other students who interested to discuss about American Pop Culture. However,
the specific goals of the study are to find out the representation of hegemony in
American Pop Culture that showed in Meg Cabots All American Girl.
D. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
1. Previous Research
To do this research, I use some references and previous research which
discussed the same topic and theory. These previous researches are Cultural
Materialism in Cormac MC Charitys No Country For Old Men by Omega Mega
RY, Cosmopolitanism As Sociological Perspective on American Life in The Era of
1980-1990s Through Rae Lawrences Jacqueline Susanns Shadow of The Dolls
by Ishaq Destry Eryansyah, and The American Cultural Hegemony as a process of
Globalization by Lamia Maatougui.
The first previous research is cultural materialism in Cormac MC Charitys
No Country for Old Men by Omega Mega RY (2013). This research tells about
how the struggle in economy can affect the main character of the novel, Chigurh,
as a psychopath. In the novel, Chigurh struggled economically and because of it,
he contracts antisocial personality disorder which leads him to behave
irresponsibly toward others. The author of this research used the sociological
approach and the theory of cultural materialism to analyze this novel. The
similarity of his research and this research is both thesis use the cultural
materialism as the main topic. However, the difference between his research and
this research is in the objects that want to be discussed. His research discussed

about how the cultural materialism could affect the psychology of the main
character in the novel. Meanwhile, this research talks about how the cultural
materialism controls the society.
The second research is Cosmopolitanism as Sociological Perspective on
American Life in The Era of 1980-1990s Through Rae Lawrences Jacqueline
Susanns Shadow of The Dolls by Ishaq Destry Eryansyah (2014). This research
tells about how the cosmopolitanism life style is represented in the novel. The
lifestyle mostly shows the glamorous, luxurious, and high standard of life. In the
novel, the character works hard and has to go through a lot of difficulties because
their social status and prosperity. These efforts made them became successful at
the end. The similarity of his thesis and this thesis is both theses discuss the
popular culture and how it became the ideal way of life of the characters in the
novel. Meanwhile, the difference between his research and this research is in the
scope of the study. His research is focused on the sociological perspective, while
this thesis is focused on the hegemony and the cultural materialism in the novel.
The third previous research is The American Cultural Hegemony as a process
of Globalization by Lamia Maatougui. This research talks about American cultural
hegemony as a process of globalization. Throughout her research, she discussed
the necessary information to understand about the spread of the American culture
into the world. He also explained how American economy contributes to the
spread of American culture. The similarity of her research and this research is
both research discuss about the hegemony of American Pop Culture. However, the
difference between her research and this research is in the object of the study. Her
research talks about the phenomena of American Culture and how it becomes
popular around the world while this research analyses the hegemony of American
Pop Culture through literary work.
2. Theoretical Framework
2.1 Raymond Williams Cultural Materialism Theory

One of the most common understandings in studying literary work is that

society and literature are inseparable. Based on Marxist theory, literary work is
not just an art. It is a product of cultural reflection in certain area. On the other
word, the characters, the settings, and the plot that created by the author of literary
work closely represent the issues happen in the society.
In Marxism and Literature, Raymond William (1977:75) stated that any
modern approach to a Marxist theory of culture must begin by defining the
relationship between the base and superstructure. The base is everything that
relates to the productive process. It includes the workers and their roles and the
relationships between them, the tools, and any materials that involve in producing
necessities.
As human always produce necessities to survive, the production makes them
aware of their existence in the industry and it is called as a productive forces. The
productive forces consist of means of production, and labour power. Means of
production include tools, machinery, premises and infrastructure (what humans
work with) and raw material (what humans work on). However, labour power
includes strength, skill, and knowledge.
Karl Marx delivered his thought about productive process; he said that people
are continually improving to gain some advantages in economy. It is
improvements in technology, improvements in the ability of human beings to win
survive, which cumulatively result in major changes in society. As a result, they
also produce themselves and their group. This is how history is created.
In the productive process, men enter into definite stage that they become
conscious of their existence because it will determine their roles in the economic
structure. The structure in the production creates some political superstructure.
The superstructure is the whole ideology in certain area created from the
consciousness of men of their position in the productive relations. This ideology
consists of world view, beliefs, and values.

The superstructure is always historical. It is inheritance from the past and be

continued in the present. It shapes feelings, illusions, habit of thinking and
conception of life that people will not argue in the values and choices of it. Thus,
it becomes acceptable in the society.
There are three senses of superstructure emerge (1977:77). The first sense is a
form of politic that expresses the relation in production. The second sense is a
form of consciousness of the position that expresses a particular class. The last
sense is men become conscious of a fundamental economic conflict and fight it
out.
William (1980:32) also stated that there are two qualifications emerge from
determined character of superstructural activities. The first qualification is the
simplest notion of superstructure. It is the reflection, imitation, or the
reproduction, in a more or less direct way, of the reality of the base. Since this
kind of relationship cannot be distinguished in many kinds of cultural activity, or
at last not without considerable effort, notions of indirectness (e.g. some spheres
of cultural activity such as philosophy were said to be situated at a greater
distance from the primary economic activities) introduced to qualify any notion of
a simple relationship of reflection.
Later, notions of reflection and reproduction were replaced by notions of
mediation. It refers to the reconciliation of two opposing forces within a given
society (in this case is the superstructure and base) by a mediating object. In the
later twentieth century, there is the notion of homologous structure. It refers to
the view that, there is an essential homology or correspondence of structures,
which can be discovered by analysis, were suggested where there may be no
direct or easily apparent similarity, and certainly nothing like reflection or
reproduction between base and superstructure. (1980:33)
The productive process in the society causes the economic base arise a
complex superstructure. This is composed of state structures of law, institutions
and political organization which reflect the dominant social relationships; it also

comprises ideas, such as politics, philosophy, morality, and art. Soon, men accept
and apply those ideas in their daily life to adapt with their society. All of these
forces involve in the making of dominant culture that people should agree with,
whether it is true or not.
As the society will always have a structure and organization, it leads to the
social intentions, intentions by which ruled by the dominant class to justify and
maintain the unequal social relationships upon which their rights depend.
William stated:
The process of education; the process of much wider social training
within institution like family; the practical definitions and
organization of work; the selective tradition at an intellectual and
theoretical level: all these forces are involved in a continual making
and remaking of an effective dominant culture, and on them, as
experienced, as built into our living its reality depends. (1980: 36)
The quotation above delivers that social institution such as education, family,
religion, and organization of work have a big role in making and remaking the
dominant culture. They control the laws, the theories, and the ideologies of culture
in the society that are often claimed as natural. Thus, William believed that culture
is always political.
The ideological domination in certain society that ruled by the powerful
institution is called as hegemony. It is a term that defined by the Italian communist
Antonio Gramsci which later extended by Marx as dominating or ruling the class.
(1977:108)
Hegemony does not attack people with violence like soldier and their gun or
political system backed up by written constitution. It is covered by history or
major character in society and indirectly makes people accept and feel
comfortable with it. When a culture becomes hegemonic, it becomes "common
sense" for the majority of the population.
In his book Marxism and Literature, William stated:

For hegemony is a concept which at once includes and goes beyond

two powerful earlier concepts: that of culture as a whole social
process, in which men define and shape their whole lives; and that of
ideology, in any of its Marxist senses, in which a system of meanings
and values is the expression or projection of particular class interest.
(1977:108)
It means, hegemony goes beyond culture, the whole of social life, and the
ideology, which the values are the expression of particular classs interest. It goes
from culture to a specific distribution of power and influence and the inequalities
in it. Therefore, Gramsci introduced the terms dominant and subordinate classes.
Hegemony also goes beyond the ideology that it is not just a value or belief. It is a
whole social life which dominated by the particular beliefs or values.
Hegemony is applied in an abstract ways to the actual consciousness of both
dominant and subordinate classes. The dominant class has this ideology in a
simple form. However, the subordinate class has to accept it since the ideas of
production is controlled by the dominant class.
There are two advantages in this concept of hegemony. The first advantage is
that this concept corresponds to the more normal form of organization in the
society than the idea of ruling class that needs earlier historical phases. The
second advantage is that this concept allows the cultural activity is to be seen not
only as tradition, but also as practice.
William (1980:38) also stated that hegemony is not just a structure, but it is
also a process. It is a realized complex of experiences, relationships, and activities
with specific of changing pressures and limits. He also delivers his thought that
hegemony is not just a form of dominance; it has continually to be renewed,
recreated, defended, and modified.
Moreover, there is a process which is called as selective tradition (1980:39).
It means, in the process of creating dominant culture, there are some certain past
or tradition practices which are chosen or neglected. Even more, there are some
practices that reinterpreted to support the effective dominant culture. Social

institutions like education, family, organization of work are the ones that involved
in the remaking and making of it.
Later, William introduces a further distinction between residual and emergent
culture (1980:41). Residual culture refers to the some experiences, meanings or
values which practiced and generated by previous social formation, e.g.: religion.
On the contrary, the emergent culture is new meanings and values, new practices,
new significances and experiences that are continually being created.
According to William (1980:45), art and literature in any period have a big
role to create the dominant culture. It is supplemented by the media such as
broadcast, music and film and it also performs certain values or meanings which
later become general truth that most people tend to accept and believe.
In relation to this research, Raymond Williams cultural materialism is used
to understand how the hegemony of American Pop Culture is represented in the
Meg Cabots All American Girl. It starts from the representation of cultural
materialism in American Pop Culture and how it can create classes in the society.
Later, I will describe how hegemony affects the characters life in the novel and
that it can be changed by some aspects. Furthermore, through this analysis, I will
also explain the power of media and institution in creating the ideology and
tradition that tend to be accepted and practiced by people in the society. So, in this
case, the critical position of the author will be revealed.

E. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

1. Type of Research
I use the qualitative research to do this thesis. The qualitative research is used
to gain deeper understanding of persons or group experience. It is mostly used in
the social science to study social and cultural phenomena. Qualitative approaches
are based on a "world view" which is comprehensive and based upon perceptions
that are different for each person and change over time.

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As this thesis uses qualitative research, the data are narrative, non numerical
data. The data are mostly critical and interpretive. These are concerned with the
subjective understanding and interpretation of social condition.
2. Data Collection
To do this research, I collected the data from primary and secondary sources.
The primary sources of the data are taken from the novel. These include the data
about the representation of hegemony in American Pop Culture and how it affects
the main character. However, the secondary data are taken from the books and
some journals that related to the theory of hegemony and cultural materialism.
Since the data are in the form of written text, this data collection is called as
documentary method. It refers to the techniques that used to categorize,
investigate, interpret and identify the limitations of physical sources, most
commonly written documents whether in the private or public domain.
3. Data Processing and Analysis
After collecting the data, then the data are processed and classified into two
steps. The first step is picking up the data from books or journal that explain the
theory of hegemony and cultural materialism. The second step is reading and
choosing the data from the novel which contain narratives or dialogues data that
explain the hegemony of American Pop Culture and how it affect the characters
life in the novel.
The process of analyzing the data is started on how the novel represents the
hegemony of American Pop Culture through the narrations and dialogues. In the
novel, Samantha, the main character, describes the popular students in her school
are the ones who wear the trendy fashion, listen to popular music, and the students
who are athletic or join the cheerleading club. Those popular students often mock
the unpopular ones because they do not wear the trendy fashion, join the
cheerleading or athletic clubs, and follow the latest trend. This analysis will
answer the first question about the representation of hegemony in American
Popular Culture.

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The next analysis concerns on the influence of American Popular Culture

toward the main character. In the novel, the author describes Samantha as the
minor character in her society. Since she against everything related to popular
culture, she becomes an outcast and barely has friends in her school. Even her
sister, Lucy, often calls her as weirdo and a Satanist because Samantha dyed all
dress black for mourning of her generation. This analysis will answer the
second question about the effects of American Popular Culture toward the main
character in the novel.
After answering the first question about the representation of the hegemony
of American Popular Culture and the second question about the influences of
American Popular Culture toward the main character in the novel, I will elaborate
the critical position of the author in the novel. By analyzing his indirect opinion
about American Popular Culture, it would make me know his respond to the
hegemony inside it. This analysis will answer the third question.
The last step is making a conclusion. In this step, the tentative argument is
used as the result of the process of analysis and interpretation of data collected.
Hopefully, this research can achieve the goals of the study and can be used a
references for the next researchers.
F. References
William, Raymond. 1977. Marxism and Literature. London: Oxford University
Press.
William, Raymond. 1977. Culture and Materialism. London: Oxford University
Press.
Leventman, Seymour. 2006. American Popular Culture Historical and
Pedagogical Perspectives. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Press.
(McAdams, Claire. Definition of American Pop Culture. eHow. Demand
Media,1999-2014. Web. 30 Dec. 2014.)
Mega, Omega, RY. 2013. Cultural Materialism in Cormac MC Charitys No
Country For Old Men. Jember: Jember University Press.

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Eryansyah, Ishaq Destry. 2014. Cosmopolitanism As Sociological Perspective on

American Life in The Era of 1980-1990s Through Rae Lawrences Jacqueline
Susanns Shadow of The Dolls. Jember: Jember University Press.
Maatougui, Lamia. 2014. The American Cultural Hegemony as a process of
Globalization. Biskra: Muhammad Khider University of Biskra Press.

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