Warwick Group 3 - Keywords (Stu and Michelle)

COSMOPOLITAN: adj. 1): having worldwide rather than limited or provincial scope or bearing 2) having wide international sophistication : worldly 3) composed of persons, constituents, or elements from all or many parts of the world

cosmopolitan adj 1 belonging to or representative of all parts of the world. 2 free of national prejudices; international in experience and outlook. 3 sophisticated. 4 composed of people from all different parts of the world. noun someone of this type; a citizen of the world.
ETYMOLOGY: 17c: from cosmo- + Greek polites citizen.

- Chambers Online

cosmopolitan

adjective USUALLY APPROVING
containing or having experience of people and things from many different parts of the world

COSMOPOLITAN magazine – what image is this trying to portray? Exotic? Sophisticated? Stylish? Why particularly a women’s point of view?

Cosmopolitan Cocktail – Martini Glass, Pink, Sex and the City

Challenge: There is a huge logical leap between a definition such as “from all parts of the world” and one such as “sophisticated”. This leads to a confusing tension in definition between the multicultural and the hierarchical, as these two radically different meanings are often conflated into one vague general term. Similarly, there are problems with colloquial usages (eg. the magazine and cocktail above), which further distance people from any original meaning.

Demographic

Noun. A particular sector of a populace.

- OED.

demography noun, technical the scientific study of population statistics, including births, deaths, etc. demographer noun someone who studies demography or the statistics of populations. demographic adj.
ETYMOLOGY: 19c: from Greek demos people + -graphy.

- Chambers Online

demographic

Main Entry:

demographic

Function:

noun

Date:

circa 1966

1 plural : the statistical characteristics of human populations (as age or income) used especially to identify markets

2: a market or segment of the population identified by demographics

As an indicator used to define a sector of society, a demographic constitutes a particular grouping of (usually) people, segregated on grounds of age, wealth, ethnicity, profession, or many other characteristics. It is often used as a marketing tool, so companies can effectively market their products to particular target groups, but is also an issue in politics and the art world, as (for example) a theatre group decides to put on plays aimed at a particular type of theatergoer.

Challenge: There are several problems with this definition though, as the criteria used for differentiating demographics can be concrete (eg. those on salaries of £50,000 or more), or far more value-based (eg. people with liberal tendencies). This leads to indeterminacy, but also to a stereotyped view of society as a whole, as certain discrete personal tendencies can become the prime social stratification for commercial groups.

Corral de comedias (noun):

House, courtyard or theatre where plays were first performed on a permanent space in Spain, in the late 16^th century. Travelling companies of theatre began to settle and perform their plays permanently in these spaces.

Challenge: It’s a type of staging space very similar to the Elizabethan stage, so it is not exclusive to the Spanish tradition. So, to what extent it is a local concept or else a way of conceiving the theatrical space that transcended local borders.