ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the structure of dissent is theoretically positioned within Raymond Williams’ concept of culture. Williams describes culture as being composed of social institutions that are continually ruptured by emergent and residual cultural forms, which can be either oppositional or alternative. Williams’ scheme reveals the dynamic nature of culture; it is always changing. This change occurs through dissenting practices that destabilize the dominant cultural discourse, what Williams describes as the appearance of structures of feeling. These emergent feelings allow for the modification of social institutions through which the structure of dominance is developed and maintained. Graham McDonough argues that this type of dissent can be characterized as “loyal disagreement”; however, positioning McDonough’s criteria for loyal disagreement within Williams’ model indicates that dissent that is controlled is merely another form of social discourse, functioning primarily to maintain the status quo. Dissent, unlike loyal disagreement, functions as a disruptive discourse, promoting change by creating the intellectual space for the exploration of different cultural forms and practices that are not already framed by existing institutions.
