Question 1

1) Why do cultural studies theorists separate words with capital letters from those without, even when the words in question are not proper nouns (e.g., woman vs. Woman)? Explain why we do this (i.e., what is the convention a shorthand for), and what significance it has. (30-50 words)

Cultural studies theorists separate words with capital letters from those without in order to distinguish between the real and the conceptual. Words in the lower case refer to the real, inaccessible object. These are inaccessible because every object is different. Words in the upper case refer to the concept of the object (the conceptual “Woman”, for example) as it is placed in discourse. The word in the upper case carries all the cultural connotations associated with the object.