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GATE 2022 XH2 (English) – Question 56

Critical Theories and Intellectual Traditions · Theoretical Paradigms: Structuralism, Marxism, feminism, existentialism, poststructuralism, modernism, postmodernism, new historicism, postcolonialism, posthumanism · 2 marks · Multiple select

Which of the following statement(s) is/are closely associated with the term Fetishism?

  1. It is generally defined as an act of paying excessive attention or attributing mystical ability, to an inanimate thing.
  2. It is related to Western theories of aesthetics, economics and psychology.
  3. It is used in reference to religious objects believed to have magical or spiritual powers.
  4. It is generally used to describe Gothic expressionism.

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Correct answer: (A) It is generally defined as an act of paying excessive attention or attributing mystical ability, to an inanimate thing.; (B) It is related to Western theories of aesthetics, economics and psychology.; (C) It is used in reference to religious objects believed to have magical or spiritual powers.

Explanation

Fetishism means giving excessive attention or magical power to an object. The idea appears in religious studies, in Marx's commodity fetishism and in Freud's psychology. It has nothing to do with Gothic expressionism.