What is the Difference Between New Historicism and Cultural Materialism?

New Historicism and Cultural Materialism are two literary theories that share some similarities but have distinct differences. Here are the main differences between the two:

1. Focus: New Historicism focuses on the oppressive aspects of society that people have to overcome to achieve change, while Cultural Materialism focuses on how that change is formed.
2. Political Commitment: New Historicists concentrate on those at the top of the social hierarchy (e.g., the church, the monarchy, the upper-classes), whereas Cultural Materialists emphasize studying the historical context and looking at those historical aspects that have been discarded or silenced in other narratives. They seek readings that focus on the marginalized and the exploited, and also explore the possibilities of subversion and resistance in both the text and the social order.
3. Theoretical Approach: Cultural Materialism is characterized by the analysis of any historical material within a politicized framework, in a radical and subversive manner. It incorporates older theories and models such as structuralism and post-structuralism, and it has a close textual analysis of canonical texts identified as 'prominent cultural icons'. New Historicism, on the other hand, involves the parallel reading of non-literary and literary texts, often used to frame the literary works, but both are treated equally.
4. Truth and Belief: New Historicists claim that they are aware of the difficulties, limitations, contradictions, and problems of trying to establish the truth; nevertheless, they believe in the truth of their work. Cultural Materialists, on the other hand, see New Historicism as politically ineffective since it does not believe in the truth of what they write.

In summary, while both New Historicism and Cultural Materialism are engaged in revisiting the past and understanding the historical context of texts, they differ in their focus, political commitment, theoretical approach, and belief in the truth of their work.

Comparative Table: New Historicism vs Cultural Materialism

New Historicism and Cultural Materialism are two literary theories with similar characteristics, but they have some key differences. Here is a table comparing the two:

In summary, while both New Historicism and Cultural Materialism emphasize the importance of studying historical context and the influence of politics and power on literary works, New Historicism focuses on recovering contextual relationships and examining the oppressive aspects of society, whereas Cultural Materialism emphasizes the marginalized and exploited groups and aims to transform the social order.