Department of Anthropology Goldsmiths Anthropology ... · The People’s Puzzle: crosswords and...

Department of Anthropology

Goldsmiths Anthropology Research Papers

The People’s Puzzle: crosswords and knowledge politicsOlivia Swift

The People’s Puzzle: crosswords and knowledge politicsOlivia Swift

GARP13GoldsmithsCollege2007

Goldsmiths Anthropology Research Papers

Editors:MaoMollona,EmmaTarlo,FrancesPine,OliviaSwift

TheDepartmentofAnthropologyatGoldsmithsisoneofthenewestinBritain,having

beenformallycreatedin1985.Weareproudofwhatwehaveachievedsincethen,and

inparticularofthewaythatpeopleinthedepartment–students,staffandresearchers

–havesoughttobroadenthefrontiersofthedisciplineandtoengagecriticallyand

creativelywiththetraditionsofanthropologyinthecontemporaryworld.

WehopethatGoldsmithsAnthropologyResearchPaperswillprovideaplatformto

communicatesomeoftheworkthatmakestheGoldsmithsdepartmentdistinctive.It

includesarticlesbymembersofacademicstaff,researchfellows,PhDandotherstudents.

GARPNumber13

©GoldsmithsCollege,UniversityofLondonandOliviaSwift2007

OliviaSwiftisaPhDcandidateintheDepartmentofAnthropologyatGoldsmithsCollege,

conductingavillagestudyoftradeunionismamongFilipinoglobalseafarers.Shehasa

professionalbackgroundinjournalismandtheartsandisfrustratinglybadatcrosswords.

ISBN978-1-904158-88-2

CoverimagecourtesyofOliviaSwift

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedinanyformorbyany

meanswithoutthepermissionofthepublishers.

FirstpublishedinGreatBritain2007byGoldsmithsCollege,UniversityofLondon,

NewCrossSE146NW.

AdditionalcopiesofthispublicationareavailablefromtheDepartmentofAnthropology,

Goldsmiths,UniversityofLondon,NewCross,LondonSE146NW.

ThePeople’sPuzzle:crosswordsandknowledgepolitics �

The People’s Puzzle: crosswords and knowledge politics

Everyday,millionsofpeoplelosethemselves

intheworldofcrosswords.Thispaper

considerstheirmotivesfordoingsoandthe

effectcrosswordshaveontheirlives.Itstems

frommyideathatthebarsofthecrossword

gridrepresenttheprison-likeCulture

Industry,asdescribedbyTheodorAdorno

oftheFrankfurtSchoolofcriticaltheorists

(1991)1.IdonotknowwhetherAdornodid

crosswords,butwerehetohavetheorised

aboutthem,Isuspecthewouldhavesee

themnotasdeviceswithwhichsolversare

freetoboosttheirbrainpowerandtoenjoy

afewmomentsescapefromdailylifeover

acupoftea,butratherasalienatingtools

thatdictateknowledge,rationaliselived

experienceandmaintainthestatusquoof

socially-circulatinginformation.

Thispessimisticviewofthefunctionof

crosswordswaswhatfirstencouragedme

tothinkmoreaboutcrosswords.Ithen

wantedtoseewhetheritrangtrue,by

tracingtheculturalpoliticspervadingthe

relationshipsbetweenthoseinvolvedinthe

productionandconsumptionofcrosswords.

WhatIdiscoveredwereopportunitiesfor

freedom,escape,inspiration,innovation,

mediation,subversionandcritique,

whichexistedalongsidethepotentialfor

alienation,colonialdominationandeven

apossibleroleincontemporaryformsof

Empire.Ratherthanpresentingcrosswords

asachallengetoAdorno’sCultureIndustry

model,Iarguethatallthispotentialis

entirelycompatiblewithit,solongas

theCultureIndustryisunderstoodas

complexratherthansimplyasagrim,all-

encompassing,impenetrableandalienating

socialconstruction.

Theresearchforthispaperincluded

interviews–mostlyone-to-one-with

crosswordsolvers,setters,editorsand

publishers,aswellasarchivalresearch.The

solitarynatureofcrosswordsolvingmeant

thattherewasnooneobvioussiteinwhich

toconductmyinvestigations,although

duringthecourseofthestudyIdid

discoveravarietyofcommunitiesformed

fromaloveofcrosswords.Although

Iadvertisedforresearchparticipants

inlocationsattractingwide-ranging

demographicssuchascommunitylibraries,

themajorityofcrosswordsolvingresearch

1ThetermwascoinedbyAdornoandHorkheimer,

exiledfromNaziGermanytotheU.S.wherethey

foundcapitalistdemocracytobeasbrutalaregimeas

thattheyhadleftbehind.Thetermreferstoashiftin

theconceptof‘culture’–associatedinitsidealstate

withart,withsomethingsetapartfromindustry–to

aconceptionof‘culture’asacommodity,subsumed

withincapitalism,thathaslostitsabilitytocritique

therestoflife.AmongtheimplicationsoftheCulture

Industryarethecollapsingtogetherofhighandlow

artand,criticaltothispaper,that‘work’and‘leisure’

arenotindependentofoneanotherbutthatleisure

reproduceswork.

ThePeople’sPuzzle:crosswordsandknowledgepolitics�

participantswereeitherknowntome

priortothisstudyorintroducedtomefor

itspurpose.Therefore,theydonotreflect

necessarilythetruevarietyofthosedoing

crosswords.Manyforexampleweremen,

whereasthemajorityofsolversareinfact

women(ifstatisticsprovidedbyapuzzle

publisherquotedlaterarerepresentative

ofcrosswordsolversatlarge).

Ihopeneithertohaveoverlyreified

crosswordsnortohaveneglectedthe

actualpeoplesolvingthem.AsAppadurai

notes‘nosocialanalysisofthingscan

avoidaminimallevelofwhatmightbe

calledmethodologicalfetishism’(1986:5).

However,Iintendcrosswordstoactmerely

asameansofglimpsingonewayinwhich

peopleinteractwithoneanotherusingan

object,anobjectalltooreadilydismissed

assolitaryinitsusageandtherefore

outsidetherealmofanthropologicalstudy.

Thesolitarynatureofcrosswordsismore

apparentthanrealhowever2,becauselike

allcompanionlessactivities,crosswords

involveinstitutionalprocessesandshared

values(Long1989:185).

Sincecrosswordsareobjectsmadefrom

bars,squaresandalsowords,Ialsohope

toavoidtheoverlycommonseparationof

wordsandthings,(notablyreconciledby

FoucaultinLes Mots et Le Choses,1966),

therebyminimisingthemethodological

fetishismdescribedbyAppadurai.A

crosswordwithoutwords(orthepromise

ofwords)isjustanobjectonapage.In

crosswords,thingsandwordsareone.

Althoughwordsandthingsareonein

crosswords,otherdichotomiesareinherent

withinthisstudy.Referencestotheblack

andwhiteandthe‘downandacross’

structureofthecrosswordgridcameup

timeandagainininterviews,andechothe

useofopposingbinariesinstructuralistand

cognitiveanthropologybythelikesofLevi-

StraussandofMaryDouglas–whosesocial

modelcontrastsgroupwithgrid–and

alsobythelesser-knownMonicaHeller

(1994)whomakesspecificuseofcontrast

withincrosswordsasametaphorforthe

interweavingofformthatisapartof

ethnographicresearchingeneralandher

studyoflanguage,educationandethnicity

inFrenchOntarioinparticular.

Whilethisstudyisnotanexercisein

findingmetaphorsforthedisciplineof

anthropology,thefactthatcrosswordsare

builtaroundcontrastmakesthemauseful

toolforthinkingaboutanthropology,most

notablythatunlikecrosswordsthemselves,

ananthropologyofcrosswordsisnotblack

2Competition,whilenotathemespecificallyexplored

inthispaper,appearstomediatethedynamicin

crosswordconsumptionbetweentheindividualand

others/thegroup,intheformofcompetingagainstthe

self,friends,foraprize,againsttheclock,theCulture

Industryandcapitalism.


andwhite.Rather,itisgrey.Notgreyas

inaboringshadebetweenextremesof

colourbutgreyasinagreyarea,aspaceof

interestinguncertaintyinwhichcrosswords

emergeneitherexclusivelyastheproduct

ofaCultureIndustrythatdictates

knowledgeinaone-waydirectionasa

meansofrationalisingandstandardising

humanlife,norassourcesofrecreation

andknowledge,freefromculturalpolitics.

Thispaperformsfoursections.Thefirst

examinescrosswordsassocialagentsthat

mediaterelationshipsandcommunities.

Thesecondaskswhattypesofpeople

formthesecommunities,andwhatthis

mighttellusabouttheroleofcrosswords

asalienatingdeviceswithintheCulture

Industry.Thethirdarguesthatthemaking

anduseofcrosswordsdemonstrate

thecomplexitiesofAdorno.Thepaper

endswithspeculationsabouttheroleof

crosswordsinapostcolonial,globalcontext.

Crosswords as social agents

Crosswordsarenotdesignedtobeshared.

Inthewordsofoneresearchparticipant,‘I

liketobeincontrolofthepensosharing

acrosswordistricky’.Ithinkthatitisfor

thisreasonthatsharingthecrossword

isforsome,anactofintimacy.Another

intervieweereflectedthathe‘wouldn’t

docrosswordswithastranger.Iusually

dothemalonebutsometimesalsowith

mygirlfriendoverbreakfastinbedat

weekends.’‘Crosswordsareawayof

communicating’,concludedanother,

‘ajumbocrosswordisthesavinggrace

ofatriptomyparents’.The Guardian

underestimatedtheimportanceof

crosswordstorelationshipswhenit

moveditscrypticandquickcrosswords

tothesamepage,muchtotheannoyance

ofcouplesnolongerabletodoacrossword

each,simultaneously.

Beyondthemostintimateofrelationships,

crosswordssurelyplayapartinimagined

communitiesformedbyreadersof

newspapers(cf.Anderson1983)andalsoin

similarlyanonymousrelationshipsbetween

settersandsolvers,fondlydescribedin

thefollowingwordsofsetterEdmund

Akenhead:‘Settersareofcoursesadists

(althoughinthenicestpossibleway)and

sinceallsolversappeartobemasochists

thisleadstoaratherbeautifulrelationship’

(quotedinGreer2001:13).AdamReed,

inhisstudyofenthusiastsoftheauthor

HenryWilliamson,recountsresearch

participantsdescribingtheactofreading

ashostingtheauthor’sconsciousness(2002:

7).Inarelatedvein,solverstowhomI

spokeseemedtoinstilcrosswordswith

personhood,despitetheanonymityof

somecrosswordsorthepseudonymsused

byothersthatactivelydistancesolversfrom

setters.One‘blamesthecrossword’when

heisstuckonthefinalfewclues.Another

associatedcrosswordspublishedon


differentdaysoftheweekwithdifferent

setters:‘IgetonwellwithMonday’sand

Friday’scrosswordbutamstillatodds

withTuesday’s’.

Thesecommentsallsuggestanawareness

ofthepersonwhocreatedthepuzzle

withinthepuzzleitself.Amongmy

researchparticipants,thisawarenesshad

notmotivatedthemenoughtoactually

contactasetteroreditor.However,one

setterspokeofbeingtakenoutforlunch

onaregularbasisinpaymentforthe

pleasurehiscrosswordsbroughttoone

manandhiswife.

Cananthropologyhelpushere?

Anthropomorphisingofthegridmay

suggestloosesimilaritieswiththatof

decorativeartdescribedbyAlfredGell

(1988).Likethepsychologicalappealof

decorativeartthatresultsinwhatGell

describesas‘abductionofagency’,the

imbuingofcrosswordswithpersonhood

mayalsoberelatedtosomekindofdraw

tothegrid.‘Openingupthecrossword

pageofthepaperislikethedrawoffresh

snowtofeet’saidoneenthusiast.Another

wasattractedtothesymmetriesofpuzzles.

Severalparticipantsreferredtocrosswords

as‘littleblackandwhitesquares’,

reflectingperhapstheuniversalappealof

thetwocoloursasestablishedbyBerlinand

Kay(1969)3.

Ultimatelythough,whatperhapsmakes

agridcomealiveisthatmosthumanof

qualities:humour.DuringmyresearchI

heardrepeatedlythatagood(cryptic)

clueisonethatbringsasmiletoasolver’s

face.Topresenthumourasasocialgelin

relationsbetweensettersandsolversbegs

alookatAdorno’stakeonhumour.For

him,humourisa‘parodyofhumanity…to

laughatsomethingisalwaystoderideit’

(1979:141).Quotingfurther,‘Thetriumph

ofbeautyiscelebratedbyhumour…There

islaughterbecausethereisnothingto

laughat’(ibid.:140),and‘Inafalsesociety

laughterisadiseasewhichhasattacked

happinessandisdrawingitintoitsown

worthlesstotality’(ibid.:140).Importantly

then,humour,asasocialgel,andhumour

asasmokescreenforemptiness,arenot

independentofoneanother.Iconsiderthe

formertobecontainedwithinthelatter.

Justascrosswordsmediaterelationships

betweensolversandsetters,theyalsobring

togethergroupsofsetters.Suchgroups

seemtoprovidecomforttothosesharing

intheexperienceofsetting,especially

itssymptomatic‘insanity’,describedby

onesetterthus:‘everythinghascluing

potential,yourheadneverstopsplaying

withwords.Itmakesyouquestionyour

sanity’.Sincemostcrosswordprofessionals

worklonghoursonafreelancebasisat

3Althoughblackandwhitearenottechnicallycolours.


homesgeographicallyfarapartfrom

oneanother,relationshipsbetween

themseemtobebaseduponsporadic

email,telephoneandchatroomcontact,

punctuatedbymeetingsatspecificevents

andcompetitions,suchastheAzed4

gathering–asocietyofcrosswordsetters,

editorsandenthusiasts-whichhasmet

regularlyforthelast20years.

Solversalsoform,orreinforce,real(rather

thanimagined)relationshipswithone

another.Inspiteofmostparticipants

statingapreferenceforusingpen

andpaperforthesettingandsolving

ofcrosswords,onlinecrosswordsand

associatedchatroomsdoexist.Some

participantshadspecificfriendswhothey

wouldtextwhenneedinghelpsolving

clues.Otherswerepartofphysicalgroups

formedfromacommonloveofcrosswords.

‘Atcollegetherewasagroupofuswho

woulddothecrosswordoverfryups’said

onesolver.‘Evennow,threeofusmeet

everySaturdayanddothecrossword

together.’

Just a game?

Havingconsideredsomeoftheformsof

communitymediatedbycrosswords,the

nextquestiontoansweriswhattypeof

personscomprisessuchcommunities?

Undeniably,themajorityofcrossword

settersandeditorsarewhite,middle-class

meninpossessionofBourdieu’scultural

capital(1989),accumulatedviafamily,

diffuseandinstitutionalisededucation.

Forexample,amongthesettersand

editorstakingpartinthisstudywerea

civilservant,cricketumpire,statistician,

novelist,andbarrister.OfthesettersI

spoketo,almostalldescribedgrowing

uparoundacrossword-solvingparent

orgrandparentasinfluencingtheirown

crosswordhabits.Oneheldaparticularly

clearimageofhisgrandfathercutting

outThe Timescrosswordeverymorning,

4AzedisthepseudonymofJonathanCrowther,

crosswordsetterforThe Observer.TheAzedcrossword

appearsinThe ObservereverySundayandtheAzed

honourslistawardspointsfor1st,2ndand3rdplacings

inthemonthlyclue-writingcompetitions,aswellas

forVHC(VeryHighlyCommended)clues.Afulllisting

ofcluesanddetailedcommentsbyAzedareavailable

inthemonthlyAzedSlips.Thesedatebacktothestart

oftheAzedseriesin1972andcontinueatradition

begunbyAzed’spredecessorXimenes.Onceayear,the

SlipincludestheAnnualHonoursListofcompetitors

whohaveaccumulatedthemostpointsinthecourse

oftheyear.Asilversalverispassedoneachyearfrom

theholderoffirstplaceintheHonoursListtohisor

hersuccessor,andasmallsilvercupislikewisepassed

onfromthewinnerofeachmonthlycompetitionto

thenext.EachSlipalsoincludesAzed’scommentson

thecurrentcompetitionandhisideasoncrosswordsin

general,givingadviceonclue-writingandanswering

solvers’queries.Inthiswayadialoguebetweensetters

andsolversismaintained.Approximatelyeveryfive

years,milestonenumbersintheAzedcrosswordseries

aremarkedbydinnersforsolversandtheirpartners

andfriends.TheSlipsubscriberslistisusedtoinform

solversoftheseevents(whicharealsoannouncedinThe

Observer),enablingkeensolverstomeeteachotherand

Azed.Seewww.crossword.org.uk/azed.htm


attachingittohismirror,shavingwhile

mentallysolvingthepuzzle,beforecalmly

goingdowntobreakfast.

Familyinfluenceswererarelydescribedas

activeinfluencesbutratherlikeosmosis.

‘Idon’tremembersittingdowntolearn

howtosolvecrosswords.Itjustsortof

happened’,ponderedonesetter.‘Learning

crosswordswaspartoflearningthefacts

oflife’,suggestedanother.Athirdrecalled

afavouriteschoolteacherstartingeach

lessonwithacrosswordclue.Anothersaid

‘crosswordsarejustthingsyouendupdoing

atschool.Itwasthatkindofenvironment’.

Thedemographicmakeupofthose

solvingcrosswordsishowevermorevaried.

Crosswordsarecarriednotonlybynational

broadsheetsbutalsobyanendlessarrayof

‘low-brow’publications,manyofwhichare

aimedatthefemaleand/or‘grey’markets.

AccordingtopuzzlepublisherBauer,85

percentoftheirreadersarefemaleandon

averageareatleast50yearsofage5.

Ithardlyneedsstatingthenthatcrossword

solvingisnotexclusivelythepursuitofthe

bourgeoisiebutalsooftheworkingclass,

notonlyofmenbutalsoofwomen,notonly

oftheemployedbutalsotheunemployed

andretired.Howthenarewetounderstand

crosswordsinrelationtoworkasopposedto

leisure,abinarycentraltoAdorno’sCulture

Industry?InAdorno’swords:

Thedifferencebetweenworkand

freetimehasbeenbrandedasanorm

inthemindsofthepeople,atboth

theconsciousandtheunconscious

level.Because,inaccordancewiththe

predominantworkethic,timefree

ofworkshouldbeutilizedforthe

recreationofexpendedlabourpower,

thenwork-lesstime,preciselybecause

itisamereappendageofwork,is

severedfromthelatterwithpuritanical

zeal(1991:189).

Thecategorisingofcrosswordsasleisure

iswellestablished.80percentofreaders

ofBauerpuzzletitles,forexample,agree

thatpuzzles(includingcrosswords)help

themrelaxandunwind6.Manyinterviewees

associatedcrosswordswithbeingonholiday.

Asapeacefulandpositivemeansoffilling

leisuretime,crosswordstoptheUK’sHome

Officelistofapprovedrecreationalactivities

forprisoninmates(Balfour2003:38).And

thecategorisingofcrosswordsasleisureisof

coursereinforcedbytheirplacementamong

backpagesofpublications,farremoved

fromthenewsstoriesandfeaturesthat

dominateearliersections.

Soentrenchedistheequatingofcrosswords

withleisuretimethatcrosswordshave

attractedcriticismfordiminishingeconomic

5www.tpconline.co.uk/website/puzzle.cfm6www.tpconline.co.uk/website/puzzle.cfm


productivity.A‘crosswordwidow’in

Chicago,forexample,suedherhusbandfor

neglectinghisfinancialresponsibilitiesby

spendingtoomuchtimesolvingcrosswords

andwasorderedbyajudgetolimithimself

tothreepuzzlesperday(Greer2001:3).A

morepubliccomplaintwasmadeagainst

crosswordsbyThe Timesin1924:‘All

Americahassuccumbedtothecrossword

puzzle.Itisamenacemakingdevastating

inroadsontheworkinghoursofevery

rankandsociety’.Thepaperestimatedthat

Americansspentfivemillionhoursevery

daydoingcrosswordpuzzles,manyof

which,itscolded,shouldhavebeenworking

hours(quotedinBalfour2003:115).

FromAdorno’sperspectivehowever,The

Timesmissedthepoint.Leisure,heargued,

isanartificialconcept.Althoughopposed

toworkinthemindsofthepeople,leisure

infactreproducesit,byrefreshingworkers

andincreasingproductivitywhileatthe

sametimefuellingtheeconomywith

theprofitsoftheleisureindustry:‘Free

timemustnotresembleworkinanyway

whatsoever,inorder,presumably,that

onecanworkallthemoreeffectively

afterwards’(Adorno1991:189).

Whilecrosswordsarenotinaneinthe

samewayasthoseleisureactivitiesto

whichAdornoprimarilyreferred(and

perhapsforthisveryreason),theycouldbe

conceivedofasameansofeasingworkers

intothementalrequirementsdemanded

ofthemintheworkplace,particularlyin

thecontemporaryknowledgeeconomy

(Castells1996)7.SolversIspoketo

supportedthisposition.Onepresented

atheorythatThe Timescrosswordis

purposefullylessdifficultatthestartof

theweekasameansofeasinginworkers,

becomingincreasinglymoretaxingasthe

weekgoesonasameansofmaximising

solvers’mentalpotential.Another(a

composer)describedhowdoingthe

crosswordinthemorningindicatesthathe

‘wasnothung-overandthatitwouldbea

goodcomposingday’.

Ifcrosswordsreproducethelogicoflabour,

wouldwenotexpectthemajorityof

thosesolvingthemtobeworkers?Andif

so,whatarewetomakeofthemarked

popularityofcrosswordsolvingamong

womenandtheelderly?WhileIcannot

answerthesequestions,Icanonlyconcede

thatneitherAdornonorBourdieuare

abletoexplainthescopeofcrossword

consumption(examinedin

7HencewhyIdonotdistinguishdifferentdegreesof

inanityinleisureactivitiesinthispaper.Instead,Iargue

thatwhilecrosswordsappearamore‘productive’use

ofleisuretimevis-à-visotheractivities,theymustbe

understoodaspartofahomogenisedleisurecategory

thatreproduceswork,inorderthattheirguiseas

providingopportunitiesforindividualstobetter

themselvesoutsideofcapitalism,mightbecritiqued.


thenextsection)8.Thisispartlybecause,

asAdornohimselfmadeclear,astudyof

consumptioninisolationofproductionis

necessarilyblinkered.Adornounderstood

audienceresponsesasmerefunctions

ofproduction(1991:67,citedinHutnyk

2000:48).Giventhelimitsofthisresearch

paper,Iamunabletodescriberelations

andprocessesofcrosswordproduction,as

ideallyIwouldinalargerproject.However,

whileIfocusoncrosswordconsumption,

IdonotabandonAdorno.Indeed,Inow

reviewthecommodificationofcrosswords,

inorderthattheyqualifyforanalysisusing

hisCultureIndustrycriteria.

Trapped in the grid?

Crosswordsarefoundnotonlyin

newspapersbutalsoinmagazinesand

booksandonwebsites,NTL,digitalTV,CD

Romsandpocketelectronicgames.Interms

ofnewspapersales,theoldmaximrings

true:‘Theycomeforthenews,theystayfor

thefeaturesandinparticulartheystayfor

theobituariesandthecrossword’(Balfour

2003:54).Almostallmyparticipants

quotedcrosswordsasamotiveforbuying

apaper,onefacetiouslysaid‘finishingthe

crosswordquicklyonalongtrainjourney

isreallyannoying.Itmeanshavingtoread

therestofthepaperthatthecrossword

wasanexcusetobuy’.Giventhatinthe

USalone,anestimated27percentof

thepopulationdocrosswords(Balfour

2003:121),theproportionofpublications

boughtbecauseofthecrosswordmustbe

staggering,andofparticularconcernto

theeditorofThe Timesinthelate1920s

whofoundhimselfinacirculationwar

witharivalpaperwhich,likeThe Times,

waspricedattwopencebutunlikeThe

Timesatthatpoint,boastedthecrossword

puzzlethatreaderscraved(Greer2001:5).

Furthermore,crosswordsoffernotsimply

ameansofsellingpublicationsbutalsoof

advertisingapublication’sethos.Themore

liberalnatureofThe Guardiancrossword

forexamplediffersmarkedlyfromthe

classicalconservatismofThe TimesorThe

Telegraphcrosswords,bothstylesreflecting

thewiderethosofeachnewspaper.

Researchparticipantsconsidered

informationinThe Guardiancrossword,

forexample,morecontemporaryandmore

liberalinitspoliticalbiasthatthatofThe

Timescrossword.Theydescribedthelatter

as‘moretraditionalandconservative’.

Thesedifferencesmatchedparticipants’

impressionsofthetwopublicationsoverall.

Crosswordsinnewspapersarenotfound

8Theymaybemoreusefulifcrosswordsareconceived

ofasaseriesoftypes(e.g.crypticandquick,those

inpuzzlebooks,popularmagazines,etc.)insteadof

onesinglecategory.Thisheterogeneousapproach

howevermisseswhatisinherentandinterestingabout

crosswords(e.g.thenotionofcontrast,grid,hidden

meaningandsoforth),andrenderscrosswordsmere

representativepartsofwiderpublications,eachof

whichismorereadilyassociatedwithaspecificclass

thanthecrosswordpuzzleisinisolation.


inisolationfromothercrosswordproducts.

Manycrosswordsarelinkedtoother

fundraisinggimmicksthatcreatenew

opportunitiesforprofit.AlmostallBritish

crossword-carryingnationalnewspapers,

forexample,alsohaveanonlinecrossword

sectionrequiringsubscriptionfees,along

witha60pence-per-minuteclueanswering

hotline.Somenewspapersalsoseek

sponsorshipfortheircrossword,afurther

chanceforgeneratingincome.Although

thetotalrevenuegeneratedbycrosswords

isimpossibletocalculate,thespecialist

puzzlepublishingmarketalone,ofwhich

crosswordsareamajorpart,isworthsome

£50million9.Asanindustry,crosswords

involvenotjustsettersbutahugeweb

ofemployeesincludingeditorsand

publishers,puzzleconsultantsandmedia

servicesemployees(whoactasmiddlemen

betweenpuzzleproducersandpublishers).

Viewingcrosswordsascommoditiesallows

ustoassessthemasaproductwithinthe

CultureIndustryasunderstoodbyAdorno.

Here,Iconsiderseveralaspectsofthis

functioning,thefirstofwhichconcerns

standardisation(Adorno1979,1991:68)(of

culturalproductsratherthanproduction

processes)andrationalisation.Others,that

Icometolater,lookattherelationship

betweencrosswordproducersand

consumers;thewayinwhichconsumers

usecrosswordstocritiquepowerwithin

language;crosswordsassourcesof

innovationratherthanrestriction;cultural

productsspun-offfromcrosswords

(themselvespartoftheCultureIndustry);

andthepotentialofcrosswordsfor

politicalsubversion.

Adornoexplainshisuseoftheterm

‘rationalisation’asreferringnotto

technologicalproductionprocessesbutto

theincorporationofindustrialformsof

organisationwithinacultural,ratherthan

manufacturing,realm(1991:100–1).While

thisistrueofthecrosswordindustry,I

prefertotreattherationalityofcrosswords

aspartoftherationalisationofcrosswords

asindustry.

Standardisation and rationalisation

Crosswordsatfirstappearprimeexamples

oftheprocessesofstandardisationand

rationalisation.Theirordereddesignand

theunambiguousnature(ofcrypticclues)

areinherentlyrational.Crosswordscanbe

seenaspartofa‘cultoffacts’thatAdorno

describedasreplacing‘thecultofGod’

(2001:157).Amidasenseofuncertainty

thatisaprimeco-ordinateofmodernity,

theCultureIndustry,arguedAdorno,

maintainssocialorderbypromoting

rationality,andcrosswordscouldbe

seenasonewayofdoingso.Crosswords

arguablyalsoperpetuatetheideathat

‘solutions’existforall‘problems’andthat

9www.puzzlemedia.com

ThePeople’sPuzzle:crosswordsandknowledgepolitics�0

thoseinauthorityhaveprivilegedaccessto

thesesolutions(whetherpoliticians,state

intelligenceofficials,crosswordsetters,

newspapereditorsandsoforth).Thus,

theyencourageablinkeredloyalty

towardthoseinpositionsofpower

(cf.Adorno1991:105).

Certainly,crosswordcommentatorBarnard

attributesthepsychologicalappealof

crosswordstotheircomfortingrationality:

Itisstrangeinaworldbesetbyreal

problemsofinescapableclamancy,

manshouldchoosetosethimself

stillmoreproblemsintheformof

patternsandclues…Itmaybethat

hefindsitawelcomechallenge

tograppleoccasionallywithsome

challenge,which,unlikesomanyof

theworld’sproblems,reallycanbemet

–somethingwhichreallyhasgotan

answer,andcanbesolved(Barnard,

quotedinGreer2001:9).

Myresearchparticipantsalsoalludedto

somethingtherapeuticaboutcrosswords:

‘solvingcrosswordsiseasierthansolving

problemsinreallife’broodedone.‘When

IwasgrowingdepressedinBerlinthey

weretheonlythingthatkeptmesane’.

Another(quotedinBirkner2003)described

losinghimselfincrosswords:‘It’sanescape

toventureintotheworldoflittlewhite

boxes.Youfeelfarremovedfromallthe

thingsyouhavetodothatday.’

Crosswordsalsoinitiallyappeartofunction,

likeAdorno’sCultureIndustry,tomaintain

thestatusquoofcapitalismintheminds

ofthepeople.Theydemandmental

attentionandthenappeartodictate

limitedknowledgeinreturn.Consider,for

examplethetypeofknowledgeconveyed

inthecrosswordsofpopularmagazines.

Ithardlyneedsstatingthatcelebrity

magazinecrosswordscarryknowledge

aboutcelebritiesandthatmusicmagazine

crosswordscarryknowledgeaboutmusic.

Men’spopularmagazinehavecrosswords

containinginformationaboutcomputer

games,popularmusic,cars,filmandsport;

Private Eye’scrosswordinvolvessatire;

thecrosswordinThe Lady(long-running,

Britishwomen’stitle)holdsknowledge

aboutart,flora,faunaandliterature.The

typesofknowledgeineachreinforceinthe

mindsofreaderstheinformationstatus

quouponwhichthepublication’sculture

isbuilt.

Suchastancegoesagainstthebeliefheld

bythesolversIspoketothatcrosswords

areadeviceforlearning,ratherthan

reinforcingexistinglimitsto,knowledge.

When,however,Ipressedparticipants

aboutwhattheyhadlearnedfrom

crosswords,noonecouldrecallexamples

otherthanwhatBerry(2004)describes

as‘crosswordese’:wordsfavoured

bycrosswordsettersbecauseoftheir

arrangementoflettersbutwhicharetoo

ThePeople’sPuzzle:crosswordsandknowledgepolitics ��

obscuretoariseinday-to-daysituations.

Examplesinclude‘smee’(akindofduck),

‘ulu’(aknifeusedbynativeAlaskans),

and‘esne’(amedievalEnglishlabourer).

StanleyBaldwinreferredtosuchwordsata

PressClublunchinthe1920s:

IasPrimeMinisterandyouas

journalistsareengagedinthecommon

workoftryingtoelevatethepeoplein

thiscountry,andyouaredoingittoday

throughthatmarvellousmedium,the

crosswordpuzzle.Thereishardlynow

aman,womanorchildinthiscountry

whoisnotfamiliarwiththenameof

Eli.ThefactthatAsawasKingofJudah

canbeconcealednowfromnone

(quotedinGreer2001:4).

Thiskindofknowledgeservesonlyto

betterequipsolversastheyanswerclues

butasameansofdevelopingpractical

knowledgeitisredundant.Accordingto

industryspecialistshowever,‘crossword-

specific’knowledgeisindecline.We

canassumethereforethatcrossword

knowledgeingeneralislesslikelythanever

toteachasolversomethingtheydonot

alreadyknow.Afterall,andassettersstress,

crosswordcluesshouldbebattlesofwits,

nottestsofknowledge(Greer2001:30).

Whatarewetomakethenoftheinsistence

ofbothsettersandsolversthatcrosswords

areameansoflearning?Andifcrosswords

werenoteffectivevehiclesforlearning,

whywouldteachersusethemaseducation

devices?Theadvicegiventosettersof

The Timescrosswordreadsasfollows:

‘Vocabularyshouldbefamiliartoaperson

ofareasonablelevelofeducationand

knowledge…Ontheotherhand,one

ofthebenefitsofdoingcrosswordsis

learningnewwords,soanoccasionalless

commonwordisjustifiable’(quotedin

Greer2001:52).

Clearly,thereisacaseforthecrosswordas

ateachingdeviceandalthoughitmayonly

beafractionofapuzzle’scluesthatfurther

asolver’sknowledge,itwouldbepremature

todismisscrosswordsasmaintainingstatus

quowithoutfirstconsideringtheactive

effortonthepartofsetterstofurthertheir

ownknowledgeandthatoftheirsolvers.

AsWillShortz,crosswordeditorofThe New

York Timeswrites:

Thereissomuchknowledgeinthe

worldandItrytoencompassallof

it–literature,opera,classicalmusic,

geography–uptomodernsubjects

likemovies,TV,rock‘n’rollandsports

(quotedinBirkner2003).

Appadurai,inhisaccountofthe

standardisationoftechnicalproduction

knowledge,acknowledgesthatsecondary

orluxurycommoditiesincurgreater

variationinproductionknowledgedue

ThePeople’sPuzzle:crosswordsandknowledgepolitics��

to‘taste,judgementandindividual

experience’(1986:42)whencompared

toprimarycommoditiessuchasgrains

andfuels.Followingthisformulation,I

suggestcrosswordsfallintothisluxury

category.Otherthanhavingtoconform

toapublication’shousestyle,mostsetters

describethemselvesasfreetochoose

themesandcontentofcrosswords.Indeed,

manyincludesecretmessagestofriends

orlovedoneswithintheirpuzzlesona

regularbasis.Inonewell-knownexample,

theThe New York Timescrosswordonce

carriedamarriageproposal.

OnesetterIinterviewedclaimedstarting

eachcrosswordwithawordfromthe

dictionaryhedidnotalreadyknow.

Similarly,thethemeshechosewere

inspiredbythingshehadreadelsewhere

orbypersonalexperiences:‘forexample

IwasataconcertinChesterCathedral

lastweekwithmywifeandheardapiece

byBenjaminBrittenaboutbirdsong.I

knewlittleaboutthetopicsoitseemed

aninterestingthemeforacrossword’.

Andsureenough,ashortwhilelaterThe

Spectator’s1,677thpuzzlewaspublished

withthetheme‘DawnChorus’.

Ultimately,settershavetoproducepuzzles

thatstandoutfromothersreceivedby

crosswordeditorsiftheirpuzzleisto

bepublished(inmuchthesameway

asanauthor’sworkhastocatchthe

eyeofapublisher).Thisthendemands

thatcrosswordsinvolveanelementof

innovation,whichinturnguarantees

thattheknowledgetheyimpartismore

thanarepeatofwhathasgonebefore.

Forallthesereasons,viewingcrossword

producersassilentcollaboratorsinthe

workingsoftheCultureIndustrymaybe

naïve.Thisshouldnotofcoursebetaken

asacritiqueofAdorno,whomakesclear

thescopeforinnovationscontainedwithin

commodityproduction,butrathera

reminderthatwithintheCultureIndustry,

suchinnovationsarecontained(Adorno

1979:18–22).

Other ways in which crosswords demand

complex readings of Adorno

Thereareotherwaysinwhichcrosswords

requireacomplexreadingofAdorno.

First,crosswordknowledgedoesnotflow

inaone-waydirectionfromproducers

toconsumers.Sometimes,editorsreceive

lettersfromsolvers,writingtochallenge

theaccuracyofinformation.Although

thisgoesagainstasimplifiedviewof

theCultureIndustryastoomightytobe

challenged,Iconsideritalsoanexample

ofwhatAdornocalls‘secretomnipresence

ofresistance’(Adorno1991:67,citedin

Hutnyk2000:7,203).Similarly,boundaries

betweenproducersandconsumersare

blurred.Severalparticipantscalling

themselvessolvers,hadalsotried,orhoped

totry,setting.Ontheotherhand,setters


claimedto‘relaxbysolvingcrosswords’.

The Timesonlinecrosswordclubhostsa

regularclue-writingcompetitionforits

solvers.Birmingham Evening Mailusedto

publishacrosswordsetbyitsreaders.The

Azedgroupactivelyencouragesdialogue

betweensettersandsolvers(seefootnote

four).Clearly,solversandsetters,like

writersandreaders,areco-constituting.To

viewsolversasdistinct,andatthemercy

oftheCultureIndustryanditscrossword

producingpawns,ismisleading.

Secondly,anoverly-simplisticreadingof

Adornomightalsoexpectsolverstobe

passiveplayers.Isuspectthoughthat

Adornowouldhavepreferredtheword

‘complicit’,knowinglycaughtwithina

totalisingsocietybutnotwithoutsome

elementofreflexivityandresistance.

Insteadofpassivity,Ifoundsolversspokeof

thewaycrosswordshelpthemdeconstruct

andcritiquelanguageinotherarenasin

whichpowerresides(cf.Bourdieu1991)10.

Oneofmyintervieweesclaimedfor

examplethat,‘doingcrosswordsmakesme

constantlydeconstructlanguageindaily

life’.‘It’sasthoughlanguageismadeup

ofmoleculesanddoingcrosswordshelps

breakitdownintoatoms,protonsand

electrons–intothesmallestunitsoftruth.’

Anothersaid:‘crosswordsmakeyouaware

ofhiddenmeaningsinlanguage.They

makeyoumoresensitivetosay,political

slogans.’Viewingsolversaspassivealso

makesnosenseofthepersonalnarratives

evokedwhensolvingclues.AsBalfour

writes,acrypticcrosswordclue‘whenread

straight…shouldbethesortofphrasethat

triggersmemories,orthoughts,orextracts

anemotionalresponse’(2003:86).

Evenifitcouldbesaidwithcertaintythat

(cryptic)crosswordsallownoscopefor

individualinterpretationoragencyinthe

processofsolvingclues,inherentwithin

crypticcluesthemselvesisasourceofhope

thatgoesagainsttheclosedandcontrolled,

overly-simplisticimageofcrosswords

asCultureIndustryproducts.Cryptic

crosswordcluesdrawunrelatedstrands

ofknowledgetogether,asdometaphors,

andarehenceinNietzsche’sandAristotle’s

terms,asourceofinnovationandof

truth,ratherthanofrestrictionand

falsehood(Culler1981:204–5;Lakoff&

Johnson1980).Amorecomplexreadingof

crosswordsrecognisestolerated,contained

‘agency’and‘hope’,asfreedomthatleads

tothelimiteddiversityuponwhichthe

CultureIndustrythrives.

Furthermore,crosswordsarealsoasource

ofartisticinspiration.1920ssongsincluded

‘CrosswordPuzzleBlues’and‘Crossword

10Adornomighthoweverhaveinterpretedthis

sensitivityasakindofparodyingofpolitical

sloganeering,inwhichcrosswordsfunctionasariddle

thatdistractsfromthecritiquingofpoliticalwordplay

athigherlevels.


MammaYouPuzzleMe(ButPapa’sGonna

FigureYouOut)’.OnesolverIspoketo

contemplatedchoreographingdancebased

onthesymmetriesofcrosswordgrids.Such

examplesarefarremovedfromasimplified

understandingofAdornothatseesthese

artisticpursuitsasdisqualifyingcrosswords

fromthedampeningCultureIndustry,but

notfromamorecomplexunderstanding,

onewhichviewsthemasspin-offproducts

containedwithinit.

Afinalpointdemandingacomplex

understandingofAdornoisthe

opportunitycrosswordsprovidefor

politicalstatementsandsubversion.While

thisappearsatoddswithasuperficial

viewoftheCultureIndustryascrushing

(Adorno1979:126),amorenuanced

understandingseessubversioncontained

withintheCultureIndustryandsoagain,

doesnotdisqualifycrosswordsfrombeing

apartofit.Oneexampleisacrossword

thatappearedinThe New York Timeson

ElectionDayin1996,whichcontainedthe

clue‘Leadstoryintomorrow’snewspaper

(7,7)’.Theanswerappearedtobe‘Clinton

elected’butbecauseoftheintended

ambiguityofinteractingclues,theanswer

couldalsohavebeen‘BobDoleelected’.

WillShortz,thecrossword’seditor,said:

ItwasthemostamazingcrosswordI’ve

everseen.Assoonasitappeared,my

telephonestartedringing.Mostpeople

said‘Howdareyoupresumethat

Clintonwillwin!’Andthepeoplewho

filledin‘BobDole’thoughtwe’dmade

awhopperofamistake!

(Shackle2002)11.

AsimilarcasearoseinThe Daily Telegraph

withtheclue‘OutcryatToryassassination

(4,6)’,towhichtheansweris‘blue

murder’.Whileinitselfperhapsnotall

thatobjectionable,thefactthatthe

cluehappenedtoappearinacrossword

publishedon30July1990,thedaythat

IanGow,ajuniorministertoThatcher’s

governmentwaskilledbyabombplanted

bytheProvisionalIRA,causeduproar

(Balfour2003:120).

Themostfamousexampleofcrosswords

assubversivehoweveristhecaseof

crosswordscontainingcodewordsforthe

D-Dayoperation.Overaperiodofmonths,

solutionstocluesofcrosswordspublished

inThe Daily Telegraphincludedwordssuch

as‘Juno’,‘Gold’and‘Sword’,allofwhich

arecommonincrosswordsbutwhichalso

happenedtobecodewords.Thencame

‘Utah’,alesscommoncrosswordsolution

andanothercodeword.Afterit,andonly

daysbeforetheplannedlandings,the

crossworddeliveredcodewords‘Omaha’,

11Thisanecdoteperhapsisalsoanexampleofthe

‘secretomnipresenceofresistance’(Adorno1991:67,

quotedinHutnyk2000:7,203).


‘Overlord’,‘Mulberry’andfinally‘Neptune’.

WarningbellsrangatMI5,especiallyasthe

Telegraph’scrosswordhadbeendrawnto

itsattentiontwoyearspreviously.

Anexplanationfortheappearanceof

thecodewordswasnotdiscovereduntil

1984,bywhichpointthestoryhadbecome

somethingofamodernlegend,claiming

thecrosswordstohavealmostcausedthe

landings’cancellation.Ittranspiredthatthe

manresponsibleforthepuzzles,Leonard

Dawe,taughtataschoolwhereheset

puzzlesfromwordsthatstudentsinserted

intoblankcrosswordgrids.Theschoolwas

locatedclosetocampsofsoldiersawaiting

theinvasion.Thecodewordsapparently

werewellknowndaysbeforetheinvasion

andpickedupwithexcitementbythe

students,whointurnusedtheminDawe’s

gridswithoutanyintendedagenda

(Gilbert2004).

Whatevertheexplanation,thestory

illustratesthepotentialofcrosswordsto

commentonandinfluencepoliticalevents

andhenceresistsaviewofcrosswords

asgridsimprisoningsolversinmuchthe

samewayasanarrowviewofAdorno

seesmasscultureterrorisingthepublicat

large.Crosswordsmaycompriseaseries

ofrulesandrationalitiesbutIargue

thattheseexamples(althoughmany

areserendipitous),showthatwithinthe

CultureIndustry,genuineopportunities

forfreedom,creativityandsabotageexist.

Adornowouldnotbesurprised.Hehimself

admittedthatitwasanunresolvedasto

whetherart,orothercreativities,might

escapethetotalisingCultureIndustry(1997:

251–2).‘Therealinterestsofindividuals’

hewrote,‘arestillstrongenoughtoresist,

withincertainlimits,totalinclusion’

(1991:197).

Beforeconcluding,letustakestockof

theargument.Mystudyofcrossword

consumptionrevealsthemtobenotsimply

commodifiedinstrumentsofoutright

dominationbutalsoobjectsofpleasure

andpossibility.Whiletheseoppressiveand

liberatingaspectsofcrosswordsstruggle

tocohabitwithinanoverly-simplistic

understandingofAdorno’sCultureIndustry

modelasdespairinglysoulless,Iarguethat

thepleasureandpotentialofcrosswords

isverymuchpartofwhatqualifies

crosswordsformembershipwithinthat

samemodel.Anotableexceptionmaybe

whencrosswordsinvolveblackhumour

orirony–suchasthe‘Toryassassination’

cluementionedearlier–somethingfor

whichtheCultureIndustry,oranyserious

analyticalframe,cannotaccount.

Crossword colonialism

InthisfinalsectionIbroadenthe

geographicalcontextofthisdiscussion,

lookingbackattheoriginsandexport

ofcrosswordsaroundtheworld.Iendby


speculatingabouttheplaceofcrosswords

inshiftingformsofEmpire.

Althoughfoundallovertheworld,

crosswordsretainanassociationwith

Britain.Theyarethoughttohavebegun

inNewYorkin1913whenanEnglish

émigré,ArthurWayne,editorofthethen

New York Worldneededtofillspacein

the‘fun’sectionofthenewspaper,andso

devisedwhathecalleda‘wordcross’which

requiredreaderstofillinthediamond-

shapedgridwithwordsmatchingthelisted

definitions(Balfour2003:114).The1920s,

however,wasthetimewhencrosswords

trulytookoff,thankstotwoyoung

graduates,SimonandSchuster,publishing

theCross Word Puzzle BookinNewYork,

whichwasanimmediatesuccess.

FiveyearsafterthepublicationofSimon

andSchuster’sbook,allBritishnational

dailynewspaperscarriedacrossword12.

Overthelastsevendecades,crosswordsin

Britaininparticularemergedintheircryptic

form13.Asaresult,crypticcrosswordsin

generalhavebecomeassociatedwith

BritainandBritishcrypticcrosswordsdiffer

notablyfromthoseofothernationalities.

The New York Timescrypticcrossword,for

example,ismoreliteralandlessnarrative

initscluesthanBritishcrypticvarieties

(Balfour2003:103).ThecluesoftheBritish

crypticcrosswordarecharacteristically

unambiguous,perhapsreflectingthe

peculiarlyBritishnotionoffairplay

(Balfour2003:116).

OriginatingintheUSA,adoptedbyother

nations’mediaandbythatoftheBritishin

particular,crosswordshavesubsequently

spreadtofar-flungcornersoftheearth,

aidedinrecentdecadesbytheInternet.

Atthetimeofmyresearch,The Times

crosswordalsoappearedinThe Press(New

Zealand),The AustralianandSouth China

Morning Post.The Guardiancrosswordwas

carriedbyHindustan Times(India),andthe

Evening StandardcrosswordbytheKhaleej

Times(UAE).Americanmediasyndicates

providedbothThe Daily Observer

(Antigua)andThe Times of Indiawith

theircrosswords.

Thesignificanceoftheseexamplesof

crosswordexportperhapsliesinthe

natureoftheknowledgecommunicated

bycrosswords.The Timescrosswordfor

examplecarriesclassicalknowledgeabout

Greekmythology,floraandfauna,thearts,

literature,andsoon,muchofwhichisEuro,

12ThewiderBritishcrosswordindustrybeganlater

however.Themarketleaderinpuzzlepublicationsfor

exampledatesbackonlytothe1970s

(www.puzzlemedia.com).13Thisdevelopmentiscommonlycreditedtothe

punningpotentialoftheEnglishlanguage.Itshould

howeveralsobenotedthatcrypticcrosswordsarefound

inotherlanguagessuchasHebrew,WelshandBengali

(Greer2001:15).


ifnotAnglo,centric.Inordertosolveit,

oneneeds,accordingtoacrosswordexpert:

‘TheremnantsofsomeLatin…some‘Kubla

Khan’,quotationsfromHamlet, Macbeth…

Somecricket,thetitlesofafewmusicals,

andthestockisalmostcomplete’(Norton,

quotedinGreer2001:54).

Thislistisofcoursenottobetakenliterally.

Howeveritislistedthough,crossword

knowledgesuchasthatcarriedinThe

Timesandexportedelsewhereisprimarily

accessibletothoseeducatedinEuropeor

preferablyBritain,orinlocationswhere

Britishcontrolhashadalastingimpacton

everydayknowledge.

Suchknowledgeisalsosubjectto

censorshipalonglinesaccordingtoa

veryBritishtypeofsensibilityandmust

fitwithintheparametersofwhatThe

Timeshousestyledescribesasacceptable

‘drawing-roomconversation’.Loosely,

thismeansthatwordslabelledbythe

dictionaryas‘vulgar,disparaging,or

offensive,andwordsthatrelatetotopics

suchassex,bodilyfunctions,deathand

disease,anddruguse’(Berry2004:113)

arediscouraged,thoughaccordingtomy

participants‘badtaste’istoleratedtoday

morethanitusedtobe.

Moreover,itisnotuncommonforBritish

crosswordstorequireknowledgeof

Britishsubjectssuchascricketinorderto

understandthemechanicsofaclue,before

theactualanswercanbereached.The

presenceoftheword‘leg’inacrypticclue

canforexampleindicate‘on’(asinthe

cricketterm‘legon’).Or‘maiden’cancarry

thehiddenmeaning‘over’,asitwouldin

cricket(Balfour2003:109,150).Eventhe

goldenruleofcrosswordsetting–that

settersneednotmeanwhattheysaybut

mustsaywhattheymean–isbasedupon

aquintessentialBritishliterarycharacter,

LewisCarroll’sMadHatter14.

Bygivingamessageaboutwhatconstitutes

expectedanddesirableeveryday

knowledgetoreadersinternationally,

crosswordscreateorperpetuatecolonial

structuresofdominationbetweennations,

unchallengedbecauseoftheirguiseas

harmlessleisure.Insodoing,crosswords

supportthecaseforthecontinued

significanceofthenation-stateinworld

politics(ifpoliticsisunderstoodaspower

relationsbetweenpeopleratherthan

worldgovernmentalaffairs).Suchan

argumentperhapsgoesagainstthat

ofHardtandNegri(2000)forwhom

contemporaryEmpiretakesanewform

inwhichthepowerofthenation-state

isindeclineandissupersededbytiers

14‘WhopointedouttoAlicethattosaythat“Imean

whatIsay”meansthesameas“IsaywhatImean”isas

illogicalastosaythat“IseewhatIeat”meansthesame

as“IeatwhatIsee”’(Greer2001:7).


ofpower,thethirdofwhichhousesthe

media15.Crosswords,ofcourse,arepartof

themediabutunliketherestofitretain

contentandanidentityfirmlyassociated

withoneortwonation-states(Britain

primarily,butalsotheUSA).Theytherefore

offeratbestapointofcrossoverbetween

oldandnewformsofEmpire,reminiscent

ofCastells’notionofnodesbetween

networksinsociety(2004).Andlike

Castells’nodes,crosswordsareallthemore

potentfortheirstatuswithintwoworlds.

Amoremodestreadingofcrosswords’

dualstatusisthatitdemonstratesareality

(whichHardtandNegriacknowledge,

2000:311)inwhichthemedia,rather

thanrepresentingtheglobalPeople,

independentofthegraspofnation-states,

isinfactrarelyfreefromstatecontrol.

Thispaperbeganwithindividuals-with

thepeoplewieldingthepen-andfound

thatnoonetheoreticalmodeofanalysing

crosswordsaccountsforsimilaritiesand

variationsintheirconsumptionacross

theclassspectrum.ItendswithEmpire

-withthenationswieldingworldpower

-andheretooIamunabletoexplain

thedifferencesbetweennationsin

crosswordhabits(classandnationalitynot

necessarilybeingmutuallyexclusivefactors

determiningcrosswordconsumption).

Theideaofhistoricalrelationsbetween

nationscontinuedinrelationsbetween

theirmediaisapartofwhycrosswords

areaproductspreadunevenlyaroundthe

world.Butsoaresocialisationprocesses

thatleadtoculturalcapitalaccumulation

amongindividualscomprisingthose

nations,nottomentionvariationsin

experiencesofmodernity:therationality

ofcrosswordsappealingindifferentplaces

atdifferenttimestodifferentpeoplefor

differentreasons.Thepuzzlesetatthe

startofthispaperwaswhypeopledo

crosswordsandhowcrosswordsaffect

theirlives.Wordshavebeenoffered,some

ofwhichhelpsolvethequestion.Some

boxesrightlyremainunfilledhowever,

forblackandwhiteboxfillingisnotwhat

anthropologicalquestioningisabout.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thankstoeveryonewhotookthetime

totalktomeaboutcrosswordsand

particularlytoTimMooreyandAzed.

Thanksalsoto:‘Leaderincrosswords,

mostlyhard-workingandunknown’(7)

(Ans:Cassidy,Rebecca)and‘Couldbe

think-guywithoutGramsci’sextremes’

(6)(Ans:Hutnyk,John),SophieDay,Mao

MollonaandEdwardSimpson,fortheir

patientadvice,andtotheUniversity

ofManchester’sSocialAnthropology

Departmentfortheirenthusiasticfeedback

andthePeter’sEssayPrize(2005).

15ForacritiqueofHardtandNegri,seeHutnyk2004.


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Thisstudyhasplacedcrosswordswithin

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Johnson)ofThe Spectator,forsettingit.

ACROSS

1Isthisanthropologist’sworkagrind?(6)

4Germancriticaltheoristhastodecorate

withlove(6)

9Fixingship’sropes(7)

10Excessivelyinappropriate(5)

11&21AThrowmeasurestothisSpanish

sociologist(8)

12Significantnarrative?(7)

14He’sdedicatedtoamonasticlifewith

theRoundTable,maybe(6)

16Portuguesecurrency(6)

19Civilization’sbeliefsandvalues

associatedwithvulturesandClub(7)

21See 11 across(4)

23Incites(5)

24Freetimewithwreath.Certainly!(7)

25IndianDravidianlanguage(6)

26Carnivorethatgoespop!(6)


DOWN

1SpoilunknownauthorofDas Kapital(4)

2Asymmetricalattachmentto9(7)

3Citedincorrectorder(5)

5AnthropologistontheIsleofMan(7)

6Morethanonespoke(5)

7Gettoobig–forone’sboots?(8)

8Gemstone,silver,wornaway(5)

13Philosopher’spendulum(8)

15Isagustthemakingofan

anthropologist?(7)

17Mutualchangewithsmallaccents(7)

18Kingdom’sgenuinemale(5)

20Lawfulversionof22A(5)

21BanishmentfromSussex–Ileft!(5)

22L-legupforartanthropologist(4)


RESEARCH in the DEPARTMENT OF

ANTHROPOLOGY at GOLDSMITHS

TheDepartmentofAnthropology

atGoldsmithsprovidesalively,

interdisciplinaryenvironmentforresearch

andpostgraduatestudents.Ourstaff

membershaveinterestsinLatinAmerica,

East,WestandCentralAfrica,SouthAsia,

thePacific,Europe(includingBritain,

ScandinaviaandtheMediterraneanarea)

andtheCaribbean.Theteachinginthe

Departmentalsostressestherelevanceof

anthropologytounderstandingthesociety

inwhichwelive,andourownplacewithin

it.BecauseGoldsmithsisacollegeofthe

UniversityofLondon,studentsalsohave

theopportunitytoattendseminarsand

coursesthroughouttheUniversity,aswell

asavailingthemselvesoftheexcellent

libraryfacilitiesofSenateHouseandthe

constituentcolleges.

Specialfeaturesinclude:

• Amulti-disciplinarydepartmentwith

specialistinterestsintheenvironment,

peasantries,kinship,gender,sexualities

andidentities,powerandtransnational

processes,institutionsandorganisations,

medicalanthropologyandhealth,

theEuropeanUnion,development,

post-structuralism,mediaandvisual

anthropology,materialandpopular

culture,andtheCaribbean

• TheDepartmentoffersawiderangeof

undergraduateandpostgraduatedegree

programmes.Pleasevisit

www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/anthropologyfor

furtherdetails.

• Extensivecomputingfacilitiesanddirect

accesstothecampusnetwork.Wide

rangeofpackages,includingemailand

Internet,SPSS,Endnote,MicrosoftOffice,

AppleMacandothersoftware,according

toindividualneeds

• Closelinkswithotherdepartments

(particularlySociology,theCommunity

andYouthWorksectionofProfessional

andCommunityEducation,Politics,

CentreforCulturalStudies,Mediaand

Communications)

• Anthropologystudentsarewelcometo

attendpostgraduateseminarsinother

partsoftheCollege.

• Researchlinkswithotherprivateand

publicinstitutions:InstituteofLatin

AmericanStudies,CNRS(inParis),

FederalUniversityofBahia(Brazil),Royal

AnthropologicalInstitute,Schoolof

MedicineatStMary’sHospital

• Otherlinks:NationalMaritimeMuseum,

InstituteofCommonwealthStudies,

SocratesErasmusProgramme(which

involvesanthropologydepartmentsin

theUniversitiesofAmsterdam,Lisbon,

Oslo,SienaandStockholm)


Contact us

TheDepartmentofAnthropology’swebsite

isatwww.goldsmiths.ac.uk/anthropology

Foraprospectusandapplication

form,pleasevisitwww.goldsmiths.ac.uk

Oremail:[email protected]

(UKandEUstudents)

[email protected]

(overseas(non-EU)students)

Goldsmiths,UniversityofLondon

NewCross,LondonSE146NW,UK

Previous GARPs:

1. Gorer’sGaze:aspectsoftheinaugurationofaudiencestudiesinBritishtelevision.

Gareth Stanton

2. PerilousIdeas:anthropologicaldebatesincross-culturalarts-projects.

Eleanor Jupp

3. Identity,ResettlementandPerceptionsofChange:theVasavaBhilsofGujarat,India.

Roxanne Hakim

4. TheVirileNation:genderandethnicityinthere-constructionofArgentinianpasts.

Victoria Goddard

5. EnablingFictions:politics,representationandtheenvironmentinMaluku,Indonesia.

Nicola Frost

6. The‘politicsoftheeveryday’:populism,genderandthemediainLaPazandElAlto,Bolivia.

Sian Lazar

7. LifeDownUnder:waterandidentityinanAboriginalculturallandscape.

Veronica Strang

8. ‘Sitanywhereyoulike,we’reallfriendstogether’:reflectionsonbingoculture.

Katherine Mann

9. StudyingWorldSociety.

Keith Hart

10. NegotiatingAutonomy:girlsandparentalauthorityinmultiethnicNorway.

Hilde Lidén

11. AnthropologyandAnarchism:theelectiveaffinity.

Brian Morris

12. TheDevilisintheDetails:representationsofconflictinNorthernMaluku,

easternIndonesia.

Christopher R Duncan

Department of Anthropology Goldsmiths Anthropology ... · The People’s Puzzle: crosswords and...

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