contextualism

[ kuhn-teks-choo-uh-liz-uhm ]

noun

1. (in motion-picture criticism) the theory that all incidents in a film must be viewed in the social, political, and cultural context with which the film concerns itself and in which it was made.
2. Architecture. the aesthetic position that a building or the like should be designed for harmony or a meaningful relationship with other such elements already existing in its vicinity.

Other Words From

• con·textu·al·ist noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of contextualism¹

First recorded in 1925–30; contextual + -ism