[kuh
n-teks-choo-uh-liz-uhm] 
| 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. |