Canadian Culture & Political Identity Flashcards
What is a nation?
A community of people, normally defined by a combination of ethnicity, language and culture with a subjective sense of belonging together and a right to self-determination.
A nation has a right to establish its own institutions, laws and government in order to determine its future.
What is the two-nations thesis?
The act of creating Canada sought to accommodate both French and English colonial settlers. The constitution act of 1867 also protected their religious and linguistic rights, and representation in the senate and house of commons.
What is the three-nations thesis?
The three nations are French, English and Indigenous. The right of indigenous communities to self-govern is protected in legislation, as of 1982.
What defines national identity?
National identity is defined by:
- a strong emotional attachment to a state, its institutions and and its territory
- an identification with national symbols, heroes, myths, etc. that inspire pride and patriotism
- a feeling of kinship with or affinity to others based on language, religion, place of origin, shared history, etc.
National identity is highly politicized and romanticized of a community, and can be strengthened, changed, etc. by the elite.
What is culture?
Culture is:
The total living pattern of a society or people, and an umbrella term that encompasses the formal and informal arrangements of a society as well as the attitudes, beliefs, norms, values, and expectations of that society.
Culture is not static, it changes over time, and involves other factors that are not subjective (e.g. number of people per household).
What are subcultures?
Subcultures are distinctive and formal institutional arrangements and/or collections of values, beliefs, attitudes, expectations, and orientations held by smaller groups within society.
What is political culture?
Political culture is the aspect of culture that has to do with politics and government. The broad pattern of attitudes, beliefs, values, norms and expectations that members of a society hold towards political institutions, political authorities, political events and political phenomena. As well as the perceptions that individuals and groups within a society have of themselves as political actors (alone and in relation to other individuals and groups).
What are the 5 components of political culture?
- Cognitive - the real or perceived knowledge of politics and government (what people know or think they know).
- Affective - emotional responses to politics and government
- Evaluative - positive, negative or neutral assessments of politics and government
- Political Trust - refers to the belief that the political system is functioning appropriately
- Political Efficacy - refers to the belief that individuals and/or groups can have some impact on the political system
What do low levels of political trust and political efficacy result in?
Low levels of political trust and political efficacy result in political alienation.
What is political alienation?
A feeling of detachment from the political system and/or a belief that the political system is unresponsive; A feeling that the political elites can not be trusted to do what is best for society and that the individual or members of a particular groups can have little to no influence on political decisions. Political alienation can lead to acquiescence (giving up on the system) or attempts to change the existing political order.
What is a value approach to political culture?
A values approach to political culture could be Civic Culture Theory.
Political culture is an aggregate of individually held values, beliefs, attitudes and orientations; it can be revealed through survey data, statistical analysis, content/discourse analysis (try and find commonalities and outliers).
Gabriel Almond & Sidney Verba, The Civic Culture (1963):
parochial culture, subject culture, and participatory culture
What are parochial, subject and participatory culture? (The Civic Culture [1963])
Parochial Culture: politics is the realm of the political elite who act in their own interest, therefor citizens don’t expect the government to give opportunities to participate in politics
Subject Culture: politics is the social realm of the political elite - and is somewhat responsive to ordinary citizens, some positive action of government is expected
Participatory Culture: government is seen to be responsive to the needs of citizens, positive action is expected, citizens expect to have lots of opportunities to be involved in politics
What are the 2 historical approaches to political culture?
- Fragment Theory
Colonial societies originated as fragments of the larger (European) societies from which they sprang and have remained marked by the conditions of their origins. Political culture can be revealed through the study of ‘cultural genes’ (the values, beliefs, expectations, etc. that were dominant during a society’s “founding period”). - Formative Events Theory
Political culture is shaped by great historical events that shape values and consequently, cultural & institutional practices. E.g. US revolutions vs Canadian counter-revolution. Political culture can be revealed by studying the important events in a society’s history.
Seymore Martin Lipset - Revolution and Counterrevolution (1970); Continental Divide (1990)
What is a structural theory to political culture? (definition)
Structural theories are based on the view that social, political, and/or economic structures and conditions of a given time determine political culture (not vice versa). This is structural determinism.
What are three structural theories to political culture?
Harold Innis’s Staples Theory:
Political culture is heavily influenced by economic commodities, their location, extraction and distribution. E.g. fur trade.
Marshall McLuhan’s Media Theory:
Political culture is heavily influenced by technology and the distribution of ideas. “The medium is the message”.
Ronald Inlehart’s Post-Materialism Theory:
Political culture is heavily influenced by the conditions present when a person is young. (Scarcity vs security lead to materialist vs post-materialist values).
