Chapter 2 - Culture

Question 1

Culture

Answer 1

All the socially transmitted ideas, practices, values, beliefs, languages, symbols, ideologies and material objects that people create to deal with real life problems. They enable people to adapt to, and thrive in, their environments.

Question 2

Cultural Universals

Answer 2

Examples include:
Bodily adornment
Sports
Gift Giving
Social Institutions

Question 3

Cultural Surprises

Answer 3

Being surprised by the practices or beliefs of a different culture- either when travelling to a different country/region, or in talking to someone from another country

Question 4

Example of Cultural Surprised (discussed in class)

Answer 4

Gelato - parents bringing young children out to gelato at midnight.
Social norms of parenting vary cross-culturally.

Question 5

Ethnocentrism

Answer 5

One’s own practices/beliefs are superior; tendency to judge other cultural practices based exclusively by the practices of our own

Question 6

Cultural Relativism

Answer 6

all cultural practices have equal value

Question 7

Ideal versus Real Culture

Answer 7

A gap exists between what we say and what we do - very often, our behaviours fall short of our beliefs.

Question 8

Examples of Ideal vs. Real Culture

Answer 8

environmentalism (many people say that they recycle, but don’t actually do it that often), consumption of alcohol (people underestimated their alcohol consumption because it is socially undesirable)

Question 9

Three types of Contemporary Culture

Answer 9

Globalization
Post-Modernism
Consumerism

Question 10

Globalization

Answer 10

The process by which formerly separated economies, states, and cultures are becoming tied together and people are becoming increasingly aware of their growing interdependence and connectedness, based on increased levels of migration, communication and rationalization.

Question 11

Diasporia

Answer 11

the migration of a group of people that share national and ethnic identity (ex: Chinatown)

Question 12

Rationalization

Answer 12

What the modern world is, whereby modern bureaucracies are standardized and uniform, so that everyone goes through the same experience. There can be irrationality where the system cannot deviate from certain steps when faced with exceptional cases.

Question 13

McDonaldization

Answer 13

An example of rationalization. The way that all McDonalds are the same around the world has been applied to our everyday institutions.

Question 14

Reasons for Rationalization

Answer 14

efficiency
calculability
predictability
control

Question 15

Sub-Culture

Answer 15

a distinctive set of values, norms and practices within a larger culture

Question 16

Counterculture

Answer 16

a subversive culture. Oppose dominant values and seek to replace them.

Question 17

Post-Modernism

Answer 17

Characterized by an eclectic mixing of cultural elements, the erosion of authority, and the decline of consensus around core values.

• a response to the major changes that were caused by globalization, such as major political and social movements that changed the shape of our society
• Knowledge and truth are fluid and shaped and reshaped through a broad range of discourse, for they are viewed as situation specific: truth reflects power relations, and there is a rejection of a single explanatory framework

Question 18

Examples of Post-Modernism

Answer 18

Music (mixing of styles, breaking past rules)
Architecture (mixing styles, different meanings and interpretations)
Religion (people blending different elements of different religions)

Question 19

Consumerism

Answer 19

defining ourselves in terms of the goods we purchase