Concepts Flashcards
Continuity
Social trends that have occurred over a long period of time. The notion of a repetition of patterns of thinking and behavior. e.g. cultural heritage and traditions
Change
Modified and developed social and cultural norms, values and beliefs. Substitution of one thing for another.
Tradition
Customs or practice that has been handed down by generations over time.
Cooperation
Differing groups and/or individuals willingly put aside individual values or wants in favor of consensus or an agreed outcome. Social interaction in which individuals or groups of people engage in joint action to promote common interests or shared goals.
Social and Cultural Literacy
The ability to be both self aware, yet demonstrate a concern for the welfare, rights and dignity of all people. Able to recognize values, customs, beliefs and behaviors different from your own and posses the skills to understand them without making value judgements
Westernisation
A particular form of modernization in which the methods and values of Western industrial capitalism are the basis of the changes that occur
Identity
The understanding that we have regarding our true ‘self’, which is often formed during the socialization process and developed over our lives. It’s about what you have in common with some people and what differentiates you from others.
Industrualisation
The transition in methods of production that has been responsible for the vastly increased wealth creating capacity of modern societies compared with traditional systems e.g. manufacturing, agriculture and admkinistration
Modernisation
A process of social change resulting from the diffusion and adoption of the characteristics of expansive and apparently more advanced societies. Involving social mobilization, growth of a more effective and centralized apparatus of social and political control, the acceptance of scientific rational norms and the transformation of social relations and aesthetic forms
Institutions
The structural components of society through which its main concerns and activities are organised, e.g. church, law, government and family
Heritage
The notion that something has been preserved over time, it can be personal or national
Empowerment
Ability to overcome adverse circumstances to achieve a positive outcome, often referred to in relation to institutions that deal in power and authority and with minorities
Values
Ideals that guide or qualify personal conducts, interactions with others and involvement in a community. They inform us on how we can conduct our life in a meaningful way. Usually shared in a group, so as to be a consensus of morals, principles and standards of behavior.
Cultural Values
The practice of one’s faith and customs, connecting with one’s cultural roots. They help connect to a larger community of people with similar backgrounds
Norms
The behavioral expectations within a society or group. They are the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. May be explicit or implicit.
Customs
The expected ways of behaving within a culture, linked to traditions they are not enforceable (like norms).
Beliefs
A conviction in the truth of a proposition, held without recourse to proof or evidence. Ideas or theories about the natural or supernatural world that are not supported by objective or factual evidence.
Worldview
An organised and accepted set of ideas attempting to explain the social, cultural, physical and psychological world. Linked to values and beliefs.
Rituals
A formalized predetermined set of symbolic actions performed in a particular environment at a regular, recurring interval. These actions often include singing, processions, dances, sacred objects.
Hierarchy
A system of ranking and organizing things or people, where each element of the system is subordinate to a single other element.
Ideology
The body of doctrine, myth and symbols of a social movement, a social class or institution. They are represented as universal truths, but are historically specific understandings that obscure and maintain power. The set of beliefs, attitudes and/or practices that overtly or covertly serve the interests of one particular group, government or social class as opposed to serving universal interests. The attempt to fix meanings and worldviews in support of the powerful.
Philosophy
Love and pursuit of wisdom by intellectual means. A system of thought based on or involving such inquiry
Myths
A traditional story of unknown authorship, with a historical basis, serving usually to explain some phenomenon of nature, the origin of humanity, or customs.
Language
Communication of thoughts and feelings through a system of arbitrary signals.
Globalisation
The emergence of a global culture brought about by a variety of social and cultural development such as: technology, consumption, transnational corporations, world tourism and economic systems. It involves a consciousness of the world as a single place.
Conflict
A disagreement or argument between individuals or groups. Social interaction in which individuals or groups of people struggle with each other for some commonly prized object or value.
Power Structures
The way in which control and status is distributed, enforced by rules and obligations.