Culture Flashcards
What is the term “Old Stock Canadians”
White settlers from Britain and France who were involved in the early displacement and colonization of Canada
What did Dr. Mark Campbell say about hip hop artists
Toronto highlights how hip hop artists aim to challenge “closed systems of Canadian identity that produce forms of un-belonging to the nation”
What is and example of micro-aggressions
asking someone “where are you from”. This questions is a constant reminder that they to not belong in Canada and must be from somewhere else
What is material culture
all physical items with social meanings in a given culture (food, art, tools, etc)
What is non-material culture
ideas and behaviours associated with a given culture (beliefs, values, assumptions)
What did Durkheim note when writing about religion
“it is not merely a system of practices, but also a system of ideas whose object is to explain the world”
What are the three key moments in the social constriction of reality
- externalism
- objectification
- internalization
What is externalism
the process of society being human product
what is objectification
the process of society being an object reality (can be measured)
what is internalization
the process of people becoming a social product
what are folkways
an informal norm based on tradition that are loosely in forced
what are mores
norms that carry a greater moral significance and often embody fundamental values of a culture (laws against theft or vandalism)
what is a taboo
most serious norm that carries the greatest moral significance (incest, cannibalism)
what is ethnocentrism
when you use your own culture as a standard to judge other cultures, you believe you ways of doing are superior to other cultures
what is cultural relativism
the principal of understanding cultures on their own terms
what are subcultures
cultures within a culture that have their own social norms
what are countercultures
cultures within a culture that aim to challenge existing norms, values, beliefs, and practices, of elite and mass culture
what is social reproduction
the process by which members of the elite pass along their money connections, and elite forms of knowledge to future generations
Symbols regarding culture
anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture
key values of Canadian culture
- Democracy and human rights
- health care system
- support for the environment
- support for diversity
- value of immigration
what is value conflict
separate values that contradict each other
ex. protecting the environment but also wanting an economic system with progressive growth
William Graham Sumner believed that some norms were more important than others
- Mores (taboos)
- folkways (appropriate greetings)
- laws (criminal code)
What’s the difference between ideals and real culture
real culture is what actually happens, ideals are what we expect to happen
ex. 38% of Canadians admit to texting and driving
explain structural-functional theory
- considers values the core of a culture, this can help us understand an unfamiliar way of life
- strong religious beliefs sometimes prevent compromise
- shows how culture operates to meet human needs yet by emphasizing a societies dominant social patterns in ignores cultural diversity
explain social-conflict theory
- any cultural trait will benefit certain people while putting others down
- ties Canadas dominant culture values to our countries capitalist economy
- the culture of capitalism encourages us to believe its something we couldn’t live without
What is materialism
a society’s system of material production has a powerful effect on the rest of a culture
explain feminist theory
culture is gendered - our way of life reflects the ways in which our society defines what is male as more important than what is female, our way of life defines male domination as natural
