Culture Flashcards
What is sociology?
The study of human behaviour and organisations in a society
What shapes human behaviour?
Culture, agents of socialisation, identity
What are the agents of socialisation?
- Peers
- Family
- Religion
- Media
- Education
- Work place
What factors make up identity?
- Age
- Gender
- Sexuality
- Disability
- Ethnicity
- Social class
What is culture?
The entire learned and shared way of life of a particular society (includes the behaviour and beliefs of a group)
What are some examples of culture?
Islamic culture (certain diet and dress), British culture (English language)
What are norms?
The social rules that define the expected and acceptable behaviours, based on values, of a society
What are some examples of norms?
Knocking on a door before entering, queueing, eating food with knife and fork (UK)
What are values?
Beliefs and ideas about what is desirable and important within a society
What are some examples of values?
Uk= life, success, family, wealth, fairness
What are the features of a culture?
Language, accent, race, religion, the law, norms, values, roles, diet, dress, flags/symbols, social class
What did Woodward say about the culture of society?
The culture of a society is based on shared meanings, values and practices
What did Williams say about culture?
Culture is the entire shared way of life of a society
What is INTERcultural diversity?
Diversity BETWEEN cultures, e.g. international football game
What is INTRAcultural diversity?
Diversity WITHIN a culture, e.g. hen and stag dos
What did Mead study?
1930s. Studied a range of cultures. Three tribes in New Guinea- each had a different view on gender
What were the Arapesh tribe like?
Mead
- Men and women displayed similar behaviours to each other
- Feminine personalities- cooperative, sensitive
- No arguments
- Simple and kind culture
What were the Mundugumor tribe like?
Mead
- Cannibals and headhunters
- Males and females were similar
- Masculine feature- assertive, insensitive
- Violent, jealous, hostile
What were the Tchambuli tribe like?
Mead
- Male and female personalities
- Women= bossy, assertive
- Men= quiet, emotional
- Artistic tribe
What do functionalists believe?
- Durkheim
- Culture and identity needed for the socialisation process
- Collective conscience (shared way of thinking)
What do marxists believe?
- Marx
- Societies are economically based
- Ruling class takes control of the subject class (manipulation)
What is conspicuous consumption?
The buying of branded/logoed goods
What is commodity fetishism?
A strong desire for a manufactured product
What is the marxist view on shopping?
- Benefits ruling class
- Promotes capitalism
- Exploits the subject class
What is the functionalist view on shopping?
- Cultural norm
- Improves the economy
- Promotes businesses
- Leads to a stable, harmonious and ordered society
What is cultural relativity?
Culture is relative from time to time, place to place, culture to culture
What are some examples of cultural relativity?
Time to time= abortion, homosexuality, rape
Place to place= public smoking, nudity, underage drinking
Culture to culture= diet, dress, smoking cannabis
What is subculture?
- Culture within a culture
- Smaller group of people who share distinctive norms and values
- Durkheim
- E.g. goth, emo, skater
What is high culture?
- Associated with wealthy elite
- Upper class members
- Contrasts popular culture
- Leavis (1930s)
- E.g. ballet, polo, hunting,
What is popular culture?
- Activities enjoyed by the masses of society
- Cultural products are heavily influenced by the media
- Results in consumerism
- Strinati
- E.g. football, Hollywood, pop music
What is consumer culture?
- Goods and services we buy and consume in society
- Identity becomes defined by the things we consume
- Lury (1996)
- E.g. conspicuous consumption, shopping becoming leisure
What is global culture?
- The growing cultural influences that connect countries
- Cultural products become common in many different countries they did not originate from
- Intensify social relations
- McLuhan (1989)
- E.g. Mcdonalds, Coca Cola, Nike
What is cultural hybridity?
- Merging of multiple cultures
- Uk= hybrid, as it contains a variety of cultures
- E.g. Brasians, see in music, food, fashion
What is multiculturalism?
- Promotion of cultural diversity
- Relates to patterns of migration, promotes ethnic diversity
- Celebrates ethnic differences
- Parekh (2006), Barker (2003)
- E.g. China town in the UK
What is cultural diversity?
- Different cultural groups in society
- Culturally embedded
- Parekh (2006)
- E.g. class, gender, ethnicity
