Culture Flashcards
Define culture
Symbols and definitions manifested by the collective human intellect
What is low culture?
Pop culture - mass appeal
What is high culture?
Upper class culture that appeal to a small part of the population
What are the 3 tools that form culture?
- Abstraction
- Cooperation
- Production
What is Abstraction? Give an example.
General concepts that add meaning to real, sensory experiences
- beliefs
What is Cooperation? Give an example.
Creation of social life based on established norms and values
- norms and values
What is Production? Give an example.
The human capacity to create and use tools
- material culture
Name the 4 types of norms.
- Folkways
- Mores
- Taboos
- Laws
What is a folkway?
Traditional behaviour that is least important and has the least punishment
What is a mores?
Core norms that people believe are essential for survival
What is a taboo?
Strongest norm that usually evokes revulsion when violated
What is a law?
Norms that are enforced by the state
Which of the 4 theories does ethnocentrism fit in?
Functionalist
Which of the 4 theories do right revolutions fit in?
Conflict Theory
What does Symbolic Interactionism say about culture?
People actively produce and interpret culture.
What does feminist or postmodernist theory say about culture?
People are more likely to challenge authority and be critical of established social structures
What are the 4 main constraints in culture?
- Rationalization
- Countercultures
- Cultural Capital
- Virtual culture
What is rationalization? Give examples.
most efficient means to achieve goals (intended or unintended)
- consumerism and subcultures
What is consumerism?
The tendency of people to define themselves by the goods they consume
What are subcultures?
Smaller cultures that have a set values and norms within a larger culture
What are countercultures? Give an example.
Subversive cultures that oppose dominant values and seek to replace them.
- culture Jamming
What is culture jamming?
A way to resist mainstream cultures. Usually through parody and satire
What is cultural capital? Give an example.
The use of cultural norms in order to gain advantage or show hierarchy within that culture/social structure
- behaviour expectations within cultures
- wearing a suit to a corporate interview
What is good and bad about virtual culture?
Good - limitless access to information
Bad - Mental health concerns
