Culture- 6 markers Flashcards
NORMS-
Social rules which define the acceptable and expected ways of behaving in a given social situation
Come from agreed values- e.g don’t cheat in exams- honesty
Plummer- cultural relativity (time to time, place to place, culture to culture)
Hamar Tribe- norms are different in different cultures
Mead’s research- gender roles are culturally relative
Examples- Queueing, eating with a knife and fork, wearing clothes in public, obeying rules/laws (UK). Wear uniform, obey teahcer, listen, punctuality, do homework (school)
VALUES-
Beliefs and ideas that are deemed as important by society
Things that a society believes in, strives to achieve, and guides their behaviour
Provide guidelines for behaviour and enforce the norms of a society
Functionalists (wealth, educational success, motivation, compitative)- meritocracy
Marxists (obedience, consumerism, greed, envy)
Examples- Life, success, honesty, loyalty, hygeine, family (UK). Educational achievement, obedience, respect, conformity, knowledge (school)
CULTURE-
The entire learned and shared way of life of a society (Williams)
Culture forms the connection between an individual and society
Includes the whole system of behaviours and beliefs of a society
Woodward- culture of society is based on ‘shared meanings, values and practices’
Including: language, values, norms, traditions, lifestyle
Examples- Islamic culture follows a set diet, English culture follows the English language
SUBCULTURE-
A culture within a culture
Share distinctive norms and values within a wider culture
Reflect the changing nature of society and its concerns
Marxists argue that youth subcultural groups resist capitalism
Functionalists focus on the deficiencies of working-class culture
Examples- based on age (e.g: youth subcultures= punks, emo), ethnicity, music/fashion, political beliefs. Sporting subcultures= skaters/football fans
POP CULTURE-
Cultural products and activities enjoyed by the masses of the population
Involves cultural products that are heavily influenced by the media, results in consumerism
Mass culture= manipulating the masses- manufactured and fake
Contrasts with high culture
Strinati- media are largely responsible for creating pop culture, and have been manufactured to make a profit (manufactured and fake, form of brainwashing)
Product of a media-dominated world
Examples- watching TV, going to the cinema, playing/watching football, reading magazines and newspapers, pop music
HIGH CULTURE-
Cultural process associated with the well educated, elite upper class
Based on cultural products that represent the highest achievements in humanity
Superior to other forms of culture, and is often appreciated by those with a high level opf education and social upbringing= ‘cultured’
Contrasts with popular culture
Operates on a system of social closure (Mackintosh)- exclusive
Leavis- associated with high culture, who was writing in 1930s
Examples- ballet, opera, classical music and literature, hunting, polo, private education
CONSUMER CULTURE-
The goods and services we consume in society
Our identity becomes defined by the things we consume- based on cultural and economic factors
Consumerism is increasing as it is becoming more accessible- encouraged by the media
Lury- identified features of consumer culture- availability of goods, shopping=leisure, debt is a norm, packaging/promotion of goods is a large-scale business, different forms of shopping are available
Conspicuous consumption- individuals consume branded goods to gain status (e.g. iphones, cars- post war)
Examples- shopping= leisure (Westfield), debt= norm, conspicious consumption (Nike, Apple)
GLOBAL CULTURE-
The growing cultural influences that connect countries globally, through economic and social connections
Americanisation- American culture and values erodes traditional local cultures, replacing them
Hall- Cultural homogenisation- reduction of cultural diversity, norms and values merge. Cultural hybridity-two cultures combined, new cultures emerge
McLuhan- the world has become a smaller place (‘global village’)
Examples- McDonalds, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Apple (global brands), Hollywood-Bollywood, henna, Amazon (tech advances), the euro, Western sitcoms
CULTURAL DIVERSITY-
The existence of different cultural or ethnic groups in a society
Can be between cultures (intercultural diversity) and within cultures (intracultural diversity)
Include the culturally embedded differences within society (e.g. UK)
Diversity of norms and values within a society- changes the norms and values
Parekh- 3 types of diversity: distinct ways of life, rebel and reject values, communal diversification
Examples- class, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, age, politics
E.g: UK= diversity of regional culture (Welsh, Scottish, English, Northern Irish)
CULTURAL HYBRIDITY-
The merging of two or more cultures, to create one new culture
UK culture is hybrid as it contains aspects of English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, culture
UK is also influenced by American, Asian, etc culture
Can include the merging of culture with values and norms
Hall- cultural hybridity as a response to globalisation
Johal- Brasians are cultural code switchers
Examples- music, food, fashion, Brasians, Blasians
CULTURAL RELATIVITY-
Culture is different from one culture to another
Norms and values of each culture differ
Mead- tribal study- culture and gender roles were different within each tribe
Plummer- culture is relative from place to place, time to time, culture to culture
Place to place- (inside the home vs in public) smoking, underage drinking
Time to time- homosexuality, abortion, rape
Culture to culture- diet, dress, drugs
Socialisation-
The process through which we learn the norms and values of our society
Types= primary and secondary
Resocialisation: becoming re-socialised into society
Socialisation occurs throughout an individual’s whole lifetime
There are agents of socialisation, that play a part in the way in which we are socialised (the way we learn the norms and values of society)
Primary socialisation-
The early period in an individual’s life, during which they learn the norms and values of society
Occurs between 0-5 years old
Primary socialisation is normally intimate and prolonged contact with family
Our family play a large part in teaching us basic norms and values of our society
Family is the key primary socialisation example
Media may also be seen as an example of primary socialisation in modern times, as children are introduced to media at an increasingly young age
Secondary socialisation-
The second type of socialisation that occurs, which is determined and shaped by those other than family members
Peer group, education, religion, workplace and media
Peer groups- ages 5-18, learn about acceptable behaviour, however can lead to rebellion
Education- formal and informal curriculum teach children both educational values, and the other norms and values of society
Media- representation of different social groups may influence our views, however may influence violence
Religion- religion influences some groups more than others, but in the UK many of our values and norms are based on the Christian faith
Workplace- resocialisation, new norms and values introduced through the workplace, e.g. dress code, codes of conduct
Social control-
The various methods used to persuade or force individuals to conform to the dominant norms and values of a society
Formal social control- FORCE: prison, police, governments, courts
Informal social control- PERSUADE: family, peers, media
Education and workplace can be FORMAL or INFORMAL social control mechanisms
Marxism- social control used to force or persuade individuals of the working class to conform to ruling class norms and values
Functionalism- social control used to force or persuade individuals to conform to the value consensus of society
Examples- formal: promotion, MBE, prison, fines. Informal: reward chart, applause, grounded, being ignored (peers)
Formal social control-
Used to force individuals to conform to society’s norms and values
Examples- police, government (education, workplace)
Use of positive and negative sanctions to enforce the law
Positive sanctions- MBE, knighthood, public awards
Negative sanctions- fines, exclusion, prison sentence
Informal social control-
Used to persuade individuals to conform
Examples- media, religion, peers, family (education, workplace)
Use of positive and negative sanctions to ensure individual conforms and does not deviate
Positive sanctions- reward chart, applause, smiling
Negative sanctions- being grounded, being ignored, phone taken away
