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Culture Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Mass culture

A
  • inferior to high culture
  • large scale
  • majority, but doesn’t link to everyday life like folk culture
  • derived from businesses - make profit
  • mass production, standardisation
  • simple, easy access eg reality TV
  • unchallenging, mindless entertainment -> LCD
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2
Q

Popular culture

A
  • can be enjoyed by masses without mass production

- STOREY - what’s left over when decided what high culture is

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3
Q

Subcultures

A
  • cultures within dom culture - larger societies
  • share aspects of dom culture, oppose it
  • HALL + JEFFERSON - subcultures of resistance, shared bond of LGBTQ
  • Youth subcultures - new period of life, lack responsibility -> youth activities
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4
Q

Dominant culture

A
  • main culture, majority
  • British culture - patriarchal, ethnocentric, unequal, but WC black women still accept
  • created by those in power
  • interests/views determine what’s deemed important/given high status
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5
Q

High culture

A
  • superior -> small elite (most power)
  • higher value (artistically/literally)
  • better taste than the masses
  • more academic/intellectual -> significant
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6
Q

Folk culture

A
  • traditional - customs/beliefs of ordinary
  • passed down through gens (created by the people)
  • folk music, storytelling
  • pre-industrial societies
  • kept alive by enthusiasts
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7
Q

Primitive Classification Study 1903 (F)

A

DURKHEIM AND MAUSS

  • social structures are based on ability to classify/distinguish
  • not poss at birth (cont flow of representations)
  • develop as humans - need system to classify - make sense of world - make it comprehensive
  • Australian aboriginals -> binary classification system -> forms basis of all culture
  • Before -> mechanical solidarity (feel sense of solidarity, little division of labour)
  • society evolves -> more specialised division of labour
  • Now -> organic solidarity (different, still rely on each other)
  • still need collective conscience - less strong, specialised roles, more individualism
  • can lead to anomie -> qn values -> social problems
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8
Q

Criticisms of PCS (F)

A
  • Deterministic -> too much focus on societal influence, not individual choice/expression
  • MARXISTS -> ignores inequalities - some groups more power to impose norms/values on others
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9
Q

Merton

A

Manifest and latent functions/dysfunctions

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10
Q

Dominant ideology thesis (M)

A
  • culture is RC ideology - expression of distorted view of world advanced by dom class
  • RC use economic power to shape cultures
  • WC suffer FCC
  • beliefs/culture shaped by RC
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11
Q

Marx and Culture (M)

A
  • culture has a social origin in human labour, not classification systems
  • economic activity shapes human consciousness
  • animals only work together to fulfil immediate needs
  • humans are social even when don’t need to be
  • culture is the work we do beyond survival needs - start to develop self consciousness
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12
Q

Alienation and culture (M)

A
  • humans fulfilled when free/using imagination
  • restricted by private property -> problem
  • accumulate lots of private property at expense of others
  • no property = lose freedom
  • lack means of production to ensure survival
  • forced to work for others -> can’t organise own work -> alienated
  • sense of enstrangement - no longer own what they produce, lose humanity
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13
Q

Reflects class differences - Berger (M)

A
  • art of any period serves ideology interests of RC
  • focus on wealth/power
  • how much land owned, pedigree animals
  • beggars, drunks in taverns
  • reinforces FCC - only have themselves to blame for misfortune
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14
Q

Reflects class differences - Marx and Engels (M)

A
  • eventually, will be a revolution - WC develop class consciousness
  • see through distorted ideology fed by RC
  • communism replaces capitalism
  • humans return to creating things to express true humanity
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15
Q

Culture and Society - Williams (NM)

A

FIXED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CULTURE/POWER IS MISLEADING
In reality - less absolute/clear
Economic factors don’t influence culture straightforwardly
More room for individual/group creativity

MARXIST THEORIES TOO CONCERNED WITH ART/LITERATURE
Narrow focus - limits theory
Should use ‘culture’ to refer to whole way of life - general social processes

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16
Q

WC and RC culture - Williams (NM)

A

WC CULTURE

  • little WC art/lit before 1960s, but developed own distinct lifestyles/institutions
  • act collectively
  • lack life chances to achieve success alone - act together eg trade unions

RC CULTURE

  • individualistic
  • still degree of overlap
  • constant interactions between groups means they develop
Cultures aren't product of class structure 
They are a reaction by people responding to individual circumstances
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17
Q

Residual/emergent, alt/opp culture - Williams (NM)

A
  • there is no totally dom RC culture
  • residual -> culture of class that is declining but still important
  • emergent-> cultures of new classes outside RC
  • can both be alt/opp to dom culture (reject/accept aspects)
18
Q

Criticisms of Williams (NM)

A
  • did little to resolve qn of precise relationship between economy/culture
  • contemp theorists -:> hard to distinguish WC culture - there is no large scale collective culture like he says
  • so questions relevance in contemporary society
19
Q

BCCCS (NM)

A
  • influential for NM ideas on culture, 1970s/80s

- studied youth culture in detail - move NM analysis of WC culture fwd

20
Q

BCCCS Resistance through ritual (NM)

A

CLARKE

  • material circumstances limit certain cultures you can develop
  • born into culture -> shapes how you see world (maps of meaning)
  • changes as society actively creates cultures - partly shaped by pre-existing cultures
  • exists in hierarchical relationships eg culture of dom group is more powerful
  • one society’s culture will never be fully dominated by one RC ideology
21
Q

BCCCS Hegemony (NM)

A

CLARKE drew on work of GRAMSCI
- in order to achieve pol/cul dom -> powerful classes need to struggle against competing cultures, compromise with less powerful
- hegemony is never complete - dom culture can always be opposed
CLARKE agrees
- subordinate groups/cultures try to win space - make room for own distinctive lifestyles
- away from influence of powerful cultures
- eg traditional WC neighbourhood - phys layout of pubs, parks, corner shops - form friendship networks
- Wc exert informal social control over evt

22
Q

BCCCS Youth subcultures (NM)

A

CLARKE

  • try to win autonomy from dom culture
  • win cultural space in neighbourhood - real time for recreation
  • partly shaped by parent culture but distinct
  • create own distinctive style - attempt to solve problems
  • only done temporarily - problems remain unresolved, process is magical (BRAKE)
23
Q

Evaluation of BCCCS

A

GOOD
- important in developing NM approach to culture - encourage others to take popular culture seriously
- integrates semiology - analyses dress sense eg teddy boys
BAD
- Postmods -> has encouraged them to take popular culture seriously but don’t see class as important
- out of fashion - what about other social divisions?

24
Q

Theory of Mass Culture

A

MACDONALD

  • little merit
  • appeals to LCD
  • unchallenging, no intrinsic value
  • standardised, commercial kitsch
  • imposed by businesses on masses -> profit
  • threatens high culture ->, risks totalitarianism
  • used for Hitler’s rise to power - made communist rule possible in Soviet Union
25
Q

Problems of mass culture

A

ADULTISED CHILDREN AND INFANTILE ADULTS
- USA adults -> comics, kids’ TV
- Children -> adult-orientated films
- overstimulated children grow up too fast
SINGLE HOMOGENISED CULTURE
- distinction between mass/high (eg theatre -> cinema) is breaking down
- mass cultural forms eg detective novels are adopting intellectual styles -> look more artistically important
UNDERMINES FABRIC OF SOCIETY
- creates mass society -> individuals are atomised, lose involvement in social groups
- lose opp for interaction in meaningful ways
- isolated -> only relate to centralised organisations eg mass media
- become uniform/undifferentiated

26
Q

Conclusions of mass culture

A
  • little evidence that high culture can survive
  • people trapped in self-perpetuating mass society
  • losing power to resist
  • just need small cultural elite -> keep high culture alive
27
Q

Criticisms of mass culture theory - STRINATI

A

Elitest
- makes false assumptions that masses are cultural dopes, willing to consume anything presented
- consumers often critical and reject products
- not passive
- discriminate in deciding what to consume/how to react
Mass culture theory sees all popular culture as homogenous - this isn’t the case, in reality there are wide variety of styles/genres
Rejects idea that it’s possible to distinguish between ‘authentic folk culture’ and mass culture eg where does country music fit?
There is no clear cut boundary between mass/high culture - what once was considered mass culture eg jazz music, may increase in status -> be taken seriously as art (movement between diff types of culture)

28
Q

Modern Culture: Differentiation

A

SEPARATING DIFFERENT PARTS OF SOCIETY

  • economic/political/cultural spheres -> increasingly distant
  • before -> patronage of rich -> become prof musicians
  • specialist institutions to train future gens of cultural specialists
  • culture separated from other aspects -> train specialists in institutions, consumed in specific places
  • modernity progressed –> new types of popular culture developed eg music hall
  • different from other aspects of life - breaks division between high culture and everyday life
29
Q

Modern Culture: Rationalisation

A

TECH TO RECREATE CULTURE
- music increasingly influenced by harmonic rationalisation (maths to compose)
- piano - reproduction of complex music on single instrument
radios - broadcast original music- wide consumption
- printing tech - no longer rely on original artist
But
CROOK - this doesn’t undermine the distinction between high culture/everyday life. It just reinforces high culture - legitimises the idea that certain people were the greatest of their time, can only proceed so far - individual creativity is still valued

30
Q

Modern Culture: Commodification

A

TURNS CULTURAL PRODUCTS INTO COMMODITIES -> SOLD
- mass cultural theorists -> undermines aesthetic values and threatens purity of high art, brings inferior culture to the masses, threatens unique quality of high culture
But
CROOK (PM) - development of taste is a key feature of modern culture, only develops when people have enough resources to make choices about consumption.
In early mod -> only RC could choose. Then.. all could
Doesn’t undermine hierarchies of taste, taste of RC still valued more

31
Q

Postmodern culture: Hyperdifferentiation

A

CROOK

  • now -> range of cultural forms, no type is dominant eg popular music includes range of styles/audiences
  • variety is more common - hard for one style to claim superiority
  • leads to dedifferentiation - distinction between culture types breaks down (high/popular)
  • popular culture claims to be serious art
  • high culture has no exclusive claim to legitimacy
32
Q

Postmodern culture: Hyperrationalisation

A
  • use of rationalised tech to spread cultural consumption/privatise it eg satellite Tv = more choice
  • video recorder - extend choice (when/where)
  • public cultural events eg theatre –> less important
    CROOK - erodes distinction between authentic/inauthentic culture, media repro replace real thing, images lose connection with reality, become simulacra
33
Q

Postmodern culture: Hypercommodification

A
  • all areas of social life = commodified
  • modern -> only certain areas eg family not commercialised, just source of identity that influences consumption
  • now, all areas invaded by commodities -> family activities invaded by marketing of products
  • consumption in household varies eg music taste
  • no uniform, family culture - generation divide
  • same class, different tastes, more lifestyle options
    CROOK - style isn’t constrained/shaped by external factors, says something about who you are but actually shaped by personal preference
34
Q

Conclusions of modern/postmod culture

A 
CROOK
- postculture = fragmentation 
- variety/choice
- lifestyle preference replaces hierarchies of taste 
(class/other social differences)
- 1992 - still ongoing process
35
Q

Globalisation/media: What is globalisation?

A
  • signif changes over last 30 yrs
  • growing interconnectedness of nations
  • events in one place affect another eg plastic consumption, terrorist attacks
  • time-space compression
  • impacts on local communities - lose regional accents eg British children have American accent (TV)
36
Q

Globalisation/media: Categories

A

POLITICAL - increase in nations states being part of international organisations eg EU
CULTURAL - exposed to Western styles
ECONOMIC - financial market is global
RISK - international terrorism, global warming

37
Q

Globalisation/media: Media and cultural imperialism

A
  • led to tech change
  • can watch war from home
  • advertising sells idealised Western lifestyles
  • experience world events simultaneously
  • connect over great distances
38
Q

Globalisation/media: EM Media

A

CRITICISM
- local programmes from developing countries exported to Western society
- some produce own media to reflect cultural origins
eg USA - Latinos have own radio station

39
Q

Globalisation/media: National/regional broadcasting

A

CRITICISM

  • steady increase in local broadcasting, countries have home-produced programmes
  • 7/9 countries broadcast more locally produced ones than imported (gel with local culture)
  • not overwhelmed with western media products
40
Q

Globalisation/media: Cultural response

A

CRITICISM

  • diff cultures respond to media in diff ways
  • eg TV programmes sold to companies show local cultures
  • therefore challenges cultural imperialism
41
Q

Globalisation/media: McDonaldisation

A
  • travel world without eating indigenous food
  • decor/menus instantly recognisable
  • reassuring, familiar, but decline in local cultures

Culture and Identity (4 decks)

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