Culture Flashcards
Mass culture
- 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
Popular culture
- can be enjoyed by masses without mass production
- STOREY - what’s left over when decided what high culture is
Subcultures
- 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
Dominant culture
- 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
High culture
- superior -> small elite (most power)
- higher value (artistically/literally)
- better taste than the masses
- more academic/intellectual -> significant
Folk culture
- traditional - customs/beliefs of ordinary
- passed down through gens (created by the people)
- folk music, storytelling
- pre-industrial societies
- kept alive by enthusiasts
Primitive Classification Study 1903 (F)
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
Criticisms of PCS (F)
- Deterministic -> too much focus on societal influence, not individual choice/expression
- MARXISTS -> ignores inequalities - some groups more power to impose norms/values on others
Merton
Manifest and latent functions/dysfunctions
Dominant ideology thesis (M)
- 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
Marx and Culture (M)
- 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
Alienation and culture (M)
- 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
Reflects class differences - Berger (M)
- 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
Reflects class differences - Marx and Engels (M)
- 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
Culture and Society - Williams (NM)
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
WC and RC culture - Williams (NM)
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
Residual/emergent, alt/opp culture - Williams (NM)
- 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)
Criticisms of Williams (NM)
- 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
BCCCS (NM)
- influential for NM ideas on culture, 1970s/80s
- studied youth culture in detail - move NM analysis of WC culture fwd
BCCCS Resistance through ritual (NM)
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
BCCCS Hegemony (NM)
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
BCCCS Youth subcultures (NM)
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)
Evaluation of BCCCS
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?
Theory of Mass Culture
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
Problems of mass culture
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
Conclusions of mass culture
- 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
Criticisms of mass culture theory - STRINATI
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)
Modern Culture: Differentiation
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
Modern Culture: Rationalisation
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
Modern Culture: Commodification
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
Postmodern culture: Hyperdifferentiation
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
Postmodern culture: Hyperrationalisation
- 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
Postmodern culture: Hypercommodification
- 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
Conclusions of modern/postmod culture
CROOK - postculture = fragmentation - variety/choice - lifestyle preference replaces hierarchies of taste (class/other social differences) - 1992 - still ongoing process
Globalisation/media: What is globalisation?
- 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)
Globalisation/media: Categories
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
Globalisation/media: Media and cultural imperialism
- led to tech change
- can watch war from home
- advertising sells idealised Western lifestyles
- experience world events simultaneously
- connect over great distances
Globalisation/media: EM Media
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
Globalisation/media: National/regional broadcasting
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
Globalisation/media: Cultural response
CRITICISM
- diff cultures respond to media in diff ways
- eg TV programmes sold to companies show local cultures
- therefore challenges cultural imperialism
Globalisation/media: McDonaldisation
- travel world without eating indigenous food
- decor/menus instantly recognisable
- reassuring, familiar, but decline in local cultures
