Culture & Identity Flashcards
What is culture?
Culture:
- The collective characteristics, behaviours and beliefs that define a group or society
- Can be expressed in many different ways e.g. through clothes, art, language, belief systems etc.
- Socialisation is what introduces an individual to their culture and this is how the culture shapes an individuals identity
What is identity?
Identity:
- The image of ones self
- How the individual views themselves (personal identity) and how society views them (social identity)
What are the ways in which status and power can be gained?
Status:
Ascribed - Born with the status
Achieved - Status is acquired through work
Explain the relationship between culture and status.
Status, culture and identity:
- A persons status can be either ascribed or achieved
- This can shape how the individual views themselves and how they are viewed by others
- In some cultures power and status are gained through “Rites of Passage” i.e. passing a test, for example in our culture part of gaining a manly status might be to down so many drinks at one time
Explain the relationship between culture and power (particularly youth subcultures)
Types of culture:
- There are many different types of culture that exist within society
- The dominant (mass) culture is adopted by the majority of a society, while subculture is adopted by distinctive minority groups
- Youth subcultures often challenge the mainstream culture and this tends to lead to a “them and us” attitude.
- Youth subcultures are often labelled as being dangerous and radical because they challenge mass culture
- Dominant culture holds the most power in society and subcultures have little power in comparison
- Being the minority, youth subcultures rarely hold the power to change the way they are labelled and as a result they often die out due to negative stigma
- Cohen’s “Folk Devils and Moral Panics” (1972) demonstrates this
What is the relationship between culture and identity?
Culture and identity:
- Socialisation introduces individuals to their culture
- Primary socialisation takes place in a family setting as this is where the individual first learns about society; here they are introduced to socially acceptable behaviour and the basics of culture i.e. the language and gender roles
- Secondary socialisation begins around age 5 when institutions begin to officially enforce certain behaviours e.g. education, workplace, religion
- The individual can form their own identity based on what they do and dont like about the culture
- The ability to gain or lose power and status also influences how individuals identify within their group
How do functionalists view culture?
Functionalism and culture:
- Believe that culture is passed on through socialisation
- Functionalists believe culture is vital for functioning society through value consensus i.e. cultures function is to bind society together through shared norms, values etc.
- Explains that subcultures occur due to status frustration (Cohen 1955) : frustration of status leads these groups to seek alternative methods of gaining status; forming their own group allows them to gain status and power from fellow members
How do functionalists view identity?
Functionalism and identity:
- socialisation is what helps us to form our identities because learning about society is what teaches us about ourselves and what we like/dislike
- The fact that we identify with our environment is what further contributes to the function of society as it created value consensus
- Essentially, we adopt our identity through socialisation and this helps us to internalise societies “rules”
How do Marxists view culture?
Marxism and culture:
- Explains culture as being part of the superstructure, which is manipulated by the ruling class to make inequalities seem more acceptable
- Believe that the economic system creates separate cultures within the two main classes
- Explains youth subcultures as being a reaction to the popular culture which is controlled by ruling class i.e. youth subcultures are a form of resistance against capitalism
How does Marxism explain identity?
Marxism and identity:
- Explains identity as being based primarily on an individuals relationship with the means of production
- This is because the each economic class has a separate culture and thus the class culture shapes the identity of the individuals
- In theory youths are more able to rebel against capitalism because they are not yet tied to the industry
Evaluate the Marxist view of culture and identity
Marxism, culture and identity:
Pro’s
- Explains why youth subcultures arise in relation to the structure of society
- Explains the difference in power and status and how perhaps this may lead to “status frustration”
Con’s
- Some argue that youth subcultures occur as youths try to form an identity, rather than revolt against capitalism
- Ignores the influence of gender and ethnicity on power and status
How do symbolic interactionists view culture?
SI and culture:
- Believe that culture and identity are both by-products of how we interact with each other
- Culture is the large-scale unanimous understanding of symbols and meanings
- Meanings of symbols can differ between cultures e.g. a greeting here is a handshake but in france a greeting may be a kiss on the cheek
How do symbolic interactionists explain identity?
SI and identity:
- Believe that we create our own identities
- The meanings behind symbols can be interpreted in different ways e.g. the actions of one individual can be viewed differently by different people
- Difference in judgements about certain groups or other individuals help us to shape our own identities
- This can also lead to labelling and stigma e.g. people with facial tattoos being dangerous etc.
- This stigma can then manifest into the individuals own thoughts about them self, leading to the “self-fulfilling prophesy”
Evaluate the symbolic interactionist approach to culture and identity
SI, culture and identity:
Pro’s
- Good at explaining how stigmas and labels can reinforce a persons situation
- Good at explaining how labels and stigma can lead to deviance and sub cultures
- Explains why deviant identities change over time (because they gain bad stigma)
Con’s
- Overlooks the influence that larger institutions in society have on an individuals identity e.g. economics
- Can be criticised for giving too individualistic. How free are we to construct our own identities? Some would argue social institutions play a big part in this
- Does not consider that some people ignore the labels given to them
Name, date and describe the Stanley Cohen’s study of youth subculture.
Stanley Cohen “Folk Devils and Moral Panics” (1980)
Aim: To investigate claims by the media into “riots” between Mods and Rockers
Method:
- Used secondary sources such as newspapers alongside interviews and participant observation
Findings:
- After arriving at Clacton, Cohen found little evidence of what had been reported in newspapers
- Using reports, interviews and newspapers Cohen tried to reconstruct the events at Clacton
- Cohen found that the newspapers seemed to highly exaggerate the events
Conclusion:
- Cohen argued that the exaggerated reports actually encouraged the youths to increase deviancy by emphasising the differences between the two groups
- ‘moral panic’ was created by the articles
- The exaggerated response of society to the youths helped to stigmatise and demonise the groups
