Culture + Socialisation Flashcards
What is culture?
The shared beliefs, norms, values, language and history of a society.
What is a subculture?
A group with alternative norms and values to mainstream culture e.g. punks.
Give some theories on subcultures.
Cohen - Delinquent youth subcultures stem from the status frustration of young working-class men.
CCCS - Subcultures are a form of symbolic resistance against hegemony.
What is high culture?
The cultural and artistic tastes of the elite within society - seen as having high status. E.g. ballet.
What is mass/popular culture?
The cultural and artistic tastes of the general population - seen as mass-produced and artificial. E.g. soap operas.
What is folk culture?
The group habits and customs of traditional rural communities - seen as genuine and authentic. E.g. Morris dancing.
What is global culture?
The process through which all people around the world are coming to share the same culture (globalisation).
Give some theories on culture.
Frankfurt School (Adorno) - Mass culture is a result of capitalism - products are dumbed down so they can be consumed by the largest possible audience (the working class). This leads to an uncritical and complacent population. Advertising creates false needs.
Bourdieu - Through socialisation, middle-class children gain cultural capital (knowledge, experiences and connections) which gives them an advantage in the education system as well as the wider world.
What is socialisation?
The process of being taught one’s own culture. This is split into primary and secondary socialisation.
What are the six agents of socialisation?
- Family
- Education
- Religion
- Peers
- Employment
- Mass media
What are the two types of speech code?
Elaborated - Complicated sentences with more explanation (used by middle class).
Restricted - Grammatically simpler sentences with more slang and an assumption of shared knowledge (used by working class).
Give some theories on family as an agent of socialisation.
Murdock - Family performs four functions, one of which is education (teaching norms and values). The nuclear family strengthens bonds between family members and stabilizes society.
Cooper - Family teaches children conformity and submission to authority, ensuring an efficient future workforce.
Oakley - Family teaches gender roles through canalisation and manipulation, which reinforces patriarchal ideals.
Give some theories on religion as an agent of socialisation.
Durkheim - Religion infuses certain values with religious significance, ensuring value consensus.
Marx - Religion reinforces and legitimates the subordination of the proletariat and the dominance of the ruling class.
El Saadawi - Religion is distorted and misinterpreted to reinforce patriarchy and oppress women.
Give some theories on education as an agent of socialisation.
Parsons - School acts a bridge between the family and society as a whole - it teaches universalistic norms and values.
Bowles and Gintis - Schools, through the hidden curriculum, teach children to be good workers in a capitalist society.
Spender - Education is largely controlled by men so it focuses on men’s knowledge and experiences, thus reinforcing the oppression and ignorance of women.
