Identity Flashcards
What is the concept of Identity?
Identity refers to how you see yourself, whereas social identity refers to how others see you
What is Ethnicity?
Ethnicity is a sense of cultural awareness or identity within groups whose members share a common history or heritage
What did Ghumann find when looking at the Primary socialisation of Asian children?
They found that tradition, religion and family values (respect for elders, duty, importance of prayer) were central aspects of primary socialisation of Asian children
What did Ghumann find about the mother tongue regarding Asian children?
It was seen as especially important in maintaining links between generations and transmitting religious values- Asian children are therefore usually bilingual
What did Jacobson find about young Pakistani Muslims?
They are adopting a strong Islamic identity in response to the UK/US invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, conspiracies around 9/11, Islamophobia etc
What opposes Jacobson’s findings?
Research suggests most young Muslims in the UK generally express a strong sense of belonging to British society- feel integrated. Also extremist Islamic views are only held by a tiny minority
What is a hybrid identity?
An identity held by a person who subscribes to two or three important cultural roots
What did Johal and Bains say about Brasians?
Focused on dual identities where British Asians have a number of different identities depending on who they’re with- code switching, found they use their Asian identity more at home and use a ‘white mask’ in public spaces like school to interact/connect with white peers
What did Gilroy argue about the African-Caribbean identity?
It could be described as ‘Black Atlantic’ because young black people in the UK identified with the racism and powerlessness they saw themselves as sharing with their american peers
What did Back find about cultural hybridity?
White youth (especially in the 1990s) were attracted to and adopted many aspects of the Black culture including speech mannerisms, dress codes, music etc
What does Nayak say about ‘White wannabes’?
They are white teenagers that are influenced by Black and Asian culture in terms of clothing, piercings, rap, hip-hop etc
What is meant by ‘National identity’?
The feeling of being part of a larger community, especially the nation state, which gives a sense of pride, purpose and meaning
What does Anderson say regarding national identities and the concept of a ‘Nation’?
A Nation is an ‘imagined community’ and national identity is socially constructed via the media, education and even religion through symbols e.g flags, national anthems etc
How does Celtic identity link to the confusion within British identity?
Celtics (Irish, Welsh and Scottish) are less likely to identify as British- 45% of Scots voted to leave the UK, Welsh speakers will identify as Welsh before British
What does Sardar say regarding globalisation?
The world is in the middle of a global identity crisis as globalisation becomes the norm- British now know more about places abroad and are also now more well travelled- everyday life is less likely to be shaped by British identity and more likely to be shaped by global influences
What did Stuart Hall say about Cultural Homogenisation being a reaction to globalisation?
Some societies find global mass culture swaps their local culture- large parts of the world may experience cultural similarity as people listen to the same music, watch the same films, eat the same food (McDonalds)
What did Stuart Hall say about Cultural Hybridity being a reaction to globalisation?
Other societies may combine the best of global culture with aspects of their localised culture e.g. Indian film industry -> Bollywood (Asian and American)
What did Stuart Hall say about Cultural resistance being a reaction to globalisation?
Some cultures may resist the mass culture of globalisation - many cultures view globalisation as a threat to tradition, religious authority and moral order (common in Islam)
What do feminists believe about gender?
It is socially constructed via gender role socialisation
What is meant by gender role socialisation?
Boys and girls are taught by society to conform to culturally dominant or hegemonic masculine and feminine norms of behaviour
What is the first process of gender role socialisation according to Oakley?
Manipulation= the encouragement of behaviour that is seen as culturally acceptable, such as rowdy behaviour in boys, or discouraging behaviour that is socially unacceptable e.g. crying for boys
What is the second process of gender role socialisation according to Oakley?
Canalisation= channelling children’s interests into toys, games and activities considered to be the norm for their gender, for example football for boys and dance for girls
What is the third process of gender role socialisation according to Oakley?
Verbal appellation= using gendered language to describe children, e.g. “pretty” or “princess” for girls and “little man” or “handsome” for boys
What is the fourth process of gender role socialisation according to Oakley?
Different activities= boys and girls are encouraged to participate in domestic activities seen as suitable for their gender e.g. girls helping their mother clean and boys help their father wash the car
What do feminists say about the view that femininity and masculinity are products of biology?
Feminists reject this view, saying that is this were the case, femininity and masculinity would take the same form in every society, which they do not
What is Jackson’s study that rejects the stereotypical gender norms?
Ladettes= girls and young women who adopt traditionally masculine or laddish styles of behaviour e.g. assertiveness, overt sexuality and drinking heavily
What were the 4 types of masculinity according to Connell?
Marginalised, hegemonic, subordinate and complicit
How does Connell define hegemonic masculinity?
Men who are in paid work and are therefore the family breadwinner and head of the family. It went into decline in the 1980s onwards due to globalisation bringing unemployment with it e.g Danny dyer
How does Connell define Marginalised masculinity?
This is those who are unemployed forever from a certain sector due to their workplace closing down fully e.g. mine work, steelworks etc- bring in the Full Monty
How does Connell define Subordinate masculinity?
This refers to those who are homosexual and they therefore display traits such as being chatty, artistic, having good fashion etc e.g Boy George, James Charles
How does Connell define complicit masculinity?
Refers to men who share the household roles with their partner and are involved in typically feminine things e.g. childcare for example David Beckham
What do Mac and Ghaill say when discussing masculinity?
A rise in unemployment lead to a ‘crisis in masculinity’ as they are no longer the breadwinners and are therefore unsure of their masculine identity so then suffer with depression and suicide due to feeling emasculated (mainly hegemonic men)
What did Nayak say traditional men had?
Body capital- they work in factories and manual labour jobs which require them to be strong
What did Burdsey research?
Young Asian footballers- found that fitting in was an important factor in the extent to which these footballers were prepared to drop or hide their Asian identity and instead a laddish behaviour
What did Osler and Vincent say about girls?
Girls were in exclusion less often as they tend to care about their reputation, career and education
What are New wave girls? Thinker?
Blackman observed the lower middle and working class New Wave girls in secondary schools and found the girls were a loud, disruptive and confident highly visible group of girls and they would challenge male teacher’s stereotypes of girls- assert of femininity
What is said regarding Asian girls and their socialisation?
Seidler said they want to honour their family (izzat) and therefore do well in school and don’t focus on boys but they also want a career
What is passive femininity?
Women who are submissive to men, want to marry breadwinners (wags), more domestic e.g. Rebecca Vardy
What is Normative femininty?
These women want to get good grades, are sensible, want a good career etc
What is meant by a bedroom subculture? Thinker?
McRobbie= girls are controlled more and stay in their bedrooms e.g. gossiping, do hair, facetime, do makeup etc
What does Bourdieu say about class?
Class groupings or ‘class fractions’ can be distinguished from each other by their possessions or non-possession of three types of capital; economic (money-based), social (access to people/connections), and cultural (knowledge, skills etc favoured by the high culture)
What is the upper class identity defined by?
It’s wealth, privilege, aristocratic titles and possession of high culture
What is ascribed status?
Status and wealth in which they have inherited (nepotism)
What is achieved status?
Status and wealth in which the individual has worked for and therefore achieved
Why do sociologists say that the upper class people practice social closure?
In order to ensure that their share of wealth and privilege is maintained by an elite few
What is the middle class traditionally associated with (in terms of work)?
Non-manual work, especially that associated with long periods of training in skilled professional work such as law and medicine or they perform managerial and executive roles
What are common characteristics of the middle class?
Had a university education, earn well above average salaries, they wield power over others, they have a great deal of status as well as cultural capital and social capital- also highly value deferred gratification
What is the upper middle class?
Comprised of highly paid professionals such as college principles, barristers, doctors and company executives
What is the middle middle class?
Composed of lower professionals such as teachers, junior doctors and middle ranking managers
What is the lower middle class?
Made up of clerical workers, managers of small retail outlets etc
What is the working class identity associated with?
Up until the 1980s it was associated with manual labour jobs or ‘blue collar’ work. WC identity typically involved pride in one’s job and solidarity with other manual workers, left wing view, trade union members, following a local football team and going to the pub regularly
What class did Murray (New Right) discuss?
The underclass= workshy people who are happy to be dependent on the welfare state. It is argued that the underclass socialise their children into deviant and immoral values- responsible for the majority of crime
What do Pakulski and Walters say about class?
Social class is no longer important because in postmodern societies there has been a shift form the production of goods to consumption- free to construct our own identities through mass media and consumer culture
Who disagrees with Pakulski and Walters about class no longer being important?
Marshall- surveys frequently show that people still see themselves as belonging to a particular class
Savage- only a minority believe that Britain is a classless society
What does Weeks point out regarding sexuality and identity?
Sexuality tends to be much more strongly linked to identity for those who are homosexual than those who are heterosexual
What did Reiss say regarding identity and sexuality?
Found that young male prostitutes or ‘rent boys’ regarded themselves as heterosexual despite having sex with men for money, and they actively despised men as a way of neutralising their behaviour
What does Plummer say about sexuality and identity?
Homosexuality is not created by sexual attraction but instead is created by the process of ‘coming out’ in a society which is still not totally accepting of homosexuality and the construction of homosexuality usually involves seeking out and joining a gay subculture
What does Rich say about women and their sexuality?
Heterosexuality is forced on women- lesbian identity has been written out of existence and labelled as abnormal (e.g. first law about allowing sexuality didn’t include women or the concept of lesbianism)- men find it threatening as it’s existence challenges the dominance of hegemonic masculinity
What does McIntosh say about gay identity?
In western societies gay identity is associated with particular cultural characteristics which people use to distinguish gay men from ‘straight’ men
How was homosexuality viewed in the 20th and 19th century in the UK?
20th= homosexuality was seen as a deviant and abnormal sexuality
19th= sexual activity between men was made illegal and was punishable by prison
What are the UK laws which support homosexuality?
1960s- homosexual acts between consenting adults over the age of 21 were decriminalised
2010- Equality act made discrimination on the basis of sexuality unlawful
2014- gay marriage became legal
What do functionalists think about homosexuality?
They dislike it as they support the view of a nuclear family and feel children need to have both male and female role models
What 5 major generational stages of age identity in the UK did Bradley find?
Childhood, adolescents, young adulthood, middle age and old age
What is childhood regarded as in the UK?
A special, innocent and vulnerable period- children are protected by their parents and the state. Other cultures may disagree with this and will make children work long hours in dangerous occupations
What does Postman say about the period of childhood in the UK?
It has been considerably shortened in the 20th century as children are exposed to adult influences via television and digital media too soon- may eventually lead to the disappearance of childhood all together
What is adolescence or youth?
The period between puberty and the achievement of full adult status- teenage years
What is young adulthood?
The period between leaving the parental home and middle age- often involves independence from parents and taking responsibility for the first time e.g. paying rent
What is middle age according to Bradley?
They have higher status than teens and elderly- they have the majority of the wealth and power. A typical social indicator of middle age is that they have kids who’ve left home leaving more money for leisure. Also may involve psychological doubts symbolised by the mid life crisis
What is the old age according to Roberts?
Roberts observes that UK culture admires youthful bodies and sees aging bodies as representing ugliness.
What does Corner find elderly subscribe to?
A negative self identity- many described themselves as a burden
What did Hockey and James say regarding old age identity?
They link old and childhood and observe they’re socially constructed in similar ways. They both argue that they’re rarely treated as independent people, rather society subjects them to infantilisation (they are treated as though they are hopeless)
What do Postmodernists argue is happening to age identities?
They are changing- for example, people are now living longer, meaning that we should now differentiate between the young old (65-74), middle aged old (75-84) and old old (85+).
What does Victor say the features of old age are?
- Loneliness
- Being unable to learn
- Having poor health
- Being dependent on others
What does Bytheway say regarding age identities?
Many studies have found that people accept chronological ageing as a fact of life, nut they have difficulty fitting themselves into the ill-defined categories of old age or middle age. To avoid this people buy anti-wrinkle cream and can have botox
What did Hockey and James find in their study into the treatment of the elderly in care?
The elderly were deliberately kept in a state of dependency. Also in many elderly care homes can be described as ‘total institutions’ which take away all aspects of elderly’s identity- control their finance, daily routine and private practices (bathing, dressing, using the loo etc) self fulfilling prophecy
What did Featherstone and Hepworth say about media images of age?
They are changing and less likely to be derogatory towards the elderly- could suggest age identity is increasingly fluid and less significant
What does Abrams say regarding age identities?
Young people were all part of the same youth culture as they are all at the same transitional stage (learning and negotiating their path into adulthood)
What is the medical model of disability?
Held by medical professionals who see disabled people as victims of impairments and focuses on limitations of disability- defined by impairment- victim blaming mentalities
What do critics say about the medical model?
Claim it patronises disabled people as deserving of pity and charity also encouraging non-disabled people to judge and stereotype disabled people in terms of their disability
What is the social model of disability?
Focuses on the social barriers to inclusion that exist
What are examples of inclusive methods?
Lifts, ramps, rails, guide dogs etc
What does Ridley say regarding the media’s representation of disability ?
It contributes to why non-disabled people find disability embarrassing or awkward
What does Shakespeare say about the disabled identity being a social construction?
Disabled people are disabled by society e.g. the negative stereotypes and attitudes towards the disabled creating social barriers
How many hate crimes towards the disabled were there in a year?
According to ONS- 11,000 recorded in the UK
What did Gill say about disabled identities?
Gill pitied the disabled before developing polio so she pities herself and hates people pitying her- negative labelling and marginalisation
What did Zola say about disabled identities?
Looked at the vocab used to describe the disabled- ‘dis’eased, ‘ab’normal, ‘in’valid- negative prefixes= negative label
What did Murugami say about disabled identities?
Today people who are disabled see their disability as only part of their identity, not their master status e.g. Ellie Simmonds identified as an athlete before identifying as disabled
What is an example of a sporting event for the disabled?
Invictus games and paralympics are inclusive of the disabled and veterans
What is meant by hybridity?
A mixture of cultures e.g. Britain has no pure britsh culture-made up of 4 different cultures (E,I,S,W), it is shaped by the fact it welcomes immigrants who have added their cultures
Why is British culture hybrid?
Because of the globalisation of social media, popular culture, religion, fashion, diet etc
What is meant by deferred gratification?
Reward for work that is not instant e.g. going to Uni in order to achieve a good education- you will be rewarded later on in life by having a well-paid job- valued by the middle class
What is immediate gratification?
When the reward is received immediately (valued by the working class in cash in hand jobs- they receive a wage instead of a salary, meaning less money is earned but it is given to them as they work)
What does Bernstein say when discussing elaborated codes of language?
They are used by the middle class and contain a formal syntax which is grammatically correct- wide range of vocabulary making them more employable
What does Bernstein say when discussing restricted codes of language?
They are used by the working class- reduced range of vocabulary means they are less employable- they use more clichés and slang
What is the objective social class?
Measured on an official scale (generates neutral numerical data)- NS-SEC
What is the subjective social class?
The individual’s opinion on their own social class- Savage says it’s not always accurate
What does Bourdieu say about social capital?
When an individual has connections in the industry/ networks- private school (old boys club- Bullingdon club)
What does Bourdieu say about cultural capital?
Opportunities to build cultural knowledge e.g. going to museums and going on holidays abroad (learning languages)
What does Bourdieu say about economic capital?
When someone has access to land, assets and money
What is the Upper class identity?
Mcintosh says the UC is invisible to lower classes- private school, private healthcare etc
What is the Super rich?
They tend to have achieved status e.g. Lord Sugar - value meritocracy and they show off their wealth
What is meant by the traditional upperclass/ aristocracy?
They value heritage, hierarchy and tradition- inherit land and wealth
What is a middle class identity?
Fox- lower middle, middle middle, upper middle (the middle class needs segregation as it is such a wide class)- higher MC- private sector jobs, lower MC- public sector jobs (e.g. teachers)- all value meritocracy and are white collar workers
What is meant by working class identity?
Manual/ blue collar work, Hutton said there is less of a community in the WC due to a decline in trade unions. WC identity includes going to pubs, listening to pop music, watching football
What is the underclass?
Murray (New Right)- Disability is high, carers are in the underclass due to having to acre for someone instead of working and earing income, they tend to go to foodbanks- Murray labels them as lazy
What are NEETs?
Not in Education, Employment and Training
What do Stanley and Wise say about Gender?
Argue that gender is socially constructed, argues that biological makeup, need not lead to what might be described as stereotypical masculine and feminine behaviour- he instead argues that behaviours are connected with how people are brought up and influenced by those around them
What did Canclini say about identity?
Focused on hybrid identities created amongst young people in Latin America where there is rapid change- he refers to graffiti and musical fusions which reflect the fragmented nature of identity
What did Kumar say regarding English identity?
Unlike the scots, welsh and Irish, the English find it difficult to say who they are, and that English identity is elusive
What did Canaan find in regards to masculinity?
Researched WC men in Wolverhampton and found that when asked ‘what is the most important thing about being a man’, the employed said sexual conquests, fighting, drinking etc whereas the unemployed said that having a job was the most important thing about being a man and that they felt emasculated as they were unemployed
What did McRobbie find about femininity?
Looked at female subcultures and found that some girls raged against expectations and attended things such as ‘slut walks’ where women joined together to empower women and raise awareness of violence towards women and attacks they face at night
What did Marsh and Millard find?
Found that when young children were asked to discuss superheroes, hegemonic gendered activities were embedded in the stories of superhero comics
What did Gauntlett say about gender identities?
Argues that magazines give advice on how to be attractive in relation to gender. He said that girl’s/women’s magazines give lots of advice on boyfriends, makeup, fashion and dieting, men’s magazines show sporty, muscular men (more fitness-based)
What did Storey say about gender identities?
Early rock and roll stars such as Elvis reinforced aggression and masculinity that men should be tough to overcome challenges in the uncaring world
What did Devine find around class identity?
Neither teachers nor doctors were comfortable discussing their social class and they were uncomfortable labelling themselves- didn’t want to say they were superior to others
What did Leavis find around class identity?
The UC had strong social closure and exclusivity- he found there were 2 subgroups within the UC (traditional upper class and the super rich)- difficult to study as they don’t let the media in
What does Hutton say regarding class identity?
The decline in trade union membership and the manufacturing sector and the dispersal of WC communities has eroded the WC identity
What does Lyon say about class identity?
Suggests that in the postmodern world is a consumer society- individuals can pick and mix from different styles which are a mixture of different class clothing e.g. football was once seen as a WC identity and is not a part of the popular culture
