Lecture 2 - Social Processes: Culture and Cultural Change & Being Social Flashcards
What is culture?
- Common word, hard to define –satisfyingly
- “The set of beliefs, values, and practices that help people establish their places and carry out their roles in webs of significance, or society.” (Weissman, 56, in Tepperman and Albanese, 2018)
- Important conception in sociology – aids in understanding how different groups approach social world •Contemporary sociology (majority) – reject notion – biology determines peoples actions
- Agree – culture - only human
What are some elements of culture?
- Material elements – things
- Examples: tools, modes of transportation, ritual objects, weaponry, textiles
- Immaterial elements – signs
- Examples: languages, beliefs, norms, spiritual practices, values, symbols
Other elements: •Artifacts •Symbols •Language •Norms and Values •Subcultures and Cultural Change •Rituals and Rites of Passage •Governmentality, Neo-liberalism and Self-help Culture
Describe examples of symbols in culture
- Physical:
- Stop sign
- Sport’s jersey logo
- Flag
- Meaning:
- Traffic, team/attachment, political groups
Non-verbal/immaterial: •Hand wave •Police car siren •Smile •Meaning:•Help, be alert, happy
What are symbols in culture?
•…things that stand in place of something else and produce reactions in social actors.” (Weissman, 41 in Tepperman and Albanese, 2018).
Describe language as an element of culture
- All societies have “symbolic system”
- Form: Hand gestures, spoken word, uttered sounds, organized symbols (code)
- Logic based
- Rules (i.e. spelling/grammar)
- Cultural values
Example:
•English alphabet has 26 letters
•Rules vary by culture:
•Carbonated beverage: soda, pop
What are norms and values?
- Interrelated
- Values: “Central beliefs that underlie the way people perceive justice or injustice in social situations. For example, freedom and autonomy are key values in North America.” (Weissman, 57 in Tepperman and Albanese, 2018).
- Norms: “Values that tend to be repeatedly expressed or practiced such that they seem normal.” (Weissman, 57 in Tepperman and Albanese, 2018).
- Mores –formal norms
- Laws/codes of conduct, Example: criminal code
- Folkways/customs –informal norms
- Not in law, regular social practice
What are rituals and rites of passage?
rituals - “…group activity carried out by people in accordance with “social custom or normal protocol” (Ritual, n.d.)” (Weissman, 47, in Tepperman and Albanese, 2018)
.•Beliefs, symbols (series) – unite people
•Discrete groups
•Not solely repeating routines
Rites of passage: “…rituals performed when a person enters a more advanced status in a cultural group.” (Weissman, 57, in Tepperman and Albanese, 2018).Example: graduating college
What is globalization?
“…the process by which powerful nations and their economies extend their power into other nations by controlling media, the Internet, world economies, and the politics of other countries.” (Weissman 53, in Tepperman and Albanese, 2018),
What is cultural imperialism?
“The idea that by controlling popular culture and economies, a powerful culture can dominate others.” (Weissman 56, in Tepperman and Albanese, 2018)
Example: •American media –infiltration of symbolic/value systems in Canada and other countries
In Canada - TV broadcasters – specific percentage of Canadian content •Law •Protection from Americanization
What is socialization?
•“…the acquisition of knowledge, skills and motivation to participate in social life…it is a process whereby individuals learn, through interaction with others, that which they must know in order to survive, function and become members of our society.” (Mitchell, 60, in Tepperman and Albanese, 2018)
•Not only babies/children •Life long process of learning •People Develop:•Selves •Roles •Identities
- Affects individuals and societies
•Individual level – socialization allows realize potential
Describe the “debate” between nature and nurture
- Debate: contributions of biology and environment
- Socialization is link between biology and culture
- Nature: Born with certain capacities – learn, use language, forge bonds
- Nurture: social Environment – limits/facilitates innate propensities/natural tendencies
Describe the family as an agent of socialization
- Families – primary agent of socialization
- Infancy/childhood – most significant agent
- Critical role in generational cultural transmission
- Contemporary family experiences are different than past i.e. Family structure, transformations in work, greater gender-role equality, high levels of immigration -> Diversification/experience of families:
- Historical state/family policies –significant effects on traditional indigenous childrearing practices –significantly disrupted from Colonialism and historical trauma – residential school experience
- Family experiences – variable - Unique social/ecological contexts
- Extra-familial factors: neighbourhood, social class, culture, work/employment experiences
Describe the peer group as an agent of socialization
- “…commonly regarded as the second most potent socialization agent.” (Mitchell, 68, in Tepperman and Albanese, 2018)
- Contrast to families -> Most of the time, friends make no conscience attempt at socialization
- Interaction between peers and Need for companionship/approval – leads to mutual learning (information, values, attitudes)
- Peer influence is culturally specific
- Friendship – important throughout one’s life
- During adolescence –peer influence- especially strong, Peer groups – rival influence of parents
Describe schools as an agent of socialization
- Key agent of socialization
- “…schools provide a social environment that is separate from the family, and teachers and schoolmates widen our early learning experiences.” (Mitchell, 68 in Tepperman and Albanese)
- Major dimension for socialization – informal and social elements include social Interaction – student to student, student to teacher
- Political socialization in terms of imparting societal beliefs and values
- Modern society- role of school – more significant -> Common – 5 and under –daycare/preschool
- Participation in society- more technical/scientific knowledge
- Post-secondary education – expectation for many
- However – not all children provided with opportunity for higher education
- Concern – significant inequalities in education pathways – Indigenous/First Nations youth -> Result of: colonization, marginalization and discrimination
- Unequal education patterns/experiences result of institutionalization of classism, racism and sexism.
- Hidden Curriculum: “…implicit messages in education that may not be consciously taught or planned. (Mitchell, 70, in Tepperman and Albanese, 2018) -> Emphasis: on “dominant” societal values and Social hierarchies (class, gender/sexual orientation, race)
Describe mass media as an agent of socialization
- Powerful sourcs– television, computers, newspapers, radio, movies, magazines
- Children these days- expanded media environment than the past i.e. Online: social networking, texting, video on demand, shopping
- Parents – mediating role –consumption/behavior
- Concern – modern day media – too much control over Daily lives/unhealthy behaviours
