Paper 1 - 6 markers Flashcards
high culture (Paper 2019)
Linked to elite, upper class society- ascribed status position.
Very small proportion of society can access high culture as you need to be economically and socially connected - ‘social closure’
One example of an activity linked to this would be polo. In order to be a member of a polo club you need to have economic and social capital. - This is discussed by John Scott.
Another example of an activity linked to this could be the opera at the theatre. Bourdieu would suggest that children who have access to the theatre would have increased cultural capital
Consumer culture (Paper 2022)
Related to what we buy/consume in society. People often portray a sense of identity through what they buy/wear.
The UK and Western Societies have growing and large consumer cultures.
On example of this affecting identity is portrayed by Saunders. He suggests the media targets middle age as they are the group with the highest disposable income and they often define their identity by what they own and show this off. This is known as conspicuous consumption.
Another example of this is shown by Lury who argues that there were several features and examples of the existence of consumer culture such as the idea that different forms of shopping are now available, large shopping centres and also internet shopping have become a lot more popular.
Popular culture (Paper 2017)
Can be seen as the opposite to high culture as it is associated with shallow activities that can be accessed by the masses through the media.
This can sometimes take an idea from high culture and popularises it (Burberry).
One example of something that has become popular culture would be conspicuous consumption. Saunders suggested that those who satisfy their needs through personal ownership are influenced heavily by advertising and the media. The media targets the middle classes as they are a group with a high disposable income and they often define their identity by what they own.
Another example of something that has become this would be theatre. With programmes on TV that have looked to find new theatre stars the media has made the theatre interesting and accessible to the masses.
social class identity (Paper 2016)
This is a system of stratification which places people in different positions in society. This can be determined by many different factors and there are different classifications of what this actually is.
In the UK we categorise this identity by peoples occupations which are broken down into working, middle and upper class identity.
An example of this identity is working class. A working class identity is based on community, traditional gender roles, manual work and immediate gratification. Willis found that for the ‘lads’ and their fathers who came from working class backgrounds, their jobs were a key source of identity. They defined themselves as manual workers and membership to this occupation was the key defining feature of their middle aged identities.
Another example of a this identity would be upper class. An upper class identity is based on social closure, a concentration of wealth, a culture of privilege, an old boy network, an ascribed status and economic, social and cultural.
Gender identities
Gender identity refers to the cultural classification of people as masculine and feminine. Gender identities are socially constructed as they are different in different societies and can change over time. An example for gender identity would be masculinity. in the UK hegemonic masculinity refers to the traditional form of masculinity which Connell described as being associated with characteristics such as aggression, dominance and heterosexuality. Another example of a gender identity is pangender, bigender, transgender or non-binary. transgender is the transformation to the opposite gender.
Sexuality
Sexuality can be defined as an individuals preferences in sexual partners. There are different types of sexualities in society, including heterosexuality and homosexuality. it can also be referred to your sexual feelings, thoughts, attractions and behaviours towards others. An example of a sexuality is gay, bisexual, pansexual and heterosexual. Another example for …
Masculine Identities
A type of gender identity which is not only associated with sex which is biologically determined but the sense of belonging and the particular roles that are associated with being a man. it is socially constructed and shaped by society. the behaviours associated with masculinity are taught to boys through the process of socialisation and these behaviours can differ in other societies and change over time. An example of a masculine identity is hegemonic as discussed by Oakley who states that we are socialised into hegemonic roles through the processes manipulation, canalisation, verbal appellations and domestic activities. this is the dominant form of masculinity in Western society. Another example of masculine identity is the new man as discussed by Mort who takes more time, effort and money over their appearance than those adopting hegemonic norms. this is also used to describe how in contemporary society men are more interested in their appearance and are more domesticated.
Feminine Identities
A type of gender identity which is not only associated with sex which is biologically determined but the particular roles that are associated with being a women. it is socially constructed and shaped by society. the behaviours associated with femininity are taught to girls through the process of socialisation and these behaviours can differ in other societies and change over time. An example of feminine identities is hegemonic as discussed by Oakley who states that we are socialised into hegemonic roles the processes gentle, kind, white, heterosexual and child - bearing. This is the dominant form of femininity in Western Society. Another example of feminine identity is the Ladette as discussed by Jackson who focuses on the feminine identity that young women behave in an unmannered and heaving drinking. this is also used to reinforce how in women contemporary society are more interested in having fun and partying.
Ethnic groups
an ethnic groups is a group of people who share the same culture, language and traditions. the ethnic groups are made up of a community of people who have common ancestry and history. One example would be the hispanic community who share the same language that is spanish and cultural traditions, like the fiestas. Another example is are the zulu people, this ethnic groups is from South Africa and they share the same language, customs and traditions.
Ethnic Identity (Paper 2019)
refers to identities based around people’s ethnic and cultural background. this would include things such as religion, language, and country of origin, customs, beliefs, norms, values, food, dress and music. An example of an ethnic identity would be Asian. Ghuman found that this group shred values such as obedience and respect for elders and spoke languages such as Urdu, Gujarati and hindi. Another example would be Black Afro Caribbean. Sewell found that this group followed rap role models in the media and held values such as conspicuous consumption and a rejection of education. They had higher rates of one parent families.
Nationality
nationality is where a person is born or holds a citizenship. nationality is socially constructed and is the legal relationship between an individual and a nation, this is often shown by a passport or official documents. One example for this is a person from Canada would have a canadian Nationality, another example is a person from Japan would have a Japanese nationality.
Global culture (Paper 2023)
global culture is socially constructed. it is where we are all socially, politically and economically interconnected. Global culture has become homogenous. One example would be the western fast food place McDonald’s, it has opened many places around the world and everyone can eat the same food, anywhere in the world like a global village which the sociologist McLuhan Stated. Another example is that our phones can contact anyone in the world regardless of the distance of the time.
Cultural diversity (Paper 2018) (Paper 2014)
Cultural diversity is about appreciating that society is made up of many skills and talents. this allows us to understand the different religions, beliefs and sexual orientations to you. For example in china town you can find chinese culture and will not be clashing or emerging with other cultures. Another example would be traditional food, they are globalised but cannot be changed which makes them authentic and traditional.
Multiculturalism/Cultural hybridity
cultural hybridity is linked to the globalisation process, which as we saw earlier refers to the spread of western ideas and culture. its where two cultures are combined, new different forms of culture emerge. One example of cultural hybridity is in india due to religious restrictions on eating beef, the maharaja mac is a Mcdonald’s big Mac made with chicken or veggie patty. Another example would be Martial arts films in united states that have been adapted traditional Asian cultural elements.
Age Identities
One way age can be defined is chronologically. As people get older they take on different roles and their social status increases. Age can also be defined in life stages. people pass through three main life stages. Youth, middle and old age at each stage individuals adopt different roles and statues. An example of an age identity is that youth is associated with people from age 12 to 25 years old, this group share a transitional stage of their life where they go through a rite of passage, a ritual which accompanies the changes of status that occur in the course of the life cycle, e.g birthdays and marriage ceremony. Another example of an age identity is middle age. This is characterised as a stage of career and family where people are often responsible for caring for children and older members of the family, they have a ‘dual burden’.
Youth
the youth is a period of life between childhood and adulthood, typically associated with adolescence, where individuals experience physical, emotional and social development. A young person, who is not yet an adult and often characterised by energy, enthusiasm and a time for learning and growth. One example for this would be a 15 year old, high school student who enjoys playing sport and spending time with friends. Another example would be a group of young volunteers helping to clean up a park in their neighbourhood.
Middle Age
A distinct period from young adult-hood to old age, generally linked to those in their forties and fifties. A socially constructed identity as it has changed over time and exists differently in other cultures. One example of middle age identity was portrayed by Brannen. He suggested that middle is a pivot generation as it is a time when they shoulder many caring responsibilities. not only are they caring for children, but also for elderly parents and they therefore suffer a dual burden. Another example of a middle age identity was shown by saunders who suggests that middle age identity is related closely to consumption. The media targets middle age as they are the group with the highest disposable income and they often define their identity by what they own, he called this conspicuous consumption.
Old Age
the old age is a later stage in life that is associated with elderly, when people experience physical and sometimes mental changes due to aging. The old age is the period of life after middle age and can be defined as retirement, reduced physical ability and increased life experience. For example a 75 year old retiree, who enjoys gardening and spending time with grand children. Another example would be an elderly person living in a retirement home, participating in activities such as reading and knitting.
Subculture
A smaller group within a large one or a minority of a majority culture. Groups of young people who do not follow the same norms and values as each other. They differ in terms of fashion, music, leisure interests and behaviour. An example of a subculture was suggested by Tony Sewell. He suggested that young African Caribbean males formed an anti-school subculture based on going against the norms and values of the school. Another example of a subculture was suggested by McRobbie and Garber. They suggested that young girls formed a ‘bedroom culture’ as they socialised in their bedrooms and followed the cult of femininity portrayed by the media.
Disability (Paper 2023)
Disability is a physical or mental condition that limits a person’s ability to perform certain tasks or activities. Disability is also a condition that may affect a person’s ability to move, see, hear or think in a typical way. For example a person who uses a wheelchair to move around due to a spine injury. Another example would be a person who has difficulty reading and writing because of dyslexia.
Nature
Nature refers to the idea that social behaviour is biological or innate. Some believe that certain innate traits are biologically determined due to our genes and biological make up.
An example of behaviour which is a result of nature could be sleeping, for example there are case studies of feral children, who, despite lacking nurture still naturally required sleep in order to survive. Another example of a behaviour which is due to nature could be blinking. we need to do this in order to keep our eyes moist to protect our eyes and our sight.
Nurture
nurture refers to the idea that social behaviour is socially constructed. some believe primary socialisation determines are basic skills and normal human activities. For example there has been several case studies of feral children that had been neglected or raised by a non-human. Genie was neglected for 13 years of her life, as a result she missed her chance of learning to talk which sows just how important it is to have primary socialisation. we humans also require love and sympathy as well as feral children.
Primary Socialisation
Primary Socialisation is the process by which we learn norms, values and behaviour appropriate to our society. Primary Socialisation is through the agents of the family. One example would be learning to walk with two legs, cases of wild children portray that if we don’t have a human raising’s us up we would lack the basic things. Another example would be speaking, if you don’t have your care giver speaking to you how would you learn the basics.
Secondary Socialisation
Socialisation is the process by which we learn norms, values and behaviour appropriate to out society. Secondary socialisation is the way this behaviour is learned through agents other than the family such as the media, education, peer group, work and religion. An example of behaviour learned through secondary socialisation could be norms and values such as punctuality, hard work and obedience. these are transmitted through education and the hidden curriculum as discussed by Bourdieu. Another example of behaviours learned through socialisation is smoking and drinking. These behaviours may be learnt through the peer group and processes of social control such as peer pressure.
Formal Social Control (Paper 2021)
Formal social control is used to reinforce society’s norms and values to individuals via the agents of socialisation, e.g police and government. For example when Covid was spreading rapidly the government issued official laws, rules to keep everyone safe. e.g do not leave the house or social distancing.
Another example would be that the police use deliberate instructions to keep people aware and protected, e.g do not go over the limit on the motorway.
Informal Social Control
informal social control is used to reinforce society’s norms and values to individuals via the agents of socialisation. informal social control refers to reinforces mechanisms that are associated with the more informal agents of socialisms with the media and peer groups. An example of informal social control would be peer pressure. the peer group may put pressure on an individual to behave in a way that may go against society’s norms and values; this is normally associated with youth culture. Another example of informal social control would be role models. the media reinforces hegemonic gender individuals by displaying role models to follow.
Norms (Paper 2018) (Paper 2015)
Norms and unwritten rules which guide our behaviour in society. They are based on values. Norms are socially constructed - they are relative meaning they are not fixed and are therefore different in different societies and they change over time. They taught through the agents of Socialisation. One example of a norm is eating with a knife and fork. This is a norm in the UK but not in all countries and cultures. Another example of norms could be those which relate to your gender. it is a norm for a girl to wear a skirt but if a boy did this they would be seen as deviant. This is discussed by Oakley who discusses how the family socialises us into gender norms and behaviour.
Values (Paper 2020)
Values are what we believe to be the correct type of behaviour to display with in a social context. These are our internal thoughts that influence the behaviour we portray. One example of a value would be to be clean. this would be viewed as having self respect for yourself. for religious reasons e.g before prayer. Another example would be to respect your elders this is seen as respecting those who raised you.
Status
the status of parent, child and siblings. this can also be the rank or position that someone holds. our roles create our status; your position in society. For example achieved statuses this is status that has come with effort. Another example is Ascribed status which is status you are born into and they are chosen like the royal family.
Roles
A role is a part you play in society. People may have more than one role at the same time each role has a set of norms or patterns of behaviour attached. These may be different in different societies or change over time. One example of a role could be that of teacher, where staff are expected to be professional, safeguard students, plan lessons, attend meetings and help students to develop. Roles may also be different for different genders. For example, the female role is traditionally seen as being that of mother and housewife, whereas the male role is seen as being the breadwinner or provider. This us discussed by Parsons who discusses how the family socialises us into hegemonic gender roles.
Culture (Paper 2016)
Culture consists of beliefs, systems of language, communication and practices that people share in common, that is used to define them. For example culture would be the clothing, one culture could be spectacular culture where there was a goths who are typically from middle class that wear all black. These are outcasts of society. Another example would be the popular culture which is the opposite where everything is done by most of the people in society, it comes from the high culture and made into something cheaper that the wider population can afford to consume.
identity (Paper 2020)
Identity refers to a sense of self. it is how individuals see them selves and how they are seen by others. identities are formed around belonging to different groups in society and are encouraged by the agents of socialisation. An example of an identity is your gender identity. This is the norms associated with acting masculine or feminine. for example in british society girls are encouraged to be kind and caring and boys are encouraged to be tough and aggressive. Another example of an identity is an ethnic identity. this refers to a person’s shared cultural heritage and includes language, traditions, celebrations and a shred history. some ethnic identities that exist in the UK are Nepalese, Black and Chinese.
