Paper 1 Section A Flashcards
Culture
Whole system of behaviour and beliefs of a society or a group
Values
Beliefs and ideas that society sees as important
Norms
These are expected/normal patterns of behaviour
E.g wearing clothes in public
Hamar tribe study
Has a culture rich in ceremony and ritual
To reach adulthood hamar males must perform a ceremony where they leap onto backs of cattle
Women are whipped before ceremony to prove their devotion to men
Mead study
American sociologist who studied tribal cultures in Samoa and New Guinea
Studied male and female behaviour and gender roles but they differed in different tribes
One tribe all genders were gentle but in another both genders were violent
Roles were opposite to what was a expected in US or UK
Cultural diversity
The differences and variety of cultures found in societies
Intercultural diversity
Diversity seen between cultures
Intracultural diversity
Diversity seen within cultures
Subcultures
A culture within a culture
Smaller grouping of people who share distinctive norms and values within a wider culture
Culture hybridity
Cultures merging
E.g food
Immigrants mix aspects of their parents culture with aspects of British culture
High culture
Refers to products/activities that are seen as a very high status
E.g theatre, opera and ballet
This culture is superior to other forms of culture and is enjoyed by those of a higher social class
Popular culture
Products/activities enjoyed by the majority of the population
E.g watching to, cinema, playing football, reading magazines
Some see this as inferior to high culture known as mass culture
Consumer culture
Revolves around the consumption of goods and activities
E.g shopping is the main focus
People are obsessed with branded goods to try and gain status this is encouraged by the media
Global culture
Growing trend of cultural products and activities becoming universal
E.g brands, food, films and other cultural products are identical across many different countries
This is linked to globalisation
E.g brands such as Microsoft, Nike, Coca Cola are easily recognisable across the world
What is primary socialisation
Children learn norms and values from family in the first 5 years of life
How does a child learn
Imitation, copying, trial and error to learn right and wrong
Parents reward through positive sanctions but if a child misbehaves they receive negative sanctions such as telling off so children know how to behave and become a human
What happenes is primary socialisation does not happen
Unable to interact and socialise with others
Nurture
Upbringing
E.g primary socialisation
Nurture debate examples
Feral children
- Isabel the chicken girl- left in chicken coop since birth expressed emotion by beating arms and drumming feet
- Oxana Malaya- left in kennel with dogs and she adapted a dog like behaviour e.g barking
- Genie- shut in a room on her own has no human interaction until she was 13
Nature debate examples
- twin studies- twins separated at birth lived completely different lifestyles one was raised in Germany another was raised in Caribbean but when met both had similar likes and dislikes, personality and temperament
- Bruce Reiner- Bruce was circumcised and dr money said that Bruce could be raised a girl. Bruce was brought up at feminine and changed name to Brenda. At age 13 Brenda was unhappy and truth was revealed and Brenda decided to live male again
Secondary socialisation
Process of learring how to act outside of the home and family
E.g education, media, religion, workplace, peer group
Secondary socialisation peer groups
Those similar age e.g friends
A child will learn what is acceptable behaviour from peers as they want to conform (fit in)
Peers can be more influential than parents
Hierarchies is when there is a leader of the followers
Peer groups can also cause rebellion
Peer groups examples
Skelton and Francis said that play was gendered
E.g boys dominated the play ground and girl took part in separate activities such as skipping
Sue lees looked at the pressure on teenage girls
Secondary socialisation education
Everyone learns the formal curriculum but sociologists argue we also learn an informal curriculum which is the norms and values learnt at school but outside of lessons e.g sanctions for those who disobey, achievement awards
Teachers are the main influence as the way they interact with children pass on the norms
Education examples
Marxists Bowles and gintis agreed that hidden (informal) curriculum exists
They argue that the education system brainwashes children into obedience and conformity. Pupils are taught to accept their place in society which will then be mirrored in the workplace
Secondary socialisation media
Media has exploded with internet, tv, phones, films
Media represents different groups in different ways e.g women are stereotyped this can affect the way the judge women
A concern is that their is so much violence in media and this can cause crimes
Media has created consumer culture where we are encouraged to buy even if we can’t afford
Media examples
Sociologist Mulvey uses the concept of male gaze. This is where the camera in films eye up female characters to encouatge viewers to see them for their bodies
Sociologist Young says that media is responsible for crimes as it has created a bulimic society meaning those with little money are even hooked on designer brands such as Nike, Gucci
Secondary socialisation religion
Uk society is becoming secular less religious
However many of our laws, morals and values are based on Christian religion
Topics such as homosexuality and abortion are influenced by religious views
Religion examples
Modood and berthoud did a survey and said that 67% of Pakistani saw religion as important compared to 5% of white British
Secondary socialisation workplace
Socialisation for adults known as re socialisation which is when a new set of values are learnt at the job
Can be formal e.g dress code or informal e.g learning what is acceptable
Workplace examples
Waddington 1999 used the term canteen culture which is where people who work somewhere will be socialised to accept particular norms and values e.g language and behaviour in that particular workplace
However canteen culture can lead to labelling and negative stereotypes
What is formal social control
Where our behaviour is controlled through organisations that exist to enforce order
Examples of formal social control
Police
Courts
Criminal justice system
Government
Military
Sanctions from formal social control
Warnings from the police
Sentences in court
Dismissal from work
Exclusion from school
Is formal social control explicit or implicit
Explicit and obvious
It is clear when you receive a sanction through legal means as you go to court
What do functionalists say about formal social control
It’s a good thing as it helps keep a value consensus and ensures that everyone follows the same rules, norms and values
What do Marxists say about formal social control
Believe it is another way for the lower classes to be exploited
What is informal social control
Based on the approval and disapproval of people around us
Examples of informal social control
Peer groups
Education
Religion
Family
Workplace
Media
Examples of sanctions from informal social control
Socially excluding a person from a peer group
Being pushed out of a religion group
Disappointed reactions from parents
Is informal social control explicit or implicit
Implicit and less obvious
However just as powerful as it is what you come into contact with every day therefore shapes you as a person more
What is identity
How you view yourself and how other view you
How is identity formed
Family
Peers
Education
Media
Religion
Workplace
How do aspects of identity vary
Vary between different people for example sexuality may be more important for someone who is homosexual than someone who is heterosexual
What is a hybrid identity
Cross between two or more things
Example of a hybrid identity
An individual may have a British identity but also a Muslim therefore identity is a hybrid of both British and Asian ethnicity
Hybrid identities
What did Nayak 2003 say
Used the term white wannabes who are white British males who dress, act and speak in a way that is influenced by black hip hop culture
What is ethnic identity
How you see what ethnicity you are and how others view this
What did Gilroy look at in terms of ethnicity
Looked at identity of young black people and said that they shared experimental of racism and powerlessness
He said this means they create their own identity which links to Black Atlantic showing its not rooted in UK