Unit 1: Social and Cultural Reproduction Flashcards
Johnson’s definition of culture
the accumulated store of symbols, ideas, and material products associated with a social system
Socialization
the processes whereby individuals attain the behaviors, norms, beliefs, and ideologies that are needed for competent participation in society; how people are taught the norms and values of their group
starts immediately with family (explicit), then school/peer/civic groups
Resocialization
when someone switches environments and has to relearn/adjust their knowledge and behaviors to fit into the new culture
ex: college, military
Cultural Capital
the distinctions that develop between individuals and groups due to differences in access to education, family background, wealth, and occupation, giving them advantages and signifying an individual’s status in a group
ex: “proper” language usage, formal manners, art/theater/music taste
Sociological Imagination
C.W. Mills: the expanding circles of influence that socialize and cultivate individuals ( self <= family <= community <= nation-state <= global)
History & Biography; history to public issues & biography to personal troubles; Personal Troubles & Public Issues
being able to identify these influences can help us address social issues
Nested Analysis
Considers an issue across many levels of analysis from micro (self & small groups) to meso (organizations) to macro (big orgs/institutions/global)
Social Institutions (definition)
Formal system of shared beliefs, behaviors, social norms, and structural components in society that organize main concerns and activities of social life (family, economy, gov/law, education, religion, + health/media)
Discredited Stigma
differentness is known already/evident on the spot
Discreditable Stigma
differentness is unknown and not immediately perceivable
Greek Stigma (og)
term referring to bodily signs that expose something bad about the moral status of the signifier
Christian Stigma (2)
term expanded to also become related to bodily signs of holy grace or physical disorder
3 types of stigmas
physical deformities, character blemishes (weak will, dishonesty, mental illness), and tribal/lineage (race, nation, religion)
Joyless Economy
modern consumer capitalism has turned us all into drug addicts where we constantly seek the dopamine thrill of a new purchase but it fails to satisfy and we try to keep buying more
Five Traditional Institution
Government/Law, Family, Economy, Education, and Religion
2 informal/new institutions
Health and Media
Cultural Reproduction
the social process through which culture is reproduced across generations, especially through the socializing influence of major institutions
the processes by which we reinforce cultural capital and reproduce status traits in children – **schools used to pass along the ideas that support the privileged
Front stage
people you’re trying to impress
Back stage
people on your level/who see more of who you are
Emotional labor
the process by which workers are expected to manage their feelings in accordance with organizationally defined rules and guidelines
Emotional work
the effort involved in manipulating the emotion of oneself and others’ (princessing)
Material culture
material products (burgers, guns, cowboy)
Non-material culture
symbols and ideas (bald eagle, freedom, money)
Four Types of Sociology
Academic, Critical, Policy, and Public
Academic Sociology
Audience: other professionals
Differences: often paid/part of professional requirements
Critical Sociology
Audience: other professionals (towards academics)
Differences: draws heavily on Marxist & other critical theories
Policy Sociology
Audience: policymakers
Differences: often paid for & solicited by govt/NGOs
Public Sociology
Audience: the public
Differences: takes many forms (letters to editors, journals, podcasts, etc)
Dramaturgy
Erving Goffman: term/theory that refers to the way people actively work to manage the impressions they give (which they can control) and the impressions they give off (which they can’t control)
all social interaction is like theater – involves teams, props, scripts, stages
Why? done to match social expectations and/or self-image
Conflict Theory
based on INEQUALITY/class struggle: macro soc theory that conflict is normal and shapes social life
Questions: What causes inequality? How does social change happen?
Marx/Weber; many offshoots (CRT)
Structural Functionalism
based on VALUES/NORMS: macro soc theory that stability is the norm
Questions: How do societies function with competing values? How do social groups instill values?
Durkheim
Agency
the power of an individual to make change in a society
Covid and Impression management
Crisis blurs the lines and redefines the present experience, which changes what’s acceptable (dramaturgy: the stage changes in crisis)
ex: front/back stage blurred in covid => now okay to have messy hair, not wear bras, etc
forced to expose personal life (Zoom), was harder to maintain strict division => more tolerability
covid also caused declines in the self (more stress, less self-care/maintenance, lost things that defined us) => we had to adapt, used memes as outlet
Impression Management
part of Goffman’s Dramaturgy theory; micro level theory and part of symbolic functionalism
trying to maintain a character/front and give (off) impressions to people so they view you a specific way
Symbolic Interactionism
micro level theory that analyzes how human shape each other in one-on-one or small group interactions (small piece of society)
