Chapter 2:Chapter 2:CultureCulture

Melanie HatfieldMelanie Hatfield

Soc 100Soc 100

CultureCulture refers to all the ideas, refers to all the ideas, practices, and material objects that practices, and material objects that people create to deal with real-life people create to deal with real-life problems.problems.

High cultureHigh culture is culture consumed by is culture consumed by upper classes.upper classes.

Popular Popular oror Mass culture Mass culture is culture is culture consumed by all classes.consumed by all classes.

Shared culture is Shared culture is sociallysocially transmitted through a society. transmitted through a society.

CultureCulture

CultureCulture

Three main tools in human cultural Three main tools in human cultural survival kits:survival kits:

Abstraction Abstraction CooperationCooperation ProductionProduction

AbstractionAbstraction

Abstraction: the capacity to create Abstraction: the capacity to create general ideas or ways of thinking that general ideas or ways of thinking that are not linked to particular instances.are not linked to particular instances.

Symbols are one important type of Symbols are one important type of idea. idea. They are things that carry out particular They are things that carry out particular

meanings.meanings. Languages, mathematical notations, signsLanguages, mathematical notations, signs

CooperationCooperation

Cooperation: the capacity to create a Cooperation: the capacity to create a complex social life by establishing norms, complex social life by establishing norms, or generally accepted ways of doing things.or generally accepted ways of doing things.

As people cooperate, they generally come As people cooperate, they generally come to accept certain common values, or ideas to accept certain common values, or ideas about what is right and wrong, good and about what is right and wrong, good and bad, beautiful and ugly.bad, beautiful and ugly.

By analyzing people’s values, we can learn By analyzing people’s values, we can learn much about what distinguishes one culture much about what distinguishes one culture from another.from another.

ProductionProduction

Production: the human capacity to Production: the human capacity to make and use the tools that improve make and use the tools that improve our ability to take what we want from our ability to take what we want from nature.nature.

Such tools and techniques are known Such tools and techniques are known as material culture because they are as material culture because they are tangible, whereas the symbols, tangible, whereas the symbols, norms, values, and other elements of norms, values, and other elements of nonmaterial culture are not tangible.nonmaterial culture are not tangible.

Building Blocks of Culture: Building Blocks of Culture: Cultural ActivitiesCultural Activities

  Ideas Ideas NormsNorms Material Material CultureCulture

MedicineMedicine TheoriesTheories ExperimeExperimentsnts

TreatmeTreatmentsnts

LawLaw ValuesValues LawsLaws Courts, Courts, JailJail

ReligionReligion Religious Religious FolkloreFolklore

Religious Religious CustomsCustoms

Church Church ArtArt

Three Types of NormsThree Types of Norms

Folkways: A relatively unimportant Folkways: A relatively unimportant norm that many people prefer to norm that many people prefer to uphold.uphold.

More: A core norm that most people More: A core norm that most people believe must be upheld.believe must be upheld.

Taboo: The strongest and most Taboo: The strongest and most central norms.central norms.

Sanctions and Social Sanctions and Social ControlControl

Sanctions: Rewards and Sanctions: Rewards and punishments composed of symbols, punishments composed of symbols, norms, and other nontangible norms, and other nontangible elements of culture.elements of culture.

Social Control: The system of Social Control: The system of sanctions used to ensure conformity sanctions used to ensure conformity to cultural guidelines.to cultural guidelines.

Culture is often invisible because Culture is often invisible because people tend to take their own culture people tend to take their own culture for granted, yet people tend to be for granted, yet people tend to be startled when confronted by other startled when confronted by other cultures. cultures.

EthnocentrismEthnocentrism is judging another is judging another culture exclusively by the standards of culture exclusively by the standards of one’s own culture (i.e. Western views of one’s own culture (i.e. Western views of cow worship among Hindu peasants in cow worship among Hindu peasants in India). India).

CultureCulture

Culture has two faces:Culture has two faces:

Culture provides us with an Culture provides us with an opportunity to exercise our opportunity to exercise our freedomfreedom..

Culture also Culture also constrainsconstrains us. us.

Cultural DiversityCultural Diversity

American society is undergoing American society is undergoing rapid cultural diversification, partly rapid cultural diversification, partly due to a high rate of immigration, due to a high rate of immigration, which is evident in every aspect of which is evident in every aspect of life. life.

This is giving us a greater diversity This is giving us a greater diversity of culture from which we are able to of culture from which we are able to choose.choose.

MulticulturismMulticulturism MulticulturismMulticulturism: The view that curricula of : The view that curricula of

America’s public schools and colleges should America’s public schools and colleges should reflect the country’s ethnic and racial diversity reflect the country’s ethnic and racial diversity and recognize the equality of all cultures.and recognize the equality of all cultures.

Three criticisms of Three criticisms of multiculturalismmulticulturalism:: Belief that multicultural education hurts minority Belief that multicultural education hurts minority

students by forcing them to spend too much time on students by forcing them to spend too much time on noncore subjects.noncore subjects.

Belief that multicultural education causes political Belief that multicultural education causes political disunity and results in more interethnic and disunity and results in more interethnic and interracial conflict.interracial conflict.

Complaint that multiculturalism encourages the Complaint that multiculturalism encourages the growth of growth of cultural relativismcultural relativism. .

The Rights Revolution: The The Rights Revolution: The Roots of Cultural Diversity and Roots of Cultural Diversity and

MulticulturismMulticulturism Social Life is an ongoing struggle between Social Life is an ongoing struggle between

more and less advantaged groups.more and less advantaged groups. The Rights Revolution is the process by which The Rights Revolution is the process by which

socially excluded groups have struggled to win socially excluded groups have struggled to win equal rights under the law and in practice equal rights under the law and in practice since the 1960s.since the 1960s.

It affects our culture by:It affects our culture by: Legitimizing the grievances of groups that were Legitimizing the grievances of groups that were

formally excluded from full social participation and formally excluded from full social participation and Renewing their pride in their identity and heritage.Renewing their pride in their identity and heritage.

From Diversity to From Diversity to Globalization Globalization

The pace of cultural fragmentation is The pace of cultural fragmentation is quickening today in the postindustrial quickening today in the postindustrial era as a result of globalization.era as a result of globalization.

Roots of globalization:Roots of globalization: Expansion of international trade and Expansion of international trade and

investment.investment. Migration and sustained contact among Migration and sustained contact among

different racial and ethnic groups.different racial and ethnic groups. Transnational organizations are Transnational organizations are

multiplying.multiplying. Globalization of mass media.Globalization of mass media.

Postmodernism CulturePostmodernism Culture

Involves:Involves: An eclectic mixing of elements from An eclectic mixing of elements from

different times and places.different times and places. The erosion of authority.The erosion of authority. The decline of consensus around some The decline of consensus around some

core values. core values.

Blending CulturesBlending Cultures

In the postmodern era, it is easier to In the postmodern era, it is easier to create individualized belief systems create individualized belief systems and practices by blending aspects and practices by blending aspects from different cultures and historical from different cultures and historical periods.periods.

Unconventional Beliefs Among Unconventional Beliefs Among Christian Fundamentalists, Christian Fundamentalists,

United StatesUnited States

Erosion of AuthorityErosion of Authority

Half a century ago, Americans were Half a century ago, Americans were more likely than they are today to more likely than they are today to defer to authority in the family, defer to authority in the family, schools, politics, and medicine. schools, politics, and medicine.

Authorities who were once widely Authorities who were once widely respected, such as parents, respected, such as parents, physicians, and politicians have physicians, and politicians have come to be held in lower regard by come to be held in lower regard by many people.many people.

Instability of Core Instability of Core American ValuesAmerican Values

Many Americans have many of the Many Americans have many of the same values they have had for years, same values they have had for years, while others have weakened.while others have weakened.

Value instability has become larger Value instability has become larger in voting patterns.in voting patterns.

Today, people are more likely to vote Today, people are more likely to vote for different parties in succeeding for different parties in succeeding elections than they were in 1950, elections than they were in 1950, though party loyalty and though party loyalty and identification remain significant.identification remain significant.

Cultural ConstraintsCultural Constraints

Many core American values have not Many core American values have not weakened.weakened.

Those persistent values act as Those persistent values act as enduring cultural constraints on our enduring cultural constraints on our lives.lives. Value change Value change The regulation of timeThe regulation of time RationalizationRationalization

ConsumerismConsumerism

Consumerism: the tendency to Consumerism: the tendency to define ourselves in terms of the define ourselves in terms of the goods and services we purchase.goods and services we purchase.

We are motivated by advertising, We are motivated by advertising, believing that we will be cultural believing that we will be cultural outcasts of we fail to conform to outcasts of we fail to conform to stylish trends.stylish trends.

CounterculturesCountercultures

Countercultures are subversive Countercultures are subversive cultures. They oppose dominant cultures. They oppose dominant values and seek to replace them.values and seek to replace them.

The Sociological The Sociological CompassCompass