Society and Culture: The Interpretive Dynamic of Society and The Aspects of Culture

A set of question-and-answer flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on society and culture.

What is society as a concept according to the notes?

An ideal type used to depict the form, process, and dynamics of social reality; a tool to grasp the complexity of the phenomenon.

How is society described as a facility in the notes?

A large group of people living in the same territory, relatively independent from outsiders, and sharing a common culture.

Why is the facility definition of society considered limited?

Because it belittles interaction, may overlook interpretative sociology, sees society as just an outcome of interactions, and implies society exists only when people interact.

What is the first major limitation of defining society as a facility?

It belittles the most important component of the phenomenon—interaction.

What is the second major limitation of the facility definition?

The interpretative tradition of sociology may provide a more coherent definition of society.

What does the third limitation say about society?

Society is seen as an outcome of multiple interactions whose subsequent interactions are made meaningful.

What does the fourth limitation imply about the existence of society?

Society exists if there are people interacting and their interactions constitute the process that defines society.

What are the twin concepts that shape people in a society?

Social Forces and Social Facts.

Define Social Forces.

A consensus among a sufficient number of members to bring about social action or change; leads to fundamental types of association and group relationships.

Define Social Facts.

Anything that restricts the activity of the individual from outside (e.g., religion influencing or restricting actions).

What are the three omni-attributes in the 'Society as a Deity' concept?

Omnipotence (all-powerful), Omniscience (all-knowing), Omnipresence (everywhere).

In the analogy of society to a god, what does 'All-Powerful' signify?

Society's agents occupy and control all influential positions in its domain.

In the analogy of society to a god, what does 'All-knowing' signify?

Its library creates, collects, stores, retrieves, and manipulates human memories.

In the analogy of society to a god, what does 'Everywhere' signify?

Its spies are present in the four corners of its territory.

What is 'Society as a Fact' about?

The all-powerful machinery and armory of social control; the phenomena scientists use to understand society.

Give an example of 'All-powerful' elements under Society as a Fact.

Laws, norms, values, beliefs systems, religion, education.

Give examples of 'All-knowing' elements under Society as a Fact.

Language, symbols, arts, science.

Give examples of 'Everywhere' agents under Society as a Fact.

Family, peers, school, church, government (socialization agents).

What does Structural Functionalism emphasize?

Social order; society as a system with parts that have functions; interdependence maintains the whole.

What does Conflict Theory emphasize?

Society as an arena where social actors compete for resources; conflict can be positive and drive change.

What does Symbolic Interactionism emphasize?

Meaning-making through everyday interactions; focuses on how order or conflict arises from micro-level processes.

What is the note about Structural Functionalism versus Conflict Theory?

Functionalism shows how large structures fit together; Conflict Theory explains sources of inequality and conflict.

How are culture and society related according to the notes?

A society is an organized group of individuals; a culture is an organized group of learned responses; society cannot exist apart from culture; a society is made of people and their groupings.

What are the key components of culture as discussed?

The Complex Whole; the What (content) and the How (transmission processes); The Why (reasons for compliance) in sociology.

In anthropology, what does 'the what' refer to?

The content of the culture.

In sociology, what does 'the why' refer to?

The reasons for compliance and mechanisms that facilitate performance.

What does 'the How' refer to in the context of culture?

The processes that guarantee the transmission of the contents of culture.

What are the learning processes that shape culture?

Socialization and enculturation (learning through everyday interactions); conformity; social control.

What is enculturation?

The gradual acquisition of the characteristics and norms of a culture by a person or group.

What examples are given for cross-cultural experiences?

Culture shock and tri-cultural shock.

List some general characteristics of culture.

Culture is social; varies across cultures; shared and learned; transmitted among members; continuous and accumulative; defines myths/legends and the supernatural; provides behavioral patterns.

What is ethnocentrism?

The tendency to place one's own culture patterns at the center and to evaluate other cultures against it, often as inferior.

What is cultural relativism?

The idea that norms, beliefs, and values depend on their cultural context and should be evaluated within that context.

What is xenocentrism?

A preference for foreign cultures.

What is xenophobia?

The fear of what is perceived as foreign or strange.

Who tends to have the most power in terms of resources?

The person who attains the most resources.

What is one way culture is transmitted and reinforced in daily life?

Actions, language, and shared norms learned through socialization and enculturation.

What is conformity and how does it affect culture?

Actions of individuals become routinized and institutionalized in institutions like family, church, school, and government, eventually becoming habits.

What is social control?

The regulation of conformity or its absence through rewards and punishments.