Module 4

high culture

culture enjoyed mainly by upper classes

popular culture

culture enjoyed by all classes aka mass culture

dominant culture

helps rich and powerful categories of people exercise control over others

subordinate culture

culture that contests dominant culture to varying degrees

cultural appropriation

adoption of elements of a subordinate culture by members of a dominant culture because they are considered fashionable or useful

culture

the shard symbols and their definitions that people create to solve real-life problems

symbols

concrete objects or abstract terms that represent something else

abstraction

ability to create general concepts that meaningfully organize sensory experience

beliefs

statements about what members of a community define as real and accept as true

cooperation

the capacity to create a complex social life by establishing norms and values

human cultural survival kit

composed of abstraction, cooperation, and production`

production

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

material culture

cultures that comprises tools and techniques to accomplish tasks

non material culture

cultural that comprises symbols, norms, and other intangible elements

social organization

orderly arrangement of social interaction

cultural blueprint

for humans, our organized social conduct is rooted in this; understanding, interpreting, and implementing this into coordinated action is key to community survival

folkway

norms that specify social preferences; violating them evokes the least severe punishment because they are the least important norms

mores

core norms that most people believe are essential for survival of their group or society

taboos

the strongest norms; violating this causes revulsion in the community and punishment is severe

laws

norms that are codified and enforced by state

three-step argument in evolutionary psychology

identify a universal trait, explain its survival advantage, and claim its unchangeable

example of a supposed universal human trait

men are more likely than women to want many sexual partners

hardwired behaviour argument

evolutionary psychologists claim sex-specific reproductive strategies are encoded in genes

evolutionary psychology argument

oversimplifies reality, ignores individual variation in sexual identity, preference, and behaviour

sapir whorf thesis

we experience certain things in our environment, form concepts about them, develop language to express our concepts, and that language influences how we see the world

what is culture made of

values, beliefs, knowledge, practices, behaviours, and material objects

nonmaterial culture

intangible world of ideas created by members of a societym

material culture

tangible things created by members of a society

culture is

shared, learned, transmitted, cumulative, evolving, contested

structural functionalists on culture

believe it fulfills a specific function that ensures maintenance of society as a whole, providing order, stability, consensus. and integration

conflict theorists on culture

believe culture is contested, explains existence of inequality, and encourages ideologies and cultural hegemonies

symbolic interactionists on culture

believe culture is symbols and ideas made through interaction; we are actively producing and challenging cultural scripts. elements of culture result from human creativity and choice and we are at liberty to give meaning to things. culture is the outcome of our choices, shaping our social relations

elements of culture

artifacts, beliefs, values & norms, symbols

values

social standards used by a culture to describe goodness and beauty, serving as guidelines for social living

types of norms

folkways, mores, taboos

folkways

informal norms that govern everyday behaviourc

mores

more formalized; institutionalized as rules, regulations, or laws

taboos

so deeply ingrained, the thought or mention is enough to arouse disgust/revulsion

positive and negative sanctions

creates norms

structural functionalists norms

positive and negative sanctions encourage social cohesion and stability

conflict theorists

the norms and sanctions are contested themselves, the powerful make rules, and the less powerful are affected by it

symbolic interactionalists

look at norms as ongoing social accomplishments constantly negotiated in society

symbols

cultural items that take particular meaning in a culture

language

system of symbols that facilitate communication

sociolinguistics

look at language in relation to race, age, gender, and reigon

code switching

when people move from one cultural context to another and fluidly transition their ideas, symbols, and values

nonmaterial culture

implicit values, beliefs, norms

material culture

explicit symbols, language, artifacts

mainstream culture

prevalent beliefs, values, norms, language, artifactssu

subcultures

share cultural elements of mainstream culture, but have different values, and practices

counterculture

rejects conventional values and uses opposing values

high culture

this consumption requires skils and knowledge

popular culture

culture of popular taste, encouraging consumption

dominant culture

“the” culture, and can impose values, language, etc. in a society through economic and political power

subordinate cultures

less powerful groups, controlled by dominant culture without choice

culture shock

surprise of disorientation when experiencing unfamiliar cultural practices

ethocentrism

evaluating other cultures from the perspective of one’s own, supreriority complex; and can be intentional/unintentional x

xenophobia

irrational fear of other culture

reverse ethnocentrism

using a culture other than ones own as the standard by which one culture is evaluated

xenocentrism

preference for a culture other than ones own

cultural relativism

culture and its elements should be viewed and evaluated from the standpoint of that culture itself

rape culture

culture which sexual harassment, slut-shaming, rape, victim blaming are ‘normal’

multiculturalism

government policy promoting culturally diverse communities, strengthening cultural diversification

cultural relativism

all cultures and cultural practices have equal value

rights revolution

socially excluded groups struggle against advantaged groups to win equal rights under the law and in practice

How did cultural diversification increase in preindustrial Western Europe and North America?

The Renaissance, Protestant Reformation, Scientific Revolution, and political revolutions between the 14th and 18th centuries encouraged people to question established norms.

What characterizes postmodern culture?

An eclectic mixing of elements from different times and places, erosion of authority, and decline of consensus around core values.

What is the significance of cultural blending in postmodernism?

It leads to greater tolerance and appreciation of diverse ethnic, racial, and religious groups.

rites of passage

ceremonies marking the transition from one stage of life to another

globalization

formerly separate economies, states, and cultures are tied together and people become aware of their growing interdependence

rationalization

the most efficient way to achieve goals and the unintended consequences of doing so

consumerism

defining ourselves in terms of goods and services we purchase

countercultture

subversive subcultures that oppose dominant culture and seek to replace them

cultural capital

the beliefs, tastes, norms, and value people draw on in their everyday life`

culture jamming

individuals challenging dominant cultural beliefs, tastes, norms, and values