Studied by 33 people
What is Culture?
shared symbols and their meaning
encourages us to interpret the meaning of the structure
ex. middle finger is one or “fuck u”
How do we observe culture?
obvious when the assigned meaning is contrasted
why we can see something we disagree with as ideology
if common sense, human nature or self-evident then its probs culture
What is dominant culture?
the overarching system of meaning that authorizes and justifies the existing structure (including existing social inequalities)
What is subordinate culture?
System of meaning that contests the dominant cultured
What are the dominant and subordinate cultures of pre-modernity?
Dominant: divine right of kings
Subordinate: human beings are fundamentally equal in God’s eyes
What are the dominant and subordinate cultures of modernity in the West?
Dominant: the grind
Subordinate: anti the grind
What are the dominant and subordinate cultures of Modernity in the USSR?
dominant: capitalist economies are detrimental to human flourishing
subordinate: challenges the political legitimacy of the communist regimes
What are the dominant and subordinate cultures of postmodernity?
considerable cultural fragmentation, no societal-level agreement on meaning of experiences and events
what is cultural fragmentation?
the meanings associated with objects are eroded
What is cultural consensus?
assignment of the same meanings to the same objects
Pre-modernity vs modernity vs post modernity?
Pre-modernity: same sermon form same pastor
Modernity: three tv stations
Post modernity: individual instagram feeds from everyone
What is settled culture?
structure and culture are mutually reinforcing
culture takes form of traditions and common sense
culture has a weak direct effect on individual behaviour and is in the background
allow for easy social reproduction
Swindler’s theory
What is unsettled culture?
structure is out-of-sync with existing traditions
culture takes the form of novel ideology
culture propels people to act in ways against their habits and traditions
What does Swindler apply the theory of settled/ unsettled times to?
revolutionary historic change
Decision to divorce or stay married
What were the settled times of pre-revolutionary medieval Europe?
strict boundaries between royalty vs. common people
Culture: divine right of kings supported by religious doctrine
What were the unsettled times of the french revolution?
existing structure no longer supports social reproduction for the common people
indebted monarchy raise taxes and common people struggle
What are the settled and unsettled times of marriage?
settled: daily routines, no thought on the meaning of the marriage'
unsettled: routine doesnt help relationship and leads to unhappiness. unhappiness leads to contemplation
What is the culture that merits divorce and saving the marriage?
divorce: “i deserve to be happy” “we don’t love each other anymore”
save it: “marriage is hard work” “everyone has rough patches”
What do settled and unsettled times determine?
the intensity of peoples engagement with culture
Cultures impact on behaviour and social reproduction/change
*people can hold beliefs without acting on them*
Unsettled times vs. unsettled lives
times: existing relationship between structure and culture no longer function, people no longer rely on tradition and routine, engagement with new ideas lead to social change
lives: habits and routines no longer function, engagement with different cultural narratives leads to different decision, change in ones life
How are culture and agency connected?
constricts things we think of as possible behaviours
ex. showing up to class naked is not seen as an option when getting dressed
Whether or not you attach yourself to one meaning or another that affects what you’ll see as possible options
What is socialization?
the process through which culture is internalized
transfer of socially meaningful knowledge from one group that already has those values to another
Socialization of chimpanzee?
tried to socialize baby chimpanzee into family, raised with human son, instead son was socialized as a chimpanzee
Nature vs. nurture
think of as continuum
nature is biological determinism
nurture is empiricism
What is biological determinism?
genetics and the biological systems
they produce imbued individuals with particular qualities: temperament, intelligence, behaviour, etc
What is empiricism?
people experience’s account for the way they develop
Why can’t we test nature vs. nurture empiracally?
ethical reasons
the difference is confounded in the wild
genetics and socializations are also confounded experiences
Confounded meaning?
both are involved and you can not disentangle the effect of one from the other
Why is the difference between nature vs nurture difficult?
the same trait may be understood differently depending on the social context (ex. bar fight vs football)
all traits require some level of nurture
human beings are radically open to nurture
even behaviours seen as human require socialization (walking on two legs, speaking languages)
Explicit socialization vs implicit socialization?
explicit: purposeful, declarative instruction of knowledge
Implicit: automatic, unconscious transmission of social knowledge
What is primary socialization?
process of acquiring the basic skills needed to function in society during childhood
consists of:
languages
rules of social interaction
sense of self
How does media socialize people (what do animals do all day ex)?
animal species and job are related variables
information about species leads to categories of employment
teaches that when lower class people get higher skilled or higher authority jobs they fail
What is gender socialization?
the process of learning and internalizing gender differentiation
ex. talk more to female babies, rougher with male babies, colours of toys
What is gender essentialism?
the idea that differences between men and women are biologically based
this is confounded by gender socialization
What is secondary socialization?
explicit and implicit socialization that occurs outside the context of the childs primary socialization environment
two sources of social knowledge: authority figures, peer groups
What is peer group socialization?
peers engage with social knowledge received from primary socialization, here they can challenge and reject it, can result in deviant behaviour
how is socialization and culture linked?
socialization is the process by which culture is concretized at the level of in the individual
what is social interaction?
the micro-level encounters between individuals
responsible for early socialization
always involved in socialization
the smallest unit in sociology
how is social interaction linked to other aspects of society
socialization is a mechanism that explains agency
culture gets internalized
What does G.H Mead say about the development of the self?
“The Self, as that which can be an object to itself, it is essentially a social structure, and it arises in social experience”
4 stages of social development
What is the first stage of social development?
imitation (infancy and toddlerhood)
ex. parent sticks out their tongue → baby sticks out their tongue
don’t need to understand language for this
What is the second stage of social development?
role-playing (pre-school)
child takes on the role of the other during play
“playing doctor,” “playing house”
children role play what they witness
this play is essential for the development of socially mature adults
What is third stage of social development?
simultaneous appreciation of multiple roles (school age)
team sports, board games
kids develop the ability to predict others experiences
What is fourth stage of social development?
internalization of the generalized other (maturity)
become socially mature
no need to think consciously about what their behaviour looks like to others
What is the generalized other?
The organized community or social group which gives to the individual his unit of self.
Attitudes of the generalized other are the attitudes of the whole community
(attitudes depend on the society they’re embedded in)
How do Games and play affect the development of self (Mead)?
provide a space for kids to practice taking the position of the other
position-taking is explicit so it’s not incorporating the other into one’s own personality
What is social interaction and the “self”?
social interaction → development within one’s self of an implicit appreciation of the orientation of society towards one’s self
doesn’t mean someone will always coform but if they don’t conform they are aware of it
the generalized other
What does Erving Goffman say?
social interaction amounts to a relationship between individuals who take on roles in particular settings
ex. doctor-patient
What is a role?
prescribed ways of interacting that are conditioned by a particularly social time and space
ex. teacher, student, etc
social interaction occurs as much between people and roles
existence of roles becomes clear when they do not fit into the role
must have defined front and back stages
What is the sick role?
role people adopt when ill, nonparticipant in public life, withdraw from responsibility while still seen as worthy of resources
What are the two components of a role?
appearance (uniform)
manner (how they carry themselves)
What is setting?
human interaction is conditioned by the character of the space in which it takes place
What is frontstage?
activities involve the coordination of roles to present a certain kind of interactive experience to the audience
ex. front of restaurant
must be defined for roles
What is backstage?
also a setting with roles, actors coordinate to produce the situation of the front stage
ex. back of the restaurant
must be defined for roles
What is social structure?
relatively stable patterns of social relations/interactions
influences behaviour by making it easy to fit and difficult to deviate from the structure (bypasses subjectivity)
why people conform to things they don’t agree with in postmodern society
social structure vs individual choice
structure has a larger impact on our life outcomes than our individual choices
ex. when dating its now easier to use an app even if u don’t want to
What are the three levels of social structure?
microstructure, macrostructure, global structure
What is microstructure?
patterns of relatively intimate social relations formed during face-to-face interactions
ex. friends, family
What is macrostructure?
overarching patterns of social relations that lie outside and above a person’s circle of intimate acquaintances
ex. university of manitoba
What is global structure?
patterns of social relations that lie outside and above the national level
ex. global economy
What are networks?
a set of social individuals that are linked by communication
describes social structure
ex. economic exchange, friendship
What is a node?
an individual point of contact
ex. individuals, organizations, countries
mostly microstructures
What is a dyad?
a social relationship between two nodes
most basic unit of network structure
takes two to make but only one to die
ex. best friends
What is a triad?
a social relationship between three nodes
What do you need to know for network analysis?
1. number of nodes
2. number of connections
3. centrality
measure relative number of connections enjoyed by each node
4. path distance
number of connections to go through to get from one node to another
What is network analysis?
reveals the objective structure of a social group without necessitating any analysis of the content of interaction
how does the environment affect network composition?
objective organization of the built environment influences the structure of social networks
ex. cubicle vs open office
What is social capital?
networks or connections that people have that can be accessed or deployed for social gain
about the quality of connections
increased network centrality = increased social capital
What is the strength of Weak ties?
study in connections and finding a job
DV: time to find a job
People with weak ties are more likely to be hired
What is the relationship between structural position and having good ideas?
managers constrained in a closed discussion network were less likely to have valuable ideas
no control variables are associated with the idea value when network density is considered
probability of a raise decreases with network constraint
What is a structural hole?
space between two networks that might connect
What is bridging connection?
connection that allows info to flow from one dense network to another dense network
What are spontaneous networks?
microstructures
ie. friends
What are organizations?
formal networks (allows them to develop into bureaucracies)
structure of the network is concrete such that the network structure is independent of the individual who occupy them
What is a bureaucracy?
a large impersonal organization comprising many clearly defined positions arranged in a hierarchy
have permanent salaried staff and written goals or rules
What is the iron cage of bureaucracy?
Max Weber
as social structure becomes increasingly formalized, the possibility that an individual could act in a way that deviates from the expectations of the structure decreases
ex. lost luggage
particularly institutions
What are institutions?
made up of multiple organizations that are formally networked
ex. the criminal justice system has police, prosecutors, courts, etc
What is institutionalization?
the process by which informal networks become formally organized and formally recognized
is both structural and cultural
How does culture affect institutionalization?
culture can influence the public opinion of an institution
How is institutionalization studied historically?
Particular character today can only be understood if we reference the history of how they occurred
the institution could be organized differently so to understand why it is not, must look at the historical network
Institutional change
unlike formal networks, institutions are resistant to change
Weber: “the iron cage of bureaucracy”
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Flashcard (31)