Topic 4 - Culture and Identity

Identity

Way you see yourself and how others see you, based on class, gender, ethnicity, sexuality etc

Simpson - de gaying

• gay men acted differently in ‘hetero spaces’ than ‘homo spaces,’ often acting more flamboyant in the latter

Skeggs - health care assistants

• women in training to become a health care assistant changed their identity to fit in

• e.g. they dressed more conservatively and used less slang

• shows that identity is socially constructed on how others will percieve us

Les Back (1996) - Hybrid Identities

• new identities emerged from mixed people in South London council estates, as they don’t have a fixed culture

• inter-racial friendship and culture borrowing made the division between ethnicities less harsh

Nayak - white wannabes

• white, working class men adapting style and language of black culture

• formed a new type of identity

Culture

• shared way of life, with a set of norms and values of the society

• what people assume to be ‘normal’ is socially constructed

Kate Fox - differing norms and values

• the british talk about the weather, and the french eat high quality food, so they have different norms

Subcultures

• lead to an increase in cultural diversity

• smaller groups in society with their own norms and values

• they may still share commonly accepted norms and values of society

• e.g. punks

Hebidge - Punk Youth

• punks rejected consumerism and buying clothes from shops, so they used everyday items to wear instead

• showed a diff set of values and rejection of capatilism

Intercultural Diversity

• differences between two different cultures

• e.g.we use knives and forks in the UK, but chopsticks in China

Intracultural Diversity

• differences in one culture

• e.g. people speak different languages in the UK

Bennett - Neo Tribes

• found new subcultural hybrid groups that were less distinct and combined elements of different subcultures to form their own

• e.g. emos combined punk, goth and new wave styles

High culture

• qualities that are expensive or difficult to understand that is associated with the upper class

• thinks that its better than other cultures

• it can be passed down by using privilege, like going to private school

The Sutton Trust - High Culture

• the rich use wealth so their children go to private school, where they learn aspects of high culture like speaking Latin

• Upper class keep elite lifestyle because of this

Popular Culture

• easy to understand, cheap and made for making money

• e.g. reality TV, sports, magazines and certain music

Theodor Adorno (1950s) - Popular Culture

• Marxist perspective

• Pop culture socialises society into being passive and unquestioning

• it entertains them and deflects attention away from oppression and exploitation

• also creates a false psychological need to buy consumerist items

Consumer Culture

• expressing identity through things we buy

• occurs in wealthy societies

Lury (1996) - Consumer Culture

• features of this culture are:

1. shopping is for relaxation

2. different forms of shopping are availiable

3. being in debt is now a norm

Katz and Sugiyama (2005) - mobile phones

• phones used as a symbol of coolness (a fashion statement)

• Interviewed Japanese and US young people - found that they prioritised style over battery life

• what we buy defines us

Global Culture

• culture shared across the world

• e.g american fast food chains across the globe

Globalisation

• nations becoming more connected through transport and technological developments

McLuhan - global village

• increased digital communication means we know people from around the world

• e.g. online gaming

• McLuhan was positive about this

Ritzer (1993) - McDonaldalization

• local cultures disappearing under American fast food chains

• cultures become americanized

• Ritzer says that a similar global culture will be less fufilling

• Negative about globalisation