conceptions of culture-culture and identity

Subculture

A small group of people that share its own norms, customs and values, distinct from those of the main culture of a society while still existing in it

Subculture examples

Goths, chavs, emos, the gay community or people bound by a particular political perspective

Postmodernist Maffesoli

Talks about' ‘neo- tribes’ and note that it is often music, fashion or consumer choices with unite such groups.

Subculture-postmodernist

Focus on the idea that society was diverse and there were many different cultutres and ways of living, rather them being subsets of ‘main culture’

Mass culture

The idea that there is a setof norms and values that the vast majority in the population share, developed from a common exposure to the same media, news sources, music and art.

Subculture

A small group of people that share its own norms, customs and values, distinct from those of the main culture of a society while still existing in it

Frankfurt school

The Frankfurt School was a group of neo-Marxist researchers who believed that mass culture was used by capitalist societies to create passive and easily controlled populations.

Folk Culture

Folk culture refers to the traditional practices, customs, and beliefs of a community. It is often passed down through generations and is deeply rooted in local or regional contexts.

Frankfurt School and Folk Culture

The Frankfurt School might view folk culture with a nuanced perspective. While they critiqued mass culture, they may see folk culture as potentially authentic and resistant to capitalist manipulation

Frankfurt School and neomarxists

The Frankfurt School might view folk culture as authentic and resistant to capitalist control, but also limited in challenging power or easily co-opted.

High Culture

High culture refers to the cultural products and practices traditionally associated with the upper classes and intellectual elites. It is often seen as refined, sophisticated, and requiring specialized knowledge or appreciation, such as classical music, fine art, and literature.

Low culture

Deemed to be for the lower class, or what is most popular

Popular culture

Less derogatory term for low culture, refers to music, art, literature fashion etc. Consumed by the majority of a societys population.

Global culture

Culture that the world endulges in, influenced by social media, e.g mcdonalds being american yet have branches over the world with their own cultural items

Postmodernist- global culture

Raises the question of whether we have a culture which has been impacted by gloablisation and is therefore likely to be multicultural , diverse and driven by technology.

Functionalist- culture

Acts as the social glue or bond that keeps a society together and maintains social order- for functionalists, culture is the shared norms and values of the population.

Functonalists- most important thing about culture

Consensus- members of a particular society agree about how to behave and whst is important, they share the same interests and concerns: a collective consciousness

High Culture

High culture refers to the cultural products and practices traditionally associated with the upper classes and intellectual elites. It is often seen as refined, sophisticated, and requiring specialized knowledge or appreciation, such as classical music, fine art, and literature.

Criticism of functionalist view of culture

Comes from conflict theorists such as marxists and feminists who dispute that there is consensus around a shared culture that helps society function effectively for everyone

How do conflict theorists see mass culture

Working on behalf of either capitalism or the patriarchy in order to maintain a particular order.

Why do postmodernists with disagree with te functionalist view of culture

They see culture as diverse, rather than societies having one culture around a consensus, societies are characterised by great diversity

How do marxists see culture?

As working on behalf of the ruling class in order to sustain the capitalist system. There is a general pessimism about mass culture, that it used to control the working class.

Commodity fetishism

False needs can be created throughout mass culture, not just through advertising , through the projection of what is normal

What do marxists believe about culture

Helps the ruling class stay in power by supporting the capitalist system, Culture is used to control the working class

Opium of the masses

Marx used to describe religion, something that distracts people from their real problems

How is mass culture viewed

There is a negative view of mass culture as its seen as a tool for maintaining inequality and preventing change

What does mass culture create

False needs- it convinces people they need things they dont just to keep them consuming, through advertising, media and entertainment

Commodity fetishism

Created by overconsumption, where people place too much value on material gods, forgetting about the real social and economic problems

What does the frankfurt school believe about media

Plays key role in spreading capitalist ideology. People are taught to believe that success is down to lcuk or personal effort not the unfair structure of society- leads to the working class becoming less likely to challenge the system

Bourdieu- culture

Culture benefits the ruling class through ideas like cultural capital and habitus

Cultural capital

Having knowledge and appreciation of high culture which gives people advantages in education and jobs.

How are different classes viewed

Middle class- intelligent because they share the same values as schools and insitutions. Working class- underestimated because their culure is different

What does different views of classes lead to

Leads to inequality being passed down through generations

Gramsci

Introduced the idea of hegemony, the way ruling class ideas become seen as normal or common sense. He argued that while dominant culture is powerful, it can be challenged.

Stuart hall

Talked about popular culture raher than mass and blieved that youth subculturews and alternative lifestyles had the potential to resist dominant capitalist ideas.

Functionalists and marxists

Functionalosts disagree with marxists broadly about the nature of society, and therefore do not see a unifying culture as only benefiting a section of society but instead see it as benefiting society in general

Feminists and marxists

Feminists agree with marxists that the dominant culture only benefits the powerful in society, but they argue that it is men who benefits rather than the ruling class

What do feminists argue about culture

Men dominate society and the mass culture benefits the patriarchy

Feminists and popular culture

Regualrly stereotypes women into particular social roles and in doing so makes patriarchy normal.

Ferguson and McRobbie

Magazines for girls promoted the traditional housewife role

Radical feminists

Have lookled at the way some cultural products appear to promote and legitimise violence against women (Andrea Dworkins research into pornography in the 1980s)

Criticism of feminists

Postmodern feminist criticise liberal and radical feminist positions on culture comes from postmodern which sees much of thr representation of women in the media today as empowering.

Functionalists- social order

Is a positive thing and that women benefit from social order just as much as men do

Postmodernist- gender

Is just one identity amoung many and people can create their own diverse cultures and are not defined by mainstream cultural norms

Interactionists- culture

Created by the interactions between individuals rather than being imposed by the structures of society.