Prelim Society + Culture: The Social & Cultural World 

The Fundamental Concepts (5 fundys)

1. Society

• Human relationships from small groups to large systems

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1. Persons

• The individual human; their relationships with other persons and with society, culture and the environment through time

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1. Environment

• where people live and work
• the interaction between people and their environment
• people’s perceptions of the environment
• actions to improve their environment
  • Example: We live in Sydney, we go to a school environment, home environment

1. Culture

• reflected in customs, values, laws, arts, technologies and artefacts
• their way of life
  • Example: eshay culture, indian culture

1. Time

• The continuous passage of existence; perceptions of the past, present and future

  \n \n Additional Concepts

1. Identity

• The sense of self formed over time from a personal, social and cultural level
  • Example: Isabella being introverted is part of her identity. Millie being french is part of her identity.

1. Gender

• Socially constructed differences between females and males 

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1. Globalisation

• integration and the sharing of goods, capital, services, knowledge, leisure, sport, ideas and culture 

• between countries brought about by improved technologies

  • McDonald’s 

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1. Authority

• The rights to make decisions and to determine, adjudicate or settle issues and disputes in society

  • Police have authority over citizens
  • Principal has authority over students
  • Parents have authority of children

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1. Power

• The ability or capacity to influence or persuade others to a point of view or action to which they would not normally agree 

  • Politicians

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1. Technologies

• The tools that we use to assist our interactions in society
  • Phones, the internet. Social media

Extended Definitions

• Society

  • people, groups, networks, institutions, organisations + systems 
  • aspects of society include local, national, regional and international
  • people belong to informal and formal groups

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• Culture

  • shared knowledge, attitudes + behaviour 
  • demonstrated through beliefs, customs, values, normalities, rules, law, art, technology
  • Continuously changing 

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• Persons

  • we develop in social and environmental setting 
  •  influenced by groups and people. (+ other factors like religion etc)
  • communication, sharing values/beliefs are interactions 
  • identity of a person is result of interaction at micro, meso and macro level 

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• Environment

  • physical settings 
  • attitude to environment greatly differentiate between people
  • environment can generate culture 
  • urban, rural, coastal, inland, isolated 

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• Time

  • Every person, society, culture and environment is changing with time
  • can be examined as past, present and future
  • drawn from past events and influence our ideas about the present
  • best studied in context – last century, this century, and pre- and post-events – or as a particular decade. 
  • studied in relation to continuity and change. 

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• Power

  • ability or capacity to influence or persuade others to a point of view or action
  • Exercising power is important in initiating or preventing change. 

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• Authority

  • linked to power and the right to make decisions and to determine, adjudicate or settle issues and disputes in society
  • legitimate use of power
  • important in the process of decision-making and in initiating change and maintaining continuity

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• Gender

  • the socially constructed differences between females and males. 
  • Social life is organised around the dimensions of gender
  • Includes family life, roles, work, heaviour and other activities
  • Ideas of masculinity and femininity 
  • Examples: Male and female??

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• Identity 

  • sense of self 
  • can be viewed from personal, social and cultural level 
  • formed over a period of time 
  • result of interactions at micro, meso and macro levels of society 
  • factors that make up our identity include: gender, sexuality, family, class, beliefs, ethnicity 

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• Technologies

  • The tools that assist interactions
  • Initiaties change at all levels of society
  • Constantly changing and adapting
  • Facilitate interactions between different levels of society

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• Globalisation

  • Integration and sharing of goods, capital, labour, services, knowledge, leisure, sport, ideas and culture 
  • Evident in global patterns of consumption and consumerism
  • Assisted by tech and media 

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• Continuity

  • Consistent experience of cultural elements in a society across time

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• Change

  • Modification of cultural elements in a society

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• Modernisation

• Dynamic social change

• Adopting “advanced” societies characteristics

• Example: Migrating from country to city, technology

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• Sustainability

• Meet needs without jeopardising future planets. 

• Ecological balance

• Example: Using sustainable energy sources such as solar, wind 

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• Tradition

Cultural practices and beliefs

• our thinking, 

• language 

• behaviour

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• Beliefs

• opinions or ideas we believe as the truth

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• Values

Deeply held ideas and beliefs that guide out thinking, language and behaviour

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• Empowerment

• Social process that gives power or authority to people 

• All levels of society

• Micro

  • Parents empowering a child to be confident and play sports

• Meso

  • Me too movement, RU OK?

• Macro

  • Empowerment in media?

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• Westernisation

Social process where the values, customs, and practices of Western industrial capitalism are adopted to from the basis of cultural change

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• Cooperation

Ability of individual members of a group  to work together to achieve a common goal

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• Conflict

A perceived incompatibility of goals or actions

\n \n Micro, Meso and Macro \n

Micro-level society

• Where individuals' everyday actions and social interactions occur. The realm of the person

• Families, small-scale social groups

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Meso-level society

• where individuals interact within groups 

  • schools, communities, faith based groups and neighbourhoods, and workplaces at branch and state levels. 

• Larger groups that interact directly with the individual.

• focuses on relationships between middle-level social structures and the individual

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Macro-level society

• larger scale aspects of society

• observe the wider social structures, social processes and their interrelationships

  • Media
  • Law
  • NESA
  • Workplace institutions
  • The government
  • Transnational corporations such as McDonald’s and Coca Cola

• Helps shape the social and cultural world

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Types of cultures / societies

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• Hybrid society: A society that comprises a range of social and cultural influences and components rather than having a homogenous identity.  

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• Multicultural society: a society that has many different ethnic or national cultures mingling freely. It can also refer to political or social policies which support or encourage such a coexistence. 

  • Australia

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• Monocultural society: A society that excludes external cultural influences and practices only the traditions of one culture. Exists by racial homogeneity/nationalistic tendencies/isolation. 

  •  North Korea, Japan

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Multicultural and hybrid nature societies

• A multicultural society is one in which diverse ethnic groups and cultures are given the opportunity and right to live in a shared context

• The practice of accepting cultural diversity is also known as ‘cultural pluralism’

• Contrasts with one where assimilation is the norm - where migrant groups are expected to conform to the values and behaviours of the majority culture and discontinue their own

• Multiculturalism is an approach/ideology/concept, whereas hybrid is a description of what society is actually like, the reality.

  \n Acculturation, Enculturation, Assimilation \n

• Acculturation: 

• When members of one cultural group adopt the beliefs and behaviours of another group. May involve direct social interaction or exposure to other cultures through mass media. 

• Maintains own distinct culture

• Example : 

  • The adoption of Mexican, Chinese and Indian cuisine within the United States alongside traditional mainstream [tw] foods 
  • A traveller adopting cultures of the country they are visiting

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• Enculturation: 

• The process by which an individual learns the traditional content of their own culture and assimilates its practices and values. 

• Example: 

  • A Greek person learning greek and eating greek pasta at recess cooked by their greek grandma that their friend did not want to try bc shes greekphobic
  • A western parent teacher her child to use a knife and fork
  • Asian parent teaching child to use chopsticks

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• Assimilation: 

• A gradual process by which a group belonging to one culture adopts the practices of another, thereby becoming a member of that culture.

• Original culture is abandoned

• Example: 

  • Australian British and Indigenous Australians (loss of language and culture). Dominant culture sends and force culture on minority cultures
  • Basically any time there was colonisation

  \n \n Research methods 

• Quantitative Research

  • specific data from a large sample of population 
  • info collected by counting 
  • can be put into numbers (percentages, tables, graphs) 
  • researcher is not necessarily known to the participants
  • participant characteristics can be hidden from the research

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ADVANTAGES: easy to collect mass data, able to compare data, non biassed data, structured 

DISADVANTAGES: researcher cannot interact closely with participants, can overlook broader themes/concepts 

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Qualitative Research

• Collecting non-numerical data

• Useful for:

  •  individual and small group studies
  • In-depth information
  • How and what people think and feel
  • Can ask for elaboration 

• Disadvantages:

  • Usually hard to analyse
  • Difficult to collate
  • Usually had to maintain anonymity
  • Time-consuming

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Main Features of Qualitative Research

• Usually a small sample and not randomly selected  

• Interactive process  

• Participants’ characteristics may be known to the researcher  

• Narrative report with conceptual description of behaviour, values, attitudes and beliefs  

• Contains direct quotations from research participants  

• Invaluable for the exploration of subjective experiences 

• Relies heavily on the researcher’s interpretive skills to understand the complexities of findings  

• Direct quotations from documents and from participants can be utilised

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Benefits

• For studies at the individual or small group level

• For finding out, in depth. How and what people are thinking and feelings

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Limitations

• Analysis of qualitative data requires is more challenging quantitative

• Sorting information is more difficultQuantitative

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Research Methods

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Quantitative research

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Qualitative Research

\n \n \n Ethical Research

Social and Cultural researchers are expected to conduct research in an ethical manner.

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The principles of ethical research:

• This promotes trust that the information collected will be used responsibly and will be treated with respect and confidentiality

• If the respondents feel comfortable with the ethical research process, they are much more likely to offer replies to questions and therefore genuine knowledge can be gained by the researcher. 

• Applies to both primary and secondary research

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We can do this by:

• Informing prospective research participants about the procedures you wish to conduct

• Informing them about any risks involved in research

• Obtaining clear consent from research participants 

• Not putting participants in awkward situations

• Not asking participants to talk about sensitive topics that may make them uncomfortable

• Considering special needs of any vulnerable groups e.g. children

• Ensuring that there is nothing covert associated with the research.

• NOT PLAGIARISING

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Analysing Ethically

• be aware of any assumptions or biases that could underlie the research

• Data must be analysed without the intent of looking for evidence to prove or support any preconceived ideas

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Society as a social construct that develops over time

**Syllabus Definition for society as a construct: \n **“Society is actively and creatively produced by human beings rather than being given or taken for granted”

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The social world and how we perceive qualities such as gender, and adolescence are creations of what we want our lives and behaviours to be. These constructs are not static and can evolve.

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Examples:

• Gender Roles

• The 1950’s role of Western women is typified by the housewife whose domain was the kitchen and raising children. Conservative and demure.

• These gender roles have been redefined from the women’s liberation feminist movements. 

• Macro Level: 

• Educational and political systems changed the way they operated.

•  Laws were changed to improve opportunities for women

• Changes in the way women were portrayed in film, song and advertising

• Changed laws do not necessarily lead to a change in attitudes 

• Meso Level:

• Group attitudes towards gender

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• Micro Level:

• Family attitude towards gender

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Social Norms: 

• shared understanding of what is normal

Social Structure: 

• Social systems and institutions

• Includes work family, schools. Govenment, economic and political systems

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Socially Constructed:  

• The concept that society is built by individuals and groups through various social processes by which we learn the norms, customs and values of our society. 

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Social Construct: 

• A socially created aspect of social life. 

• society is actively and creatively produced

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Socialisation: 

• the process of transmission of culture from one generation to the next

• the ongoing social process by which we learn the norms, customs and values of our society.

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Social and cultural literacy:

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The qualities of a socially and culturally literate individual:

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• Applies skills to achieve social inclusion and is aware of issues of discrimination and prejudice.

• Is aware of, and sensitive to, major national and global issues such as poverty, disease and conflict, including armed conflict.

• Empathises with and appreciates the diverse beliefs and values of different societies and cultures.

• Is interested in, observes and asks questions about the micro, meso and macro levels of society

• Researches effectively and ethically, showing critical discernment towards information and the media

• Communicates effectively with individuals and groups and works cooperatively in a cross-cultural environment

• Avoids making judgements of another culture’s practices using the values of their own culture

• Has a sense of social responsibility and displays the citizenship by engaging critically with social issues, and takes considered action for the welfare, dignity, social justice and human rights of others at the local, national and global levels

• Considers the impact of globalisation, technologies and rapid change, as well as continuity and its implications for the future

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Personal experience refers to the knowledge gained from reflecting on individual experiences.

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Public knowledge refers to general knowledge and the knowledge available to everyone.

The term also refers to all the knowledge found in the public domain that is the work or research of other people.

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Social Expectation

• Concepts

• Persons, Society, Culture

• Gender, identity, power, technologies, globalisation

• Behaviour is shaped by expectations

• Offensive actions are met with negative reactions, alternatively positive actions are rewarded

• For example, in Australia, it is considered polite to say ‘please & thank you’ however this is not universally accepted. In Indonesia it is not an expectation to say ‘please’.

  • An example of people learning and adopting these social expectations are parents saying “what’s the magic word” when a child asks for something.
  • Example: gender stereotypes about social roles, causes women to be expected to behave altruistically

• Social norms are part of the fabric of social expectations. 

• Consequences are developed to reinforce the acceptance of norms - detentions, grounded

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• Micro & meso interactions such as talking, smiling, agreeing / disagreeing

• Macro - communications technologies such as social media creates a macro-world interaction, the worth of this communication is determined by the expectations and judgments of those who observe it,

  \n \n Case Study: Asylum Seekers/ Refugees

Concepts: 

• conflict/cooperation 

• Power, authority, influence and decision making 

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What causes them to migrate:

• Conflict (war)

• Famine 

• Poverty 

• Social inequalities

• Political tension 

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Socially valued resources(SVR) they do not have: 

• Adequate housing

• Education 

• Justice system 

• Employment 

• Healthcare 

• Technology 

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Extra info: 

• Country shopping - choosing which country to migrate to?

• Australia does not want refugees and has made it very clear, stops them from entering our borders 

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Perceptions of asylum seekers and refugees

• Influences on individuals’ perceptions of others

  • Education and components of the syllabus
  • From family or information relayed to them by their peers
  • The legal system
  • Politicians
  • Media

• Macro level - groups opposing the government’s stance speak publicly about the conditions under which detained asylum seekers are held, trying to engage the empathy of the Australian public

• How attitudes of group members towards other groups influence their behaviour

  • Stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination
  • Myths portrayed as truths, relayed through the media and politicians
  • Some are presented in parliament or on news platforms

• Myths

  • Boat people are illegal immigrants
  • Asylum seekers get five star accommodation in detention centres
  • Turning away asylum seekers protects our country against terrorism

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1. Identify the three myths just covered and explain the truths associated with these myths
2. Explain how these myths influence society’s attitude towards refugees and asylum seekers.
3. Create a list of commonly held stereotypes that you previously believed regarding asylum seekers and refugees
4. Determine where these perceptions were created
5. Explain the way that myths can lead to prejudice, discrimination or stereotyping

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