Week 2 lecture slides

Page 3: Lecture Focus

• Recap: Overview of culture from last week

• Focus of Current Week: Sociological engagements with culture, encompassing:

  • Culture as a way of life

  • Culture as a separate sphere

  • Culture as meaning making

• Assessment: Important details regarding the Reflective Journal

Page 4: Understanding Culture

• Nature of Culture: A complex term with multiple meanings

  • Keywords mentioned include: population, hegemony, art, tradition, etc.

Page 5: Raymond Williams on Culture

• William's Assertion: Culture is among the most complicated words in the English language

  • Citation: Williams, 1983, p. 76

Page 6: Williams’ Three Uses of Culture

1. General Process: Intellectual, spiritual, and aesthetic development (18th century)

2. Particular Way of Life: Specific to people, periods, or groups (19th century)

3. Works and Practices: Intellectual and artistic activity (prominent in the 20th century)

   • Citation: Williams, 1983, p. 80

Page 7: Wendy Griswold's Views

• Two Views of Culture:

  1. Best Thought and Knowledge: A perspective rooted in the humanities

  2. The Complex Whole: A broader social science perspective

Page 8: Lyn Spillman on Cultural Sociology

• Culture Concept: Ambiguous and slippery, potentially too broad to be practical

Page 9: Cultural Sociology

• Focus: Processes of meaning-making as the core of cultural sociology

• Reference: Blackwell Readers in Sociology, edited by Lyn Spillman

Page 10: Meaning in Sociology

• Culture Features:

  • Affects entire groups and societies

  • Represents a distinct realm of experience

  • Functioning as meaning-making

Page 13: Sociological Perspectives on Culture

• Culture as a feature of entire groups and societies

• Cultural Engagements:

  • Connection to entire groups/societies (Williams)- Culture as a way of life (Williams)
    

  • Conceptualized as a complex whole (Griswold)- Culture as the complex whole (Griswald)

  • Roots in a social science tradition
    

• Culture as a separate realm of experience

• Individual Interpretation:

  • Separation of cultural experience (Williams)- Artistic and intellectual expression (Williams

  • Intellectual expression and knowledge as articulated by Griswold- Best of thought and knowledge (Griswald)

  • — Roots in a humanities science tradition

• Culture as meaning- making

Page 15: Distinction of Sociological Perspective

• Sociological focus areas:

  • Groups and societies

  • Distinct realms of experiences

  • Meaning-making as central

  • Sociological perspectives focus on social life and draw on sociological theories & methods

Cultural patterns

• Organised systems of significant symbols which give order, structure and meaning to our social worlds

Culture provides meaning

• The sociological analysis of culture begins at the premise culture provides orientation, wards off chaos, and directs behaviour toward certain lines of action and away from others. Culture provides meaning and order through the use of symbols, whereby certain things designated as cultural objects are endowed with significance over and above their material utility.

Durkheim

• Structural Functionalism

  • Structural Functionalism is a sociological perspective that views society as a complex system made up of interrelated parts that work together to promote stability and order. An example of Structural Functionalism is the family unit. In this perspective, the family serves several essential functions for society:

    1. Socialization: Families are crucial in teaching children norms, values, and customs, helping integrate individuals into the broader society.

    2. Emotional Support: Families provide emotional support and stability, which can contribute to the overall mental health of individuals, promoting social cohesion.

    3. Economic Cooperation: Families often function together economically, pooling resources, which enhances economic stability.

    In this framework, if the family performs these functions effectively, it helps maintain societal equilibrium.

• Sociological Perspective: Emile Durkheim viewed society as a complex system made up of interrelated parts.

• Social Cohesion: He emphasized the importance of social ties and collective consciousness in maintaining order.

• Functions of Institutions: Durkheim believed that social institutions (like family, religion) each serve vital roles in functioning society.

• Anomie: He introduced the concept of anomie, a state of normlessness that can occur during social upheaval, leading to isolation and chaos.

• Research Methodology: Advocated for the use of empirical research, treating social facts as things that can be studied scientifically.

• 

• Social Dysfunction

• conflict theories;

  • Conflict theories in sociology emphasize the role of coercion and power in producing social order. Unlike functionalist perspectives that view society as a harmonious system, conflict theories argue that society is characterized by competition and conflict between different social groups. This struggle arises from inequalities in wealth, power, and resources, leading to tensions and confrontations. Karl Marx is a foundational figure in conflict theory, focusing on the class struggles arising from economic disparities. Conflict theories also explore how cultural and social structures contribute to the ongoing struggles for power and resources.

Max webber:

Page 29: Culture and Society Relationship

• Society and culture

  • —  What are the connections between culture and our social worlds?

  • —  Does culture shape society?

  • —  Or does society shape culture?

Page 30: Sociological Theory

• Definition: Theory as a conceptual tool for understanding society

• Importance: Theoretical underpinnings are foundational in sociology

Reflection models: A quick look at some classical sociological thought

—Marxism

—Functionalism

—Weberian theory

• culture as a reflection of social life

Page 32: Marxist Perspective

• Overview: Introduced by Karl Marx, considers sociological aspects through a conflict lens

• religion

• laws

• customs you hold dear

• marx say people make the gods in religion

• Class- conflict

• Material and historical condictions of society influencing culture

Page 33: Functionalist Perspective

• Overview: Developed by Emile Durkheim focusing on societal functions

• sees society in more harmonious way

• society all contributing

Reflection models – society shaping culture

• Marxism

• —Functionalism

Page 35: Weberian Perspective

• Overview: Focused on meaning and social action in society

Key points for now

• —  Sociology has a long interest in culture

• —  Over time, sociological thought has shifted

• —  Sociology influenced by the ‘cultural turn’

• —  By the late twentieth century, questions of culture became central to sociological analysis

Page 39: Sociology of Culture vs Cultural Sociology

• Distinction:

  • Sociology of Culture: Classical tools to study cultural artifacts

  • Cultural Sociology: Emphasis on processes of meaning-making and interpretation

Two perspectives

— Sociology of culture
– Draws on traditional tools of sociology to understand cultural

objects, e.g. art and music

— Cultural sociology
– Sees culture as processes of meaning making and seeks to

understand the complex webs of meanings that comprise culture

But this distinction is debated

Page 40: Cultural Sociology Insights

• Conceptualized as a form of social psychoanalysis, revealing societal myths and encouraging new myth-making through understanding cultural objects.

•