Sociology Class 3: Cultural Construction of Meaning

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Questions and Answers

What are the two broad definitions of culture mentioned in the text?

The entire way of living of a people or a group; and the specific systems of meaning with which we weigh and consider our social world.

What was the original meaning of the term 'culture' in the 15th century?

Cultivating the land, crops, and animals.

What is the difference between 'high culture' and 'popular/mass culture'?

High culture refers to the arts and civilization, while popular/mass culture refers to the culture of the masses.

What is the significance of the 18th century Enlightenment in the history of the concept of culture?

It marked the understanding of culture as a universal, unilinear process of social development. Signup and view all the answers

What is the distinction between 'descriptive' and 'evaluative' meanings in the context of culture?

Descriptive meanings refer to the objective description of cultural practices, while evaluative meanings refer to the judgments or values attached to those practices. Signup and view all the answers

What is the central idea of the 'cultural turn' in sociology?

The cultural turn emphasizes the importance of cultural explanations for social phenomena, highlighting the symbolic and learned aspects of human society. Signup and view all the answers

How do norms and social codes differ from symbolic systems of meaning in terms of their abstractness and application?

Norms and social codes are tied to concrete situations, whereas symbolic codes are abstract. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of norms and social codes in regulating behavior?

To regulate and control behavior in precise ways. Signup and view all the answers

How do values inform norms and social codes?

Values provide the frameworks for ideals and anti-ideals within which norms make sense. Signup and view all the answers

What is the key difference between laws and norms?

Laws are written norms that prescribe or proscribe specific sets of behaviors under threat of punishment. Signup and view all the answers

How do attitudes and behaviors relate to each other?

Attitudes are the statements people make about their values and beliefs, while behaviors may be consistent or inconsistent with these attitudes. Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of classical works on cultural change in the context of sociological thinking?

They provide insight into the social and cultural construction of meaning and its evolution over time. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of the 19th-century anthropological definition of culture, as expounded by Herder?

The meanings, values, and ways of life shared by particular groups, nations, classes, and periods. Signup and view all the answers

What is the central idea of the 20th-century social anthropology definition of culture, as illustrated by Levy-Strauss?

Culture is the social practices that produce meaning by using signs and symbols. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main criticism of cultural factors and meanings by sociologists, as discussed in the cultural turn in sociology?

Sociologists are skeptical that cultural factors and meanings are simply individual choices. Signup and view all the answers

What are the cultural factors that influence our notions of beauty standards and fashion, according to the cultural turn in sociology?

Narrow social, historical, and cultural parameters that condition our cultural frames. Signup and view all the answers

What is the impact of post-modernity and globalization on our understanding of reality, as discussed in the cultural turn in sociology?

It leads to less clear-cut distinctions between fiction and fact. Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of the media and service industries in shaping our knowledge and understanding of the world, according to the cultural turn in sociology?

They produce symbolic mechanisms that filter our relations with each other and with nature. Signup and view all the answers

How does globalization affect our understanding of cultural differences, according to the cultural turn in sociology?

It increases interconnections through international movement of people, products, and global mass communications. Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of reality television in the context of post-modernity and globalization, as discussed in the cultural turn in sociology?

It further confuses the distinction between fact and fiction. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

The cultural turn in sociology emphasizes the importance of understanding culture as a key factor in shaping social phenomena.
Culture is defined as the symbolic and learned aspects of human society transmitted and shared via social interaction.
There are two definitions of culture:
- Broad: the entire way of living of a people or a group.
- Narrow: the specific systems of meaning with which we weigh and consider our social world.

History of the Concept of Culture

15th century: Culture referred to cultivating the land, crops, and animals.
16th/17th century: Culture referred to the cultivation of the mind, the arts, and civilization.
18th century Enlightenment: Culture was seen as a universal process of social development.
19th century: Culture referred to the meanings, values, and ways of life shared by particular groups, nations, classes, and periods.
20th century: Culture was defined as the social practices that produce meaning by using signs and symbols, with an emphasis on symbols.

Thinking Sociologically about Culture

Culture shares not only symbolic systems of meaning but also norms and social codes.
Norms and social codes regulate and control behavior in precise ways.
Norms and social codes are sometimes followed to avoid formal or informal sanctions.
Values provide the frameworks for ideals and anti-ideals within which norms make sense.
Laws are written norms that prescribe or proscribe specific sets of behaviors under threat of punishment.
Behavior refers to everything we do, and our behaviors may be consistent or inconsistent with our attitudes.
Attitudes are statements people make about their values and beliefs.

The Cultural Turn in Sociology

Sociologists are skeptical that cultural factors and meanings are simply individual choices.
Cultural factors, such as beauty standards and fashion, are conditioned by cultural frames and exist within narrow social, historical, and cultural parameters.
Post-modernity and globalization have led to an increase in interconnections and the mediation of our experiences through symbolic mechanisms.
The distinction between fiction and fact is becoming increasingly blurred, with reality television further confusing the two.

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Description

This quiz covers the social and cultural construction of meaning, the cultural turn in sociology, and institutional and cultural explanations of social phenomena. It explores the concept of culture and its impact on human society.