SO4001 Lecture 4 Culture PDF

Culture Dr James Carr 1  Priority reading See Terrible, Magnificent Sociology… Becker, H.S. (1982) ‘Culture: a sociological view’, Yale Review, 71(4), 513–27. 2  Learning outcomes Understand: Culture from...

Culture Dr James Carr 1  Priority reading See Terrible, Magnificent Sociology… Becker, H.S. (1982) ‘Culture: a sociological view’, Yale Review, 71(4), 513–27. 2  Learning outcomes Understand: Culture from a sociological perspective. Why culture matters! The concept of culture shock Subcultures Cultural diversity and diffusion 3  ‘High’ culture… (arts) That of the elites Folk or ‘low’ culture… (crafts) That of ordinary people… the plebs [remade as ‘high’ culture?] Pop culture (not high, popular?, from ‘below’?) Association/proximity to Communicates??  Consuming culture The rise of ‘Cultural omnivores’ Consuming a wide variety of culture which crosses the highbrow (‘elite’) and the middle-lowbrow (‘popular’) divide e.g., Attend the opera regularly, and watch “Love Island”/football game (Chan/Turner 2017; Fishmann/Lizardo 2013) 5  Culture Culture can be defined as “… the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material objects that together form a people’s way of life”(Macionis 2007, p.40). Material culture Non-material culture 6  Culture… “Symbolic and learned, non- biological aspects of human societies” Culture as contra nature, civilised Culture and structure – former as “cement” Culture and the material – former determined by the latter (econ base) Cultures as distinct ways of being (Abercrombie et al 2006, p.92)  The Importance of Culture Culture is the source of the shared knowledge which facilitates successful social interaction It is a major influence on: Our ideals The social ‘rules’ that regulate our behaviour and interactions The goods we create Our evaluations of other cultures 8  Aspects of culture Language Symbols Values Beliefs Norms Practises Artefacts 9  Cultural Universals Language Art Family System Dancing Marriage Bodily Adornment Religious rituals Games Property rights Gift-giving Incest prohibition Joking Rules of Hygiene 10  Cultural Diversity There are many human cultures, which can differ greatly in terms of their material and non-material culture Culture shock occurs when we experience “…personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life” (Macionis 2007, 41). Diversity is evident across societies, but cultural diversity can also exist within societies. 11  Subcultures A culture possessed of a smaller group within the dominant or mass culture Subculture: The “package of … values, attitudes, beliefs, tastes and behaviour patterns that distinguish a group sufficiently from the mainstream for it to stand out as different …” (Bruce and Yearly 2006, p.298) Some similarities to the dominant culture, Differences in terms of values, norms, language Members experience identification and belonging 12 Sub-cultures 13  Culture in datasets Culture as measured in some empirical sociological studies: Interests in music, attendance of concerts, or museums, sports games Tastes for particular foods, e.g.,organic Attitudes towards and preferences for, politics, work, environment, reading 14  Culture and lifestyles Reflect on cultural consumption vs cultural production Q. How is the ‘value’ of certain lifestyles assigned in Irish society? What are some major contributors you can think of? E.g., the state, media, education 15  Cultural Sociology Symbolic boundaries of social groups (see Michèle Lamont’s work) National contexts within which ‘cultural repertoires’ readily available to people Mental maps, cultural schemas Cognitive turn: logics/‘rules of thumb’ via interaction (DiMaggio 1997) 16  Cultural repertoires Descriptions of action in civic/moral terms in France compared with distinctions in market terms in US Culture as internally inconsistent Situationally specific (Lamont/Thévenot 2000) 17  Competing views on Culture Culture as more stable: shared ‘latent’ processes consistently link beliefs to actions, stress on shared motivations Culture as more dynamic: ‘toolkits’ or inconsistent narratives used for sense- making, stress on being situated (Polavieja 2015) 18  The Impact of Globalisation? Globalisation is associated with cultural diffusion EG.Worldwide fan cultures Cultural imperialism and neo-colonialism But there is also evidence of Glocalisation – local responses to global influences. Cultural cross-fertilisation – hybridity & Irish hip-hop; fusion. 19  Cultural Industrial Complex Adorno and Horkheimer – culture industry and mass culture. Appropriated in the name of profit. Torn jeans… ‘Grunge’ scene… commodification  Next lecture… Thursday… Values and norms  Additional Recommended Readings… Ambercrombie, N., Hill, S. and Turner, B.S. (2006) Penguin Dictionary of Sociology, 5th ed., London: Penguin. (read the entry on culture) Billington, R. et al. (1991) Culture and Society: A Sociology of culture, London: Macmillan. Becker, H.S. (1982) ‘Culture: a sociological view’, Yale Review, 71(4), 513–27. DiMaggio, P. (1997). Culture and Cognition, Annual Review of Sociology, 23(1), pp.263-287. Friedland, R. and Mohr, J. (2003) Matters of Culture: Cultural Sociology in Practice, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Macionis J.J. and Plummer, K. (2008) Sociology, 4th ed., Harlow: Pearson/Prentice Hall. (read pages 127-134; 138-141; 146-148). Miner, H. (1956) ‘Body ritual among the Nacirima’, American Anthropologist, 58(3), 503-507. Scott, J. and Marshall, G. (2005) A Dictionary of Sociology, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press. (see entries for culture and subculture). Gelder, K. and Thornton, S., eds. (1997) The Subcultures Reader, London: Routledge. or Gelder, K., ed. (2005) The Subcultures Reader, 2nd ed., London: Routledge. 22