Types of Culture

• What is culture?

  • A way of life for a particular society or part of society
  • Beliefs and behaviours common to members of a particular group or society
  • Conform to a shared set of norms and values
  • Culture is socially developed and socially transmitted through socialisation
  • Contemporary society is characterised by cultural diversity eg. London and New York City are culturally diverse
• Multiculturalism

  • The view that cultures, races and religions (particularly minority groups) being acknowledged within a dominant political culture
  • This has been criticised with former PM David Cameron concluding that 'multiculturalism has failed' in the wake of 7/7 bombings in London in 2005. The bombers had been brought up and born in the UK and Cameron argued the UK had failed to ensure people had a shared culture - controversial view
• Homogenisation of culture

  • Cultures have become more similar or alike and is generally expressed negatively suggesting that a dominant culture has invaded and replaced a local culture
  • This can be seen in terms of dilution of local culture and also on a global scale
  • Example of Americanisation - brands such as McDonald's and Starbucks being adopted internationally as well as media, fashions and behaviours
• Subcultures

  • Smaller group of people that shares its own norms, customs and values distinct from mainstream society, whilst still existing within it
  • Examples - goths, chavs and emos, gay community and political group eg. the far right
  • Some question whether a shared set of interests really count as a culture within a culture
  • Postmodernists eg. Maffesoli talk about 'neotribes' and note that it is fashion, music and consumer choices which unite groups
  • Postmodernists focus on the idea that society is so diverse with different cultures that there are no subsets from a main culture
• Mass culture

  • A set of norms and values the vast majority of society share developed from exposure to the same media
  • Relates to the idea of homogenisation of culture as it is suggested by neo-marxists of the Frankfurt School that as a result of industrialisation, mass culture has replaced local culture
  • At one time people enjoyed localised culture but today people enjoy mass-produced culture largely disseminated through mass media
  • Designed to appeal to a mass audience
  • Examples - cinema and football
• Folk culture

  • The culture of ordinary people, particularly those living in pre-industrial societies
  • Characterised by local culture that the Frankfurt School suggests has been replaced by mass culture
  • Culture based around oral tradition rather than an era of mass literacy
  • Cultural customs and practices learned from others in the community by word of mouth, passed through generations
  • Refers to traditional cultural practices
  • Examples - English people partaking in Morris dancing and the Scottish enjoying bagpipe tunes
• High/low culture

  • The idea that some cultural practices are superior to others
  • Expressed in terms of the arts where some art is created for the elite in society and 'the masses' enjoyed lower quality entertainment
  • High culture - opera, ballet and great works of literature
  • Low culture (derogatory term for popular culture) - football, soap shows and popular TV and cinema
  • High culture seen as superior however struggles to make money due to niche audience and subsidised by government
• Popular culture

  • Music, art, literature, fashion, dance and cinema that are consumed by the majority of society's population
  • Examples - Love Island and pop music
  • Sometimes distinguished from mass culture as people play an active role in it, rather than being a passive consumer
  • The Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies in Birmingham has focused a lot of attention on this culture, there are six definitions
  • Quantitative, residual, commercial, democratic, hybrid, relative
• Global culture

  • Postmodernists raise the question of whether we have a culture which has been impacted by globalisation and is therefore likely to be multi-cultural and driven by technology
  • Can be seen positively as the world becomes more interconnected and can lead to hybrid cultures - people can choose what cultures they want to adapt to
  • However, this leads to a loss of independent cultures as we become more homogenised
  • Marxists would argue that global culture has led to cultural imperialism (America and western cultures taking over the world
• Ritzer - McDonaldisation

  • The process by which the principles of the fast food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world
  • Efficiency - to reach a specific end rapidly with the least amount of cost or effort eg. drive thru's, salad bars and microwave dinners
  • Calculability - an emphasis on things that can be counted and quantified. Emphasises quantity rather than quality
  • Predictability - the attempt to structure our environment so that surprise and differentness do not encroach upon our sensibilities
• The irrationality of rationality

  • Lack of efficiency for customers - long queues, more work to do as a customer
  • Dehumanising
  • Threat to health
  • Substitution of illusion for reality