Culture

• What is Culture?


  - Socially transmitted practices, values, beliefs, languages, ideologies, symbols, and material objects that people create to deal with real life problems

  - The social force that gives (what's listed above) their meaning

  - an assumption of shared understanding/meaning

  - Is incorporated into perception therefore it can't be separated from it

  - An assumption of shared understanding/meaning

  - a set of beliefs attached to the social structure that are characteristic about a society
• Methodological Pluralism


  the fact that there are many different research methods
• Theoretical Pluralism


  when we can't agree on the best way to theorize our observations
• Social Norms


  generally accepted way of doing things
• 1. Folkways


  evoke the least severe punishment when violated and specify social preferences (what seems to be common sense)
• 2. Social Mores


  social norms that people believe are essential to the survival of their group of their society and specify social requirements
• 3. Taboos


  the strongest type of social norm, when violated creates reactions of horror and/or disgust and often severe punishment
• Settled Times


  when structure and culture are mutually reinforcing

  - culture takes the form of tradition or so-called "common sense"

  - culture has a weak effect on individual behavior (because behaviour is primarily determined by structure) (like a routine)

  - Social structure influences behaviour

  - New ideologies are unlikely to appear and motivate new behaviors in people because it's existing culture makes social reproduction easy
• Settled Times Example: Pre-Revolutionary Medieval Europe


  Structure: strict boundaries between royalty and nobility vs. the common people

  Culture: divine right of kings, supported by religious doctrine
• Unsettled Times


  when structure becomes out-of-sync with existing traditions

  - Culture increasingly takes the form of new ideology

  - Culture creates new strategies for action and propels people to act in ways that might differ from their existing habits and traditions

  - Culture influences behaviour which therefore becomes what motivates action and initiates change
• Unsettled Times Example: The French Revolution


  existing structure no longer supports the social reproduction of the common people (non nobility)
• Settled Lives


  routines and habits that function to move life along day to day
• Unsettled Lives


  when routines and habits no longer function to uphold the structure of the relationship
• Rationalization


  the application of the most efficient means to achieve given goals

  - involves valuing efficiency and productivity almost above all else

  - an increase in rationalization means there'll be a decrease in tradition (and vice versa)
• Normalization


  social change often involves the normalization of ideas, beliefs, judgements, and related behaviors that were previously considered abnormal

  - produces social change gradually

  - involves a change at the level of culture

  - Meaning = abnormal -> replaced by -> Meaning = normal
• Medicalization


  the process where a non-medical issue becomes viewed as a medical condition that's best addressed by a medical professional

  - describes a change at the level of culture

  - Meaning = non-medical -> replayed by -> Meaning = medical
• Dominant Culture


  - the overarching system of meaning(s) that authorizes and justifies the existing culture (including social inequalities)

  - reinforces social reproduction of existing categories of inequality
• Subordinate Culture


  systems of meaning(s) that challenges or contests dominant culture
• Pre-Modernity: prior to industrialization


  State Structure: monarchy

  Economic Structure: feudalism (division of labour is based on where you're born)

  Political Structure: political power is vested in the nobility, "the King makes the law but is not subject to it"

  Fundamental Social Categorization: nobility vs. peasants

  Dominant Culture: divine right of Kings, existing social classes were justified on the basis that the monarch was hand selected by God

  Subordinate Culture: human beings are seen as equal in God's eyes, challenges the narrative of the dominant culture
• 2. Modernity: industrial revolution to cold war


  State Structure:

  - West - democracy

  - USSR - communism

  Economic Structure:

  - West - capitalism

  - USSR - planned economy
• 2. Modernity - West


  Dominant Culture:

  Economic Meritocracy

  - Social inequality is caused by unequal ability and/or effort

  Subordinate Culture:

  - challenges the narrative of economic meritocracy
• 2. Modernity - USSR


  Dominant Culture:

  - capitalist economies are detrimental to human flourishing

  Subordinate Culture:

  - challenges the political legitimacy of the communist regime
• 3. Postmodernity: cold war to present


  State Structure: democracy

  Economic Structure: capitalism

  - We refer to the contemporary era as this
• Cultural Fragmentation


  no societal-level agreement on the meaning of experiences, events
• 3 Types of Social Norms

  1. Folkways
  2. Social Mores
  3. Taboos