SECTION A – INTRODUCING CULTURE, SOCIALISATION AND IDENTITY
CULTURE
CULTURE, NORMS AND VALUES
Culture – refers to the way of life of a society, which includes its, morals,
beliefs, knowledge, language, traditions, etc. Cultures are made distinctive by
their norms and values.
Values – strong principles and beliefs that a society judges to be important.
They act as guidelines for behaviour. Some values includes respect for
humans, free speech, and justice.
Norms – refers to behaviour that is normal and therefore socially acceptable.
They govern all aspects of behaviour and often reflect key values. For
example, the way men and women dress, and how and what we eat.
TYPES OF CULTURE
Subculture Often defined as culture within a culture.
Minority groups of people share values and norms that is
distinctive from the dominant mainstream culture.
Subcultures can be based on ethnicity, religion, social
class and age (e.g. spectacular youth subcultures).
Some subcultures are seen as being opposed to the
dominant culture where they might experience
discrimination and hostility.
High Culture Refers to the cultural products and activities that are
considered superior as they supposedly represent
humanity’s finest achievements
High cultural activities are thought to be most
appreciated by the upper class, and nurtured in private
schools and elite universities.
Examples include classical music, theatre, opera, ballet,
art, etc.
BOURDIEU – high culture occupies the ‘superior’ position
that it does because the capitalist class can use its
economic and political power to impose its definitions of
moral and artistic worth on the rest of society via the
media and education system.
Popular Culture Refers to the products and activities that is enjoyed by
the majority of people.
Popular culture is often the product of media as it
includes listening to pop music, watching TV, going to
cinema.
Some people, especially those in high culture, view
popular culture as shallow and inferior.
STRINATI – distinction between high and popular culture
is no longer clear because technology has made all
cultural products available to everyone. E.g. classical
literature is being adapted into television.
Global Culture Refers to a culture that is no longer distinct to different
countries but is shared and followed around the world.
MCLUHAN – as a result, the world has become a smaller
and more immediate place.
Cultural products and services are becoming universal as
they are produced and marketed globally by transnational
corporations.
E.g. Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Apple, Amazon and
, SECTION A – INTRODUCING CULTURE, SOCIALISATION AND IDENTITY
Google are global brands where their products and
services are known and consumed worldwide.
Consumer The mass media and advertising encourages individuals
Culture to value materialism and consumerism.
Shopping is the major leisure activity and conspicuous
consumption – the acquisition of high status goods and
brands – has become a major means of expressing
identity.
YOUNG – we live in a ‘bulimic society’ by which he means
that there is a constant pressure to consume.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Cultural Diversity – refers to the existence of various cultural or ethnic group
with a society
Intercultural Diversity – refers to how cultures differ from one another in
terms of their values and norms. Norms and values vary between cultures, so
there is a huge diversity in cultures around the world in terms of lifestyle,
food, language, etc.
Intracultural Diversity – refers to cultural differences that exists within
societies. This can be seen with how the UK has become a more culturally
diverse/multicultural society.
CULTURAL HYBRIDITY
Cultural Hybridity – when two or more cultures merge.
The UK culture is often described as hybrid because it contains aspects of
English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish cultures, but also global influences from
Asia, the Caribbean and the USA.
There is also evidence of cultural hybridity among the children of immigrants
to the UK, especially among young Asians who mix aspects of British culture
with elements of Asian culture.
E.g. Asian teenagers may aspire to and enjoy the same aspects of
consumer culture as their White peers but they may also watch Bollywood
films, wear henna tattoos, and respect their parents’ wishes in terms of
traditional dress and arranged marriages.
