Summary
Summary AQA A Level Sociology culture and identity revision notes
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Revision notes covering topics 1, 2, and 3 of AQA A Level Sociology paper 2 culture and identity
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Popular culture Globalisation- Commercially produced, exist on a wide - Mcluhan: we are living in a global village; time and space diminishing as result of travel/technology improving
scale - Cohen + Kennedy: the world is being knitted together, so music/fashion/values/images/ideas are becoming more global; support
- Often for passive consumption, not active - Miller: people aren’t subject to cultural swamping as they retain local values/behaviours
involvement - Schiller: global mass media is essentially the spread of US/Western culture (not diverse)
- Negative implications for the audience - Giddens: globalisation is the crucial issue of our times; doesn’t necessarily lead to Westernisation/Americanisation: many countries
- Form of social control b/c gives illusion of reject Western values/adapt Western programmes to reflect their own local values (reverse colonialism)
choice but actually keeps us poor - Marxist: globalisation through mass media = one-way process; transfer of ideas/culture flows from developed to underdeveloped world;
- Can be used to influence produces homogenisation of culture based on capitalist values; threatens indigenous cultures
opinions/actions b/c it is consumed - Liberal pluralist: flow of cultures/ideas is multi-directional; produces more multicultural world w/ increasing diversity of ideas/lifestyles; in
mindlessly e.g. ‘Vote Leave’ campaign favour of globalisation b/c it reduces power of national govts + makes media concentration easier
used social media to reach the portion of - Ritzer: McDonaldisation; global economic system is dominated by TNCs based in wealthy capitalist countries; ‘Fordism’ (tasks broken
eligible voters who had never voted before down into small repetitive action that can be performed by relatively unskilled workers) has been extended to other types of production
Low culture e.g. productions of hamburgers
- Often reflects values of w/c - Tomlinson: cultural flow model; flow of cultural media influences is multi-directional + a complex networks of communications/media
- AKA ‘pop culture’; seen as disposable messages/influences; encourages mixing of cultural influences (hybrid cultures)
(designed for mass audiences); little - Miller: people make sense of US TV/film through their framework of local practices/understanding
intellectual challenge - Robertson: globalisation can spark a revitalisation in localisation e.g. Welsh TV channels in the UK despite global media
- Often subject to gentrification: - Curran + Seaton: media concentration essential for economic success in a global market; competition enables consumers to have wider
assimilated into m/c culture; seen as choice of media products at affordable prices
‘authentic’ so garners social approval
Marxist
High culture - Critical of formation of culture; dominant ideology of 1
- Bourdieu: high culture seen as superior b/c ruling class sets norms/values of society; dictates how
dominant class has power to impose these people live; ruling class use social institutions to control
ideas on the rest of society masses/generate ideological control to stop revolt
- Marxist: high culture has increasingly AO3
become popularised/commercialised Marx - Assumes
- Giddens (PostMod): technology means we - Ruling class control means of production + individuals are
can now consume high culture whenever we have influence over cultural norms passive/don’t resist
like; higher culture art forms consumed by - Generates sense of false class consciousness impact of culture
ordinary masses; art no longer special - using social institutions to hide exploitation e.g. e.g. formation of
incorporated into daily life by promoting meritocracy subcultures
Mass culture - As long as they can afford goods/services they - Folk culture still
- F + Q Leavis: mass culture = won’t revolt b/c they believe they’re doing well exists despite
processed/ packaged/trivial/ mindless - Lumpenproletariat: section of the population dominant mass
fantasy; inferior to lasting artistic unaware of their exploitation + content to culture; global
value of high culture consume mass culture; mass culture = culture has been
- Postmodernist: critical of idea of distraction to prevent revolt met w/ resistance
such a homogenous culture
, Feminist
- Culture is patriarchal in nature; reflects male interests
- Differing perspectives on how/to what extent culture favours male
interests
Liberal: culture more equal than prev.; legislation/changing
attitudes/representation of women seen as evidence of progress
Functionalist towards equality; inequality persists at all levels
- Society creates culture through agreement on norms/values Marxist: capitalism = key motivator for inequality; women are
(value consensus); socialisation vital in forming norms/values oppressed by class/gender within modern culture; consumption
of society’s culture targeting women e.g. beauty industry exploits women by creating
Durkheim: culture = a form of social glue bringing individuals insecurities than capitalising on them; progress measured by
together; social solidarity; individuals are socialised into the employment doesn’t account for unpaid labour by women/barriers to
norms/values of society which forms part of their identity; employment e.g. reserve army of labour, expectation of childcare
value consensus controls deviant behaviour Radical: organisation of cultural norms/values are designed to
disadvantage women; radical change required to address inequalities
not minor reforms; social institutions are all based on male interests -
representation isn’t enough e.g. more female doctors doesn’t stop the
trivialisation of women’s healthcare
Intersectional: experience of culture depends on social location;
Topic 1 class/gender/ethnicity/disability/sexuality/nationality factors into how
Parsons women experience cultural norms/values; critical of liberal feminism for
Frankfurt school - AGIL model: its focus on white m/c issues at the expensive of more disadvantaged
- Mass culture encourages consumption of goods; Adaptation: ability to acquire sufficient resources women
promotes false needs Goal attainment: how culture sets goals AO3
- Development of commodity fetishism (= the need to Integration: how individuals learn culture - Changing cultural norms/values beginning to reflect
have a product to obtain status) Latency: how culture is presented women’s contribution
- Promotes values of capitalism in mass culture; both - Agencies of socialisation are responsible for transmitting Walby: women’s involvement in culture often
a source + solution culture; integrating individuals into wider society controlled through men/serves male interests
- Mass culture destroys folk culture: breaking down - Primary socialisation = 1st stage; developing cultural
collective sentiments + promoting individualism awareness
- Mass culture acts as a form of distraction: the - Secondary socialisation = particularistic to universalistic e.g.
media ‘dumbs down’ messages/promotes meritocracy
oversimplification of ideas; prevents revolution
AO3
Gramsci: hegemony: creation of dominant culture in
- Socialisation is into dominant ideology
society; allowed minimal opposition in order to
- Value consensus difficult to maintain in contemporary society
appear free/democratic but this is an illusion; control
- Deviation from norms/values stigmatised but often brings
of cultural output allows less radical ideas to exist
necessary social changes
(ideas that ruling class can tolerate)
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