Chapter 3: Culture

symbolic interactionalism

Values and norms are social constructions that may var over time and in different contexts; meaning is created, maintained and changed through ongoing social interaction. (eg. religions beliefs and rituals)

Structural Functionalism

Values and norms are widely shared and agreed upon; they contribute to social stability by reinforcing common bonds and constraining individual behavior. (eg. religion)

conflict theory

Values and norms tend to represent and protect the interests of the most powerful groups in society.

cultural diffusion

a more developed culture spreads to a less developed nation

multiculturalism

a policy that involves honoring the diverse racial, ethnic, national, and linguistic backgrounds of various individuals and groups

moral holiday

a specified time period during which some norm violations are allowed (eg. nudity in a strip club)

mores

carry a greater moral significance and are more closely related to the core values of a cultural group (eg. theft, rape, murder)

cultural leveling

cultures that were once distinct become increasingly similar to one another

cultural relativism

seeing each different culture as different; not better or worse, nor right or wrong, but on its own terms

signs

symbols that stand for or convey an idea

hegemony (dominance)

term developed by Antonio Gramsci to describe the cultural aspects of social control

culture wars

the clashes that arise as a result of conflicting viewpoints

culture

the entire way of life of a group of people; the human equivalent of instinct in animals

sapir-whorf hypothesis

the idea that language structures thought

cultural imperialism

the imposition of one culture's beliefs and practices on another culture through media and consumer products

taboos

the most powerful norm

ideal culture

the norms and values that members of a society believe should be observed in principle ("all men are created equal")

real culture

the patterns of behavior that actually exist

dominant culture

the values, norms, and practices of the group within society that is most powerful

gestures

the ways in which people use their bodies to communicate without words

sanctions

they include rewards for conformity and punishments for violations

ethnocentrism

we think of our culture as being the "normal" one

folkways

when people do not conform, they are though of as peculiar or eccentric but not necessarily dangerous