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Culture - Coggle Diagram
Culture
Key Definitions
Culture
- Culture is the way of life of a society, comprising specific norms and values - (Culture is the bridge between individuals and society)
Values
- General principles or beliefs which the majority of society agrees on - (What we believe in)
Norms
- A set of guidelines which define appropriate and inappropriate behaviour - (Rules that define how to live the values)
Subculture
- A group that shares central values and beliefs of a larger culture but still retains certain values, beliefs and norms that make it distinct from the larger culture
Pop Culture
- The process by which societies are becoming increasingly interconnected
Definitions
Cultural hybridity
- A new form of culture created from combining two or more forms of culture
High Culture
- Cultural products and activities that seem to have a high status and are enjoyed by people of high status - (more expensive things)
Consumer Culture
- A form of materialistic culture facilitated by the market economy, which created a particular relationship between the consumer and the goods or services they use or consume
Cultural Diversity
- Understanding the variety of norms and values that make culture diverse and different
Counterculture
- A subcultural group whose values and beliefs directly oppose those of the larger culture instead of just rejecting them
Important Studies
Jencks (1993)
- Defines culture as ‘the whole way of life of a society’, so culture refers to the sum of knowledge, beliefs, language, values, norms, customs, traditions, mores and so on shared by a particular society
Woodward (2000)
- Suggests that identity is the way we position ourselves within a society as well as in the world, therefore culture and identity are entwined
Giddens (1997)
- Argues, the concept of ‘culture’ cannot exist without the concept of ‘society’ because they are inter-dependent ideas - without culture, there would be no such thing as self-consciousness or ‘identity’ which sociologists argue separates human beings from other animals
William (1983)
- Gives a 'social' definition of culture, in which culture is a description of a particular way of life, which expresses certain meanings and values not only in art and learning but also in institutions and ordinary behaviour
Summary
Culture is the way of life of a society, comprising specific norms and values
Cultures produce products that are classified as having superior value (high culture) or as having mass appeal and low status (popular culture)
Cultures around the world are increasingly influenced by consumerism and globalisation
Cultures are often diverse, that is, made up of subcultures organised around ethnicity, religion, age, social class, and sexual and political affiliation, and this can lead to cultural hybridity