Culture and Society: Analysis and Perspectives
Study of Culture
1. Two examples: subculture, counterculture, socialization process, cultural backwardness, cultural relativism, social mores, social customs, and traditions.
Subculture: Hippies exemplify a subculture with unique living rules that don’t conflict with wider society.
Counterculture: Anarchists, with norms and values opposing ideal culture, represent a counterculture in constant conflict.
Socialization Process: A person migrating to a new country gradually incorporates new cultural norms and social expectations; failure to do so may lead to social interaction issues.
Process Establishment: Implementing a law, like banning smoking in public places, initially requires enforcement by elites (e.g., government) but eventually becomes culturally ingrained.
Cultural Backwardness:
Cultural Relativism:
Social Mores: Established laws with severe penalties for violations, including the death penalty.
Social Practices: Everyday customs like eating with a fork.
Traditions: Passed down through generations, fostering a sense of belonging.
2. Choose an example from the box to discuss.
Gay culture, initially countercultural to institutions like the Catholic Church, underwent socialization and gained acceptance, transitioning from a subculture to a more integrated part of society.
3. When firmly established, do traditions run automatically?
Yes, established traditions become ingrained in the unconscious, automating responses and making violations psychologically difficult.
4. Similarities and differences in values with parents?
Similarities exist in the concept of independence, but differences arise in its interpretation. Parents view independence as self-sufficiency while still relying on them, whereas personal independence means complete autonomy.
5. Is cultural relativism the opposite of ethnocentrism?
Yes, ethnocentrism views one’s culture as superior, while cultural relativism respects other cultures and understands their traits within their cultural context.
6. How does ethnocentrism support national survival?
Ethnocentrism fosters nationalism and reinforces national survival by promoting one’s customs, although it doesn’t necessarily imply superiority.
7. Can one have preferences without being ethnocentric?
Yes, but cultural influences often shape preferences, making many views ethnocentric.
Ethnocentric Expressions:
- In India, they don’t eat cows.
- Ecuadorian jungle tribes don’t wear clothes.
- Self-administered justice for tradition violations.
- Cutting off a finger for theft.
- Speaking only Quichua.
Non-Ethnocentric Expressions:
- Using English words instead of Quechua.
- Wearing zaaris in Santiago, despite it not being part of my culture.
Wild Child: Social Body and Symbolic
1. Importance of the environment in child development?
The environment determines adaptation, growth, and internalization of the symbolic order.
2. Biological adaptation to the environment?
Children like Amala and Kamal exhibited physical adaptations, such as sharp teeth and altered joints, due to their upbringing with wolves.
3. Adaptation of the symbolic status?
Symbolic adaptation occurs as children internalize symbols from their environment, whether it’s wolves or people.
4. Stimulating function for preference of the other?
Education shapes a person’s relationship with the world, recognizing them as a subject influenced by another’s preferences.
5. Process of learning social norms?
Socialization begins at birth, with norms determined by family and culture, shaping the individual into a social being.
Comparing Paradigms
1. Classical Marxism vs. Social Evolutionism
Rate:
Social Evolution: Progressive change, undefined rate.
Classical Marxism: Revolutionary change, finite rate.
Direction:
Social Evolution: Positive and rising.
Classical Marxism: Negative and falling.
2. Classical Marxism vs. Structural Functionalism
Structural Functionalist:
Society has strong cultural coherence, with each part playing a vital role in the whole.
Marxist Paradigm:
Society is based on economic relations and the exchange of goods and services.
3. Knowing Social Reality through Logical Positivism
Reality is known through induction, verification, and value-neutral methods.
4. Contributions of Neoliberalism
Change is induced by deduction and falsification, emphasizing understanding over mere observation.