Chapter 5 Flashcards
(31 cards)
Culture
The social construction of reality of society’s dominant groups, often imposed as a shared way of life among members of a society; it is sometimes shared and frequently challenged by subordinate groups
ideology
A systematic body of ideas( for example, doctrines or myths) held by members of a class, institution, or group
cultural hegemony
A situation in which the ideas and values of the dominant members of society are diffused throughout society’s institutions and imposed on less powerful members
norms
Rules or standards of proper behavior that are formed by interacting individuals
normative indoctrination
The teaching of norms to individuals
culture shock
A feeling of confusion, uncertainty, surprise, or anxiety experienced when people are exposed to a different culture or behavior that does not conform to the prevailing norms
enthnocentrism
The view that one’s culture is the standard against which other cultures should be evaluated
sanctions
Social control in the form of punishment meted out to those who exhibit deviant behaviors or rewards given to those who conform to the norms of society
folkways
The least formal or important norms, usually involving conventional routines such as how many meals a day we eat
mores
norms specifying behaviors that must or must not occur, and to which strong feelings may be attached, such as those relation to the selection of a marriage partner
laws
The most formal and important norms, which are considered so vital that they are written as legal formalizations
values
Assumptions and judgement made about the goods, goals, or states of existence that are deemed important, desirable, and worth striving for
patriarchy
A social system in which male dominance is considered a natural, inalienable right
nonmaterial culture
The body of abstractions that defines the way society’s members live; abstractions include knowledge, beliefs, values, customs, rituals, and symbols
material culture
Physical artifacts that define a society; for example, a flag, style of dress, or housing
language
Patterns of written symbols, audible sounds, and gestures that convey meanings
symbolic annihilation
“The absence of experience of a group of people in the media”
When individuals see few people of color, women, gays, lesbians, people with disabilities, or the poor, or hear few of their voices talking about their experiences as valid, it suggests that these people do not exist or are unimportant
sapir-whorf hypothesis
Notion that people’s understanding of the world around them can be limited by their language: They only know the world by the very words they learn and use
thomas theorem (definition of the situation)
The view that if a situation is defined as real, the consequences of actions based on that definition are quite real, regardless of whether the definition is accurate; for example if women are defined as inferior to men, they will be treated as inferior regardless of the reality; also called definition of the situation
corporate culture
The relationships and structures created in societies by corporate ideologies that promote and enhance the production of private profit; corporations in the core frequently export these ideologies to peripheral countries
competitive individualism
The beliefs that individuals are completly responsible for their own economic condition so that economic success (wealth) or failure (poverty) is the result of individual effort
culture of poverty
The belief that poor people are poverty-stricken because of a shared lack of motivation to work hard, earn a living, or gain an education
“mcdonaldization” of society
As described by Ritzer, the exportation of U.S corporate culture around the world and the consequent homogenizatoin of global culture
cultural leveling
Situation in which the diverse and distinctive differences between cultures become blurred as they increasingly come to resemble each other because of the common, domination presence of corporate culture
