THEORIES OF CULTURE AND IDENTITY
Three structuralist theories, then the others put more emphasis on individual actions and freedoms of choice
FUNTIONALISM
Culture is based on consensual values.
Socialization transmits this.
Identities are created in families.
Families socialise children and stabilise adults.
Identity develops as people interact beyond the family.
Culture integrates society. Individualism in modern society threatens integration.
MARXISM
Economic production shapes cultural ideas.
Ideology controls the workers by keeping them falsely conscious (an ideology serving a particular group in society).
Consumerism is the ideology of late capitalism.
Gramsci emphasized the importance of culture for maintaining ruling class domination.
Cultural production comes from the capitalist ruling class, who produce for profit and seek to maintain social control.
FEMINISM
Popular culture has contributed to the domination of women by men.
Popular culture reinforces the patriarchal ideology, which defines femininity in terms of housewife-mother role.
Stereotypes encourage both men and women to have limited expectations of women.
Female bodies are objects to entertain or sell consumer goods.
Feminist ideas have created new images of strong women.
SOCIAL ACTION THEORIES
Culture cannot exist separately of individuals.
Symbolic interactionism places great emphasis on the development and presentation of the self.
Identity is not imposed and is pretty much permanent.
People see themselves as they think others see them.
Identity is developed through interaction, and changes according to the individual's perception of a social situation.
Goffman's study 'Asylums' shows how people in a psychiatric institution have their identities stripped away so a new one can be put in place. Some resist by staying out of trouble, but not accepting the new identity.
Giddens developed structuration to show that the major principles of structuralist and action theories can be combined. He says structures exist because of human actions and continue to exist or develop because of actions. He also acknowledges the influence of existing structures eg. language, on actions. EG. English existed before any of us were born and it can be used to challenge or reinforce ethinc and gender inequalities.
POSTMODERN THEORY AND POPULAR CULTURE
Postmodern society has the feature of uncertainty caused by globalisation, technological change (particularly ICT), the dissolving of the old class structure and the new media saturation. This uncertainty has resulted in:
The decentring of identity. Old identities like religion have all gone and been replaced by consumerism, which focuses on the individual and prevents new collective identities developing.
The emergence of a postmodern popular culture. The distinction between high and popular culture has gone. Image is consumed.
Question
Q/ Compare and contrast the sociological accounts of how two individuals aquire their identity through the process of indivisualisation
A/ Choose any two paradgims, funcionalism says that a child is fairly empty and passive child who goes on to learn consensual values.
Symbolic interaction says a person is more active in aquiring an identity, and that the identity is more fluid.
Marxism would critisise both of these for underestimating how roles can be imposed.
Feminism would say that the first two failed to explain the transmission of patriarchal ideology.
The two theories can be bought closer together with Giddens concept of structurisation.
TIP: if you choose two more contrasting paradgims, then it's easier to contrast.