Culture and Social Structure Parillo, Chapter 2 Culture and Social Structure

The Concept of Culture Definition: Culture consists of customs, ideas, language, norms, physical objects, values, and social institutions. Material Culture; Physical objects Nonmaterial Culture; abstract human creations Culture shapes our behavior, … thinking

Culture Cont. Norms: Culture’s rules of behavior Acculturation Values Internalized Society’s fundamental expectations (Soc 1) Folkways, … Mores Acculturation To learn a society’s cultural patterns Values Figure 2.1, Robin Williams 15 values

Culture and the Construction of Reality Culture, Language, and Reality Reality is related to our culture Symbols of culture, … words Linguistic Relativity (Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis) We interpret our world, … reality by language Language determines how we interpret reality

Culture Cont. The Thomas Theorem The vicious-circle phenomenon If people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences The vicious-circle phenomenon People create a culturally determined world of reality, - Prejudice, . Discrimination, . Prejudice Cultural Transmission, …(South Pacific) “We have to be carefully taught to hate…”

Cultural Change Culture changes through, … discoveries, .. Inventions, .. Technology, .. Innovations, ..natural / environmental events Cultural Diffusion Cultures are influenced by other cultures Borrowed Cultural Elements Ralph Lipton, “100 percent American” Culture Contact Immigration

Subcultures Chain Migration Parallel Social Institutions Settling in an area where friends, .. family live Parallel Social Institutions Duplicate social institutions, (Banks, Clubs, ...) Ethnic subcultures Americanized subcultures, usually first and second generation Marginality, … neither ethnic nor American

Subcultures Cont. Ethnogenesis: an adaptation to the core culture A group consciousness unknown in the ”old country” Modification of immigrant cultural elements Adaptation of core cultural elements Convergent Subcultures Tend toward assimilation to the core culture Persistent Subcultures, … Unassimilated

Structural Conditions Social Stratification The hierarchical classification of members of society based on the unequal distribution of Resources, … Power, … Prestige Resources, … income, property, prestige Power, … ability to influence or control others Prestige, … ones status, achieved or ascribed

Social Class One’s place in the social hierarchy Similar income, property, power, status, lifestyle Socioeconomic Scale (SEC) Education, … Income, … Occupation Upper Class to Lower Class W. Lloyd Warner: Reputational method Minority Social Class status Usually low, … lowest

Ethnicity and Social Class Milton Gordon’s explanation of our pluralistic society Four factors that help form subsocieties Ethnicity (also Race) Social Class Rural or Urban residence Regionalism Combined, … form an Ethclass The intersection of the stratification by race, ethnicity and the stratification of social class

Blaming the Poor or Society E. Franklin Frazier (1932) Theorized of the disorganization and pathology of lower class culture Daniel P. Moynihan (1965) Presented his work on the culture-of-poverty Moynihan argued: … family disorganization was the core cause of lower class (racial, ethnic) problems “…At the heart of the deterioration … (p. 50) Black males occupied a unstable place …

Blaming the Poor Cont. See quoted material on pp. 50 and 51 Oscar Lewis, The Children of Sanchez The Perpetuation of Poverty, … “The culture of poverty, … (p.51). Criticisms of the Culture of Poverty theory Is it cultural determinism? Is it economic, structural determinism?

Intergroup Conflict Robert E. Park: Race-relation Cycle Four Stages Contact: between groups Competition for economic, social resources Adjustment or Accommodation Eventual assimilation and amalgamation Race referred to racial and ethnic groups Assimilation may be halted for a time but eventually all groups would assimilate

Robert E. Park Cont. Park’s theory fit NW Europeans nicely Not testable because of … “eventually …” Lack of assimilation attributable to temporary obstacles Parks theory may not (does not) apply to all societies

Cultural Differentiation Similarities between immigrant groups and the dominant core tend to promote harmonious relations and assimilation. The greater and more visible the cultural differentiation, the greater the likelihood that conflict will occur.

Structural Differentiation How structural conditions affect intergroup relations Functionalist: How economic and technological conditions facilitate minority integration With a healthy economy immigrants find an easier time to get established A healthy economy provides occupational mobility

Ethnic Stratification Theories Lieberson: Power Differential Theory Intergroup relations depend on the relative power of the migrant and indigenous groups Which group becomes superordinate and which become subordinate governs ethnic relations If the newcomer posses superior technology, … ? If the indigenous group has superior technology and power, … ?

Internal Colonialism Theory Robert Blauner (1960) Structural relations of Native Americans, African Americans, Mexican Americans reflect a colonial relationship Example: Black Ghettoes, .. three features Blacks forced to live in ghettoes, (North) Ethnic culture was destroyed Controlled from without economically, politically and administratively (p. 60)

Assimilation Theories Majority Conformity theory (Anglo Conformity), … A+B+C = A English Influence, … language, institutions, values, attitudes and culture Americanization movement, … early 1900s Encourage immigrants to become 100% American Government agencies and private organizations Divest themselves of ethnic characteristics

Types of Assimilation Milton Gordon: (1964) Assimilation has several phases: Cultural Assimilation, (acculturation) Structural Assimilation, (primary relations) Marital Assimilation, (amalgamation) Identificational Assimilation (like the Core) Attitude Receptional Assimilation (less prejudice) Behavioral Receptional Assimilation Civic Assimilation, (absence of conflict)

Milton Gordon Cont. Gordon, … Structural Assimilation is seen as the “keystone” to other phases Some sociologists disagree, … “cultural assimilation does not lead to structural assimilation Secondary Structural Assimilation Impersonal, public social interaction Primary Structural Assimilation Involves close personal interaction [Note the Bogardus Social Distance Scale]

Melting Pot Theory Amalgamation (Melting Pot) Theory A+B +C = D “E Pluribus Unum” J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, “Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men.” Israel Zangwill (1908), “America is Gods Crucible, the great Melting Pot where all the races of Europe are melting and reforming - …” Did We Melt? Did We All Melt?

Assimilation Theories Cont. Ruby Jo Kennedy: Triple Melting Pot Intermarriage within major religious groupings Anglo-Conformity Take on Anglo-Saxon (English) cultural characteristics A+B+C = A Suggests the “Melting Pot” concept is a myth The American is not a composite or synthesis of various ethnic elements

Accommodation (Pluralistic) Theory Pluralistic Theory recognizes the persistence of racial and ethnic diversity A+B+C = A+B+C Horace Kallen (1915) “Democracy versus the Melting Pot Rejected Assimilation and Amalgamation theories Each group tends to preserve its own language, institutions, and cultural heritage Democracy gives them the right to do so

Pluralistic Theory Cont. Pluralistic Reality From its beginning, America has been a pluralistic country A+B+C = A+B+C Cultural Pluralism: two or more culturally distinct groups Structural Pluralism: the coexistence of racial and ethnic groups in subsocieties within social-class and regional boundaries [ A+B+C = A+b+c ]

White Culture? Is There a White Culture? If there is, is it independent of American culture? Is it identifiable as separate from American culture? (See quote on p. 70)

Key Terms Accommodation (Pluralistic Theory) Acculturation Amalgamation (Melting Pot Theory) Americanization movement Anglo-conformity Assimilation (Majority conformity) Theory Chain migration Convergent subcultures Cultural assimilation

Key Terms Cont. Cultural diffusion Cultural pluralism Cultural transmission Culture [ An American culture? ] Culture of poverty Economic determinism Ethclass Ethnic stratification Ethnic subcultures

Key Terms Cont. Internal-colonialism Theory Linguistic relativity Marginality Marital Assimilation (Amalgamation) Norms Parallel social institutions Persistent subcultures Power-differential theory Social stratification

Key Terms Cont. Structural assimilation Structural pluralism Thomas theorem Vicious-circle phenomenon