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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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…”

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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 …

13. 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?

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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.

17. 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

18. 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, … ?

19. 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)

20. 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

21. 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)

22. 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]

23. 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?

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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 ]

27. 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)

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

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

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

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