Culture and the Social Construction of Reality – Flashcards

Helps us connect, comes from nature and cultivation Derivation: -Agriculture -Refinement -Symbolic expression (realm of ideas, belief) 2 Definitions= Symbolic Definition Conflict Definition

Systems of shared meaning

..The patterns of ideas, values, and beliefs common to a particular group of people

1. Well liked and commercially successful 2. Well known icons and media products 3. Mass culture (lowest common denominator) <- appeals to; dumbing us down for higher sales 4. Belongs to the people (democratic). For everyone, variety of taste and perspective

1. contains meaning to us, complex. ex: swastika 2. transmitted through narratives. Gives meaning and purpose 3. Shapes our perspective on reality ex: body image -ourselves -others. How we see them; race, gender, class -our social worlds. other societies

socially constructed

A word, symbol, or concept whose conventional meaning is a result of its social and historical development.

1. Normative. become the norm 2. Rest on assumptions. assumes 3. Appear as "given" or "taken for granted" 4. seem "natural" and inevitable. Its the way it must be

1. Cumulative. Socially reproduced over time; accumulates 2. Selective. Perceive what we want 3. Multiple. not fixed or shared

see things differently

-race/ethnicity -class -gender -sexuality -language -religion -nationality -age/generation -taste/lifestyle -life experience