Introduction to Sociology

(Culture and dominant ideology)

(Ref: Richard T. Schaefer, Sociology, 10th Ed., McGraw Hills Online

Resources, http://www.mhhe.com/schaefer10)

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 Culture and dominant ideology

“Set of cultural beliefs and practices that helps to maintain

powerful social, economic and political interests” [Lukas, G.
1923, Gramsci, A. 1929]

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 Culture and dominant ideology
“A capitalist society has a dominant ideology that serves
the interests of the ruling class” [Marx, K.]
Conflict perspective:
• Society’s most powerful groups and institutions control
wealth and property
• They control the means of producing beliefs through
religion, education and the media
Feminist perspective:
• Society’s most important institutions tell women to be
subservient to men
• Will help to control women and keep them in a
subordinate position
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 Cultural variation

Not easy to identify a “core culture” in an environment

because of numerous variations
• Aspects of cultural variation
– Subcultures
– Countercultures
– Culture shock
• Attitudes towards cultural variation
– Ethnocentrism
– Cultural relativism

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 Aspects of cultural variation

• Subcultures: Segments of society that share distinctive

patterns of mores, folkways and values that differs from
the pattern of the larger society
– What are the distinctive features?
– How these are formed?
– Are they good / bad for the society/environment?

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 Aspects of cultural variation

• Countercultures: When a subculture conspicuously and

deliberately opposes certain aspects of the larger culture
• Culture shock: Anyone who feels disoriented, uncertain,
out of place, or even fearful when immersed in an
unfamiliar culture may be experiencing culture shock

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 Attitudes towards cultural variation

• Ethnocentrism: refers to the tendency to assume that

one’s own culture and way of life represents the norm or
are superior to all others
• Cultural relativism: views people’s behavior from the
perspective of their own culture

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 Major theoretical perspectives on culture
Functionalist Conflict Interactionism
Norms Reinforce social Reinforce patterns Are maintained
standards of dominance through face-to-
face interaction
Values Are collective May perpetuate Are defined and
conceptions of social inequality redefined through
what is good social interaction
Culture and Culture reflects a Culture reflects a A society’s core
society society’s strong society’s culture is
central values dominant ideology perpetuated
through daily
social interactions
Cultural Subcultures serve Countercultures Customs and
variation the interests of question the traditions are
the subgroups, dominant social transmitted
ethnocentrism order, through intergroup
reinforces group ethnocentrism contact and
solidarity devalues groups through the media8
Assignment: Identify subcultures, core culture and
countercultures in online communities given below
(https://www.dreamgrow.com/top-15-most-popular-social-networking-sites/)
Web-based product/application Assigned students
1.Facebook
2. Twitter
3. Instagram
4. LinkedIn
5. YouTube
6. Flickr
7. Reddit
8. Meetup
9. WhatsApp
10. SnapChat
11. Qzone
12. Weibo
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