Soc Exam #4

Front 1

Postmodernity

Back 1

refers to a post-1960s change in finance, industry, art, culture, politics, media, and life in general. David Harvey argues that postmodernity is primarily characterized by time/space compression brought on by information and transportation technology

Front 2

Postmodern Theorists

Back 2

Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida critique modernity, science, rationality, and other taken-for-granted benefits of the Enlightenment. Foucault (a postmodernist theorist), Cindy Sherman or Nikki S. Lee (postmodern photographers), and Mystery Science Theater 3000 (a postmodern aesthetic form) are signs that we’re living in postmodernity

Front 3

Globalization

Back 3

is (arguably) a process that’s existed as long as humans from different parts of the world came into contact with humans from other parts of the world. When most people refer to globalization, they’re referring to world-wide interconnections that have increased exponentially in the last few decades.

Front 4

Neoliberalism

Back 4

puts its faith in the free market; neoliberals believe that privatization and free market capitalism represents the best general solution to social problems (sociologists tend to disagree). Both Thomas Friedman (NYT columnist) and Milton Friedman (an economist) are both neoliberal.

Front 5

McDonaldization

Back 5

describes the process where different sectors of our society begin to resemble McDonalds (whether it’s HMOs as McMedicine or Starbucks replacing the local coffee shop). George Ritzer introduced the McDonaldization thesis in 1992 to develop Max Weber’s argument about the rationalization of society

Front 6

Marxism

Back 6

Economic organization determines culture. The ruling class creates cultural forms and practices that sustain the ruling class (e.g. The CNBC Business network broadcasts stories that support the interests of the rich at the expense of the rest of the nation). Gramsci: Because class warfare is fought in the “trenches,” the superstructure is an important area where the working-class can fight against their exploitation and oppression at the hands of capitalism and capitalist forces

Front 7

The Frankfurt School

Back 7

According to Adorno and the Frankfurt School, mass culture (radio, TV, and film) enslaves us into false pleasure. Apparent freedoms – free elections, freedom to buy an array of cosmetic products, and even the freedom of a jazz trumpet solo – are illusions of freedom. The worker’s revolution Marx envisioned is never going to come because popular culture (pop songs, TV, etc.) makes us complacent and stupid

Front 8

Cultural Studies (The Birmingham School)

Back 8

Although there’s class hegemony, people can resist dominant culture by creatively reusing it and by making their own subculture (like punks in the 1970’s). The Frankfurt School’s fears of mass culture causing “idiocracy” are exaggerated.The Cultural Studies perspective also suggests that class isn’t the only important social status; race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, and sexuality are important for explaining the role of culture in society.

Front 9

Japanese Street Fashion

Back 9

From the bottom up. Men don't particularly like the whole idea of it.

Front 10

Antonio Gramsci

Back 10

Hegemony describes the way by which culture "sneaks" into and influences our everyday lives and actions without us realizing it. "trench warfare"

Front 11

Marx

Back 11

Typical of Marx, class conflict. He failed to understand the capitalism could recreate itself.

Front 12

Marx-Base/Superstructure

Back 12

The base derives the superstructure; The superstructure is art, media, govt, ideology, the base is economy, feudalism, capitalism, mode of production

Front 13

Theodor Adorno

Back 13

The Dialectic of Enlightenment. Argued that the standardization of media contributes to dumbing down of people. TV is bad, flies under the radar

Front 14

Hegemony

Back 14

The culture industry cheats its consumers of what it shows or promises. ie: shows pain so we can deal with our own suffering without actually doing it.

Front 15

Cultural Sociology

Back 15

Complexity of pop culture, we can watch a critical commentary between two different sides and come up with our own views and distinctions

Front 16

Cultural Hegemony

Back 16

Antonio Gramsci- the culture of the ruling class is the norm (he was a marxist)

Front 17

Agency

Back 17

Capacity of individuals to act on their own

Front 18

Griswold's Cultural Diamond Model

Back 18

Social and Historical Context
Consumers Producers
Cultural Object

Front 19

Cultural Omnivores

Back 19

Bordieu is wrong in the U.S. more "high brow" people are consuming more and more culture. Eroding base of snobbery.

Front 20

Peterson & Kern

Back 20

Developed the idea of Cultural Ominvores- high class people are more interested in all of the culture rather than just the high class culture.

Front 21

Bethany Bryson

Back 21

How culture is related to class- some people like various types of music up until a point. This point or boundary can be associated to music by a certain race.

Front 22

Symbolic Boundaries (Bethany Bryson)

Back 22

Intensely disliking a type of music is a way of showing the boundary that is defined by something such as race.

Front 23

Neo-Liberalism

Back 23

Neo-Liberal-advocates pure free market, globalization is a good thing, by giving money to poor countries we can free up their markets and help their people.

Front 24

Naomi Klein (The Shock Doctrine)

Back 24

Political and economic changes require violence.

Front 25

Postmodern- Historical Epoch

Back 25

Premodernity pre 1700 ruled by religion and tradition. Age of enlightenment 1750-1800 rationalization, using science. Globalization post-fordism 1970 critics of enlightenment.

Front 26

Microsociology

Back 26

Movement towards radical honesty causes discomfort. Most of the time there is not a revolution that will change things, most of the time there are face to face interactions.

Front 27

Positivism

Back 27

Science can explain everything. If science can explain everything, we are puppets and have little agency.

Front 28

Symbolic Interaction

Back 28

We have agency so the idea that everything can be reduced to science is not true.