Sociological Explorations of the Meaning of Culture
- To get a deeper insight into the meaning and function of culture, sociologists have broken it down into its individual components. The theory of cultural dimensions, developed by the late Robert Bierstedt, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia and Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, has been very influential in the field. Bierstedt argued that culture has three main dimensions: norms, the specific rules of behavior in society and values, socially shared ideas about what is right and wrong. He also argued that ideology, a combined system of norms and values, is another dimension of culture that makes members of a society act and behave in a socially acceptable way.
- Alongside the dimensions, culture also has several characteristics that further explain its role and meaning in society. Culture is collectively shared and experienced within a society and can be learned both directly, through instruction, and indirectly, through observation and imitation. Culture also varies through time and place, developing as humans adapt to their physical and social environment. Furthermore, culture is symbolic; its significance lies in the meaning that people attach to it, making culture an influential force in society.
- As culture is so important to a society, it also plays a major role in the creation of identity, influencing the way an individual views himself. Subcultures, for example, are the smaller cultural sub-groups, like students or football fans, that exist within the wider society. The norms, values and ideology of a subculture are fundamental in the construction of identity and will govern the attitudes and behavior of its members. These members can still be part of the wider society but must learn the distinct set of rules and regulations for each culture they belong to and how to negotiate between the two.
- As culture is instrumental in governing behavior, sociologists have highlighted its relationship with power and control. Marxists, in particular, argue that culture is a tool used by the ruling class to impose their views on the rest of society and to maintain their domination in general. This is often done with mass communication media, like television and other forms of entertainment, to distract the working classes away from their real problems and create an illusory sense of happiness. In contrast, both Neo-Marxists, like sociologists Rolf Meyersohn and Antonio Gramsci, and functionalists, like sociologists Emile Durkheim and Glen Fisher, argue that culture creates a sense of social solidarity and integration. For them, therefore, culture's true meaning is a way of binding society together.