t h i n k i n g a b o u t c u l t u r e What is the meaning of World Cup Soccer in U.S. culture, and what do you think its prospects are for becoming a media event comparable to the Super Bowl? Explain. 70 Culture, Ideology, and Power We have seen how culture helps defi ne our world, providing models for appropriate attitudes and behavior. How we dress and speak, whom we admire and despise, and how we mourn and mark holidays are all shaped by our immersion in a particular culture. Since people are typically deeply embedded within their own culture, they usually fi nd it diffi cult to see its underlying ideas. Sociologists have long paid attention to the assumptions built into any culture, arguing that what people take for granted is one of the keys to recognizing how culture and power are intertwined. One way to understand the meeting of culture and power is to understand ideology. Ideology is a tricky term that is used in a variety of ways. Sociologists typically defi ne ideology as a system of meaning that helps defi ne and explain the world and that makes value judgments about that world. Simply put, an ideology is a comprehensive worldview. When we think sociologically about a culture’s ideology, we inevitably pay close attention to the most basic assumptions the people living within that culture make, and the consequences of those assumptions. Within each culture, there is a dominant ideology, a widely held and regularly reinforced set of assumptions that generally support the current social system and serve the interests of authorities. Even when most people within a culture agree about how the world works, though, most scholars concur that a dominant ideology cannot prevent the emergence of alternative worldviews. Instead, different ideological perspectives, representing different interests with unequal power, engage in a kind of cultural contest. In considering how culture works through ideology, we need to remember that our commonsense assumptions, the things we take for granted, suggest a particular understanding of the social world, and such assumptions have consequences. In the United States, for example, many people believe that it is simply a matter of common sense that women are better nurturers than men, that education is a route to economic success, and that the United States promotes democracy around the world—each of which ideas is debatable. When people adopt such commonsense assumptions—as they do with a wide range of ideas—they are also accepting a certain set of beliefs, or an ideology, about the social world. Similarly, ideology shapes what we defi ne as “natural.” We generally think that what is natural is more enduring and stable than what is created by humans. As a result, the structures we defi ne as natural come to be seen as permanent and Cultural behavior also encompasses larger scale, organized phenomena such as religious and political rituals (the president’s annual state of the union speech), theatrical entertainment (rock concerts), and sports spectaculars (Super Bowl). Indeed, the widespread popularity of the Super Bowl—and the behaviors surrounding it, including those of viewers as well as the athletes and other participants—likely refl ects some unique features of U.S. culture that Americans may take for granted but that may well appear odd to someone from a different culture. Thinking sociologically, what is the meaning of such an event for viewers? What might the popularity of the Super Bowl—even among people who don’t like football—tell us about the ideas and values of U.S. culture? In short, understanding culture requires us to examine the complex ways people derive meaning from the cultural behaviors of everyday life. People both create culture and are shaped by it. O b j e c t s : T h e A r t i facts o f C u l t u re Sociologists often refer to the principal elements of material culture as cultural objects (also sometimes called “cultural artifacts”), which are the physical items that are created by and associated with people who share a culture. Cultural objects are often variations on basic items found in daily life. Consider the many varieties of bread, for instance. Tortillas, baguettes, bagels, and puri bread are cultural objects commonly associated with Mexican, French, Jewish, and Indian cultures, respectively. We live in a culture in which electronic devices of all sorts—such as computers, cell phones, and digital music players—are signifi cant cultural objects. Cultural objects are found not only in your home, however. Highly prized creations such as works of art or religious icons are also cultural objects. Museums are filled with both ordinary and extraordinary objects that help tell the story of a particular culture. And the museums themselves, as well as other public buildings, people’s homes, the streets and highways that connect them, gas stations, water reservoirs, and indeed any aspect of the landscape used or modified by humans—are also cultural objects. Popular media products—such as books and magazines, fi lms and television programs, songs and photographs—are also cultural objects. Analyzing popular media content often reveals a good deal of information about the culture that produced it at a particular moment in history. At the same time, it can be diffi cult to see the underlying assumptions embedded in the popular media of one’s own culture.
Croteau_Experience_Sociology_ch03
To see the actual publication please follow the link above