Tracking Sociological Perspectives TABLE 3-2 SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON CULTURE Functionalist Perspective Conflict Perspective Feminist Perspective Norms Reinforce societal standards Reinforce patterns of dominance Reinforce roles of men and women Values Are collective conceptions of what is good May perpetuate social inequality May perpetuate men’s dominance Culture and Society Culture reflects a society’s strong central values Culture reflects a society’s dominant ideology Culture reflects society’s view of men and women Cultural Variation Subcultures serve the interests of subgroups Countercultures question the dominant social order; ethnocentrism devalues groups Cultural relativism respects variations in the way men and women are viewed in different societies a desire to live in a culture based on more humanistic values, such as sharing, love, and coexistence with the environment. As a political force, this subculture opposed the United States’ involvement in the war in Vietnam and encouraged draft resistance (Flacks 1971; Roszak 1969). When a subculture conspicuously and deliberately opposes certain aspects of the larger culture, it is known as a counterculture . Countercultures typically thrive among the young, who have the least investment in the existing culture. In most cases, a 20-year-old can adjust to new cultural standards more easily than someone who has spent 60 years following the patterns of the dominant culture (Zellner 1995). In the last decade, counterterrorism experts have become concerned about the growth of ultraconservative militia groups in the United States. Secretive and well armed, members of these countercultural groups tend to be antigovernment, and they often tolerate racism in their midst. Watchdogs estimate that 334 militias are operating in the United States today (Southern Poverty Law Center 2013). LO 10-2 Culture Shock Ever stepped out the door on your first day in a foreign country and felt weak in the knees? Anyone who feels disoriented, uncertain, out of place, or even fearful when immersed in an unfamiliar culture may be experiencing culture shock . This unsettling experience may even be mutual—the visitor’s cultural habits may shock members of the host culture. Imagine, for example, that you are traveling in Japan. You know that you should remove your shoes and leave them at the door when you visit someone’s home. However, there are many more customs that you are unfamiliar with. During a visit with one family, as you Interactionist Perspective Are maintained through face-to-face interaction Are defined and redefined through social interaction A society’s core culture is perpetuated through daily social interactions Customs and traditions are transmitted through intergroup contact and through the media Members of the militia group Ohio Defense Force engage in paramilitary exercises, imagining they are destroying a threatening Muslim stronghold in the United States. Ultraconservative militia groups are a form of counterculture. MODULE TEN Cultural Variation 79
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