Essay on Culture - 1216 Words

It is interesting that Raymond Williams creates a division between high class culture and lower class culture, suggesting that culture is ordinary, shared and common. If this is the case why does he emphasise a division in light of this concept? And if we all share a common culture can there be a division? It is difficult to understand the term culture. What is culture? Is it a utopian dream, is it a shared group of interests that bring a community together, or is it just simply a way of life? There are so many questions surrounding culture and its meaning. Raymond Williams described culture as â€Å"maps of meaning through which the world is made intelligible†, whether we agree with this definition or not, he was right in saying that the†¦show more content†¦But before I discuss Internet culture it is imperative that I decipher the essence of mass culture and mass media. To understand the term â€Å"mass†, it is important to study Gustave Lebon. Although there have been many more recent theorists that have discussed the term â€Å"mass†; including Karl Max, John Stuart Mills and Mathew Arnold, Lebon’s theories on â€Å"mass† have pervaded disputes on the subject ever since. A quote specifically that is questioned today is his warning that à ¢â‚¬Å"the age we are about to enter will in truth be the era of crowds† ([1895] 1916, p. 3), at a time when working class parties were more present and when western societies were dealing with the growth of industrialisation and mass migration to popular cities. His book â€Å"La psychologie des foules† was cited for its treatise to crowds, however is much more about the advent of mass society in physiological terms. He discusses â€Å"contagion, loss of individuality, and regression to a more primitive mental state were his favourite terms†. The reason for the book being described as a treatise for the mass is his connotation of crowd behaviour within a larger mass. For example Lebon quotes, â€Å"thousands of isolated individuals may acquire at certain moments, and under the influence of certain violent emotions — such, for example, as a great national event — the characteristics of a psychological crowd†. However, the mere coming together of a crowd is not sufficient enough to cause the disappearance of the consciousShow MoreRelatedCulture, Culture And Culture Essay1321 Words   |  6 PagesCulture Many times we hear concepts like ’Oriental culture’, ‘Italian culture’ or ‘Gothic Culture’. So we can understand and verify that it is an important concept related to the idea of the society where we live in. Culture, in Sociology, is a concept developed during XVIII and XIX centuries that has had various definitions. One exhaustive definition is in Browne (2015, p. 31): â€Å"Culture refers to the language, beliefs, values and norms, customs, dress, diet, roles, knowledge and skills, and allRead MoreCulture, Culture And Non Material Culture1256 Words   |  6 Pages Culture refers to any kind of morals, habits, norms, practices, beliefs, laws or customs acquired by man in a particular society. Culture is the set of knowledge, skills, traditions, customs, unique to a human group, to a civilization. It is transmitted socially from generation to generation and not by genetic inheritance, and largely determines individual behavior. (Arendt) Culture encompasses a very broad aspect of social life: techniques, manners, morals, lifestyle, system of values, beliefsRead MoreThe Culture Of The Mexican Culture930 Words   |  4 PagesThe world around us is surrounded by many diverse cultural groups. Each culture is unique and systematically made different, and cultures have their own beliefs and ways of life. Many cultures have their own language, values, set their own rules, and mores. Each culture has a group of people with the same beliefs, and they join organizations and institutions. Each culture is distinguishable from one another because each has different customs and beliefs. Although I was born in Mexico and broughtRead MoreThe Culture Of The Mexican Culture1416 Words   |  6 Pages How many different types of cultures are there? Here’s the answer there are many cultures. My story starts like this; both of my parents are from Guadalajara well most of my family is from that part of Mà ©xico. Being part of the Mexican culture is very different from other cultures, but every culture is unique of its own way. Many Mexican people have preserved and still do many of their ancestors’ traditions. Tradition plays a big role in my family for example: theRead MoreCulture, Culture And Non Material Culture1585 Words   |  7 PagesCulture Culture refers to any kind of morals, habits, norms, practices, beliefs, laws or customs acquired by man in a particular society. Culture is the set of knowledge, skills, traditions, customs, unique to a human group, to a civilization. It is transmitted socially from generation to generation and not by genetic inheritance, and largely determines individual behavior. (Arendt) Culture encompasses a very broad aspect of social life: techniques, manners, morals, lifestyle, system of values, beliefsRead MoreTechnology, Culture, And Culture1119 Words   |  5 Pageswe may have deemed a hindrance or ailment. In the implementation of every new technology it embodies many factors such as cultural, political, economic and scientific parallels. In the insert written by Arnold Pacey titled Technology; Practice and Culture, Arnold Pacey conveys the significance of attending to the cultural and organization facets of technology in its design and application, but most importantly that technology i s a valued neutral implementation that is embedded with inadvertent culturalRead MoreTattoos : Culture And Culture1527 Words   |  7 PagesTattoos in Culture There are different aspects of every culture and the American culture is no different. One of the aspects of American culture is the tattoo. Tattoos have been around for centuries, they are also part of other cultures and appeal to a broad variety of people. Tattoos became part of American culture through cultural diffusion, which is where one culture shares its culture with another through direct contact. Recently tattoos have re-assimilated into American culture and societyRead MoreCulture And Its Influence On Culture987 Words   |  4 Pages(Hutchison, 2011) said â€Å"culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language† (p. 247). When I thought of culture, I used to picture food, festivities, clothes and country. Just like the nurse, I thought that if learned about one culture, I understood everybody in that culture. But as I started expanding my knowledge the meaning of culture started becoming harder to define. Different subjects seemed to have different definitions of what culture is. The idea expanded untilRead MoreThe Culture Of The Western Culture Essay1368 Words   |  6 Pagesaffects the values and beliefs of a person compromising on their identity. The influence of the western culture (American) has been spreading at a fast rate especially to the ‘colored’ citizens of the country replacing their traditions with those of the whites. Most of the people especially those who move to foreign countries in such of greener pastures are forced to surrender or forsake their cultures to fit into the new society. While studies have indicated potential cultural extinction and loss ofRead MoreCulture : Culture And Anarchy1312 Words   |  6 PagesCulture is one hard concept to define because it encompasses a number of fields, such as anthropology, sociology, history, literature, philosophy, psychology and linguistics, that’s why it is difficult to find out one valid definition that covers all the aspec ts of culture. As exemplified in Arnolds’ Culture and Anarchy (1867), cited in Spencer-Oatey, (2012) the term culture refers to products that have artistic or literary value, which are particularly approved of by elites and the upper-middle