Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- I Basic Concepts
- II Applications
- 5 The Upper Class and the Elite
- 6 The Middle Class and Workers
- 7 The Working Poor and the Underclass
- 8 Social Mobility
- 9 Education and Inequality
- 10 Women and Their Changing Positions
- 11 Race and Ethnicity
- 12 Culture
- 13 Inequality across the Globe
- 14 Public Policy and Social Stratification
- Index
- References
12 - Culture
from II - Applications
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- I Basic Concepts
- II Applications
- 5 The Upper Class and the Elite
- 6 The Middle Class and Workers
- 7 The Working Poor and the Underclass
- 8 Social Mobility
- 9 Education and Inequality
- 10 Women and Their Changing Positions
- 11 Race and Ethnicity
- 12 Culture
- 13 Inequality across the Globe
- 14 Public Policy and Social Stratification
- Index
- References
Summary
So far, we know that groups of people are ranked according to various characteristics such as social class, gender, and race (see Chapters 4, 10, and 11, respectively) and that these distinctions often allow social scientists to predict the likelihood of particular events occurring in the groups. Groups share common behaviors, attitudes, and values as a result of a shared culture, although defining culture has proved problematic given the differing status memberships of individuals.
Culture consists of a nexus of complex social interactions, which are in relation to symbols, ideas, and material objects. Culture as a scientific discipline is often considered “squishy.” That is, it is not as straightforward as income or wealth – constructs that are easily measured and validated through scientific scrutiny. Because of the lack of precision in measurement, culture as a sociological fact often has been underestimated. There are two reasons for this.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- InequalityA Contemporary Approach to Race, Class, and Gender, pp. 459 - 503Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2012