...Music in Different Cultures Popular Music and Contemporary U.S. Culture Popular Music in its Many Facets In its broadest sense, popular music is an umbrella term referring to a vast range of commercially mass-marketed musical genres contrasting with classical or art music and intended for mass consumption (e.g., rock, rock and roll, hip-hop, grunge, heavy metal, rhythm and blues, punk, soul, techno, funk, rap, house). This wide-ranging term encompasses a plethora of musical styles involving various rhythms, vocal styles, instruments, and technologies. Characteristically, popular music is a global cultural phenomenon and an accessible form of commercial music aimed at a worldwide audience. Traditionally, British and American forms of popular music have tended to dominate the industry. Corresponding to social, economic, and technological change, popular music is intimately linked to the identity of musicians, performers, or artists, as well as audiences and fans. Popular music is ubiquitous; from shopping malls and advertising to gymnasiums/fitness classes and political campaigns, popular music is a common feature of people's everyday lives and a significant aspect of consumer culture. For fans and enthusiasts, popular music can be a leisure-time pursuit occurring on evenings or weekends; alternatively, it can constitute a lifestyle, or way of life (e.g., Deadheads—a group of fans of the American band Grateful Dead who saw the band at...
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...Outline & Terms Argument: There is an inherent contradiction between the process of moral socialization and some people’s desire or belief in a unified American culture 1. Define culture 2. Moral socialization as a principle process by which culture is transmitted from generation to generation. 3. Little league baseball as an agent of socialization as well as a catalyst for the creation of a youth subculture exclusive to its participants. 4. The consequences of this socialization process through subculture for American society at large – Q. Can there be a unified American culture? Culture: (an) integrated system of meanings that help people make sense of their own actions and the actions of others. Your book defines culture as the values, norms and material goods characteristic of a given group. Norms: principles or rules people are expected to observe. They are rules of conduct that specify appropriate or inappropriate behaviors and actions in a given range of social situations. Values: abstract ideals held by individuals and groups of what is desirable, proper, good and bad. Material Culture: artifacts and physical objects that people create and give meaning to. For example, a flag, baseball caps, religious objects such as a crucifix, basketball sneakers and engagement and wedding rings. These objects have symbolic meaning beyond their original function. Non-Material Culture -- consists of human creations that are more abstract...
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...1. Introduction The proposed research project is explicitly concerned with the causal connection between youth sub-cultures in the criminal justice system and the effects of over representation. In addition, this encompasses the question topic area of how Becker’s labelling theory (Becker 1993) and Merton’s strain theory (Merton 1968) affects mainstream society’s perceived deviance of the Goth youth sub-culture and how much of this contributes to this youth sub-culture’s actual deviance. Moreover, a specific area of concern is whether the Goth youth sub-cultures of the past and present, is a site of deviance or a site of creative resistance to norms in mainstream society. Researching the contribution that labelling and stigmatisation of the Goth youth sub-culture have on criminogenic effects, is exceedingly important and valuable as it seeks to identify various gaps in previous research, such as the limited knowledge on the extent to which these factors contribute to deviance. Moreover, there is a lack of theoretical concepts that could possibly account for Goth youth sub-culture’s perceived behaviour. 2. Research question, significance and aims of the research i) Does negative labelling and the over-representation and stigmatisation of the Goth youth sub-culture, cause successive results of emerging and higher levels of deviance? Also, do the effects of stigmatisation cause youth to join the Goth sub-cultures in order to overcome their marginalisation in society...
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...A subculture is a culture that exists within the dominant culture of a society. Therefore, members of a subculture should have different norms and values to the rest of society, and could be regarded as deviant because of this. Merton (1938), a functionalist sociologist, was aware that not everyone in society shared the same beliefs and goals, however, his works concentrated on the individual. He suggested that those lower down in a stratified society had restricted goals. He developed ‘strain theory’ and argued that there are five responses to the value consensus, which are conformity; innovation, ritualism, retreatism; rebellion. However, while Merton focuses on deviance as an individual response to anomie, subcultural theory focuses on delinquency as a subcultural response. Albert Cohen (1955) drew upon Merton’s idea of strain. He states that working-class youths share the success goals of mainstream culture, but they lack the means to achieve these goals. They have failed in education, live in deprived areas and have very few job opportunities, making it hard for them to achieve their goals. This leads to a sense of failure and inadequacy, something Cohen calls ‘status frustration’. Their solution to the problem is the development of a delinquent subculture that values toughness, aggression and masculinity. This new subculture reverses the norms and values of society, what is regarded as ‘good’ for the majority becomes ‘bad’ within the subculture, and vice versa. Cohen argues...
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...general sense of resentment and often take to the streets and riot. The young are particularly vulnerable to marginalisation, as they lack “economic muscle” that other working class groups have (e.g. the ability to strike). Their outlets for influencing political decisions are limited to riots and protests. sSecond generation West Indian immigrants for example, advocated subcultural strategies such as street crime in the form of “hustling” for money, as well as joining Rastafarian and Pentecostal religious movements. The subcultural model proposed by Lea & Young has a number of distinct features. For example, they believe that subcultures develop as a response to the “problems” people face. These “problems” are not randomly, determined, but are a precise result of the social and economic structure. Also, they propose that the values of a subculture are not divorced from mainstream values; they are distinct, but not separate. Subcultural values are enmeshed in mainstream ones, and it is precisely for this reason that relative deprivation occurs, as certain groups have “mainstream” expectations which cannot be fulfilled. MARGINALISATION The process by which certain groups find themselves “on the edge” of society, both in the political and economic sense. Marginal groups lack formal organisations to represent their political interests, and often resort to violence and rioting as a form of political...
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...Reflective Analysis Caddy soon discovers that surviving in the African jungle is very similar to surviving the jungle that is her high school. On Caddy’s first day of school at a regular high school after being homeschooled her entire life she realizes how closely people’s behaviours resemble that of animals in the jungle. Many people can relate to the way she felt entering this new world as everyone has been in such a situation. Perhaps not to this extreme but I was once the new girl desperately trying to find my place in a new atmosphere. Caddy’s journey can also be related to recent recruits adapting to a new work environment, unknown to how things regularly go about. One of my jobs provided me with an outline of normal office habits; casual Fridays, on birthdays there are potlucks, the outline even provided me with some of the regular office language, short forms for certain documents, etc. This was a map to help me familiarize myself and integrate with greater ease. Unfortunately Caddy did not have this luxury, as many people don’t. She is forced to figure it out for herself. This hardship of adapting can easily lead us to not portraying our true selves to potentially avoid being shunned as an outsider. There are many stereotypes integrated into the movie. When Caddy is introduced as a new student from Africa the teacher welcomes an American black student instead of her. People easily believe her when she tells them that in Africa everyone can read Swedish, which portrays...
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...Assignment one: Part A, Challenge Questions Lesson one, Question Two: Top Management as a Unique Subculture. In the context of organizational culture, the expression “top management” is unique “in that it describes a hierarchical level and a distinct subculture” (Trice & Beyer, 2003, p.15). Moreover, this subculture is unique from all the others found in a typical work environment, because top managers exert a disproportionate amount of influence within an organization and form a group with an extremely high degree of homogeneity. Top management is a unique subculture in an organization mainly because of this subculture’s disproportionate amount of influence. Typically, this group includes only an organization’s president, vice president, CEO, chief financial officer, and, in some cases, directors. However, the members of this group are the highest paid members of an organization and are also given the most authority. This group “exerts extensive and intensive influence over the ways others think and act in an organization” (Trice & Beyer, 2003,p.17). As a subculture, top management is also unique because of its extremely high degree of homogeneity. All subcultures attract like-minded individuals, but top management’s practice of “managerial cloning” (Kanter, 1987; as cited in Trice & Beyer, 2003, p.17) ensures that top managers resemble each other very closely because top managers tend to hire mirror images of themselves. Top managers usually have business-related...
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...Introduction Slang is an independent non -literary form of human language. Though scholars have argued There is no straight forward definition of slung due to its socio linguistic complexity factors surrounding its use and formation. (Eble, 1996). Different definitions of slang have describe it either on a positive or negative way. (cited in Partridge 1935:2) defined slang as a highly colloquial type of language that are considered below the level of speech of those regarded to be educated. Slangs words are used with a high degree of informality and vocabulary richness. Slang is used by specific group of people characterized by the territory they come from, subculture or age. Slang comes in a variety of ways one notable ways is through the subculture. The society keeps on changing as well as slang use. Youths are mostly fond of using and creating slang, they do so to show their own identity. Slang is a linguistic variety that cannot be separated from the social surrounding of the users Classification of slangs Slang can be classified into two that is specific and general slang. Specific slang is a slang used by a particular members of a group with the main aim of showing respect to other members of the group. They are mainly used by people who are in the same age but identified by the factors such as social status ,age , education or similar occupation. While general slang refers to spoken words used to show lack of seriousness. It is mainly used to informally...
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...Tim Emmert Introduction to Sociology 201612 (10709) Shirley Siegel September 20, 2015 Waffle House has been around for many years. I consider it to be quite a sub culture of its own. They have a unique uniform, their very own language to get orders across. The environment is inviting, open and friendly. The jukebox even has its own Waffle House songs. The experience is very personal every time. After a few trips you instantly start to notice some of the norms around this great little secret society. The uniforms you see when you walk in waffle house are very old style diner like. From the blue striped shirt to the black scarf around the neck. The uniforms at waffle house say happy to be me. Big bright smiley face yellow name tags. Ladies with the black bandana around there hair says old style service with a smile. They certainly have a unique style of their very own. Even the language inside the waffle house is unique and fun. From the time you step in the door with a great big smile they all yell “Hey welcome to Waffle House”. The best part is when you place your order. They could easily say put onions, cheese and ham on the hash browns but that wouldn’t be unique or fun would it? Instead when you ask for these items you will hear scattered, smothered, covered and chunked. Instead of make the round hash browns they yell “one in the ring”. There are many things that after visiting my waffle house for a while you notice as norms. In the morning here there are always...
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...Industry Culture and Subcultures Bobby Reed The industry culture of a hospital is diverse and multifaceted. There are many jobs and activities that go on behind the scenes to make a hospital run effectively and efficiently. From maintenance workers and food service personnel to the hospital’s Chief Financial Officer, a hospital’s dedication to quality and care to its patients will define its longevity and success. The culture in most hospitals is hierarchical. Hierarchical cultures are highly organized and structured. Items are primarily ranked upon the level or levels of importance (Wigmore, 2014). Each department has a specific function or responsibility. Within each department are a set of subcultures that employees tend to follow or adhere to. Hospitality services, which includes cafeteria personnel are primarily identified by their uniforms. Patient liaisons and janitorial services also fall within this culture. Their goal is to make the patient feel comfortable in any way that they can. Because they deal directly with patients, giving service with a smile is the main priority. In addition to this, I have noticed that their environment is more laid back than others. Unlike many of the other departments that wear uniforms, doctors, nurses, and other patient facing departments tend to have a subculture that is not as laid back. Because of the nature of their jobs, which can potentially mean life and death for the patients, and also being in contact with illnesses...
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...The Hijab Republic “The meaning of subculture is always in dispute, and style is the area in which the opposing definitions clash with most dramatic force” (Hebdige, 1979: 3). Throughout this essay I would draw and analyse the Hijab republic subculture. Further referencing on the theories of; Semiology by Gillian Rose (2001), The Meaning of Style by Dick Hebdige (1979), and Dress and Globalization by Margaret Maynard (2004). The purpose of this essay is to further dissect the Hijab republic as a subculture, the reasons behind it and semiotically decode their dress as intentional communication. In order to do this, I will firstly, conduct a semiotic analysis to an image, thereafter apply Hepdige’s theories on subculture lastly, I will further discuss and apply Maynard’s theory on the relationship between style and communication. Mieke Bal and Norman Bryson (1991:174) cited in (Rose 2001) explains that human culture is made up of signs, each of which stands for something other than itself. This statement makes you want to understand and make sense of those signs. Observing Yuna in figure01 who wears the hijab along western trends as a form of self-expression and her Islamic identity. Yuna’s iconic and idexcical sign is the head-scarf (hijab) as it is a performative agent through which the sense of common sociality is being achieved by practicing a dress code that is a visible identity maker, and that sends a message to outsiders...
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...Introduction Popular culture has over the decades come and replaced every single aspect of our lives from our traditions to our worldviews. We as Africans have slowly become adapted to popular culture just as quickly as we were to adopt the colonial view of civilization during the colonial era. From music to cinema, from theatre to art popular culture has slowly crept into the African culture in the form of mordanity. Some have been able to Africanize it but most of us disappeared within it and have become some sort of slaves. Artists such as Fela Kuti of Nigeria to Hugh Masekela from South Africa just to name a few have been able to mix African influences with popular art in their music to create music that cuts across every type of audience from the miner in the coal fields to the CEO of a blue chip company. Others have tried but have only concentrated on one part of this delicate equation which is the popular aspect. They produce content that is strictly for the market without have consideration for music as a craft. Key terms Culture: As defined by live science, Culture is the characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. (http://www.livescience.com/21478-what-is-culture-definition-of-culture.html) Popular culture As defined by Webster Dictionary Pop culture Commercial culture based on popular taste: fashion, music art (http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/pop%2Bculture) ...
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...Popular American Culture SOC/105 July 3, 2013 Popular American Culture Many Americans consume popular culture in their everyday lives. IPod, cell phones, computers, and popular television shows, are just a few things that create popular culture in society. According to Michael Petracca (2007), “popular culture has two counter parts, high culture and folk culture”. High culture consists of the artifacts, fine art, and classical music. Folk culture consists of a non-technical society of people who create artifacts and is usually passed on through tradition and communication. To answer the question on what is popular culture, it is shared practices and knowledge of a specific group at a specific time. It is obvious in today’s society what is popular to the majority of American people. Three major trends in American culture are entertainment, technology, and travel. Television has changed the way many Americans shop, eat, and even receive information. Many homes in America today have at least one television to watch the most popular shows or the hottest movies. Technology has taken the place of many things like the house phone now there is the cell phone. The cellphone technology now includes computer, camera, and television combining innovation with necessity. The automobile has been a big part of American culture and now has been manufactured to run on electricity which in turn will help heal the planet. Americans decisions are influenced daily simply by...
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...Chapter No. 1 Introduction Before going to any further about Dramas effect on our society, first of all we have to know about what drama is? Then we can easily make further research on this topic. Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance.“Drama is watching one person changed by another. If two people exchange views, but neither is changed by the interaction, you have literature. If two people have an enormous physical fight but their relationship remains unchanged, you have spectacle. But if one is altered by the other, then you have drama.” Johnston (1979). In every drama, there’s always a thing called elements of drama. The elements of drama is like an analysis of it, it tells us how the play goes on and how it will end. The elements of drama consist of four main parts and they are Plot, Character, Setting and Theme. Drama doesn’t mean vulgarity, it is a source to promote any society culture. A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots. Culture, then, is a study of perfection, and perfection which insists on becoming something rather than in having something, in an inward condition of the mind and spirit, not in an outward set of circumstances...
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...As early as 1950, David Riesman distinguished between a majority, "which passively accepted commercially provided styles and meanings, and a 'subculture' which actively sought a minority style ... and interpreted it in accordance with subversive values".[1] In his 1979 book Subculture: the Measuring of Style, Dick Hebdige argued that a subculture is a subversion to normalcy. He wrote that subcultures can be perceived as negative due to their nature of criticism to the dominant societal standard. Hebdige argued that subcultures bring together like-minded individuals who feel neglected by societal standards and allow them to develop a sense of identity. In 1995, Sarah Thornton, drawing on Pierre Bourdieu, described "subcultural capital" as the cultural knowledge and commodities acquired by members of a subculture, raising their status and helping differentiate themselves from members of other groups.[2] In 2007, Ken Gelder proposed to distinguish subcultures from countercultures based on the level of immersion in society.[3] Gelder further proposed six key ways in which subcultures can be identified: through their often negative relations to work (as 'idle', 'parasitic', at play or at leisure, etc.); through their negative or ambivalent relation to class (since subcultures are not 'class-conscious' and don't conform to traditional class definitions); through their association with territory (the 'street', the 'hood', the club, etc.), rather than property; through their movement...
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