Essay on Sociology- Culture and Identity - 3293 Words

CULTURE AND IDENTITY This essay will aim to critically analyse and evaluate the contribution of modern and post modern perspectives to a sociological understanding of culture and identity. This will be achieved by analysing similarities and differences between three contrasting sociological theories and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses. Studies will be included as the debate is developed further and their contributions will also be explained. Culture is defined simply as the way of life of a group of people. This relates to how they live their lives, the patterns of social organisation and the ‘norms’ they are expected to follow. Culture varies between societies and across time. It is an extremely important part of everyday†¦show more content†¦He believed that the social structure of society shaped humans identity, primarily through socialisation. For Marx, culture was an ideology of the ruling class, who use their unequal, economic power to achieve and maintain order. He proposed that individual identity should be exchanged for group identity to overthrow the oppressive structure of capitalism. However, this could only happen when the working class became fully aware of the nature of their oppression and developed what he termed as a class consciousness. This would allow the movement from a class ‘in itself’, to a class ‘for itself’. Marx saw this realisation as crucial in the development of a class identity which would ensure solidarity of the masses. The true reality and problems of society would then be revealed as the false consciousness of the past was exposed (Haralambos Holborn 2008, p.669). According to Marx, this ruling class ideology of culture is socialised among the members of society in various ways such as through religion and education to ensure social cohesion and maintain order. Marx famously referred to religion as ‘the opium of the masses’ and argued that it justified the oppression of capitalism (Haralambos Holborn 2008, p.399). He viewed education as a way for the ruling class to legitimise their wealth and maintain their power. For the working class, education only serves to produce labour for the future. This is achieved by conditioning theShow MoreRelatedSocial Perspectives On Education And The Sociology Of Education1273 Words   |  6 Pagesthe sociology of education? Social influences on educational outcomes and the social nature of education structures of the past and present exemplify how social institutions can affect education perceived by individuals. This can also be defined as the sociology of education; a study of education systems of how social institutions and individual experiences affect education and its outcome, as interpreted by Scott and Marshall (2009). This essay will address how the background of sociology of educationRead MoreFormal Reference Tools On Young People1002 Words   |  5 Pagesof youth culture, this encyclopedia looks at several categories of adolescent research. 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