SOC202H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Hedonism, Switchman, Ann Swidler
Document Summary
Meaning or significance refers to object"s capacity, in addition to whatever practical or direct properties it may possess, to suggest or point to something else. Complex meaning: symbols do not denote; they connote, suggest, or imply. Culture comprises complex rather than simple meanings. The sociology of culture, however, looks for social meanings. Human genetic encodings do not provide sufficient information for survival. Humans must learn to live, and learning is a social process of interaction/socialization. Peter berger: suggested ultimate human terror as not evil but chaos: total absence of order was evil, and culture constructed to maintain order. Sociological analysis of culture begins at the premise that culture provides orientation, wards off chaos, and directs behavior toward certain lines of action and away from others. Culture provides meaning and order through symbols, whereby certain things designated as cultural objects are endowed with significance over/above mobile utility. Reflection theory: culture is seen as a faithful reflection of social life.
