Pop Culture How do the different sociological perspectives view pop culture?

1. Pop CultureHow do the different sociological perspectives view pop culture? • Recall the difference between high culture and popular culture • High culture - consists of classical music, opera, ballet, live theatre and other activities usually patronized by elite audiences, composed primarily of members of the upper middle and upper classes (who have the time, money and knowledge assumed to be necessary for its appreciation) • Pop culture – consists of activities, products and services that are assumed to appeal primarily to members of the middle and working classes

2. Pop CultureHow do the different sociological perspectives view pop culture? • Most sociological examinations of pop culture focus on the link between culture and social class • French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu held a theory called the cultural capital theory • This theory views high culture as a device used by the dominant class to exclude the lower classes • According to Bourdieu, people must be trained to appreciate and understand high culture. People in the upper and upper-middle classes learn about high culture through higher education, and thus acquire a form of cultural capital. People in lower classes cannot obtain this cultural capital, so they are denied access to the dominant class.

3. Pop CultureHow do the different sociological perspectives view pop culture? • Functionalist theorists suggest that popular culture may be the most widely shared aspect of culture - the "glue" that holds society together. They suggest that it helps people temporarily to forget their problems (e.g., Walt Disney World). • Popular culture also has dysfunctions • it may undermine core cultural values rather than reinforce them (e.g., talk shows on radio and television).

4. Pop CultureHow do the different sociological perspectives view pop culture? • Conflict theorists note that corporations create popular culture in the same way that any other product or service is produced. Popular culture has been turned into a commodity–objects outside ourselves that we purchase to satisfy our human needs or wants. • The relationship between race, gender, and popular culture is intertwined. In any given culture, race and gender inequalities are often reflected in pop culture and, conversely, pop culture promotes or perpetuates these inequalities. • According to conflict theorists, distinctions between high and popular culture may be exaggerated; items of popular culture may come to be designated as high culture and vice versa.