Subcultures

Members of certain subordinate groups, such as ethnic and religious minori­ties, may reject some of the cultural elements of the dominant group. Instead they may adhere to many of their own norms, beliefs, and values, and communicate with their own sets of symbols, including their own languages. When the perspective and life-style of such people differ significantly from the dominant culture, and when they identify themselves as different, they are said to belong to a subculture.

Subcultures may develop not just out of ethnic and religious groups. They also form out of occupational groups, socioeconomic groups, age groups, and so on. Adolescents, for example, build a private world out of their peculiar position of being not quite adults yet no longer children. Similarly, medical students share common experiences, goals, and problems, and hence a common viewpoint. Subcultures typically arise when people in similar circumstances find themselves isolated from the mainstream world. They may be isolated physically (such as inmates in prison, soldiers on a military base, poor people in a ghetto), or isolated by what they do and think, that is, by their shared worlds of meanings.

What is the relationship of subcultural groups to the larger society? Do agents of mass socialization (public schools and the media, for example) slowly work to assimilate them into the dominant culture? Most sociologists who approach this question from a functional perspective believe that the answer is yes. They argue that the dominant culture serves to tie individuals together by means of a broadly shared set of understandings about how people should think and act. These sociologists, of course, acknowledge the existence of substantial cultural diversity in the United States. But they see the mainstream culture as a thread that weaves diverse groups together.

In contrast, sociologists who answer in terms of power sharply disagree with this functional view of dominant culture. They see the dominant culture not as a thread that ties people together but rather as a set of ideas and customs that the group in power tries to impose on subordinate groups. As a result, in their view, our society is characterized by an undercurrent of intracultural tension.

Exercise 7. Choose the right answer.

1. What may subcultures develop out of?

a) ethnic groups;

b) age groups;

c) religious groups;

d) all mentioned above.

2. When do subcultures arise?

a) when people are isolated from the mainstream world;

b) when people are united into interest groups;

c) when people belong to religious groups;

d) when people are interested in .

3. What does the dominant culture do from the functional point of view?

a) shares common goals;

b) isolate individuals;

c) maintains subcultures;

d) ties individuals together.

4. What do sociologists think of dominant culture in terms of power?

a) it tries to help subcultures preserve their identity;

b) it tries to develop independently from subcultures;

c) it tries to impose its goals and ideas on subcultures;

d) it tries to unite people in different groups.

5. What can people from subordinate groups adhere to?

a) cultural elements of dominant groups;

b) their own norms, beliefs and values;

c) religious norms and views;

d) music and literature of a dominant group.

Exercise 8. Fill in the gaps using the words given below, and translate the sentences into Russian.

generation value challenge assimilation interaction

prejudice response punishment environment entity

1. The … of ethnic Germans in the US was accelerated by the two world wars.

2. Certain chemicals have been banned because of their damaging effect on the … .

3. There were at least three … – grandparents, parents and children – at the wedding.

4. Laws against racial … must be strictly enforced.

5. Language games are usually intended to encourage student … .

6. The … of the pound fell against other European currencies yesterday.

7. I looked in her face for some …, but she just stared at me blankly.

8. He regarded the north of the country as a separate cultural … .

9. Finding a solution to this problem is one of the greatest … faced by scientists today.

10. Many people think that the death penalty is too severe a … for any crime.

Exercise 9. Match the verbs on the left with the nouns on the right. Make up sentences with the phrases you’ve got.

1. to exist	a) a choice;
2. to exert	b) a change;
3. to face	c) a higher pay;
4. to compare	d) experience with;
5. to seek	e) a conflict;
6. to lead	f) within a large culture;
7. to support	g) by means of;
8. to reject	h) heavy demands on;
9. to share	i) influence on each other;
10. to impose	j) a family.

WRITING AND COMMUNICATION

Exercise 10. Write an essay on one of the given topics.

1. Subculture as a Sociological Phenomenon.

2. Subculture’s Relationship with Dominant Culture.