Download Why Culture Matters Political culture doesn`t explain everything

Why Culture Matters
Political culture doesn’t explain everything about politics.
People with similar values and skills may behave differently when faced
with different situations.
Political culture can change.
Important because:
1. It includes the history, traditions, and values of a society.
2. It helps us understand how people think and act politically.
3. Can create the common political community that is a goal of
government.
Congruence theory – distribution of cultural patterns is related to the
political process that citizens expect and support.
Examples:
1. Democratic states exist in societies where people are used to
participating in government.
2. Authoritarian states exist where the people lack the skills or
motivations to participate and the state discourages participation.
Look the chart on page 51. Locate your country and ask if that seems
right based on what you’ve learned so far about your government.
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A. Political Socialization – how political values are formed and
political culture is passed on the other generations.
Most children acquire basic political values and behavior patterns by
adolescence.
Some will change and evolve, others stay for life.
Three points about political socialization:
1. Can occur in different ways
a) Direct socialization – communication of information, values,
feelings – ex. Civics courses, government education programs.
b) Indirect socialization – political views are inadvertently molded
by experiences – ex. Children observing behavior of parents,
teachers, friends – observing political and social context around
them and what governments do and how citizens react.
2. Socialization is a lifelong process
a) Early family influences create your initial values but life
experiences can change your political perspectives.
b) More impact on young people but can affect people of all ages.
3. Patterns of socialization can unify or divide.
a) Governments can design programs that create a single national
culture ex. Public education system.
b) Events can affect the entire nation similarly ex. 9/11, Kennedy’s
assassination.
c) Subcultures can have their own patterns of socialization ex. An
ethnic neighborhood that has its own newspaper, clubs or
groups, school.
B. Agents of political socialization – individuals, organizations,
institutions that influence political attitudes.
1. The Family
a) Influences attitudes towards authority
b) Participation in family decision-making can increase political
competence, provide skills for interaction, and encourage active
participation as an adult.
c) Strict obedience to parental decisions may lead to political
passiveness.
d) Also shapes political attitudes by defining social position:
1) Establishing ethnicity
2) Language
3) Class
4) Religion
e) Family is changing in many societies
1) size is decreasing
2) Increase in number of single-parent families
3) Impact of these on socialization is unclear.
2. Social groups and identities – reflect different social needs,
experiences, and social networks.
a) Social divisions based on class or occupation – industrialization
created working class neighborhoods, common work places,
common social venues.
b) Developed signature forms of speech, dress, recreation,
entertainment.
c) Labor unions provided information on politics.
d) Social divisions can become politically relevant – association
with certain issues and political party.
e) Religions also transmit cultural and moral values that can be
politically significant.
1) Leaders consider themselves teachers and attempt to
socialize children.
2) Schooling, preaching, religious services.
3) In most nations there are ties between dominant religion
and government- religious values and public policy overlap
4) Ex. Catholic nations less likely to have liberal abortion
policies.
5) If religion is at odds with government then a struggle over
socialization occurs.
6) Can lead to religious opposition of state policies or the state
itself.
f) Gender has an influence as well.
1) Modern women’s movement is making women more
relevant and involved in the political process.
2) Changing role is having an effect on modernization and
changing political values.
g) Racial and ethnic groups also play a role.
1) Distinctiveness defines social and political identity.
2) Provide social clues and information for members of the
group.
3) Identity can create social network of interactions and life
experiences that shape values.
4) Group represents interest in the political process
5) Provides a network for political socialization and education.
3. Schools – educate children about politics, their role in the process,
and provide information on institutions and relationships.
a) A new nation or new regime usually recreates the schools to clean
out old values and symbols and replace them with ones congruent
with new ideology. Ex. Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge.
b) May not unify but divide.
1) Muslim nations – segregate girls and boys – creates different
experiences and expectations. Content may differ – ex. No
science for girls.
2) Girls may be forbidden from attending school at all –ex. Taliban
in Afghanistan.
c) Affects people’s political skills and resources.
1) Educated people are more aware of impact of government .
2) Better educated have more skills to manage politics
3) Have more information.
4. Peer Groups – childhood play groups, friendship cliques, school
organizations, work groups.
a) Encourages members to share attitudes or behaviors.
b) Individuals may adopt ideas of the group because they like or
respect the people or want to be like them.
c) May become involved because their friends do.
d) Ex. Youth culture – rock music, t-shirts, blue jeans. Ex.
Skinheads
5. Interest groups – economic groups also shape attitudes.
a) Trade unions – created political parties and new benefit programs.
Ex. Poland during the break-up of the Soviet Union.
b) Other professional organizations – farmers, manufacturers,
retailers.
c) Groups that define a civil society
1) Ethnic organizations, fraternal organizations, civic associations
(PTO)
d) Provide cues to members and try to reinforce social and political
orientations. Ex. Groups in Vietnam that teach about communism.
6. Political parties – try to mold issue preferences.
a) Supply information
b) Advocate positions
c) Present accomplishments and discuss nation’s political future.
d) Can be divisive – may appeal to differences to gain support.
e) Authoritarian governments may use single party
1) Common attitudes
2) Support for government
3) Ideological agreement
4) Combination of single-party and media is potent.
7. Mass Media – important in socializing attitudes and values.
a) Prime source of information on politics.
b) No place so remote that it can’t be reached.
c) Television still most common method.
d) Internet is quickly overtaking TV.
e) Access to info important commodity.
f) Western countries value freedom of the media.
g) Many nations still manage TV and radio because they view it as
a public service.
h) Autocratic governments seek to control it so they can control
the flow of information.
1) Use of internet makes this increasingly more difficult for
governments to do.
8. Direct Contact with the Government – in modern societies
government activities bring citizens in contact with beaurocratic
agencies.
a) About a third of U.S. citizens have contacted a government
official.
b) Online interactions are increasing this.
c) Degree of government intervention in daily life varies across
nations.
d) Personal experiences are powerful agents of socialization.
1) Can strengthen or weaken images from other agents. Ex. Do
city officials respond, are schools teaching effectively, are
roads maintained?
Summary – country-specific chapters examine patterns of political
socialization for several reasons.
1) Sources of P. S. determine content of what is learned about
politics. Ex. People who get info from someone at church may get
different info than someone who gets info from TV or work.
2) Role of different agents and content of political messages vary
across nations.
3) Ability of a nation to recreate its political culture is important
factor in perpetuating the system.
4) Cultures change when new elements are added to process of
political learning.
5) Socialization provides the feedback mechanism that enables a
culture to endure or change.
Trends Shaping Contemporary Political Cultures
Democratization – trend towards democracy in Eastern Europe, East
Asia, and other developing parts of the world.
1) Reflects a response to modernization and reactions to current
events.
Marketization – increased pubic acceptance of free markets and
private profit incentives.
1) Economies with stagnation and inefficiency moved towards a
reduced scale of government.
2) Political changes in eastern Europe and Soviet Union reinforced
marketization.
Globalization – international trade and interactions diffused values.
1) Engagement in global economy and global international system
leads to increase in development of certain norms.
a) Human rights
b) Gender equality
c) Democratic values