Cultures Sociology the Historical Development

¶ … Cultures

Sociology

The historical development of cultures is an expression of many factors, both naturally occurring and those that are manmade. In the earliest stages of human development, the historical development of culture was heavily contingent upon natural resources such as access to water and land that was fertile for agriculture. As humanity grew, diversified, and developed more intricate civilizations, the historical development of cultures was contingent upon more factors than in the past. In some ways, life was simpler in the past, while it was primitive. As human civilization advances, we sacrifice advancement for simplicity, as the development of cultures depends on more important, yet unstable factors such as politics, military strength, trade regulations, and forms of resources & labor. As we understand the historical development of cultures from a 21st century perspective, it is clear that cultures of the modern times are possible because of strong and tenuous relationships among institutions, values, ideas, and ethnicities, especially in countries such as the United States of America, where there is a high concentration of ethnic diversity/plurality. The paper concisely considers the historical development of cultures and examines some of the more influential factors that guide, direct, and orient the development of a culture.

The historical development of cultures is related to the social context of a particular culture or society. The social context of a culture is heavily determined by the specific sort of social stratification that is at work in that culture. Cultures can be divided or stratified by a number of traits including skin tone, economic status, religious beliefs, cultural practices, language, type of labor, and much more.

Social stratification is the hierarchical classification of the members of society based on the unequal distribution of resources, power, and prestige. The word resources refers to such factors as income, property, and borrowing capacity. Power is the ability to influence or control others. Prestige relates to status, either ascribed (based on age, sex, race, or family background) or achieved (based on individual accomplishments). Stratification may reduce or worsen any strains on conflicts between groups depending on how rigid and explicit or flexible and subtle are the class distinctions and discrimination based on race or ethnic group. (Chapter 3, 56)

Social stratification is key to sustaining unequal distributions of wealth and resources in a society, such as in a capitalist society as there is in the United States. Social class is a part of social stratification. One a culture is stratified, then there becomes distinctive visible and invisible divisions, which include social classes. There are cultural fixtures or structures within a society, including institutions that often support stratification and class division. Social stratification in a number ways contributes to economic determinism, meaning that a person's position within a stratified culture determines many aspects of that person's life, including what economic class they will likely occupy or from what class they will become socially mobile. In addition, stratification contributes to cultural determinism, which again, alludes to when a person's position or class within a stratified society determines their culture, what kind of labor they will have the opportunity to have, what quality of education they may have access to, and other aspects (or limitations) of a particular culture.

When social stratification becomes too extreme and tensions within a culture rise too high, there is a distinct possibility for cultural differentiation. This occurs in societies where the tensions and imbalances are apparent and transparent. In many countries, such as the United States, the media helps to minimize class imbalances. The media is often used as an institution that will communicate and distribute the dominant ideology and specific hegemony. Hegemony is a form of social control and ideology is the greater societal structure of which hegemony is a tool or strategy. Hegemony may is often skewed or distorted and perpetuates imbalances/stratifications, such as sexism, ageism, and racism.