SOC202H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Sociology Of Culture, Ann Swidler, Calvinism
Document Summary
We can identify two types of meanings: simple and complex: simple meaning denotes one-to-one correspondence. We express this type of meaning when we talk about signs and what they stand for. All of these signs have a single referent: complex meaning is usually found in the signs typically called symbols. Rather than standing for a single referent, symbols evoke a variety of meanings, some of which may be ambiguous. Symbols do not denote; they connote, suggest, or imply. They evoke powerful emotions and can often both unite and disrupt social groups. Culture comprises complex rather than simple meanings. Learning in humans is a social process of interaction and socialization whereby culture is transmitted: the total of such human interactions transmits patterns of meanings and behaviours and these patterns are called culture. The sociological analysis of culture begins at the premise that culture provides orientation, wards off chaos, and directs behaviour toward certain lines of action and away from others.
