SOCIOL 2 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Humanitarian Intervention, Geopolitics, Cultural Globalization
Document Summary
International (military) intervention in a country, justified by reference to humanitarian principles to protect people/save lives, when own country is unable or unwilling to do so. 1990s as golden age for humanitarian intervention, due to shifting global geopolitics and norms. (military) humanitarian intervention remains enormously contested and rarely carried out. Sociologists tend to see culture as a system of meanings about the world that is shared among a group of people. Culture as a system of meaning involves: Cultural artifacts and rituals = cultural objects/symbols/customs created by humans. Norms and values = ideals about what is good/bad. Ideas and understandings = claims or beliefs about the nature of reality what exists in the world and what is true/false. Music, movies, food, art, clothing, buildings, language, sports, celebrations. Sociologists tend to be interested in cultural artifacts/rituals because they symbolize something deeper: Examples: freedom/liberty, equality, civic responsibility, self-expression, beauty. Note: norms and values can be both empowering and constraining.
