POLITICAL CULTURE

INTRODUCTION
• The concept of Political Culture is a
convenient shorthand way of referring
to the values, beliefs and emotions
that give meaning to political life.
DEFINITION

1. Political culture refers to the pattern of

orientations (psychological) to political objects
such as parties, government, the constitution,
expressed in beliefs, symbols and values
(Heywood).
Political culture differs from public opinion in that it is
fashioned out of long term values rather than simply
people’s reactions to specific policies and problems.
2. Political culture is composed of the attitudes,
beliefs, emotions and values of society that
relate to the political system and to political
issues.(Ball)
 DEFINITION CONT’
“The Political Culture of a nation consists of the
characteristic attitudes of its population towards basic
features of the political system – the community to be
included within its boundaries, the nature of the regime, the
definition of what government is expected to do and refrain
from doing and the role of individuals as participants and
passive subjects of government.” -R. Rose

Political Culture is to the political system what culture is to the social system.”
In simple words, Political Culture is the set of attitudes, beliefs and sentiments that
give order and meaning to the political process, and that provides the underlying
assumptions and rules that govern people’s behaviour in their political system.
Political Culture encompasses both the political ideals and the operating norms of a
polity.
POL CULTURE IN A NUTSHELL
Political Culture – Citizens orientations toward
the political system, political and policymaking
process and policy outputs and outcomes (or
the distribution of orientations toward political
objects)
 TYPES POLITICAL CULTURE

Political culture can really be classified according to

whether members of the society take an active role in the
political process and expect benefits from the
government or whether they have a passive relationship
in which the individuals know very little about the
political process and expect very little from government
activity. Thus culture can be measured by
1) Attitudes towards institutions of the state
2) Degree of citizen influence and participation in
decision making processes
TYPES OF POLITICAL CULTURE
A parochial (local or provincial) political culture, is
specific to traditional societies, to communities that are
unaware of the importance of national and world issues
and have no interest in the values and mechanism of
the national political system.
This is the political culture of villages, ethnic groups,
regions – where the church, the school and the town
hall are key institutions. Knowledge, feelings and
judgments of value are oriented toward these local
structures
In a parochial culture, people lack a sense of
citizenship
TYPES OF POLITICAL CULTURE

A political culture of submission

(subordination), corresponding to
communities regulated by national values.
Within these societies, the agents of political
action are aware of the existence of a political
system, but content themselves on an attitude
of passivity with regard to participating in
political life and decision making processes
 ASPECTS OF POL CULTURE CONT’
A participative political culture, which corresponds to
democratic system and is the result of developed
educational processes and a high extent of
organization, also reflecting the political-social
experiences that are specific to democratic countries.
Citizens possess several subjective means and
abilities, skills and dexterities for using them
rationally, for the purpose of influencing decision
making, the progress of political events,
representation or for stopping those administrative
decisions that would negatively affect their interests.
This is sometimes referred to as civic culture and it is
dynamic i.e. UK, RSA etc
CULTURAL MILIEU
These types of political cultures coexist in
contemporary society, they combine and influence
each other, they fuse or intertwine among
individuals who form the political community of
that country. Thus, for instance, the citizens of a
participative political society are not solely
oriented towards active participation in politics,
they are also subject to laws and authorities, as
well as being members of a group with a parochial
culture.
LEVELS OF CULTURE
A) System level – citizens’ and leaders’ views of
values and organizations holding the system
together
(1)draws on the basic commitments to the
political system;
(2) common identity – patriotism, national pride
(3) legitimacy provides foundation – citizens
“ought to obey” that arises from: (a) results
from the political, social ,and economic
systems (b) habit (c) historical, religious, ethnic
identity (d) accepted procedures
 LEVELS CONT
B) Process level – expectations of how politics should
function and individual’s relationship to the political process
(1)What do we expect out of government?
• Parochial culture – limited awareness, expectations, and
participation –
• Subject culture – higher awareness, expectations, and
participation – focused on output of the system
• Participant culture – higher still awareness, expectations,
and participation – focused on inputs to and outputs from
the system

C). Policy
level – citizens and leaders policy expectations
from the government. (1) Policy expectations (2)
Expectations of Government Process
LEVELS CONT’
D. Consensus and Conflict
a. Consensual – citizens tend to agree on decision
making process and major problems facing
society
b. b. Conflictual – deep, persistent divisions across
political attitudes exist
(1) Distinct political subcultures may emerge as a result
(2) So distinctive that agents/types of socialization may
differ as well, as in Russia today
(3) When political subculture coincides with ethnic, national
or religious differences – divisions can be threatening to
stability of society
 FOUNDATIONS OF POL CULTURE
1.The historical development of the country i.e. the import of
colonialism has a strong bearing on African politics, just as the
revolution has a strong bearing in France and Russia; Slavery in
US South
2.Geography – Geographic factors such as natural resource
endowment and ethnography are key variables. i.e this can
affect the ethnic make up of a nation
a)ref Great Lakes region.
b)The oil economies of Gulf states is also a major influence on their politics

3.Socio-economic structure is also a determinant i.e the extent of

industrialisation, enlightenment and industrial development
determine the level of affluence and class consciousness
i.e. The subculture of Paris is vastly different from
that of Helsinki or Barcelona
FOUNDATIONS CONT’
The Composition of the population – ref Canadian
society is 40% migrants. Africa’s boundaries were
drawn up arbitrarily by the colonialists
SYMBOLS OF POLITICAL CULTURE
a) National Flags
b) National Anthems
c) Cult figure of political leaders i.e.
Monarch – Queen Elizabeth
d) National monuments
e) National Colours
f) Political Myths
DEVELOPMENT OF POLITICAL CULTURE

Imposed – Colonialism
Imported – Western influence ref
Diaspora
Generated from within -
POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION

Political Socialization – The process

by which we acquire of beliefs, values
and attitudes about a particular
political system (our own, usually)
The characteristics of political
socialisation and the clusters of
opinions, ,attitudes and beliefs that
make up a society are in turn part of
the society’s political culture.
AGENCIES OF SOCIALIZATION
The family
The school & institutions of
learning
Voluntary groups and
institutions
Mass Media
Government & Party agencies
Religion
 MODES OF SOCIALIZATION

Direct and indirect processes of learning a. Direct:

explicit communication of information, values, feelings
toward politics ex: civic courses; indoctrination
programs (Taliban) b. Indirect: inadvertent molding of
political views by life experiences (1) End of the Cold War
(2) 9/11 (3) World economic crisis
2. Continue throughout life – childhood foundation plus
the rest of your life a. life-cycle of the individual b. effects
of the period in which one lives c. influence of events on
a specific group of individuals
3. Social groups w/own sources of news, own sources of
culture separate selves from larger society
4. Agents a. Family b. School c. Religious Institutions d.
Peer Groups e. Social Class and Gender f. Mass Media g.
Interest Groups h. Political parties i. Direct contact with
FAMILY
Child’s interaction with authority
–
Sense of obligation
View of society
FORMAL EDUCATION
Decentralised education limits government
influence
Private schools i.e. RSA model C and state schools
 CULTURE & HEGEMONY
Cultural or ideological hegemony ref Marx & Engels

Antonio Gramsci’s ideological hegemony

According to Marxists, in every epoch, the ideas of the

ruling class are the ruling ideas – the ruling class is also
the intellectual force of society
Therefore culture is essentially class specific
And ideas that uphold the dominant (capitalist) order have
an overwhelming advantage
Thus Gramsci suggests that a ‘battle of ideas has to be
waged in order for proletarian principles and values to
replace those of the bourgeoisie
HEGEMONY CONT
Hegemony refers to the ability of a dominant class to
exercise power by winning the consent of those it
subjugates, as an alternative to the use of coercion
(Gramsci)
Hegemony is successful because it operates under the
context of free speech
Challenge to Gramsci:
• The acceptance of capitalist values and beliefs by the
working class may reflect that capitalism actually works
• The dominant –ideology model may overstate degree of
hegemony in values and beliefs of modern societies
• it may be patronising to suggest that values of others
have been foisted upon them by manipulation and
indoctrination
PROPAGANDA
Propaganda is information or disinformation
disseminated in a deliberate attempt to shape
opinions and possibly stimulate political action