This document discusses the concept of political culture, which refers to the fundamental values, outlooks, and knowledge that shape politics in a given society. It covers several aspects of political culture, including civic culture, which balances participation with stability; post-materialism among educated youth; Huntington's theory of clashes between civilizations; the importance of elite political culture; and political culture in authoritarian states, which typically emphasizes security over self-expression. Contemporary trends shaping political cultures globally include democratization, marketization, and globalization.

1. Week Four
Political Culture
Dr. Jizhen Huang

2. Outline
 What on earth culture is?
 Civic culture
 Political culture
 New Political generation: post-materialism
 Civilization and religion
 Elite political culture
 Political culture in authoritarian rule
 Discussion time

3. What on earth culture is?
 Defined by The United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
 The set of spiritual, intellectual, and emotional features;
 Lifestyle, ways of living together, value systems,
traditions, belief, symbols, meanings, and expectations,
etc.
 Indicate who we are, what is important to us, and how
we should behave.

4. Why Culture Matters
 Cultural norms typically change slowly and reflect
stable values.
 It encapsulates the history, traditions, and values of a society.
 Congruence theory
 The distribution of cultural patterns is typically related to the
type of political process that citizens expect and support.
 Do democracies create a participatory democratic public, or does
a political culture lead to a democratic political system?
 It works both ways.
 Political culture can build common political community, but it
can also have the power to divide.

5. Three levels of culture
 individuals
 Social norms
 National laws

6. Civic Culture
Many citizens are active in politics but a
passive minority serves to stabilize the system.
It makes a liberal democracy is most likely to
develop and consolidate.
The source of stable democracy.
Resolving the tension within democracy
between popular control and effective
governance.

7. Political Culture [ 政治文化 ]
Culture consists of the distinctive spiritual and
symbolic characteristics of society;
it is the essential human characteristic,
articulating our nature as aware social beings.
Political culture, similarly, refers to
fundamental values, outlooks and knowledge
that give form and substance to polit­ics in a
given country.
Also refer to civic culture, elite political culture.

8. Post-materialism:
New Political Generation
 Postmaterialism is a commitment to radical quality of
life issues (such as the environment)
 especially among the edu­cated young, from a
foundation of personal secu­rity and material affluence.
 Combination of affluence, peace and secu­rity in
Western countries in the post-war era
 Postmaterialists gave priority to self-expression and
flexible rules.
 Postmaterialists participate extensively in politics but
are inclined to join elite-challenging promotional
groups rather than mainstream political parties.

9. Civilization & Religion
Rather than countries, cultures would become
the leading source of political conflict in the 21st
century.
The focus shifted from a battle of ideologies to
a clash of civilizations.

10. Civilization & Religion
Rather than countries, cultures would become
the leading source of political conflict in the 21st
century. (Huntington)
The focus shifted from a battle of ideologies to
a clash of civilizations.
Huntington’s 7-8 civilizations (p103)
Relationships between states and civilizations
(p103)
Social values: equality for women,
homosexuality, abortion, and divorce, etc.

11. Political Culture in authoritarian
states
Authoritarian rule often means: NOT used to
democratic behaviors and values.
Such as: various thinking and behaving,
tolerating dissents, and seeing the advantages
of debate and discussion.
Ultimately, emphasizing the values of security
rather than self-expression, ex. Human rights.
China becomes a significant case of this kind of
political culture, regardless of good or bad.

12. Elite Political Culture
(1/2)
Consist of the beliefs, attitudes, and ideas
about politics;
Which are held by those who are closet to the
centers of political power.
In a state, the values of elites are more
systematic than the mass population.
Relations amongst the different groups of elites

13. Elite Political Culture
(2/2)

14. Trends Shaping Contemporary
Political Cultures
 Democratization
 Marketization
 Greater public acceptance of free markets
and private profit incentives, rather than a
government-managed economy
 Globalization

15. Trends Shaping Contemporary
Political Cultures
 Political culture is not a static
phenomenon.
 Encompasses how the agents of political
socialization communicate and interpret
historic events and traditional values
 Important to understand
 Influences how citizens act, how the political
process functions, and what policy goals the
government pursues

16. Summary 1/2
 Political culture as ‘the sum of the fundamental values,
sentiments and knowledge that give form and
substance to political processes.
 Studying political culture through opinion surveys or
public symbols. Danger of ignoring subject cultures and
of stereotyping national character.
 Civic culture: a participant style is balanced by less
engaged elements to produce a balance conducive to
democratic stability. Need to account for political
culture itself: can reflect as well as shape politics.

17. Summary 2/2
 Post-materialism: cultural change in Western
democracies. The impact of post-war peace, affluence
and educational expansion. Generational replacement
as a mechanism of cultural change. The emergence of
political leaders with no experience of world war.
 Huntington’s seven or eight civilizations and the clash
of civilizations.
 The importance of elite political culture. Two
dimensions: a) the elite’s faith in its right to rule and b)
its willingness to compromise.
 Political culture in authoritarian states.

18. Video clips
 Chinese Politics Students
 Social value shapes political culture
 Islam and the clash of civilizations

19. Discussion Questions
 What are the main political subcultures in your country?
 Does modernization generate postmaterialism?
 What difference does it make if people trust heir
government?
 In your society, how, if at all, do the values of the
political elite differ from those of the general public?
 Is there a clash of civilizations between the Muslim and
Western worlds?
 Are authoritarian regimes sustained by cultures giving
‘priority to authority and strong leadership over freedom
and expression’?