L6_ Cultural Theory 2_Franc

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SA 3109Approaches in Political

Analysis

L 6: Cultural Theory 212 Oct 2011

Dr. M. Francesch

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Almond, G. & S. Verba (1968) The Civic Culture:political attitudes and democracy in five nations.London: Sage (survey of the political culture of

democracy in US, UK, Germany, Italy and Mexico) Lau, S. K. & H.C. Kuan (1995) The Ethos of the

Hong Kong Chinese. Hong Kong: The ChineseUniversity of Hong Kong Press.

Lam, W. M. (2004) Understanding the PoliticalCulture of Hong Kong: the paradox of activism anddepoliticization. London: ME Sharpe.

Landmark Studies on theattitudes of people to

politics

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Description: first specify which collectivity youhave an interest in (what question?) proceed todescribe the patterns of behaviour within in it (howquestion?)

Explanation: must identify what it is about thesecollectivities which leads to a distinctive pattern ofbehaviour (why question?) For example: Ask whether their collective experience as a nation is unique or whether

the national difference stems from the varying particular groups, eachwith its own unique experiences, that are part of the nation Example: Political behavior of Catholics in choosing a political party across

countries: who votes Republican in the US? Who votes Greens inGermany?

Culture as a means ofdescription or explanation

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Explanations based on national cultures can be persuasiveonly when ruling out structural and institutionalexplanations about why a particular nation behaves this orthis other way: Structural explanation: [structure] interconnecting parts of any complex

thing. Rules and roles specifying who is to do what and how. E.g: CityUculture is driven by the rules and roles that determine how faculty andstudents behave, not by the choices which individuals make

Institutional explanation: rules and organizational structures becomeinstitutions when they come to symbolize the communitys aspirations. Allinstitutions are organizations, but not all organizations are institutions.E.g: City U culture is driven not only by the formal organizational roles andrules but also by the aspirations of its faculty and students

PC explanatory power is primarily restricted to setting theagenda over which political mindsets are out there

Culture as a means ofdescription or explanation

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If PC is the particular incidence of patterns ofpolitical orientation in the population of apolitical system

Culture is contextually and inter-subjectivelydefined, and the strategies used to pursue isunderstood to be context-dependent

A group exhibits a given range anddistribution of (largely unconscious)assumptions about its political life

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Culture as context-specific


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What PC does? Linking individual & collective identities Defining the boundaries between groups and

organising actions within & between them Providing a framework for interpreting the

actions and motives of others Providing resources for political organisation

and motivation

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Culture as framing thepolitical context

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Importance of values in producing sustainableeconomic development

Asian cultural values: key driving forces of rapideconomic growth

Old assumption: Asian cultures lacked thecapacity to generate economic growth

How to explain the rise and fall of East/SoutheastAsia?

The same values in different circumstances canand will produce different effects

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Some examples of culturalvalues & economic

development


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Spirit of capitalism: Marx Weber noted thecultural origins of capitalism

Calvinists: predestination, psychic ofanxiety/insecurity. More hardworking.

Christians: afterworld reward. Less hardworking? Confucianism:

Well adjusted, unlimited patience, controlled politeness,a capacity for uninterrupted hard work but not thequalities that could spontaneously produce capitalism;

but qualities that could make up for skill in emulatingcapitalistic practices

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Some examples of culturalfactors

& economic behavior


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Confucianism: dismiss hard work and all forms ofphysical work; idealize leisure and effortlessness

Chinese Confucianism emphasize good luck;much of life is determined by external forces

youre surrounded by Western capitalism:

Seeking to improve products, strengthen theirorganizational structures, work hard, name

recognition Chinese capitalism: finding who needs what

Try to diversify, ready to change productionresponding to market needs

Importance of guanxi()9

Some examples of culturalfactor

in economic behavior (cont..)


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What are the boundaries of Western culture? Within culture variation can be considerable:

Within individuals; among individuals;

among groups; between an individual and the society (conflicts between

individuals values and prevailing norms)

Everything is interpretation

Action and the material world are swept into the

all-embracing basket.

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Critique of culturalapproach


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An illustration of a culturalapproach study: Political

culture in Hong Kong

Shiu Hing Lo, "Citizen Participation, Political

Culture and Governability in Hong Kong: ACritique of the Psychocultural Approach"

Lucian W. Pye,Asian Power & Politics: TheCultural Dimensions of Authority


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The Cultural Approach to HKPolitics:Lau Siu-kai & Kuan Hsin-chi

Scholars (in the 80s & 90s) argued that: HK people's political culture was unique They had a partial or paternalistic view of democracy They were attentive spectators in politics

Political parties were relatively weak and lacked popularsupport

Political leadership was not nurtured under British rule Governor Patten's reforms brought about the problem of

ungovernability

Coalition between HK's elite & Beijing could bring stabilityto HK


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The Variables in Lau's &Kuan's Explanation (Cf. Lo)

Independent variable: political cultureIntervening variables: citizen participation;

strength of political parties; degree ofpolitical leadership

Other intervening variables: e.g.governability

Dependent variable: political stability


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Was HK's Culture Unique?

Lo, Lau & Kuan often assumed that HK's politicalcultural was unique and people preferred paternalto democratic government (or harmony to conflict)

Hong Kong people avoided politics instead of

participated in politicsBut, "Lau and Kuan intentionally or unintentionally

utilize their findings to reinforce theirassumption[s] of the political behaviour of Hong

Kong Chinese."


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Cultural Comparison

There was little comparison in Lau's andKuan's works

Comparisons with Macau, Taiwan, mainland

China, Singapore are required in order toestablish the claim that HK's political cultureis unique

Comparisons are also required to see if

structural or other factors are not relevant inthe cultural explanation


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A Matter of Definition?

"Lau and Kuan do not deal with differentfindings amongst other Hong Kong researchers[DeGolyer & Scott], who find that Hong KongChinese are very participatory in both cognitive

and behavioural terms." (Lo; see also Lam Wai-man, Understanding the Political Culture ofHong Kong)

While DeGolyer & Scott define participation as

awareness of political affairs, discussion ofpolitics, and action taken to influence policies,Lau & Kuan only narrowly define the latter asparticipation (Lo)


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Cultural or Structural?

Lau & Kuan are not consistent in their use of politicalculture as an independent variable, sometimes they shift tostructure as explanation

"For example, they argued that neither Britain nor China

wanted to see unconstrained democratization in Hong Kongduring the transition period, that the British did not have apolicy of cultivating local leadership in the colony, and thatHong Kong people's mistrust of politicians and politicalparties [all] constrained the development of an active

participatory culture of Hong Kong people." (Lo)


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Interpreting Asian Concepts ofPower

"The greater Asian acknowledgement of the need for, andindeed the desirability of, authority contrasts sharply withthe Western enthusiasm for limiting authority"

Why? First, the confidence in progress (the Enlightenment) in the West helps to

foster the belief that primitive power (state of nature) was somethingfrom the distant past. But in Asia, it is an ever-lurking danger in thefuture (the fear of chaos)

Second, power is regarded as directly related to policy and instrumentalto the achievement of concrete political goals in the West; but in Asia, it ismore a ritual and spiritual/supernatural thing to ensure harmony &favourable conditions for the whole community


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Power in an Ethical-MoralSocial Order

In the Confucian tradition, it was inadmissible tospeak of power except in moralistic terms.Coupled with the ethical idea of familism, theChinese committed themselves to seeing relations

always in hierarchical terms and attributing almostunlimited potential to those at the top

The ruler should rule by example since peoplecould be educated. But if people have it in their

nature not to respond to good examples, they areevil and deserving harsh punishment


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Harmony & Anti-Politics

The very essence of rule by moral examplewas anti-politics, since it precluded the kindsof activities associated with using power orrule competitively in support of differentvalues

Two enduring consequences of ritual politics: The locus of power was external to human (son of

heaven/god-like leader) The cause & effect in political affairs could be

extremely complex (what is more important iswhether the ruler is virtuous)


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The Politics of Status

Power became nothing more than social status, and toexercise power was simply to perform high-status roles. Insome respects power became even less utilitarian since itcould only be used properly in adhering to the norms ofestablished roles. To use power for practical purposes could

compromise the legitimacy of one's status and thereby turnthe whole society against the taboo violator

The politics of status refined the people's sensitivity to theessence of personal relations and also produced elaboratecalculations of mutual obligations: guanxi


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The Challenge ofModernisation Colonial rule and the politics of technological power, law &

order

"The Chinese have for over one hundred years been tornbetween believing that power was derived from theintensity of people's commitments to established values

first Confucianism, then the San-Min-Chu-I, and finallyMarxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Though [now, harmonioussociety?]--and believing that power would come from thepragmatic use of science and technology." (Pye)

The ti-yung (essence-means) dichotomy?

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L6_ Cultural Theory 2_Franc