Cultural deprivation

Quick Facts: Who was Cultural deprivation?

Subject:

Cultural deprivation

Known for:

Sociological theory describing how lower social classes experience cultural disadvantage.

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

Cultural deprivation is a theory in sociology where a person has inferior norms, values, skills and knowledge. The theory states that people of lower social classes experience cultural deprivation compared with those above and that this disadvantages them, as a result of which the gap between classes increases.

Career & Major Achievements

For example, in education, lower-class students can suffer from cultural deprivation as their parents do not know the best school for their child, but middle-class parents "know the system", and so can send their children to the best school for them. This puts the lower-class students at a disadvantage, thus increasing inequality and the gap between middle-class and lower-class students.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Proponents of this theory argue that working class culture (regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or other factors) inherently differs from that of people in the middle class. This difference in culture means that while middle-class children can easily acquire cultural capital by observing their parents, working-class children cannot, and this deprivation is self-perpetuating.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Cultural deprivation

True or False: “The theory of cultural deprivation suggests that all working-class cultures are inherently inferior to middle-class cultures.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The theory argues that working-class culture differs from middle-class culture, leading to a disadvantage, but it does not claim that all working-class cultures are inherently inferior.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Cultural diplomacy — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Soft power through the exchange of ideas, art, and culture among nations.
• Cultural diversity — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: The quality of diverse or different cultures, promoting variety globally.
• Cultural ecology — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: The study of human adaptations to social and physical environments.
• Cultural exception — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: A political concept allowing nations to safeguard culture from full free trade rules.
• Cultural feminism — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Feminist theory revaluing culturally ascribed attributes of femaleness.
• Cultural genocide — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: The destruction of culture, a concept central to the definition of genocide.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cultural deprivation