Study Questions
1. You have been invited to serve as part of your campus’ meet and greet committee for the incoming study abroad students. You are asked to describe the social and political culture of your country, essentially how do you define your country? What would you say?
2. Consider how political culture can influence policy preferences within a country. What regional political subcultures can you identify?
3. This chapter discusses how culture can be used to build group identity. What examples can you come up with to demonstrate how culture has been used in this way?
4. What is political socialization? Which agents of political socialization have had the greatest effects on your view of the world?
5. Think about the United States’ war with Iraq. To what degree, if any, did culture play a role in the decision to go to war, the public’s support of the war, and how public officials discussed the war?
6. Why should students be wary of those who explain politics solely in terms of political culture?
7. Explain the concept of cultural ownership. What factors make discussions about cultural ownership complex?
8. How might the conflict between sports team, fans, and the sports franchises and the Native Americans in the United States be a clash of political cultures?