Folkways (sociology)
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Folkways are the patterns of conventional behavior in a society, norms that apply to everyday matters. They are the conventions and habits learned from childhood.
Famed American sociologist, William Graham Sumner, is credited with coining the term folkways in his monumental work entitled Folkways: A Study of the Sociological Importance of Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals in 1907.[1] Folkway remains a technical term in sociology, describing what is usually known as "custom"
Generally, conformity to folkways is ensured by gentle social pressure and imitation. Breaking or questioning a folkway does not cause severe punishment, but may cause the person to be laughed at, frowned upon, or scolded. Some examples of folkways in western culture include respecting the privacy of strangers and eating food with the proper utensil.
[edit] References
- ^ David Hackett Fischer, Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1989), 7.
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