Culture and Slavery: Understanding Social Science Concepts and Theories

This essay discusses the concepts and theories of social science that aid in understanding culture and slavery. It highlights the importance of social science in gaining insights about the social world and how culture shapes individuals and societies. It also delves into the issue of modern slavery and its prevalence in the UK and globally.

Culture and slavery

Contents
Contents...........................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Culture is a broader term which consists of social behaviour, norms, beliefs, customs that a
society or individual hold in its high esteem (Ferris and Stein, 2018). It improves learning, health
and status along with enhances quality of life as well as increases overall prosperity for both
individuals and communities. At same time, Slavery is a practice in which one human being
considered other as slave or his servant. A slave is a person who is considered as property of his
master as per law and is deprived of most of rights that are held by a free man. Cultural traditions
as well as slave religious plays significant role in assisting people surviving harshness along with
misery of life within society. The essay aims to discuss social science that assist in understanding
our lives along with lives of others within society.
It highlights concepts and theories enabling to greater understanding about topics that are
culture and slavery.
MAIN BODY
As per Smith (2017), social science provides in-depth analysis of social world as they create
better systems addition to institutions which influences day to day lives of people or citizens
living in society (Smith, 2017). Social science is a branch of study that deals with human
behaviour and various cultural aspects of society. It includes political science, sociology,
anthropology, psychology etc. It essentially enhances one's understanding towards social world.
It aids individuals to understand how to interact with social world which in turn helps in develop
societal network and promote democracy. This branch of science is highly relies on
interpretation and qualitative research methodologies in order to better understand social world..
It supports individual in enhancing knowledge through knowing the purpose of political parties,
reasons for polarisation, goals and business model of various governments. Social scientific
approaches, immense researchers in this field provides evidence-based grounding for analysing
as well as evaluating social world. Social science guide individuals better understand ways to
engage with systems, both for self and society’s advantages. Disciplines of social science
provides knowledge that shape lives and learning to be citizens. Beyond building accurate
addition to functional understanding about world and its systems, social science guides in
gaining insights better to engage with systems for huge benefits in own and other lives.
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According to Fulcher and Scott (2011), culture can be clarified by many terms but most
commonly used terms are tribes, ethnic groups, sociology and management (Fulcher and Scott,
2011). It aids in fostering tolerance by means of recognition and acceptance of differences in
individual's behaviour. UK has a rich culture heritage from many years and they are following
and protecting their art, beliefs, social behaviours of citizens. It focuses on collectivism as UK
citizens believed in integration of individuals in primary groups. For example, people from birth
onward are integrated into extended families which benefits them in unquestioning loyalty and
socially behaving environment. Power distance theory in relevance to UK society suggests
inequality in society which is promoted by followers not leaders, hence disruptively affects
social world. Avoidance of uncertain situations in society deals with tolerance level of citizens of
the nation for ambiguity. In UK, societal relationships follows weak uncertainty avoidance which
aids in minimising the possibility of unusual situations. Social world of UK comprises of citizens
who have comfortable behaviour with chaos, anxiety and stress. People within this culture
contemplated and not expect any emotional support from their environment. Nations citizens
have femininity characteristics involves modest and caring values. By adopting these principles,
one can effectively connect in social world and foster long lasting relationships. For example,
UK citizens primarily focuses on short term orientation which involves respect for traditions,
protecting personal steadiness and stability. This also relates to spending on social work and
consumption concisely which enhances understanding the various dynamics of society in a larger
perspective. Citizens of the country enjoys an indulgent society which involves free gratification
of basic as well as natural human desires and allows them to live a comfortable and stress free
life. People are in favour of UK government practices as they put very little pressure on its
citizens thus enhancing their social world. UK citizens welcome and appreciate whole heatedly
every member of different communities such as Asians, Chinese, Scottish etc.
In the social world, decisions as well as actions that an individual devise on day to day basis
have consequences that are favourable or dreadful in society. According to Macionis and
Plummer (2008), concept of slavery is decision of a person for enslaving another human being in
the society (Macionis and Plummer, 2008). Within a society, unique and different cultures exist.
When purchasing slaves from one society, another society are introduced to that culture which
slaved brought with them. All slaves are told to follow legislations and regulations of their
master society. Aristotle’s theory of slavery was propounded by great Greek Pholospoher that is
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Aristotle who thought slavery was natural thing addition to human being came in two kinds
including slaves along with non-slaves within the social world. In a society, natural slaves are
said to slaves as their souls are not complete as they lack certain qualities comprising critical
thinking, etc so they required to have masters for guiding for practices to complete. In UK,
slavery system is underlined with stratification in society that exists because of creed, caste or
other factors. It gives rise to power to some population that make others slave through amounting
money and power in social world. They become property of other people and subjected to
violence together with each type of ill practice. Contemporary slavery or modern slavery is
practiced in society of United Kingdom which is institutional slavery continuing to occur in
present day, realities of international trade as well as businesses that makes it inevitable which
UK, like other nations are exposed to risk of slavery via products it imports. In present day,
estimates of number slaves ranges from 38 million to 46 million. Modern slavery is multi-
billion-pound sector with around forced labor aspect that generate approximate £ 150 Billion
every year. In global context, it is determined that roughly 40.3 million people are caught in
modern slavery within social world. Slavery in the society has caused victims of human
trafficking, domestic servitude and forced labour that often hide in plain sights in communities
(2020 UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery, 2021). Within the society of the country, top
imported commodities as per US $ value, at risk of being manufactured under situations of
slavery includes clothing accessories, apparels, mobile phones, laptops and computers.
CONCLUSION
From the presented information, it is concluded that social science is effective way to gain
insights about social world because it shares fascination with behaviour of people and
organisations. Building frameworks to understand effects, social science helps in strengthening
establishments through providing data or relevant information for outcomes along with better
mechanisms to promote participation and engagement of citizens with social world. Culture
entails objects of society that acts as means to accumulate, store addition to transmit experience
in societal world. Culture shapes populations into who they are because they learn languages,
customs, traditions and gain knowledge to carry out operation in society. Slavery is determined
as a stratification system wherein an individual owns other and exploits for economic gain in
social world due to having power or wealth.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Ferris, K. and Stein, J., 2018. The real world: an introduction to sociology. 6th edn. London:
W.W. Norton.
Fulcher, J. and Scott, J. M., 2011. Sociology. 4th edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Giddens, A. and Sutton, P. W., 2009. Sociology. 6th edn. Cambridge: Polity.
Haralambos, M., 2008. Sociology: themes and perspectives. 7th ed. London: Collins.
Macionis, J. J. and Plummer, K., 2008. Sociology: a global introduction. 4th edn. Harlow:
Pearson Education.
Online:
2020 UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery. 2021. [Online]. Available through: <
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/
attachment_data/file/927111/FINAL-_2020_Modern_Slavery_Report_14-10-20.pdf>
Smith. S. R. 2017. Because Social Science Makes Sense of Institutions That Shapes Lives.
[Online]. Available through:
https://www.whysocialscience.com/blog/2017/7/17/because-social-science-makes-
sense-of-the-institutions-that-shape-our-lives
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