Political Culture Approach
POLITICAL CULTURE MEANING
Political Culture is a set of attitudes and practices held by people that shapes their political
behaviour. It includes moral judgments, political myths, beliefs, and ideas about what makes for a
good society. A political culture is a reflection of a government, but it also incorporates elements of
history and tradition that may predate the current regime. Political cultures matter because they
shape a population‘s political perceptions and actions. Governments can help to shape political
culture and public opinion through education, public events, and remembrance of the past.
According to Almond and Powell (1966) Political Culture is the pattern of individual attitudes and
orientations towards politics among the members of a political system. It may provide with a
valuable conceptual tool by means of which one can bridge the 'micro-macro' gap in political theory.
COMPONENTS OF POLITICAL CULTURE
Cognitive Orientation
It means people‘s knowledge about political objects and familiarity with the way the political system
actually works. It also reflects people‘s knowledge about the leading figures of their political system
as well as problems faced by the system.
Affective Orientation
Affective Orientation means people‘s psychological or emotional feelings about their political
system. It explains how people feel as alienated from or attached with political system. Therefore, it
includes feeling of attachment, involvement, rejection etc. about political objects.
Evaluative Orientation
This is another important component of political culture because it shows people‘s judgments and
opinions about political system. People apply value standards to political objects and events to
analyze the political system. However, these three components are interrelated and found in an
individual‘s perception in different degrees.
TYPES OF POLITICAL CULTURE
Almond and Verba used opinion surveys to analyse political behaviour and political attitudes of
individuals about democracy in five countries, namely the USA, the UK, West Germany, Italy and
Mexico.
Parochial Political Culture
In a parochial political culture citizens do not identify themselves with the state. That shows that
there is an absence of a sense of citizenship. Therefore, people do not have any idea or knowledge
about political system; hence they do not participate in politics. They identify themselves with their
locality rather than the region or state. Such type of political culture can be found in tribal societies
where tribe head is all in all and tribe people follow him without questioning his authority.
Subject Political Culture
In this type of political culture people act passively. Such kind of political culture can be seen in the
colonial states where citizens cannot involve themselves in politics because they think that they have
no capacity to influence government. But once, when they acquire political consciousness they do
fight for their rights and liberation and could overthrow the colonial regime.
Participant Political Culture
In this type of political culture, citizens actively participate in political activities to ensure their
desired outcome. They are capable in doing so because of high level of political consciousness. The
citizens are fully aware of their rights and duties and also their role in decision-making process.
When all the three types of Political Culture Parochial, Subject and Participant Political Culture are
found in one political system, it is considered as Civic Culture. Such type is mostly found in India.
Political Sub-culture
The political consequences of subculture may be significant because beliefs and values, not being
shared by all, may create conflict with other subcultures and national culture. Hence, subcultures are
to be accommodated, ignored to create an effective national identity along with the sub-cultural
difference. If the subcultures will not be accommodated, they will create a sense of alienation from
the common traditional culture, which will lead to succession and division of the nation.
Elite and Mass culture
Each society comprises a tiny section of ruler or decision makers and a large group of ruled. They
develop their own political culture in the political system. The ruler or elite section always develop a
particular attitude or superiority complex towards the governed and also always try to hold power
and play direct role in decision making. Hence, developed elite culture. On the other hand, the
masses who become ruled are not concerned with power holding; only act as observer of
governmental activities, develop their own political culture in different from the rulers is considered
as Mass culture.
Foundations of Political Culture
1. Historical: History plays an important role in affecting political culture of a political system. The
culture of France and Russia was influenced by the French Revolution of 1789 and the Russian
Revolution of 1917.
2. Geographical: The insular position of Britain gives the political culture different from that of the
continental countries. Similarly, the Political Culture of the USA is different from other European
countries due to their geographical locations.
3. Socio-Economic Factors: The difference in the social and economic factors of the political system
affects the political culture of that political system.
4. Ethnic Factors: The political culture of Africa might have been different than what it is actually at
present if there had been absence of racial discrimination.
5.Political Continuity and Discontinuity :The political culture of a state is also determined and shaped
by its continuity and discontinuity of political processes. Continuity of a political process favours for
the evolution of participant political culture whereas discontinuity of political process impede the
process of development of a uniform political culture. All these factors immensely contribute for the
development of political culture of a society
Importance of Political Culture
1. Political Culture enables to understand the connection between the social and economic factor on
one hand and political development on the other hand.
2. Political Culture helps to understand the process of political socialization and transmission of
political culture from one generation to the other generation.
3. Political Culture enables to understand how the laws and constitution of different countries are
observed by different individuals and groups.
4. Political Culture shows the attitude of people towards a political system.
5. It enables to understand the reason that similar phenomenon in the different countries do not
produce the same result.
Criticism
1. It is difficult to draw full picture of political culture as the opinion and attitudes of people are not
very clear and cannot be represented as whole.
2. The actual performance of the political beliefs and attitudes in a country of political researchers
may be different from their expectation.
3. The concept of political culture is hardly better than new labels for old ideas.
4. The political attitudes, beliefs, values and behavior are not sufficient to understand the
classification of political system.
5. Basic concept of political culture is not fully worked out and it is difficult to test the different
theories of political culture.
In Conclusion
In any country’s political system, political culture is regarded as important.
The concept of Political Culture had developed after the Second World War, it is important for any
political system as it shapes the attitudes, beliefs and notions of people towards the political system,
political issues and ideologies. It provides the context, define political identities provide framework
and stability to political systems, institution. The political system is always influenced by political
culture and its role in politics cannot be denied. It encourages political scientists to take up the study
of social and cultural factors which are responsible for giving the political culture of a country its
broad shape. Therefore, Social culture is especially important in people’s social lives.
