Colloquium in May 2019
Yodanis, Carrie (Professor, Department of Sociology at UBC, Canada)
Individualization, valuing individual’s unique identities and freedom over social rules, is often regarded as one of the main elements in the Western, especially U.S. culture. However, in Americans’ everyday lives, it is difficult to find evidence for individualization as defined above, even in their intimate relationships and fashions. In dating or marriage, couples prioritize their common interests and activities over those of each individual and share similar life style with other couples, such as living and sleeping together. This pattern is also found in cohabitation or same-sex marriage, which are often regarded as alternatives to the traditional institution of marriage. Also, regarding fashions, Americans follow certain rules based on their social characteristics, such as class, race, gender, and age. Even in a group against the mainstream culture, among the group members it is found a certain level of similarity in their fashion. Based on these arguments, Professor Yodanis suggests a new definition of individualization: more freedom to choose which group you associate with and which rules to follow, rather than ‘complete’ independence from collective constraints.
