Different components of Culture!

What is a subculture?
A culture within the dominant culture. They are groups with which ppl identify and from which are derived distinctive values and norms and rules of behaviour. They can be based on economic, social classes, ethnicity, race or geographic regions.  ex: American Indian in the U.S or Christiania in DK.

Economic and Social Class

Social Class is a position in a society's hierarchy based on income,education,occupation and neighborhood.Because very often to some degree of course all these features affect who you are friends with, what characteristics you will look for in a life partner, in what social circle you will evolve, what type of career you will choose and in what neighborhood you will live. In other way, it can limit your "world" in a certain way in  setting what is the desirable  thing to do and "politically correct' people to be with. Economic and social class also affect the way children are raised in terms values such as ambition in life ect but of course it is not directly proportional, it does not mean if a middle class family will only raise ambitious and successful offsprings and working-class families will produce the opposite.

Ethinicity

This term has changed over time. it can be defined as a group pf people having the same descent and heritage who share a common and distinctive culture passed on through generations.(Zenner,1996). These groups have the same languages or accent, physical traits, family names, customs, religion and culture.
Ethnic Minority and Majority  are terms usually used to describe the difference in numbers or political  power or powerlessness, wealth between different ethnicities in the same country or regions.
In reality i think those words double-edged at the same time they are important to recognise the differences in a large population. It is like not assuming that everybody is the same and giving value to differences but at the same time there is a notion of seperation in world like Italian-American or African-American. It can be seen as they are American but before that they are Italian or African.

Taking Mauritius as an example- of course it implies only my personal opinion- there are culture groups as they call it whereby different ethnic group meet and discuss about their particular group needs and demands to the government. Of course if one of the ethnic group people feel like they are underconsidered by the government and have the minority "syndrom" it is good to form alliances and ask for their rights. But to my mind the needs of almost all Mauritian are the same: employment will affect the economy and society as a whole it will not stop and choose who to strike harder or not!!Prices of food for example is not higher and lower for a certain section of the population. Although it will affect poor people more because they don't have safety needs(savings, insurance), but the essence of the problem will still be the same. Bad governance of a country will still affect everybody. My thinking is more towards a Mauritian assembly whereby the different components of the society can discuss ethinically specific problems and national problems in the same arena. But of course it is purely utopic.

What is a Co-Culture?

Is an alternative to the word "sub-culture" as the prefix sub can convey an idea of superiority and inferiority or a less important  meaning. It is used to express a coexistence rather than just a relation to the culture embraced by the majority.

Subgroup

Being in a group implies having a membership, it can influence greatly the values and attitude of one. Subgroup exists within a dominant culture. Subgroup can be manifested in common dress code, common vocabulary, similar values. examples are police officers, employees of large organisation such as IBM, Mc Donalds ect.But it is not usually about accumulation of values and pattern of behaviour other generations. Importantly, one can terminate the membership whenever it suit him/her and it has a temporary conotation. In contrast to culture which is a non exclusive group whereby no one choose to belong to a the culture he or she has been born in.

Someties subgroup can be qualified as deviant which mean different from the cultural norms but is has a negative labelling as associated to undesirable activities such as vegeterian are as deviant as prostitutes both deviate from the norm and considered as subgroups.

Whereas Reference group is one that wants to have a membership in a particular group but is not and still adhere to values, attitudes and behaviour of the group members.