Production, consumption, globalisation and identity | AQA A-Level Sociology

For Specification 7192

AQA A-Level Sociology | Free Revision Notes

Estimated study time: 40 minutes

exam questions by topic 👇

Production, consumption and globalisation form the final specified area of AQA's Culture and Identity topic. This Production, consumption, globalisation and identity A-Level Sociology revision page examines how each must be related to identity and how globalisation fits into AQA's wider focus on contemporary society. It develops ideas introduced through popular and global culture [Popular and global culture] and follows the study of social class and identity [Social class and identity], bringing together several of the central themes running throughout Culture and Identity.

Learning Objectives 🎯

By the end of this revision page, you should be able to:

• Explain where production fits within the AQA study of identity.

• Explain where consumption fits within the AQA study of identity.

• Examine the relationship between globalisation and contemporary identity.

• Connect production, consumption and globalisation with the wider Culture and Identity topic.

• Analyse links between these processes and the socially caused and socially constructed nature of identity.

• Examine their significance within contemporary UK society and its globalised context.

Revision Notes 📚

Production, consumption and globalisation in the specification

AQA requires students studying Culture and Identity to be familiar with sociological explanations of:

• different conceptions of culture

• the socialisation process and the role of agencies of socialisation

• the self, identity and difference as both socially caused and socially constructed

• the relationship of identity to age, disability, ethnicity, gender, nationality, sexuality and social class in contemporary society

• the relationship of identity to production, consumption and globalisation.

Production, consumption and globalisation therefore form an explicit part of the AQA Culture and Identity specification.

Importantly, AQA's wording is relational. Students are not simply required to recognise the terms. They need to examine their relationship with identity.

Identity as the central concept

This lesson should be understood as the final stage of a wider sequence.

Earlier in the topic, AQA requires students to study the self, identity and difference [The self, identity and difference] as both socially caused and socially constructed.

Students then examine identity in relation to:

• age

• disability

• ethnicity

• gender

• nationality

• sexuality

• social class.

The final requirement extends this study beyond these social characteristics to consider identity in relation to:

production + consumption + globalisation

This means that AQA presents identity as connected with several aspects of contemporary social life rather than as an isolated individual characteristic.

Production and identity

AQA specifically requires students to examine the relationship between production and identity.

Production and the socially caused self

Production appears within a topic where AQA has already established that the self, identity and difference should be examined as socially caused.

This means production can be situated within the broader sociological study of influences on identity.

However, the specification does not state that production necessarily causes a particular identity, nor does it identify the particular mechanisms involved.

⚠️ Exam point: A relationship between production and identity must be explained, not assumed. A specific claim needs appropriate sociological theory or evidence.

Production and socially constructed identity

The specification also requires identity and difference to be examined as socially constructed.

Production may therefore be considered within this wider framework when students have studied appropriate sociological explanations.

Consumption and identity

AQA also explicitly requires students to examine the relationship between consumption and identity.

Consumption and culture

Consumption is studied within Culture and Identity, so it sits within the wider core theme of:

socialisation, culture and identity.

Earlier lessons introduced AQA's required conceptions of culture, including:

• subculture

• mass culture

• folk culture

• high and low culture

• popular culture

• global culture.

This provides a broader cultural context for the later study of consumption and identity.

Consumption and socially constructed identity

Because AQA requires the self, identity and difference to be examined as socially constructed, students should be prepared to consider consumption within wider sociological explanations of identity.

Comparing production and consumption

AQA lists both production and consumption within the same specification statement.

Specification concept	What AQA establishes
Production	Identity must be examined in relation to production.
Consumption	Identity must be examined in relation to consumption.
Both	They are explicit dimensions through which contemporary identity must be studied.
Detailed relationship	The specification does not identify particular mechanisms, theorists or evidence.

Students should therefore avoid treating production and consumption as interchangeable simply because they appear together.

What is globalisation?

AQA requires the relationship between globalisation and identity to be studied. It also places contemporary UK society within its wider globalised context.

The secure point is that globalisation is relevant both:

• specifically to identity within Culture and Identity

• more generally to understanding contemporary UK society.

Globalisation and identity

The explicit AQA requirement is the relationship of identity to globalisation.

This means students should ultimately be prepared to examine how contemporary identities may be related to wider global social processes.

Linking global culture and globalisation

There is a particularly useful specification connection with popular and global culture [Popular and global culture].

AQA requires:

• global culture as one of its different conceptions of culture

• globalisation in relation to identity.

These are separate specification points, but they demonstrate that global dimensions occur more than once within Culture and Identity.

Students should keep them conceptually distinct:

• global culture is explicitly identified as a conception of culture

• globalisation is explicitly related to identity.

The specification does not state that the two are identical.

Globalisation and contemporary UK society

AQA states that the central focus of Sociology should be UK society today, while comparative dimensions should be considered where relevant, including the position of UK society within its globalised context.

This is especially significant for this lesson.

Students should therefore understand identity within contemporary UK society while also being prepared to consider wider global connections.

This does not mean every Culture and Identity answer must discuss globalisation. It means globalisation is relevant when the question concerns the final specification point or when a global dimension genuinely contributes to the argument.

Identity and contemporary social change

AQA states that Topics in Sociology should develop a critical awareness of contemporary social processes and change.

Production, consumption and globalisation can therefore be placed within the broader study of contemporary identity and changing social life.

Globalisation and nationality

There is a clear specification-level connection between this lesson and ethnicity and nationality [Ethnicity and nationality].

Nationality is one of the characteristics AQA requires students to relate to identity, while globalisation is another factor that must be related to identity.

However, the specification does not state how globalisation affects national identity specifically.

It would therefore be inappropriate to claim, solely from the supplied source, that globalisation necessarily weakens, strengthens or transforms national identity.

Such a judgement requires additional sociological evidence.

Globalisation and social class

Similarly, this lesson follows social class and identity [Social class and identity].

AQA requires both:

• identity in relation to social class

• identity in relation to globalisation.

Production, consumption and social class

Production and consumption also sit next to earlier requirements concerning identity and social class.

The specification itself does not explain whether production or consumption should be regarded as aspects of class identity, alternatives to class identity or independent dimensions.

Students therefore need to avoid unsupported arguments such as:

• "consumption has replaced class"

• "production always determines class identity"

• "consumption is more important than production."

These are evaluative claims requiring sociological theory and evidence.

Globalisation and other identities

AQA requires identity to be related to:

• age

• disability

• ethnicity

• gender

• nationality

• sexuality

• social class

• production

• consumption

• globalisation.

This demonstrates the breadth of the specification's treatment of identity.

Production, consumption, globalisation and the two core themes

This lesson also provides opportunities to make connections with AQA's two core themes.

Socialisation, culture and identity

Identity is explicitly central to this lesson. Production, consumption and globalisation must all be studied in relation to it.

Earlier content on culture and socialisation provides the wider background.

Social differentiation, power and stratification

AQA requires this second core theme to run throughout the course.

Where supported by sociological evidence, students may therefore examine how production, consumption or globalisation connect with wider social differences, power or stratification.

Production and work elsewhere in the specification

Production is not developed as a separate concept within Culture and Identity, but AQA's Work, Poverty and Welfare option separately includes:

• organisation and control of the labour process

• division of labour

• technology, skill and de-skilling

• the significance of work and worklessness.

These are separate specification requirements.

A Culture and Identity answer about production and identity should therefore remain focused on identity rather than becoming a general essay about work.

Globalisation elsewhere in AQA Sociology

Globalisation appears across several AQA topics, including education policy, families, work, beliefs, global development, the media and crime.

This reinforces its importance as a wider course concept.

However, students should use the relevant version of the concept for the question being answered.

For this lesson, the specific focus is:

globalisation → relationship with identity

rather than globalisation in education, crime, religion or another topic.

Sociological explanations of production and identity

AQA states that students studying Topics in Sociology should examine both:

• evidence

• sociological explanations

for the listed content.

A complete account of production and identity therefore requires sociological explanations and evidence.

Sociological explanations of consumption and identity

The same limitation applies to consumption.

Applying this topic in an examination

AQA assesses three assessment objectives across A-Level Sociology.

AO1: Knowledge and understanding

Students need accurate sociological knowledge of:

• production and identity

• consumption and identity

• globalisation and identity

• appropriate sociological explanations and evidence.

Simply defining production, consumption or globalisation would not fully answer a question focused on identity.

AO2: Application

An Item may describe people constructing or experiencing identities in a particular social context.

Good application should:

1. select a relevant detail

2. identify an appropriate sociological concept

3. explain the connection with identity.

⚠️ Simply repeating "globalisation" from an Item without explaining its relevance would provide weak application.

AO3: Analysis and evaluation

Students may need to consider:

• whether production remains important for identity

• whether consumption influences identity

• whether globalisation changes identities

• the relative importance of different influences

• connections between social characteristics and wider social processes.

A developed evaluation should compare sociological arguments and reach a supported judgement rather than simply state that "both sides are important".

Key Words 🔑

Key word	Student-friendly definition	How it may be used in an exam
Production	One of the factors AQA explicitly requires students to relate to identity. The supplied specification does not provide a fuller definition for Culture and Identity.	Explain sociological relationships between production and identity.
Consumption	Another factor AQA requires students to relate to identity.	Use when explaining or analysing consumption and contemporary identity.
Globalisation	A factor AQA explicitly relates to identity and to the wider globalised context of contemporary UK society.	Analyse how global social processes may connect with identity.
Identity	The central concept to which production, consumption and globalisation must be related.	Keep identity at the centre of explanations and evaluation.
Global culture	One of AQA's required conceptions of culture.	Distinguish it from globalisation while recognising relevant connections.
Socially caused	One way AQA requires the self, identity and difference to be understood.	Use when examining wider social influences on identity.
Socially constructed	The second way AQA requires identity and difference to be examined.	Apply when analysing how contemporary identities may be socially produced.
Contemporary society	The social context within which AQA requires identity to be examined.	Use appropriate contemporary sociological material in explanations.
Social differentiation	Part of AQA's second core theme alongside power and stratification.	Connect production, consumption or globalisation to wider differences where relevant and supported.

Common Mistakes ⚠️

Mistake: Describing production without linking it to identity

Why this is incorrect: The specification does not simply require knowledge of production. It requires the relationship of identity to production.

How to improve: After every point about production, ask, "What does this explain about identity?"

Mistake: Describing consumption without linking it to identity

Why this is incorrect: Consumption is also included specifically because of its relationship with identity.

How to improve: Keep the analytical focus on how sociological explanations connect consumption with identity.

Mistake: Treating global culture and globalisation as identical

Why this is incorrect: AQA lists global culture as a conception of culture, while globalisation appears separately in relation to identity.

How to improve: Use the two terms precisely and explain any relationship rather than treating them as synonyms.

Mistake: Assuming globalisation must weaken national identity

Why this is incorrect: The supplied specification makes no such claim.

How to improve: Treat the impact of globalisation as something requiring sociological explanation and evidence rather than assuming its effects.

Mistake: Claiming consumption has replaced social class

Why this is incorrect: AQA requires both social class and consumption to be related to identity but does not state that one has replaced the other.

How to improve: Use evidence and sociological explanation before making a judgement about their relative importance.

Mistake: Turning the answer into a general essay about globalisation

Why this is incorrect: The Culture and Identity requirement specifically concerns the relationship of identity to globalisation.

How to improve: Keep bringing the discussion back to identity.

Mistake: Treating production, consumption and globalisation as completely separate

Why this is incorrect: AQA groups all three within one specification requirement concerning their relationship with identity.

How to improve: Learn each relationship clearly, but also consider connections between them where sociological material supports those links.

Exam-Style Questions ✍️

The supplied specification identifies production, consumption and globalisation as factors related to identity but does not provide named theories, studies or detailed explanations. These original questions therefore remain within the securely supported content.

Question 1

Identify one factor, other than production, that AQA requires students to relate to identity in the final Culture and Identity specification point. [1 mark]

Question 2

State the three factors that AQA requires students to relate to identity in the final Culture and Identity specification point. [3 marks]

Question 3

Outline two ways in which globalisation appears within the wider AQA Culture and Identity topic or course framework. [4 marks]

Question 4

Item A

A sociologist is studying contemporary identity. The researcher is interested in whether people's identities are connected with what they produce and with patterns of consumption.

Using Item A and your knowledge of the specification, explain two ways in which this investigation reflects AQA Culture and Identity content. [6 marks]

Question 5

Item B

A sociologist studying identity in contemporary UK society argues that identities should be understood within a global context. The researcher also considers whether global social processes may be connected with changing forms of identity.

Using Item B, explain two ways in which this research reflects AQA Culture and Identity requirements. [6 marks]

Question 6

Analyse two connections between production, consumption and the wider sociological study of identity. [8 marks]

Question 7

Analyse how the study of globalisation and identity connects with earlier Culture and Identity content. [8 marks]

Question 8

Evaluate the view that contemporary identity should be understood only in relation to production and consumption. [10 marks]

Question 9

Evaluate the view that globalisation is an important influence on identity in contemporary society. [10 marks]

Answers and indicative mark scheme

Question 1

Accept either:

• consumption

• globalisation.

Award 1 mark for one correct response.

Question 2

Award 1 mark each for:

• production

• consumption

• globalisation.

Total: 3 marks

Question 3

Award up to 2 marks for each developed point.

Possible answers include:

• AQA requires students to examine the relationship between identity and globalisation.

• Global culture is separately included among the different conceptions of culture.

• AQA states that contemporary UK society should be understood within its globalised context.

• The specification emphasises comparative and global dimensions where relevant.

Two developed points are required for full marks.

Question 4

Possible applications include:

• Item A's reference to what people produce corresponds directly with AQA's requirement to examine the relationship between identity and production.

• Its reference to patterns of consumption corresponds with the separate requirement concerning consumption and identity.

• Its focus on contemporary identity connects with AQA's wider study of identity in contemporary society.

• Both factors sit within a topic where identity is also examined as socially caused and socially constructed.

Higher marks require explanation of the relationship with identity rather than simply identifying production and consumption.

Question 5

Possible applications include:

• Item B's focus on a global context connects with AQA's requirement to locate UK society within its globalised context.

• Its direct study of globalisation and identity reflects the final Culture and Identity specification point.

• Its focus on contemporary UK society reflects AQA's required central focus.

• Its interest in changing identity can connect with the course's wider concern with contemporary social processes and change.

Two developed applications are required for full marks.

Question 6

A stronger response could analyse:

• Both production and consumption are explicitly related by AQA to identity.

• They therefore extend the study of identity beyond characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity and social class.

• They sit within a topic where identity is understood as socially caused and socially constructed.

• They also connect with the core theme of socialisation, culture and identity.

• AQA groups production and consumption within the same final specification statement, but they remain distinct concepts.

Students should avoid inventing specific mechanisms linking production or consumption to identity unless supported by additional sociological material.

Question 7

A developed response could analyse several connections:

Global culture: AQA earlier requires students to examine global culture as a conception of culture.

The self and identity: Identity and difference must be considered as socially caused and socially constructed.

Particular identities: Identity must be related to age, disability, ethnicity, gender, nationality, sexuality and social class before globalisation is introduced in the final specification point.

Contemporary society: AQA places UK society within its wider globalised context.

The strongest answers explain how these elements combine to make globalisation part of the wider sociological study of contemporary identity.

Question 8

Arguments challenging the view could include:

• AQA does require identity to be related to both production and consumption.

• However, the specification also requires identity to be related to globalisation.

• Identity is additionally related to age, disability, ethnicity, gender, nationality, sexuality and social class.

• Socialisation, culture and identity form a wider core theme.

• Identity and difference must also be examined as socially caused and socially constructed.

A strong judgement should therefore recognise that production and consumption are explicit parts of the AQA study of identity, but they are not the only factors students are required to consider.

Question 9

Arguments supporting the importance of globalisation can securely begin from the fact that:

• AQA explicitly requires identity to be related to globalisation.

• global culture is also a required conception of culture

• UK society should be considered within its globalised context.

Evaluation should recognise that identity is also related to:

• age

• disability

• ethnicity

• gender

• nationality

• sexuality

• social class

• production

• consumption.

A reasoned conclusion should distinguish between saying that globalisation is a required and relevant sociological influence and claiming that it is the most important influence on contemporary identity.