2. Culture
What is Culture ?
“Culture is the acquired knowledge people use to interpret
experience and generate behavior.“
- James Spradley
Or
Culture can be defined as all the ways of life including arts,
beliefs and institutions of a population that are passed down from
generation to generation.
3. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to
cultivate") generally refers to patterns of human activity and the
symbolic structures that give such activities significance and
importance.
Cultures can be "understood as systems of symbols and meanings
that even their creators contest, that lack fixed boundaries, that
are constantly in flux, and that interact and compete with one
another.
Culture has been called "the way of life for an entire society." As
such, it includes codes of manners, dress, language, religion,
rituals, art
An understanding of culture requires an understanding not only of
language differences, but also differences in knowledge,
perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.
4. Socialization
When an individual is born , he / she is helpless and depends upon others to fulfil the most basic
physiological needs . As an individual grows he / she experience an outgoing process of social
interaction which enables an individual to develop skills and also need to participate in human
society. This ongoing process is called socialization.
SOCIALISATION ---> HUMAN SOCIETY ---> FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION
It means human infants are born without any culture. They must be
transformed by the agents of socialisation such as family , school , peers , and
mass media into culturally and socially adept human beings . This general
process of acquiring culture is reffered as socialisation.
Successful socialisation can result in uniformity within a society . If all children
recieve same socialisation , it is likely that they will share the same beliefs and
expectations . On the basis of this , National Government's around the world
standardise education and make it compulsory for all children. Education is the
powerful tool for controlling people .
Early socialisation in different families often varies in techniques , goals and
expectations. So the complex societies are not culturally homogenous as they
do not have unanimous agreement about what should be the shared norms .
5. Role of culture in socialization
Socialisation is the process of social learning or cultural learning. It fits the
individuals into particular forms of group life,transforming human beings into
social being and transmitting established cultural traditions.
Culture defines situations : Culture defines social situation for
us. It not defines but also conditions and determines-what we eat and
drink, what we wear, when to laugh, weep, sleep, love, to make
friends with, what work we do, what god we worship, what knowledge
we really upon and so on
Provide base for socialisation : Culture provides a base for
socialisation process by defining conditions. Through cultural conditioning one
learns to walk,talk,dress,greet,develop attitude,adjust in the society and
become a normal social being
6. Transforms individual :Socialisation transforms a child into a
productive member of the society as per cultural directions
Controls activities of the individual:Culture guides in
individual into controlling his various activities and maintain
behaviour patterns according to social situation
Assist in socialisation process :Culture assist in socialisation
process by teaching cultural qualities Like morality,good
behaviour,positive attitude,ideas and values
7. Shapes individual attitude : It is culture that shapes our
attitude towards issues such as
religion,morality,marriage,family,planning etc.
* Culture through the process of socialisation helps to work for
social welfare and develop a positive attitude towards all
Guides the individual : Culture through the process of
socialisation helps an individual decide on his career and
become an important contributor to the society
8. Transcultural Society
1. Transcultural society is a group of people, living as a community, where
different culture, religion and language work together with much
understanding.
2. It is a society which extends through all human cultures. -It is an ideal of
freedom embracing all the peoples of the world.-
3. The term 'trans cultarism' is defined as 'seeing oneself in the other’.
4. The term 'trans cultural society' is used to mean a synthesis of several
cultures leading to the emergence of a new common culture.
5. The term came to mean the 'reinvention of a new culture.- It is the result of a
fusion of several cultures.
6. Today, transcultural society means a society marked by shared interests and
common values across cultural and national borders.
7. Such a society is characterized by cultural fluidity and exchange and fusion.
9. Concept of transcultural society
The term 'Transculture' is coined by cuban anthropologist Fernando
Ortiz in 1940 to describe the phenomenon of merging and
converging culture.
It is a society which extends through all human cultures. 3* It is the
process of interaction between cultures themselves.
There seems cultural change and fluidity which creates the
condition of transfer and transition of lifestyle.
It composes every individual and group to adapt new values, ideas
and knowledge.
In transculturism ,there is an equal exchange of two- way flow of
traits between two cultural groups.
Transculture implies a different meaning as compared to
multiculture, inter-culture and cross-culture.
10. Formation of Transcultural society
It emerges when people of two or more cultures borrow certain
elements from each other’s cultures.
It progresses when a community receives and acquires cultural
forms belonging to another culture, assimilate and integrate them
into its culture leaving aside its cultural practices.
In transcultural society are free from limitations of their native
culture elements of an alternate culture are chosen freely rather
than by rules or regulations within their given cultures.
India is good example of transculture where people from different
religions, castes and culture live together.
11. Problems with transculturalism
Transculturalism creates conflict between cultures leading to a
dilemma in survival.
In a trans cultural society, cultural change and fluidity seem to
exist creating a conflict between traditional and modern means of
values and experiences.
Every individual should make an effort to overcome their
identification with specific cultures.
12. Importance of Transcultural society
Importance Of Transcultural Society Transculturism has a lot of
relevance today.
It imparts an attitude of "give and take " among the people. It
promote the spirit of tolerance and accommodation.
It includes the belief that every culture has some intrinsic
goodness about it .
It stands for peaceful coexistence.
Transculturism can bring about a fusion between old and new
cultures, which in turn, will lead to the creation of a progressive
society devoid of all vestiges of parochialism and "ghetto"
mentality.
It will bring about better sentiments of universal brotherhood.
Promotion of Transculture will not only make the entire world a
global village but also a better place to live in.
