2. MEANING OF CULTURE
Culture has been defined in a number of ways.
Some thinkers include in culture al the major
social components that bind men together in a
society. Other take a narrow view and include in
culture only non-material parts.
Culture is the complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, arts morals, law, custom and
any other capabilities acquired by man as
member of society. (Tylor)
Culture is an organized body of conventional
understandings manifests in art and artifact,
which persisting through tradition,
characteristics and human group (Redfield)
3. MEANING OF CULTURE
The word culture denotes acquired behaviors
which are shared by transmitted among the
members of society. Man learns his behavior and
the behavior which is learned denotes his
culture.
It is the sum of what the group has learned
about living together under particular
circumstances, physical and biological, in which
it has found itself.
4. MEANING OF CULTURE
American sociologist Ogburn has divided
culture into two parts;
MATERIAL CULTURE
NON- MATERIAL CULTURE
5. MATERIAL CULTURE
Material culture refers to the physical
aspects of a society, the objects made or
modified by a human. These objects
surround a people and its activities and are
defined by their properties, be they
chemical, physical, or biological. It is the
sum of what the group has learned about
living together under particular
circumstances, physical and biological, in
which it has found itself.
6. NON-MATERIAL CULTURE
refers to the nonphysical ideas that people
have about their culture, including beliefs,
values, rules, norms, morals, language,
organizations, and institutions. For instance,
the non‐material cultural concept
of religion consists of a set of ideas and
beliefs about God, worship, morals, and
ethics. These beliefs, then, determine how
the culture responds to its religious topics,
issues, and events
7. LAYERS IN CULTURE
The National Level: Associated with the nation as a whole
The Regional Level: Associated with the ethnic, linguistic, or religious differences that exist within nation.
The Gender Level: Associated with gender differences ( female vs. male)
The Generation Level: Associated with the differences between grandparents and parents, parents and
children.
The Social Class Level: Associated with educational opportunities and differences in occupation
The Corporate Level: Associated with the particular culture of an organization. Applicable to those who
are employed.
8. MANIFESTATION OF CULTURE
Cultural differences manifest themselves in different ways and differing levels of depth.
Symbols represent the most superficial and values the deepest manifestations of culture, with
heroes and rituals in between
• Symbols are words, gestures, pictures, or objects that carry a particular meaning which is only recognized by those who share a particular
culture. New symbols easily develop, old ones disappear. Symbols from one particular group are regularly copied by others. This is why
symbols represent the outermost layer of a culture.
• Heroes are persons, past or present, real or fictitious, who possess characteristics that are highly prized in a culture. They also serve as
models for behavior.
• Rituals are collective activities, sometimes superfluous in reaching desired objectives, but are considered as socially essential. They are
therefore carried out most of the times for their own sake (ways of greetings, paying respect to others, religious and social ceremonies,
etc.).
• The core of a culture is formed by values. They are broad tendencies for preferences of certain state of affairs to others (good-evil, right-
wrong, natural-unnatural). Many values remain unconscious to those who hold them. Therefore they often cannot be discussed, nor they
can be directly observed by others. Values can only be inferred from the way people act under different circumstances.
• Symbols, heroes, and rituals are the tangible or visual aspects of the practices of a culture. The true cultural meaning of the practices is
intangible; this is revealed only when the practices are interpreted by the insiders.
9. THEORY OF CULTURE
CULTURAL DETERMINSM - The position that the ideas, meanings, beliefs and values people learn as
members of society determines human nature. People are what they learn. Optimistic version of
cultural determinism place no limits on the abilities of human beings to do or to be whatever they want.
CULTURAL RELATIVISM - Different cultural groups think, feel, and act differently. There is no
scientific standards for considering one group as intrinsically superior or inferior to another.
CULTURAL ETHNOCENTRISM - Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own culture is superior to that
of other cultures. It is a form of reductionism that reduces the "other way" of life to a distorted version
of one's own.
Editor's Notes
National Level or national culture - is the beliefs, behavior patterns, values, cultural traits, and institutions shared within a country. National culture is most easily recognizable in the form of symbols such as flags, logos, and colors as well as sound including national anthems and musical styles.
Regional Level or regional culture - the whole of the environment and the cultural activities carried out therein that is created and fostered by the residents of the region and which reflects the ethnic, linguistic, historical and cultural regional identity and traditions and creates preconditions for the development of cultural and social competences in the regions which meet the needs of modern society.
Gender Level - Countries like the United States, Mexico, China, and Japan are all considered to be masculine. "Masculinity stands for a society in which social gender roles are clearly distinct. Men are supposed to be assertive, tough, and focused on material success; women are supposed to be more modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life." In masculine cultures, men hold more positions of power, get paid more, and are expected to act in a masculine manner. Women get the short end of the stick. They are expected to be caretakers, are paid less, and are not fairly represented in positions of power in any field. It's also important to note the different values masculine cultures hold. They tend to prioritize money, materialistic items, and dominance.
Generation Level - how the grandparent treat their grandchildren vs, how the parent treat their children
Social Class Level - refers to a group of people with similar levels of wealth, influence, and status. The lower class is typified by poverty, homelessness, and unemployment. People of this class, few of whom have finished high school, suffer from lack of medical care, adequate housing and food, decent clothing, safety, and vocational training. The working class are those minimally educated people who engage in “manual labor” with little or no prestige. Unskilled workers in the class—dishwashers, cashiers, maids, and waitresses—usually are underpaid and have no opportunity for career advancement. The middle class are the “sandwich” class. These white collar workers have more money than those below them on the “social ladder,” but less than those above them. They divide into two levels according to wealth, education, and prestige. The lower middle class is often made up of less educated people with lower incomes, such as managers, small business owners, teachers, and secretaries. The upper middle class is often made up of highly educated business and professional people with high incomes, such as doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers, and CEOs. The upper class holds more than 25 percent of the nation's wealth. This class divides into two groups: lower‐upper and upper‐upper. The lower‐upper class includes those with “new money,” or money made from investments, business ventures, and so forth. The upper‐upper class includes those aristocratic and “high‐society” families with “old money” who have been rich for generations.
Corporate Level - speaks to the culture that is specific to an organization—the culture that makes it distinctive from competitors and non-competitors. It reflect the beliefs, values, and assumptions of an organization. For example, the culture of one school in a school district can be different than the culture of another school located in the same district simply because of what the people in one school culture adhere and react to.
DETERMINISM - The optimistic version of this theory postulates that human nature being infinitely malleable, human being can choose the ways of life they prefer.
The pessimistic version maintains that people are what they are conditioned to be; this is something over which they have no control. Human beings are passive creatures and do whatever their culture tells them to do. This explanation leads to behaviorism that locates the causes of human behavior in a realm that is totally beyond human control.
RELATIVISM - Studying differences in culture among groups and societies presupposes a position of cultural relativism. It does not imply normalcy for oneself, nor for one's society. It, however, calls for judgment when dealing with groups or societies different from one's own. Information about the nature of cultural differences between societies, their roots, and their consequences should precede judgment and action. EXAMPLE – it might seem strange to eat fish soup or stewed vegetables for breakfast in the U.S., but in other places, this is perfectly normal like her in the Philippines.
ETHNOCENTRISM - A popular example of ethnocentrism is to think of the utensils different cultures prefer to use. Some cultures prefer to use forks, spoons, and knives to eat, and may have the belief that it is weird or incorrect that some cultures traditionally use chopsticks to eat
