2. WHAT IS CULTURE?
• Culture can be defined as the set of traits that are
distinct to a social group such as its language,
religion, arts, cuisine and customs, etc.
3. SOME DEFINITIONS
• Culture is that complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and
any other capabilities and habits acquired by man
as a member of society.
(By Edward Tylor)
• Culture is the man-made part of the environment.
(By Herskovits)
4. CHARACTERISTICS OF
CULTURE
• Learned: A culture is not inherited
biologically but learned. This is also
called enculturation.
• Shared: Culture is always shared
among the members of a social group.
5. CONT…
• Symbol based: A symbol is used as a
means of communication in any
culture. Its best example is language.
• Integrated: All parts of a culture are
interlinked/interconnected.
• Dynamic: The word “dynamic” is
associated with moving or changing.
Thus, all cultures interact and change
over time.
6. TYPES OF CULTURE
• Ideal Culture: “Ideal culture refers to the practices, values or
norms that society is supposed to follow”. e.g. a country which
desires to achieve secularism. If it does achieve it completely it can
be called as an ideal culture
• Real Culture: “Real culture refers to practices and norms that
culture actually follows”. e.g. events of communal riots in a
country will take place occasionally.
7. CONT…
• Material Culture: “Refers to the physical objects,
resources, and spaces that people use to define
their culture”. e.g. American students must learn to use
computers to survive in college and business.
• Non-material Culture: “Refers to the non-physical
ideas like beliefs, values, norms, morals, language,
organizations, and institutions”. e.g. Concept
of religion consists of a set of ideas and beliefs about
God, worship, morals, and ethics