Culture

CULTURE

A

PRESENTATION

BY

CULTURE

MS. NAMRATA NIRJHARINI
2ND SEMESTER
ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS ENGG.
ROLL NO:

VVEER SURENDRA SAI UNIVERSITY
OF ENGINEERING,BURLA
OOF ENGINEERING,BURLA

CULTURE
DEFINITIONS

 Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs,
values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles,
spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and
possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations
through individual and group striving.
 Culture is the systems of knowledge shared by a relatively large group of
people.
 Culture is communication, communication is culture.
 Culture in its broadest sense is cultivated behavior; that is the totality of a
person's learned, accumulated experience which is socially transmitted, or
more briefly, behavior through social learning.
 A culture is a way of life of a group of people--the behaviors, beliefs, values,
and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and
that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation
to the next.

CULTURE

 Culture is symbolic communication. Some of its symbols include a group's
skills, knowledge, attitudes, values, and motives. The meanings of the
symbols are learned and deliberately perpetuated in a society through its
institutions.
 Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired
and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of
human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of
culture consists of traditional ideas and especially their attached values;
culture systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of action,
on the other hand, as conditioning influences upon further action.
 Culture is the sum of total of the learned behavior of a group of people that
are generally considered to be the tradition of that people and are
transmitted from generation to generation.
 Culture is a collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the
members of one group or category of people from another.

CULTURE

THEORY OF CULTURAL DETERMINISM
 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. Some anthropologists
suggest that there is no universal "right way" of being human. "Right way" is
almost always "our way"; that "our way" in one society almost never
corresponds to "our way" in any other society. Proper attitude of an informed
human being could only be that of tolerance.
 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.

CULTURE

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. 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. Negotiation is more
likely to succeed when the parties concerned understand the reasons for the
differences in viewpoints.

Cont.

CULTURE
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. This is particularly important in case of
global dealings when a company or an individual is imbued with the idea
that methods, materials, or ideas that worked in the home country will also
work abroad. Environmental differences are, therefore, ignored.
Ethnocentrism, in relation to global dealings, can be categorized as follows:
 Important factors in business are overlooked because of the obsession
with certain cause-effect relationships in one's own country. It is always
a good idea to refer to checklists of human variables in order to be
assured that all major factors have been at least considered while
working abroad.

CULTURE

 Even though one may recognize the environmental differences and
problems associated with change, but may focus only on achieving
objectives related to the home-country. This may result in the loss of
effectiveness of a company or an individual in terms of international
competitiveness. The objectives set for global operations should also
be global.
 The differences are recognized, but it is assumed that associated
changes are so basic that they can be achieved effortlessly. It is always
a good idea to perform a cost-benefit analysis of the changes
proposed. Sometimes a change may upset important values and
thereby may face resistance from being implemented. The cost of some
changes may exceed the benefits derived from the implementation of
such changes.

CULTURE

 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. This is particularly important in case of
global dealings when a company or an individual is imbued with the idea
that methods, materials, or ideas that worked in the home country will also
work abroad. Environmental differences are, therefore, ignored.
Ethnocentrism, in relation to global dealings, can be categorized as follows:
 Important factors in business are overlooked because of the obsession
with certain cause-effect relationships in one's own country. It is always
a good idea to refer to checklists of human variables in order to be
assured that all major factors have been at least considered while
working abroad.

CULTURE

MANIFESTATION OF CULTURE

Fig: Manifestation of Culture at Different Layer of Depth

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.).

CULTURE

 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.

CULTURE
LAYERS OF CULTURE
 People even within the same culture carry several layers of mental
programming within themselves. Different layers of culture exist at the
following levels:
 The national level: Associated with the nation as a whole.
 The regional level: Associated with ethnic, linguistic, or religious differences
that exist within a 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.
.

CULTURE

MEASURING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

 A variable can be operationalized either by single- or composite-measure
techniques. A single-measure technique means the use of one indicator to
measure the domain of a concept; the composite-measure technique
means the use of several indicators to construct an index for the concept
after the domain of the concept has been empirically sampled. Hofstede
(1997) has devised a composite-measure technique to measure cultural
differences among different societies:
 Power distance index: The index measures the degree of inequality that
exists in a society.
 Uncertainty avoidance index: The index measures the extent to which a
society feels threatened by uncertain or ambiguous situations.

CULTURE

 Individualism index: The index measure the extent to which a society is
individualistic. Individualism refers to a loosely knit social framework in a
society in which people are supposed to take care of themselves and their
immediate families only. The other end of the spectrum would be
collectivism that occurs when there is a tight social framework in which
people distinguish between in-groups and out-groups; they expect their in-
groups (relatives, clans, organizations) to look after them in exchange for
absolute loyalty.
 Masculinity index (Achievement vs. Relationship): The index measures the
extent to which the dominant values are assertiveness, money and things
(achievement), not caring for others or for quality of life. The other end of
the spectrum would be femininity (relationship).

CULTURE
 RECONCILIATION OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
Cultural awareness:

 Before venturing on a global assignment, it is probably necessary to
identify the cultural differences that may exist between one's home country
and the country of business operation. Where the differences exist, one
must decide whether and to what extent the home-country practices may
be adapted to the foreign environment. Most of the times the differences
are not very apparent or tangible. Certain aspects of a culture may be
learned consciously (e.g. methods of greeting people), some other
differences are learned subconsciously (e.g. methods of problem solving).
The building of cultural awareness may not be an easy task, but once
accomplished, it definitely helps a job done efficiently in a foreign
environment.

CULTURE

Clustering cultures:
o Discussions and reading about other cultures definitely helps build cultural
awareness, but opinions presented must be carefully measured.
Sometimes they may represent unwarranted stereotypes, an assessment
of only a subgroup of a particular group of people, or a situation that has
since undergone drastic changes. It is always a good idea to get varied
viewpoints about the same culture.

 Some countries may share many attributes that help mold their cultures
(the modifiers may be language, religion, geographical location, etc.).
Based on this data obtained from past cross-cultural studies, countries may
be grouped by similarities in values and attitudes. Fewer differences may
be expected when moving within a cluster than when moving from one
cluster to another.

CULTURE
Determining the extent of global involvement:

 All enterprises operating globally need not have the same degree of
cultural awareness. Figure 2 illustrates extent to which a company needs to
understand global cultures at different levels of involvement. The further a
company moves out from the sole role of doing domestic business, the
more it needs to understand cultural differences. Moving outward on more
than one axis simultaneously makes the need for building cultural
awareness even more essential.

CULTURE

Fig: Cultural Awareness & Extent of Global involvement

CULTURE
INDIAN CULTURE
 Indian culture is rich and diverse and as a result unique in its very
own way. Our manners, way of communicating with one another, etc
are one of the important components of our culture. Even though we
have accepted modern means of living, improved our lifestyle, our
values and beliefs still remain unchanged. A person can change his
way of clothing, way of eating and living but the rich values in a
person always remains unchanged because they are deeply rooted
within our hearts, mind, body and soul which we receive from our
culture.
 Indian culture treats guests as god and serves them and takes care of
them as if they are a part and parcel of the family itself. Even though
we don’t have anything to eat, the guests are never left hungry and
are always looked after by the members of the family.
.

CULTURE
o Elders and the respect for elders is a major component in Indian
culture. Elders are the driving force for any family and hence the love
and respect for elders comes from within and is not artificial. An
individual takes blessings from his elders by touching their feet.
Elders drill and pass on the Indian culture within us as we grow.
o “Respect one another” is another lesson that is taught from the books
of Indian culture. All people are alike and respecting one another is
ones duty. In foreign countries the relation between the boss and the
employee is like a master and slave and is purely monetary whereas
in Indian culture the relation between the boss and the employee is
more like homely relations unlike foreign countries.

CULTURE
 Helpful nature is another striking feature in our Indian culture. Right
from our early days of childhood we are taught to help one another in
need of help and distress. If not monetary then at least in kind or non-
monetary ways. Indian culture tells us to multiply and distribute joy
and happiness and share sadness and pain. It tells us that by all this
we can develop co-operation and better living amongst ourselves and
subsequently make this world a better place to live in.
 Even though India is a country of various religions and caste our
culture tells us just one thing 'phir bhi dil hai Hindustani '.

CULTURE
Festivals
 With India's cultural diversity, the country has more festivals than there are
days in a year. With little lamps and lot of care, Karthigai festival celebrates
the bond between sisters and brothers in south India. In other parts of
India, Bhaiya-Dhuj and Raakhi is celebrated. Sisters wish their brothers
happiness and feed them sweets, while brothers give gifts and promise to
protect their sisters.
 Radha and gopikas celebrating Holi, known as the "festival of colours".
 A tug of war, at Pushkar Fair in Rajasthan.

Fig: Radha & Gopis celebrating “HOLI”

CULTURE

 India, being a multi-cultural and multi-religious society, celebrates
holidays and festivals of various religions. The four national holidays
in India, the Independence Day, the Republic Day, the Gandhi
Jayanti, and May Day[citation needed] are celebrated with zeal and
enthusiasm across India. In addition, many Indian states and regions
have local festivals depending on prevalent religious and linguistic
demographics. Popular religious festivals include the Hindu festivals
of Navratri, Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga puja, Holi, Ugadi,
Rakshabandhan, and Dussehra. Several harvest festivals such as
Sankranthi, Pongal, Raja sankaranti swinging festival, and Onam,
"Nuakhai" are also fairly popular

Fig: Tug of War at PUSKAR.

CULTURE

 Certain festivals in India are celebrated by multiple religions. Notable
examples include Diwali, which is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains,
and Buddh Purnima, celebrated by Buddhists. Sikh Festivals, such as Guru
Nanak Jayanti, Baisakhi are celebrated with full fanfare by Sikhs and
Hindu. Adding colors to the culture of India, the Dree Festival is one of the
tribal festivals of India celebrated by the Apatanis of the Ziro valley of
Arunachal Pradesh, which is the easternmost state of India.
 Islam in India is the second largest religion with over 135 million Muslims-
(followers of Islam), The Islamic festivals which are observed and are
declared public holiday in India are; Eid ul Fitr, Eid ul Adha-(Bakr Eid),
Milad un Nabi, Muharram and Shab-e-Barat.[35] Some of the Indian states
have declared regional holiday's for the particular regional popular
festivals; such as Arba'een, Jumu'ah-tul-Wida and Shab-e-Qadar.

CULTURE

 Christianity is India's third largest religion. With over 23 million Christians,
of which 17 million are Roman Catholics, India is home to many Christian
festivals. The country celebrates Christmas and Good Friday as public
holidays.[35]
 Regional fairs are also common and festive in India. For example, Pushkar
fair is one of the world's largest markets and Sonepur mela is the largest
livestock fair in Asia.[36]

CULTURE

ODISHA CULTURE
 Odisha has rich cultural heritage which is harmonious blending of
art,religion & philosophy interwoven around Lord Jagannath,the
internationally famous vaishnavite God at Puri. The State has spelindid
historical monuments depicting glamorous heroic deeds and cultural
upheavals. Puri popularly known as Jagannath Dham because of the
sacred shrine of Lord Jagannath which has a special place in the cultural
history of the country. It is one of the four Dhams of India. Geographically
ancient Odisha of the remote past was a link between Dakhnipath &
Aryavat. Thus it was meeting place of Anarya,Dravida & Arya culture all of
which have ultimately contributed to Hinduism.

CULTURE

 The richness of the culture of a region can be visualized from the
sculptures & monuments of the past. The golden triangle of Puri, Konark &
Bhubaneswar has many magnificent & massive temples as examples of
superb artistic, sculptural and architectural skills of the people of Odisha.
The temple of Lord Lingaraj at Bhubaneswar is the center of attraction of
Shaivaties. The black pagoda at Konark is a charming epitome of
architectural perfection and proof of superb creative genius of Odia people.
The Jagannath temple at Puri is a wonderful monument. These places
along with many other such places have all along provided spiritual bliss as
well as reawakening and have educated the people to follow a secular way
of life.Buddhism & Jainism have also flourished in the ancient Odisha. In
fact Lord Jagannath is also described as a symbol of Buddhism. He was
originally the god of Savaras i.e. One of the primitive tribe of the state.

CULTURE
 Historically under the patronage of Hindu kings of the past, cultural unity
through blending of Jainism, Budhhism & Hinduism has taken place in the
state which is the culture inherited by modern Odisha. The culture of
Odisha has been much refined subsequently under the influence of Koran
of Muslims & Bible of Christians and has never lost its basic values of
exercising the control over the the passions discarding materialistic
ideology, showing respect to the religious belief of others etc. Many
scholars & devotees including Chaitanya Dev have also contributed to the
culture of Odisha but no foreign invasion has able to dwindle it down.
Muslims & Christians have equally flourished in the state have also
contribed to Jagannath culture
 While talking about the culture of the Odisha, one must not forget the rich,
artistic & eloquent Odishi dance of the state which is typical & famous for
expression of the concept of “Rasa” or supreme devotion to Lord Vishnu.
The music of the state also known as Odishi music is also remarkable for
its lucidity and rhythm.

CULTURE
 Religion is another cultural characteristic of any country. Odisha being
traditionally a secular state has never shown any intolerance towards any
religion. Several religions have thrived in the comfortable cradle of this
state.
 Thus while ancient Odisha was a meeting ground of primary races & basic
cultures, modern Odisha is a meeting ground of different religions and
religious people. It is in true sense a beautiful abode where all people can
live in harmony, love and friendship crossing all barriers and difference in
faith.

CULTURE
Language
 The official language of the state, spoken by the majority of the people is
Oriya. Oriya belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European
language family, and is closely related to Bengali and Assamese. A few
tribal languages belonging to the Dravidian and Munda language families
are still spoken by the Adivasis of the state. The state has a very opulent
cultural heritage, one of the richest in India. The capital city Bhubaneswar
is known for the exquisite temples that dot its landscape.
Clothes
 Western-style dress has gained greater acceptance in cities and towns
among men, although the people prefer to wear traditional dresses like
Dhoti, Kurtha and Gamucha during festivals or other religious occasions.
Women normally prefer to wear the Saris (Sambalpuri Sari, Bomkai Sari,
Kataki Sari) or the Shalwar kameez; western attire is becoming popular
among younger women in cities and towns.

CULTURE
 Oriya cuisine
 Salepur Rasagola.Rasagola, famous throughout India originated from
Odisha
 Odisha has culinary tradition spanning centuries if not millennia. The
kitchen of the famous Jagannath temple in Puri is reputed to be the largest
in the world, with a thousand chefs, working around 752 wood-burning clay
hearths called chulas, to feed over 10,000 people each day.
 Rasagolla, one of the most popular desserts in India, is in fact an Oriya
invention. It had been enjoyed in Odisha for centuries before being passed
on to neighboring Bengal. The well-known rice pudding, kheeri (kheer) that
is relished all over India, also originated in Puri .two thousand years ago.
 In fact, some well-known recipes, usually credited to Bengal, are of
Odishan origin. This is because during the Bengal renaissance, Brahmin
cooks from Odisha, especially from Puri, were routinely employed in richer
Bengali households. They were famed for their culinary skills and
commonly referred to as Ude Thakurs (Oriya Brahmin-cooks). As a result,
many Oriya delicacies got incorporated into the Bengali kitchen.

CULTURE
 Pakhala,a dish made of rice, water, and yoghurt, that is fermented
overnight, is very popular in summer, particularly in the rural areas. Oriyas
are very fond of sweets and no Oriya repast is considered complete without
some dessert at the end. A typical meal in Odisha consists of a main
course and dessert. Typically breads are served as the main course for
breakfast, whereas rice is eaten with lentils (dals) during lunch and dinner.
The main course also includes one or more curries, vegetables and
pickles. Given the fondness for sweet foods, the dessert course may
include generous portions of more than a single item. Oriya desserts are
made from a variety of ingredients, with milk, chhenna (a form of ricotta
cheese), coconut, rice, and wheat flour being the most common.

CULTURE

Fig: Odishi Dance Fig: Lord Jagannath,Lord Balabhadra & Devi Subhadra

Fig: Konark Temple

CULTURE

Reference:

 Hofstede, G. (1997). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the mind.
New York: McGraw Hill.
 Odisha,Wikipedia
 Culture of India,Wikipedia.

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