Culture: Definition, Meaning
and Elements
DR. M. SWARNA LATHA
DEPT. OF SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL WORK
KAKATIYA UNIVERSITY,
WARANGAL
Culture Definition
 EB Taylor(1860): The Sum Total of Ideas, beliefs, values, material cultural equipments and non-
material aspects which man makes as a member of the society. culture is the result of the human
collectivity
 LA White: Culture is continuous, cumulative, progressive.
 George Simmel: "the cultivation of individuals through the agency of external forms which have been
objectified in the course of history."
 M.J. Herkovits: Culture is Man-made part of environment.
 B. Malinowski : “the handwork of man and the medium through which he achieves his ends.”
 R. Redfield : “an organised body of conventional understandings manifest in art which persisting through
tradition, characterises a human group.”
 V. de Robert : “Culture is the body of thought and knowledge, both theoretical and practical, which only
man can possess.”
 H.T. Mazumdar: “Culture is the total of human achievements, material and non-material, capable of
transmission, sociologically, i.e., by tradition and communication, vertically as well as horizontally.”
Characteristics of Culture
 Culture and society are inseparable. two sides of the same coin
 Society cannot exist without culture and culture is an outcome of society
 It is continuous
 Cumulative
 Shared
 Learnt
 Transcendent
 Unique to its own society. varies from one society to another
 Collective actions of the human society
 Gratifying. fulfills the needs of the members of the society
 Consists of contingent, normative and materialistc forms
 Contains both material and non-material culture forms
 Culture has both static and dynamic forces of change
Elements of culture
 Cognizant:, education, Art
 Knowledge: collection of ideas and facts about physical and social world which are relatively
objective, reliable or verifiable: Ex. Technology
 Beliefs: Collection of ideas considered as true or false without a definite proof Beliefs are
subjective. ex. religious faith
 Normative :values, Norms education system, economic, political, law and order,
government, religion, customs and traditions, Food and Shelter
 Norms: culturally defined expectations of behavior. include folkways (blurping in public
places), mores (appropriate or inappropriate clothing), Taboos(avoiding some objects, food,
color etc) and Laws
 Laws: imposed by a code of written rules. breaking these rules attract legal punishment.
 Symbolic: Religious symbols, Artforms, dressing styles, language, body language,
slang, sound traffic signals, music, many such other symbols that carry a cultural or
practical meaning
Functions of culture
 it has a boundary-defining role; it creates distinctions between one social function and
role to other.
 it conveys a sense of identity for the society members.
 Influences and shape the behaviour of the members of the society
 facilitates the generation of commitment to something larger than one’s individual
self-interest.
 it enhances the stability of the social system. Culture is the social glue that helps hold
the society together by providing appropriate standards for what members should say
and do.
 culture serves as a sense-making and control mechanism that guides and
 shapes members’ attitudes and behavior. It is this last function that is of particular
interest in social setting.
Different types of Culture
 Two major types are material and non material cultures
 Mass culture
 Popular culture
 Sub culture

Culture definition, Meaning and Elements

  • 1.
    Culture: Definition, Meaning andElements DR. M. SWARNA LATHA DEPT. OF SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL WORK KAKATIYA UNIVERSITY, WARANGAL
  • 2.
    Culture Definition  EBTaylor(1860): The Sum Total of Ideas, beliefs, values, material cultural equipments and non- material aspects which man makes as a member of the society. culture is the result of the human collectivity  LA White: Culture is continuous, cumulative, progressive.  George Simmel: "the cultivation of individuals through the agency of external forms which have been objectified in the course of history."  M.J. Herkovits: Culture is Man-made part of environment.  B. Malinowski : “the handwork of man and the medium through which he achieves his ends.”  R. Redfield : “an organised body of conventional understandings manifest in art which persisting through tradition, characterises a human group.”  V. de Robert : “Culture is the body of thought and knowledge, both theoretical and practical, which only man can possess.”  H.T. Mazumdar: “Culture is the total of human achievements, material and non-material, capable of transmission, sociologically, i.e., by tradition and communication, vertically as well as horizontally.”
  • 3.
    Characteristics of Culture Culture and society are inseparable. two sides of the same coin  Society cannot exist without culture and culture is an outcome of society  It is continuous  Cumulative  Shared  Learnt  Transcendent  Unique to its own society. varies from one society to another  Collective actions of the human society  Gratifying. fulfills the needs of the members of the society  Consists of contingent, normative and materialistc forms  Contains both material and non-material culture forms  Culture has both static and dynamic forces of change
  • 4.
    Elements of culture Cognizant:, education, Art  Knowledge: collection of ideas and facts about physical and social world which are relatively objective, reliable or verifiable: Ex. Technology  Beliefs: Collection of ideas considered as true or false without a definite proof Beliefs are subjective. ex. religious faith  Normative :values, Norms education system, economic, political, law and order, government, religion, customs and traditions, Food and Shelter  Norms: culturally defined expectations of behavior. include folkways (blurping in public places), mores (appropriate or inappropriate clothing), Taboos(avoiding some objects, food, color etc) and Laws  Laws: imposed by a code of written rules. breaking these rules attract legal punishment.  Symbolic: Religious symbols, Artforms, dressing styles, language, body language, slang, sound traffic signals, music, many such other symbols that carry a cultural or practical meaning
  • 5.
    Functions of culture it has a boundary-defining role; it creates distinctions between one social function and role to other.  it conveys a sense of identity for the society members.  Influences and shape the behaviour of the members of the society  facilitates the generation of commitment to something larger than one’s individual self-interest.  it enhances the stability of the social system. Culture is the social glue that helps hold the society together by providing appropriate standards for what members should say and do.  culture serves as a sense-making and control mechanism that guides and  shapes members’ attitudes and behavior. It is this last function that is of particular interest in social setting.
  • 6.
    Different types ofCulture  Two major types are material and non material cultures  Mass culture  Popular culture  Sub culture