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Culture
This document provides an overview of key concepts related to culture. It defines culture as the ways of thinking, acting, and material objects that form a society's way of life. Culture includes nonmaterial elements like ideas and material elements like tangible objects. It also discusses the common elements that make up all cultures, such as symbols, language, values, norms, and technology. The document examines concepts like cultural diversity, change, and frameworks for analyzing culture.
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Culture
- 1. Chapter Two Culture Society, TheBasics 10th Edition John J. Macionis
- 2. What is Culture? Culture– the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material objects that together form a people’s way of life Only humans rely on culture rather than instinct to ensure survival.
- 3. What is Culture? Nonmaterialculture – ideas created by members of a society. Material culture – tangible things created by members of a society.
- 4. What is Culture? Societyrefers to people who interact in a defined territory and share culture. Culture shock refers to personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life.
- 5. How Many Cultures? •One indication of culture is language • Global estimates document 7,000 languages • In the USA, there are about 200 languages • Upcoming decades will show the disappearance of hundreds of languages
- 6. The Elements ofCulture Although cultures vary, they all have five common components: (1) Symbols (2) Language (3) Values and Beliefs (4) Norms (5) Ideal and Real Culture
- 7. Elements of Culture Symbols Symbols – anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share culture.
- 8. Elements of Culture Symbols Symbols – collective creations General Marketing • Aimed at a total population Segmented Marketing • Aimed at a specific population
- 9. Elements of Culture Language Language– a system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another. Language allows for the continuity of culture. BBC
- 10. Elements of Culture Language Cultural transmission – the process by which one generation passes culture to the next. Every society transmits culture through speech.
- 11. The Sapir-Whorf Thesis Languagesare not just different sets of labels for the same reality. All languages fuse symbols with distinctive emotions. The Sapir-Whorf Thesis – people perceive the world through the cultural lens of language.
- 12. Elements of Culture Valuesand Beliefs Values – culturally defined standards by which people assess desirability, goodness, and beauty and that serve as broad guidelines for social living. Values are abstract standards of goodness.
- 13. Elements of Culture Valuesand Beliefs Beliefs – specific statements that people hold to be true. Beliefs are particular matters that individuals consider true or false.
- 14. Elements of Culture Societiesshow significant cultural variations in their favorite sports. Canada: Ice Hockey Jamaica: Cricket Thailand: Kite flying China: tai chi chuan
- 15. Key Values ofUnited States Culture Equal Opportunity Achievement and Success Material Comfort Activity and Work Practicality and Efficiency Robin M. Williams, Jr.
- 16. Key Values ofUnited States Culture Progress Science Democracy and Free Enterprise Freedom Racism and Group Superiority Robin M. Williams, Jr.
- 17. Elements of Culture Norms oNorms – rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members. o Most important norms in a culture apply everywhere and at all times.
- 18. Elements of Culture Norms Mores– norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance. Folkways – norms for routine, casual interaction.
- 19. Elements of Culture Norms Mores Inspireintense reactions Punishment inevitably follows Societal taboos such as: Murder Treason Child sexual abuse (Right vs. wrong)
- 20. Elements of Culture Norms Folkways(polite vs. rude) – People chew quietly with mouths closed Accepting one’s place in line People avoid facing each other in elevators No written rules No one physically harmed
- 21. Technology & Culture Sociocultural evolution Materialculture also reflects a society’s technology – knowledge that people use to make a way of life in their surroundings.
- 22. Technology and Culture hunting and gathering societies horticultural & pastoralism agriculture industry postindustrial information technology
- 23. Cultural Diversity Cultural diversitycan involve social class. Many cultural patterns are readily accessible to only some members of a society.
- 24. Cultural Diversity Popular culture– cultural patterns that are widespread among a population. High culture – cultural patterns that distinguish a society’s elite
- 25. Subcultures Subculture – culturalpatterns that set apart some segment of society’s population.
- 26. Multiculturalism Multiculturalism – aneducational program recognizing the cultural diversity of the United States and promoting the equality of all cultural traditions.
- 27. Multiculturalism Eurocentrism – the dominanceof European cultural patterns. Afrocentrism – the dominance of African cultural patterns.
- 28. Counterculture Examples: • Hippies ofthe 60’s • Street Gangs • Hare Krishna • Extreme right- wing religious groups Counterculture – cultural patterns that rejects and opposes those widely accepted within a society.
- 29. Cultural Change • Culturalintegration – the close relationships among various elements of a cultural system. • Some elements of culture change faster than others – cultural lag.
- 30. Cultural Change Cultural integration •Examples: Women in the workforce •Later first marriages •Change in family patterns •Increased use of day care
- 31. Cultural Change Cultural lag •Examples: Contraception •Increased availability •Use by adolescents Medical Advances •Little or no ability to provide higher quality of life
- 32. Cultural Change Cultural changes •New cultural elements – Cell phones – Blackberry – iPhones • Diffusion – Spread of objects from one society to another
- 33. Ethnocentrism and CulturalRelativism Ethnocentrism – the practice of judging another culture by the standards of one’s own culture.
- 34. Ethnocentrism and CulturalRelativism Cultural Relativism – the practice of evaluating a culture by that culture’s own standards. Cultural Universals
- 35. A Global Culture Globaleconomy: the flow of goods Global communication: the flow of information Global migration: the flow of people
- 36. Theoretical Analysis ofCulture The structural–functional paradigm depicts culture as a complex strategy for meeting human needs. The social–conflict paradigm suggests that many cultural traits function to the advantage of some and the disadvantage of others. Sociobiology explores ways in which human biology affects how we create culture.