DEFINING CULTURE AND SOCIETY FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY

What is a society?

A group of people who share a common territory and a culture.

Define culture according to E.B. Taylor's definition.

A complex whole which encompasses beliefs, practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts, symbols, knowledge, and everything that a person learns and shares as a member of society.

What are hunting and gathering societies?

The earliest forms of society that are small, generally nomadic, and survive by hunting, trapping, fishing, and gathering.

What characterizes pastoral societies?

They rely on domesticated animals for food and transportation and allow for job specialization.

What is horticultural society dependent on?

The cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and plants for survival.

Describe agricultural societies.

They rely on technology to cultivate crops in large areas, leading to increased productivity and the formation of towns.

What defines industrial societies?

Societies that use advanced energy sources for machinery, leading to industrialization and greater job specialization.

What is the primary focus of post-industrial societies?

An economy based on services and technology rather than production.

What is material culture?

Cultural components that are visible and tangible, including tools, furniture, and buildings.

Define nonmaterial culture.

Components of culture that are nontangible, such as beliefs, values, and norms.

What is cognitive culture?

Ideas, concepts, and philosophies that arise from the intellectual functioning of the human mind.

What are norms?

Specific rules or standards that guide appropriate behavior in society.

What distinguishes folkways from mores?

Folkways are informal behaviors followed for tradition, while mores are strict norms controlling moral behavior.

What is ethnocentrism?

The belief that one's own culture is superior to others, evaluating other cultures through the lens of one's own.

Define xenocentrism.

A preference for the cultural practices and products of other societies over one’s own culture.

What does cultural relativism emphasize?

The idea that beliefs and activities should be understood in terms of the individual's own culture, highlighting that no culture is superior to another.

What are the characteristics of culture?

Culture is dynamic, shared, learned through socialization, integrated, and requires language for communication.

What is the importance of language in culture?

Language facilitates communication and is fundamental for the transmission of culture.

What are taboos?

Norms that are so strong that violations lead to extreme disgust or social condemnation.