SOC 1000 Ch 3 Part 1

Culture

-sum total of the social environment in which we are raised and continue to be socialized in throughout our lives.

-entails a wide assortment of shared and contested ideas, customs, behaviours, and practices that in turn, shape the attitudes and behaviours of members of that culture

Cultural universals

-Common practices shared by all societies

-all societies find ways to secure food, clothing, and shelter;

-all societies develop forms of communication and familial structures;

-all societies implement ways to use tools;

-all societies come up with means for self-expression

Postmodern perspective in relation to Canadian culture

-diversity and progression of Canadian culture

-recognizing cultural differences among divergent groups that make up Canada, the postmodern lens affirms that we are discussing what can be described as multiple simultaneous Canadian “cultures” that are constantly being created and re-created, rather than a single, unified Canadian identity

Social heritage

-common cultural world into which children of a particular group are born.

Material Culture

-tangible or physical objects that people have created for use in a culture

-articles of clothing and other consumer goods, various forms of housing, buildings including schools and places of worship, means of transportation, tools, and works of art

Non-material Culture

-intangible ideas stemming from intellectual and/or spiritual development, or the meanings that people attach to artifacts

-language, knowledge, symbols, customs, morals, beliefs, and practices that help organize and give meaning to our social world.

Cultural diffusion

-spread of material and nonmaterial aspects of culture from one social group to another through various means including communication, trade, intermarriage, immigration, and technolog

Culture shock

-A sense of disorientation and confusion when placed in unfamiliar surroundings where aspects of material and non-material culture (objects, practices, ­language, and rules) are new or unknown

High culture

-activities shared mainly by the social elite, who supposedly possess an appreciation for this culture and the resources necessary to immerse themselves in it

-consists of the many forms of creative and performing arts

-cultural and educational practices lead to the social reproduction of classes.

-Those in the higher classes have more financial resources, and this allows more exposure to high culture; also, they have been socialized by their families and by their education to understand and appreciate various aspects of that culture.

Status symbols

-Participants in this elite culture can be distinguished from lower classes based on their status symbols

-material indicators of wealth and prestige including imported luxury cars, designer clothing and jewellery and paintings by highly praised artists

Popular Culture and the Masses

-Everyday cultural practices and products most desired by the masses

-encompasses movies and television series, social media such as Twitter and Instagram, and heavily marketed products that may or may not originate in Canada

-also includes well-established spots to eat, drink, or shop,

-promoted and even constructed via the mass media (e.g., music idols, television and movie celebrities, and sports icons).

Ideology

set of ideas that support the needs and views of a particular group.

Language

-shared system of communication that includes spoken, written, and signed forms of speech as well as nonverbal gestures used to convey meaning

-primary facilitator of culture because it is the main channel through which people express themselves and pass acquired knowledge on from one generation to the next

-central component of culture as it contributes to identity, cultural diversity, and freedom of expression.

Why is language important?

-Personal expression

-Transmission of knowledge

-Personal, social and cultural identity

Reverse cultural shock

Anyone who adapts to a foreign culture and then readapts to his or her own culture

Culture shapes our understanding through

-Language

-Norms

-Values

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

-assertion that language helps shape reality for those experiencing it.

-language shapes people’s world views and affects how we think and perceive the world

-Sapir: Language Determination

-Whorf: Language relativism

Linguistic Determination (Sapir-Whorf)

-language determines how people think and feel

Linguistic relativism (Sapir-Whorf)

-language has particular meaning within the given culture in which it occurs

-Language affects the way people perceive and experience the world around them

Gendered language

-Names

-Adjectives to describe males and females

-Job titles

-Gendered pronouns

Sexism and the English language

-Different words used to describe men and women with the same characteristics

-Certain words commonly associated with a particular gender