culture and culture change

enculturation

the process of learning one's culture; a lifelong practice that starts at birth and ends with death

socialization

process by which an individual becomes integrated into a society or group

humans are not the only social species but we are

the only species which culture is the basic survival mechanism

we learn culture from

agents of enculturation

examples of agents of enculturation

family

neighborhood

school

government

church

examples of what we learn from agents of enculturation

social axioms

facts and info

customs and traditions

beliefs

myths

un-thruths (lies, conspiracy theories)

all our lives we are bombarded by what

cultural messagry

culture is

the way humans are adapted to the world, and intermediates between our sense organs and brains and the universe in which we live; the medium through which we view and interpret reality

any of the 5 senses can be fooled by cultural messagry (t/f)

t

the biggest potential fool is

our brain because that is where our culture lies

you can only escape cultural messagry by

going alone and naked to pure, untrammeled wilderness

non-human animals have a medium too (t/f)

f

ethnocentrism

Judging other cultures, their behaviors and beliefs, from the perspective of one's own culture. The idea that one's own culture is more beautiful, rational, or nearer to perfection than others

basis for ethnocentrism and xenophobia

1. The Universe exists and it exists independently of what humans think about it.

2. It is human nature to try to figure out how and why the world works the way it does.

3. Each human group believes they're looking through a clear pane of glass all the time, and that the answers they come up with reflect reality as it really is.

4. They're not. All worldviews are cultural constructs.

5. What people believe to be true motivates their behavior. What people believe to be true is real in its consequences.

6. Humans will often insist, to the point of violence, that their view of reality is the only good, right, and true one

cultural relativism

The idea that cultures should be analyzed with reference to their own histories and values, in terms of the cultural whole, rather than according to the values of another culture. The position that the values and standards of cultures differ and deserve respect

society

an ethnos, a people, often constituting a nation-state or occupying a large geographic area

socety is a people who

1. depend on one another for survival, well-being, or interaction,

2. through obligations, privileges, rights, and customs,

3. view themselves as being distinct, physically, culturally, or both, from other groups of people,

4. and tend to have four things in common: a territory, a history, a language, and a culture

a group consists of

people who regularly interact with one another and, usually, share similar values, norms, and expectations. Groups are smaller in scale than societies

societal or group membership is conferred through

1. Birth and rearing

2. Participation

3. Petitioning for membership

you can be content and happy alone (t/f)

f you can only be content

social location

bases for belonging and differentiation that will strongly influence how you see the world and how the world sees you

universal distinction

sex and age

master status variables in the US and elsewhere

sex, age, race

what is your social location

the collection of attributes, achieved and ascribed, that comprise you

in-group solidarity and out-group antagonism

Over a lifetime, humans develop complex identities that connect to other people and separate from still others

all societies must learn how to

• Feed, clothe, and shelter themselves

• Determine rights and responsibilities

• Give meaning and significance to their lives

• Live peaceably with each other (multi-cultural cooperation, segregation and discrimination, genocide)

• Relate to those who live differently (trade, war)

what is the answer to societies questions

culture

elements of culture

1. Material culture or artifacts

2. Values, attitudes, and beliefs (ideofacts)

3. Patterned behaviors

humans are the only species with culture and unlike others we

• make, use, and retain tools,

• have ideofacts and share them through language, and

• our behaviors are learned, not instinctual

what is the consensus of norms

culture

norms

that which most people do, think, feel, or say most of the time. Most elements of non-material culture are normative—that is they are widely shared by most members of a society

2 types of norms

ideal and real

ideal norms

ideas people in a society share about the way things ought to be done

real norms

what people actual do

most of the time ideal and real norms are the same (t/f)

t

culture is made possible by

language, or symbolic communication.

a symbol

anything, that stands for or represents something else

language allows

• Human experiences to be cumulative; with writing (3300 BC), extra-somatic knowledge.

• Shared perspectives or understandings of the past, present, and the future.

• Complex, goal-directed behavior.

extra-somatic knowledge

knowledge contained in books

4 characteristics of culture

learned, shared, adaptive, always changing

culture is learned through

1. Observation

2. Participation

3. Inquiry

dominant culture

The culture shared by most members of a society, usually more powerful than subcultures

subculture

A variant of a dominant culture usually occurring within societies with large populations

examples of subcultures

LBGT, goths, bikers, etc

counterculture

A variant culture, usually occurring within societies with large populations, that challenges society's norms, especially its values

examples of counterculture

Suffragettes (1800s), Marxists (1950s), hippies (1960s), white supremacists, QAnon

small cultures have little disagreement (t/f)

t

how does culture adapt

• To the physical environment (tools, fire, clothing).

• To other societies.

• To a society's own history

culture is always changing yet remains

integrated

social institutions

the means through which a society meets its basic needs—don't change at the same rate

differential rate of change in culture is known as

cultural lag

social institutions from fastest to slowest change

1. Weapons technology

2. Tool technology

3. All other technology

4. Family structure

5. Legal, Educational and Medical systems

6. Economic and Political systems

7. Religion

race

A social category based on distinguishing physical or cultural characteristics that biologically does not exist

tribal or ethnic group

social category based on distinguishing cultural characteristics; sense of belonging may center on their nation or region of origin, distinctive foods, clothing, language, music, religion, or family names and relationships

ethnos

people or nation