Defining Culture and Society – Anthropology & Sociology Perspectives

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from Lesson 2: Defining Culture and Society in Anthropology and Sociology.

Culture

The complex whole of beliefs, practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts, symbols, and knowledge learned and shared by members of a society.

Society

A group of people who interact and share a common culture, often within a specific geographic area.

Material Culture

Physical objects and artifacts (e.g., clothing, weapons, gadgets) that represent a culture.

Non-material Culture

Intangible components of culture such as language, beliefs, values, and norms.

Cognitive Culture

Ideas, concepts, and philosophies produced by human intellect.

Normative Culture

Expectations, standards, and rules that guide human behavior.

Beliefs

Conceptions people hold about what is true in their environment.

Values

Shared ideas of what is good, desirable, and worthwhile in a society.

Language

A shared system of spoken and written symbols; the storehouse of culture.

Technology

Application of knowledge and tools to ease living and manage the environment.

Norms

Specific rules or standards that guide appropriate behavior in society.

Proscriptive Norms

Norms that define behaviors people should not do.

Prescriptive Norms

Norms that define behaviors people should do.

Folkways

Everyday customs not strictly enforced (e.g., saying “po” and “opo”).

Mores

Strict norms based on moral judgments; considered essential to core values.

Taboos

Strongly ingrained norms whose violation causes disgust or revulsion (e.g., cannibalism).

Laws

Codified norms formally enacted and enforced by the state.

Sanctions

Formal or informal rewards and punishments that encourage conformity to norms.

Ideal Culture

Norms and values a society professes to uphold.

Real Culture

Norms and values actually practiced in everyday life.

Enculturation

The lifelong process of learning one’s native culture through interaction with others.

Dynamic, Flexible, & Adaptive (Aspect of Culture)

Culture changes in response to internal and external influences.

Shared & Contested (Aspect of Culture)

Culture is commonly experienced yet disputed due to social differentiation.

Patterned Social Interactions

Cultural behaviors form predictable relationships and routines.

Integrated yet Unstable (Aspect of Culture)

Cultural elements fit together but can shift over time.

Ethnocentrism

Judging other cultures by the standards of one’s own, viewing them as inferior.

Cultural Relativism

Understanding a culture by its own norms and values, promoting tolerance.

Xenocentrism

Preference for foreign cultures and products over one’s own.

Xenophobia

Fear or hatred of what is perceived as foreign or strange.

Temporocentrism

Belief that one’s own time period is more important than others.

Symbolic Nature of Culture

Use of symbols to represent ideas; meanings vary across societies.

Adaptive and Dynamic Characteristic

Culture evolves from hunter-gatherer life to a globalized world.

Abstract Characteristic of Culture

Culture exists in shared ideas rather than a single tangible form.

Integrated Characteristic of Culture

Different cultural elements are interconnected, forming a holistic system.

Shared Characteristic of Culture

Culture is collectively experienced, though not homogenous.