Culture

Culture

Objectives

  • Define the term culture.

  • Discuss the various elements of culture.

  • Describe different cultural variations.

Definition of Culture

  • Culture: Totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects, and behavior.

    • It defines what is important/unimportant and right/wrong in interactions.

  • Society: A collective of interacting people who share a culture and typically a territory.

Types of Culture

Material vs. Non-Material Culture

  • Material Culture: Tools and technology that help accomplish tasks.

  • Non-Material Culture: Symbols, norms, and intangible elements.

  • Cultural Lag: Occurs when societal values change more slowly than technological advancements.

Meaning in Culture

Culture as a Meaning Generator

  • Concrete experiences gain meaning through cultural context.

  • Physical sensations alone are often meaningless without cultural interpretation.

Symbols

  • Symbol: Anything that meaningfully represents something else.

    • Importance of symbols: They provide meaning to objects and concepts.

Language

  • Language: A set of symbols used to express ideas and facilitate communication.

    • Sapir-Whorf Thesis: Language shapes thought and reality; understanding is limited to the language one learns.

Symbols, Meaning, and Relativity

  • Reflect on the meanings evoked by various symbols.

  • Personal thoughts, feelings, and reactions to symbols can vary.

Values

  • Values: Ideas about what is right vs. wrong; good vs. bad; beautiful vs. ugly.

    • Core Values: Examples from specific cultures (e.g., Canadian values).

    • Value Contradictions: Conflicting values within a culture.

    • Ideal Culture: Values professed by society.

    • Real Culture: Values actually practiced.

Norms

  • Norms: Accepted ways of conducting behavior.

    • Formal Norms: Written standards enforced through laws and regulations.

    • Informal Norms: Unwritten, commonly understood standards of behavior.

Classifications of Norms

  • Folkways: Norms that dictate social preferences.

  • Mores (Mos): Essential norms for societal survival.

  • Taboos: Strong norms causing severe community revulsion upon violation.

  • Laws: Codified norms enforced by the state.

Sanctions

  • Sanctions: Penalties or rewards for conforming to or violating norms.

    • Formal Sanctions: Defined and administered by authorities.

    • Informal Sanctions: Applied by group members; not clearly defined.

Cultural Universals

  • Cultural Universals: Practices or beliefs common across cultures (e.g., sports, cooking, funerals).

    • Expression of these universals varies (e.g., different funeral ceremonies).

Culture Shock and Ethnocentrism

  • Culture Shock: Disorientation when encountering unfamiliar cultural practices.

    • Examples of culture shock.

  • Ethnocentrism: Judging other cultures by one's own cultural standards.

    • Examples of ethnocentrism.

Cultural Relativism

  • Cultural Relativism: All cultures are equal in value.

    • Advocated by Max Weber, promoting "value-free" Sociology.

  • Verstehen: Understanding others' perspectives to appreciate different cultures.