Culture and culture change

Study Guide Flashcards: Culture I-IV

Enculturation and Socialization

• Enculturation: Lifelong process of learning one’s culture.

• Socialization: Integration into a society or group.

Agents of Enculturation

• Family and Kin Group

• Neighborhood

• Peer Group

• School

• Religion and Place of Worship

• Government

• Science

• Technology

• Media

• Entertainment

• Sports

• Leisure Activities

• Workplace

Cultural Learning Content

• Social Axioms

• Basic Assumptions

• Facts and Information

• Doctrines and Dogmas

• Customs and Traditions

• Values, Attitudes, and Beliefs

• Behaviors, Actions, and Reactions

• Myths and Stories of the Supernatural

• Untruths: Lies, Hoaxes, Urban Legends, and Conspiracy Theories

Cultural Relativism

• Definition: Analyzing cultures with reference to their own histories and values, not by another culture's standards.

• Key Point: There is truth, but we cannot know it with 100% certainty.

Ethnocentrism

• Definition: Judging other cultures based on one’s own culture, often viewing one’s culture as superior.

Society

• Definition: A people who:

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

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

  3. View themselves as distinct.

  4. Share a territory, history, language, and culture.

Bases for Belonging and Differentiation

• Sex

• Age

• Race

• Language

• Tribal or Ethnic Group

• Ability/Disability

• Sexual Orientation

• Nationality or Citizenship

• Socio-economic Status

• Education

• Religion

• Political Orientation

• Gender Expression

• Marital Status

• Region of Residence

• Recurrent Social Situations

• Hobbies

• Voluntary Associations

Culture

• Definition: The way of life of a society.

Basic Functions of Culture

• Feed, clothe, and shelter themselves.

• Determine rights and responsibilities.

• Give meaning and significance to life.

• Live peaceably with each other.

• Relate to those who live differently.

Elements of Culture

1. Material culture or artifacts

2. Values, attitudes, and beliefs (ideofacts)

3. Patterned behaviors

Characteristics of Culture

1. Learned

   • Through observation, participation, and inquiry.

2. Shared

   • Dominant culture

   • Subculture

   • Counterculture

3. Adaptive

   • To physical environment, other societies, and history.

4. Always changing but integrated.

Social Institutions and Cultural Lag

• Weapons technology: Fastest changing.

• Religion: Slowest changing.

Key Terms

• Race: A social category based on physical or cultural traits. Biologically-based races do not exist.

• Tribal or Ethnic Group: A social category based on shared cultural characteristics, ancestry, and heritage.