CULTURE
Culture
Culture refers to the sets of
values and ideals that we
understand to define morality,
good and evil, appropriate and
inappropriate.
Humans are social creatures.
According to Smithsonian
Institution research, humans
have been forming groups for
almost 3 million years in order to
survive.
Living together, people formed
common habits and behaviors,
from specific methods of
childrearing to preferred
techniques for obtaining food.
Non-
Material 1. It consists of the
Material
Culture things people make, 1.It consists of the
and the things they use Culture ideas and beliefs that
people develop about
to make them. The
tools they use, the their lives and their
physical environment world.
they inhabit (forests, 2. These are things you
beaches, mountains, cannot touch.
fertile farmlands, or
harsh desert). 3.Those beliefs are
intangible because
2.Think of material they do not have
culture as items you physical properties and
can touch-they are can be touched.
tangible.
Do Non-human Have Culture?
Non-humans guided by instincts. They have a biological
programming. Humans guided by culture, which may be
called as social programming.
While dogs or horses or chimpanzees live in social
groupings, they do not transmit their culture from one
generation to the next. Although they learn and adapt to
changing environmental conditions, they do not consciously
build on the experiences of previous generations, transmitting
to their children the wisdom of their ancestors.
Cultural Universals
Cultural universals are the
patterns or traits that are globally
common to all societies.
One example is storytelling.
Every culture has its own myths,
legends, folktales, and oral
traditions that are passed down
from generation to generation.
While the specific stories and
themes may differ, the act of
storytelling itself is a fundamental
aspect of human culture that
transcends geographical and
cultural boundaries.
Ethnocentrism is to evaluate and judge Cultural imperialism is the deliberate
another culture based on one’s own imposition of one’s own cultural values
cultural norms. on another culture.
Xenocentrism is the opposite of
ethnocentrism, and refers to the belief that
another culture is superior to one’s own.
When people find themselves in a new Cultural relativism is the practice of
culture, they may experience assessing a culture by its own standards
disorientation and frustration. In rather than viewing it through the lens of
sociology, we call this culture shock one’s own culture.
Elements of Culture
Symbols Language Values
Beliefs Norms
Symbols
Symbols are objects, gestures,
words, or images that carry
specific meanings within a
particular society or group.
These meanings are often agreed
upon by members of the culture
and can represent complex ideas,
values, or traditions.
Example: The word call in
American culture means to
contact someone by telephone.
In Britain, however, call is used
to express paying a visit to
someone.
China Good luck, Celebration China Nourishing
Western Danger, Passion, Egypt Mourning
Excitement
India Purity Japan Courage
South Africa Mourning Western Coward
Language
Language is the system of
communication used by a
particular group or society.
It consists of spoken,
written, and non-verbal
forms of expression that
convey meaning and
facilitate interaction among
members of the society.
Sapir-Whorf
Hypothesis
Language shapes our perception of
reality and our behavior.
In the 1920s Edward Sapir and
Benjamin Whorf advanced this idea
which became known as Sapir-Whorf
hypothesis or linguistic relativity.
It is based on the idea that people
experience their world through their
language, and therefore understand
their world through the cultural
meanings embedded in their language
The hypothesis suggests that language
shapes thought and thus behavior
(Swoyer, 2003).
Values
It refer to the beliefs and
principles that are
considered important and
desirable within a
particular culture or
society.
They guide people's
behaviour and choices,
influencing what is seen as
right or wrong, good or
bad.
Most cultures in any
society hold “knowledge”
(education) in high regard.
Continue….
Values often suggest how people should behave, but they don’t
accurately reflect how people do behave.
Values portray an ideal culture, the standards society would like to
embrace and live up to. But ideal culture differs from real culture.
One of the ways societies strive to maintain its values is through
rewards and punishments.
Values are not static. They change across time and between groups as
people evaluate, debate, and change collective social beliefs.
Values are deeply embedded and are critical for learning a culture’s
beliefs, which are the tenets or convictions that people hold to be true.
Beliefs
Beliefs are the principles or
understandings that individuals
or groups hold to be true.
These beliefs can be religious,
philosophical, or ideological in
nature and often shape people's
perceptions, attitudes, and
behaviors.
For example, a belief in the
existence of an afterlife is
common in many religious
cultures. This belief influences
how people approach life and
death, affecting their attitudes
towards morality, purpose, and
the concept of eternity.
Norms
Norms are behaviors that reflect
compliance with what cultures
and societies have defined as
good, right, and important.
Most members adhere to them.
Formal norms are established,
written rules existing in all
societies.
They support many social
institutions, such as the military,
criminal justice and healthcare
systems, and public schools.
DIFFERNECE BETWEEN FORMAL AND
INFORMAL NORMS
FORMAL NORMS INFORMAL NORMS
Formal norms are established, Informal norms refer to
written rules existing in all unwritten rules and expectations
societies. that govern everyday behaviour
They support many social in a society or social group.
institutions, such as the military, People learn informal norms by
criminal justice and healthcare observation, imitation, and
systems, and public schools.
general socialization.
Example: Laws, employee
Example: Customers line up to
manuals, college entrance exam
requirements, and “no running” order their food and leave when
signs at swimming pools. they are done.
Cultural Diversity
There are many ways of life; hence there are differences in culture on
the basis of age, race, language, religion etc.
In one society there could be differences in patterns of marriage and
family, patterns of education, patterns of worship, and patterns of
earning a living.
Some group culture into three categories as well: high, low, and pop
(for popular).
High Culture
The pattern of cultural
experiences and attitudes that
exist in the highest or elite class
segments of a society.
People often associate high
culture with intellectualism,
political power, and prestige.
In America, high culture also
tends to be associated with
wealth.
Events considered high culture
can be expensive, formal, and
exclusive.
Low Culture
It refers to the pattern
of cultural experiences
and attitudes that exist
in the lowest class
segments of a society.
Example: Folk art,
popular theater
Popular Culture
Cultural patterns those are
widespread among a society’s
population.
Popular culture events might
include a parade, a baseball
game, or the season finale of a
television show.
Popular culture is accessible by
most and is expressed and spread
via commercial and social media
outlets such as radio, television,
movies, the music industry and
publishers.
Sub-Culture
A smaller cultural group within a
larger culture.
People of a subculture are part of
the larger culture but also share a
specific identity within a smaller
group.
Thousands of subcultures exist
within the U.S. Ethnic and racial
groups share the language, food,
and customs of their heritage.
Even as members of a subculture
band together, they still identify
with and participate in the larger
society.
Counter Culture
Counter-culture refers to a social
movement or group that opposes or
challenges the dominant cultural norms,
values, and beliefs of mainstream
society.
Counter-culture often emerges as a
response to perceived injustices,
inequalities, or restrictions within
society and seeks to create alternative
ways of living, thinking, and behaving.
Example: Hippie movement which
advocated for peace, love and non-
conformity.
Culture Change
Cultural change is the process of alteration of culture over
time. Any difference in a particular pattern between two points
in time may be called cultural change
For example, a new technology, such as railroads or
smartphones, might introduce new ways of traveling or
communicating.
CAUSES OF CULTURE CHANGE
• It refers to an object or concept’s
Innovation initial appearance in society—it is
innovative because it is new
• It means the spread of cultural traits
from one society to another. It is
Diffusion
the borrowing of culture by one
group from another.
Innovation: Discovery and Invention
Innovations are discovered or invented.
Discoveries make known previously unknown but existing aspects of
reality. In 1610, when Galileo looked through his telescope and
discovered Saturn, the planet was already there, but until then, no one had
known about it.
Inventions result when something new is formed from existing objects
or concepts—when things are put together in an entirely new manner. In
the late 1800s and early 1900s, electric appliances were invented at an
astonishing pace.
Culture lag refers to the time that passes between the introduction of a
new item of material culture and its social acceptance.
Diffusion and Globalization
• Diffusion relates to the process of the integration of cultures into the
mainstream while globalization refers to the promotion and increase of
interactions between different regions and populations around the globe
resulting in the integration of markets and interdependence of nations
fostered through trade.
• Ideas concepts, or artifacts are often diffused, or spread, to individuals
and groups, resulting in new social practices.
Theoretical Perspective on Culture
• A functionalist perspective acknowledges that the many parts of
culture work together as a system to fulfill society’s needs.
Functionalists view culture as a reflection of society’s values.
• Conflict theorists see culture as inherently unequal, reinforcing
inequalities in gender, class, race, and age.
• Symbolic interactionists are primarily interested in culture as
experienced in the daily interactions, interpretations, and exchanges
between individuals and the symbols that comprise a culture.
