CULTUR

E
INTRODUCTION
 Culture is one of the most important concept in social
science. The study of society becomes incomplete
without proper understanding of the culture of that
society. Culture and society go together.

 Culture is a unique possession of man; only man is

born and brought up in a cultural environment.
Culture is the unique quality which separates him
from other animals
MEANING
 Culture is derived from the English word ‘Kulthra’
and Sanskrit word ‘Sanskar’, which denotes social
channel and intellectual excellence. Culture is a way
of life.

 Culture is an organization of phenomenon of acts

(patterns of behaviour) objects (tools) ideas (belief,
knowledge, sentiments) attitudes values the use of
symbols.
DEFINITIONS
 “Culture is that complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, art, moral, laws, customs and any
other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a
member of society”.
--Edward Taylor

 The body of thoughts and knowledge, both

theoretical and practical, which only man can
possess.
–EV DeRoberty
Contd…
 Culture is a symbolic, continuous, cumulative and
progressive process.
–Leglic AY White
 NATURE OF CULTURE
 Culture is a learnt behavior not inherited. It is learned
through experience, imitation, communication, concept,
thinking and socialization process.
 Culture is transmitted by vertically or horizontally thus
it is communicative. Vertical transmission is from one
generation to another whereas horizontal transmission is
from one group to another group within the same period.
 Culture is social not individual the pattern of thinking,
feeling and acting can be shared by the members of the
group and kept relatively uniform through group pressure
Contd…
 Culture provides opportunities and provides
means for the satisfaction of our needs and desires
to fulfill group functions.
 Culture is adaptive, it may institute changes in the
environment as a means of adopting, instead of
altering themselves to the changing environment.
 Culture is dynamic, continue is subjected to slow
but constant change. Couture respond to the
changing condition of the world.
Contd…
 Every society has its own culture.
 Culture is continuous and cumilative.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF
CULTURE
 Culture is an acquired behavior or learnt behavior.
Culture is not an inborn tendency but man learns it
socially.
 Culture is social
 Culture does not exist in isolation. It is not an individual
phenomenon but is a product of society.
 Culture is shared.
 Culture is not something that an individual alone can
posses, but it is shared by the whole society.
 CONTD…
 Culture is Transmissive
 Culture is transmitted from one generation to the
next.
 Culture varies from society to society.
 Every society has its distinct culture. It differs
from society to society.
 Culture is gratifying
 Culture provides proper opportunities and
prescribes means for the satisfaction of our needs
and desires.
 CONTD…
 Culture is dynamic
 Culture is not static but subjected to constant changes.
 Culture is cumulative
 Culture includes the past, present and makes prevision
for the future.
 Culture is integrative
 The different parts of the culture are interconnected.
 Culture is idealistic
 Culture provides us with the ideal behavior. What is the
accepted way of behavior in our society is taught to us by
our culture.
EVOLUTION OF CULTURE

 Evolution of specific culture is difficult to identify or

To trace the origin of specific cultural that is difficult.
 But from the discoveries and inventions cultural
development can be identified.
 All cultural traits material as well as non material
have been invented at some time and in some place
by some person.
Contd…
 No single invention contributes very much to
the development of culture it is only an
addition to what already exist.
 But one thing is clear that culture is as old as

man.
 Culture is only patently new.
Contd…
 Cultural evolution is an evolutionary theory
of social change. It follows from the definition
of culture as "information capable of affecting
individuals' behavior that they acquire from other
members of their species through teaching, imitation
and other forms of social transmission". Cultural
evolution is the change of this information over time.
COMPONENTS/ELEMENTS OF
CULTURE

 1. Symbols
 2. Language

 3. Values

 4. Folkways

 5. Mores

 6. Norms

 7. Laws

 8.Customs
1. SYMBOLS
 Anything that carries particular meaning
recognized by people who share the same culture.
 It can be either material objects like flag a cross
or word or it can be a non material objects like
sound gesture.
 Anything that carries particular meaning
recognized by people who share the same culture.
 Symbolic meaning is obvious uniform in culture
and powerful.
2. LANGUAGE
 A major symbolic system in use in all human
societies is language.
 Human languages are learned and variable, flexible
and generative.
 It is language through which we are able to create
share, preserve and transmit cultural meanings such
as complex patterns of emotions, thought, knowledge
and beliefs.
 Language is essential to give members of society a
sense of identity.
3. VALUES
 Values are general abstract moral principles defining
what is right or wrong, good or bad, desirable on
undesirable.
 In others words values often come in pairs of positive
and negative terms.
 Values define general moral qualities of behaviour
expected from members of society such as honesty,
patriotism or commitment to freedom.
4. FOLKWAYS
 Folkways are accepted ways of behavior.
 According to Gillin and Gillin folkways are the
behavior pattern of every day life which
unconsciously arises within a group.
 According to AW Green folkways are ways of
acting that are common to a society or a group that
are handed down from generation to the next.
 Eg. Eating pattern, habits, communication,
dressing, walking, Greeting etc.
 5. MORES
 Standard of behavior that influences the moral conduct
of people conformity to mass is called as mores.
 According to Maciver and CH Page ‘When the
folkways have added to group welfare and high
standard, that are converted into mores.
 Mores determine our conception of right or wrong and
proper and improper.
 Mores differ from group to group and from society to
society.
 Mores are dynamic, they keep on changing according to
changing need of society.
6. LAWS
 It serves as ‘reinforcement to the norms’. If the
individual is not following the rules and regulations
laid by the legal authority are punished.
 Laws are the most powerful means of social
control.
 Government forms various laws.
DEFINITIONS
 According to JS Roucek- Form of social rule
emanating from political agencies.

 rule formally enacted by a political authority and is

backed by the power of the state.
 CHARACTERISTICS
 The human activities prescribed by the state for its member.
 It is the product of conscious thought careful planning
deliberate attempt made by the political authority.
 Law is clear, precise and definite.
 Applicable for all without ant exception.
 Violation of the law is followed by penalties, punishments
determined by the state.
 It preserves societal behavior.
 Laws are enforced with the help of court, police, armed
forces
7. CUSTOMS
 Informal means of social control, which are
universal and pervasive. Socially accepted ways in
which people do things together in personal
contacts.
DEFINITIONS
 According to Anderson- The uniform socially
approved ways of acting, which are passing from one
generation to other.
 According to Ginsberg- Rule or norm of action
supported on the emotional side of forces,
sentiments.
 According to Maciver and Page- socially accredited
ways of acting.
 According to Duncan Mitchell- Established modes of
thought and action
 NATURE OF CUSTOMS
 Customs is a social phenomenon, which is socially
recognized got social significance and normative in nature.
Customs represents routine acts of daily life of the people,
they enjoy social sanction.
 Normative, maintains social order, inherited, external
social sanction.
 It has great social significance, inherited.
 Customs are considered to be conductive to the welfare of
the society.
 Customs are varied in nature, eg;- For the performance of
marriage; varied religions performs in different manner.
Contd…
 Customs are relatively durable,
spontaneous in nature.
 All customs are not traditional
DIVERSITY AND
UNIFORMITY
OF CULTURE
 DIVERSITY OF CULTURE
 Culture is a set of behavior of a group.
Therefore there are many culture as there are
many groups.
 Culture of one group may differ completely or

in certain aspects from other.

 These variations are known as cultural

diversity.
Factors responsible for diverse
culture are as follows-

 Geographical location
 Flexibility in behavior- voluntary

 Technological advancement- through video

calling
 Religious belief

 Life style – due to education can change

culture
 Language
UNIFORMITY OF
CULTURE
 Uniformity of culture is meant by sharing the
same type of cultural pattern by the different
group of people.
 Uniformity of culture is far more complex

than it seems.
 Uniformity is based on the belief of God’s

superiority.
 CONTD…
 All societies of the world have uniformity in many
cultural characteristics but there is a dramatic
difference in the manners. This universality of the
cultural characteristics is called Uniformity.
 Murdock studied 220 societies and edited a list of
uniform characteristics which was popular in all
cultures and he has expressed his wonder that societies
having no relation or contact with other cultures had
the same characteristics.
CONTD..
Among these are  Social norms
 language,  Festivals
 Dress  Political system, etc.
 Family

 Religion (system of

beliefs)
 Education

 Customs
 1. Language :
 “Language, a system of symbols that allows people to
communicate with one another.”
Man is the only creation of the earth that has language for
contact and social interaction with a system of reading and
writing to preserve its culture and to convey it from one to the
other and new generation with all the experiences and f
observations. It is also a source of contact with the past, the bad
way to convey 1 the thought to others that is why, there is
language in all societies of the world to convey the social
interaction for the expression of thoughts and keep the
continuity of culture. In most of the societies, there are more
than one languages and symbol system, known as multi-lingual
societies.
2. Dress :
 Dress is used in all societies of the world to save
from the physical and weather conditions of
coldness and heat. Dress is also a show of beauty
on festivals. In some societies, this is symbol of
cultural status. For instance, heads of tribes,
religious leaders, married women and unmarried
women have specific dress. In addition, the specific
way of dress and colors are a source of cultural
recognition.
3. Family System :
 Human life started from family. From cultural
uniformity point of view, family is the necessary
part of all the cultures of the world. Human race
survival and continuity is due to family. Since it is
a necessary part of society, that is why no culture
can exist without it.
4. Religion :
 Religion is a system of beliefs and is source of
knowing and contacting the supernatural forces.
There are certain incidents in social life, the
explanation of which is beyond from human
observation. The question not to know about these
natural phenomena but for spiritual peace, the
system of beliefs and sacred things is the need of
every society and religion institution is a necessity
for every culture.
5. Socialization :
 Socialization is responsible for the transmission of
culture and its survival because language and
treasure of knowledge not only makes the
individual of a society learn values and tradition
but also it does the work of making culture fine in
the minds of the individual. Thus, socialization
transmits cultural pattern to next generation.
6. Customs :
 There are certain specific ways and reactions which
a culture has for specific occasion of social life
which create uniform behaviours in the normal life
of culture, these are called customs. Whether
cultures are interlinked or delinked, there is an
intense uniformity in the human behaviour.
7. Social Norms :
 All cultures have a system of norms to keep control
in a society for its stability and unity. Norms not
only give a security cultural life but also keeps it
current in a pleasant manner. Norms are an
important source of keeping the continuity of
culture.
 8. Political System :
 Unless a political system to keep the individuals of a
culture safe from dispersion and disorder exists, no culture
can keep its existence. This system may be formal or
informal that stabilities and harmonies the social system.
Linto, a sociologist, reached a conclusion after the
researching cultures that in ancient cultures, the political
system was informal and loose because of lack of social
interaction, there was no diffusion and no danger to
cultures but in a modern age, cultural diffusion has taken
the form of an invasion, therefore, to provide safe and
security from other cultures political system has become
formal an organized and covers all the aspects of social
 DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN
CIVILISATION AND
CULTURE
 CONTD…
CIVILISATION CULTURE
 It is a more complex and  It is a complex whole
evolved form of culture. which includes
Culture becomes knowledge, belief and
civilization only when it morals, customs and any
possess written language,
other capabilities and
science, philosophy, a
habits acquired by the
specialized division of labor
and a complex technology. members of society.
It is a later phase of super
organic culture.
 Contd…
 It includes useful material  It consists of ideas,
objects and the methods values, mental,
of producing and using emotional aspects of
them. group.
 The authority of man  It includes the basic
over natural phenomenon elements, which will
as well as special bring satisfaction and
technology or mores pleasure to man.
which control man’s
behavior.
 Contd….
 Precise standard of  It has no quantitative or
measurement based on qualitative standard of
utility value. measurement because
culture is an end itself.
The elements, needs,
values and thoughts, etc.
changes in accordance
with time and place.
 Contd…
 It is an organized  It is not organized
advancement as advancement.
mechanization,
communication, transport
system, etc are advanced.
 Transmitted without effort,
 Efforts are needed for
based on utility and transmission. The
connected with external life adoption of culture
of human beings. It is easily depends upon personality
adopted, we may enjoy the and nature.
products without sharing the
capacity which creates them.
Contd…
 Borrowed without  Cannot be acquired
change or loss. without any
modification
 It is an external  It is an internal
process. traditional pattern.
 CULTURE
AND
SOCIALIZATI
ON
 Culture and Socialization
 Culture is defined as the belief, values, behavior and
material objects shared by a particular group of
people.
 Socialization is the process which shapes and defines
our thoughts, feelings and also provides us with a
model for our behavior.
 This process of socialization teaches the human being
the cultural values norms which provide the
guidelines for our everyday life.
CONTD…
 Human infants are born without any culture.
 They must be transformed by agents of
socialization such as family, parents, teachers,
peers and mass media into culturally adapt human
beings.
 This general process of acquiring culture is referred
to as socialization.
 Successful socialization can result in uniformity
within society.
Contd…
 Through the socialization personality develops.
 Socialization helps us to perform specific role in
society which is culturally bound.
TRANS CULTURAL
SOCIETY
Contd…
 Transculturalism is defined as "seeing
oneself in the other".
 Transcultural is in turn described as
"extending through all human culture" or
"involving, encompassing, or combining
elements of more than one culture".
 Contd…
Transculturalism is characterized by the
following:
 Transculturalism emphasizes on the

problematic of contemporary culture in

terms of relationships, meaning-making, and
power formation; and the transitory nature of
culture as well as its power to transform.
 Transculturalism is interested in dissonance,

tension, and instability as it is with the

stabilizing effects of social conjunction,
communalism, and organization; and in the
Contd…
 Transculturalism does not seek to
privilege the semiotic over the material
conditions of life, nor vice versa.
 Transculturalism accepts that language
and materiality continually interact
within an unstable locus of specific
historical conditions.
 Transculturalism locates relationships of
power in terms of language and history.[
Contd…
 Transculturalism is deeply suspicious of
itself and of all utterances. Its claim to
knowledge is always redoubtable, self-
reflexive, and self-critical.
 Transculturalism can never eschew the
force of its own precepts and the
dynamic that is culture.
 Transculturalism never sides with one
moral perspective over another but
endeavors to examine them without
ruling out moral relativism or meta-
Contd…
 Transculturalism seeks to illuminate the
various gradients of culture and the
ways in which social groups create and
distribute their meanings; and the ways
in which social groups interact and
experience tension.
 Transculturalism looks toward the ways
in which language wars are historically
shaped and conducted.
THANK
YOU