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Introduction to Sociology SOC-101
Unit 3 - Culture
What Is Culture? Culture
The values, beliefs, behavior, language and material objects that are passed from one generation to the next
Society People interacting within a limited territory guided
by their culture Neither society nor culture could exist without
the other
What Is Culture? Two Types of Culture:
Material Culture Tangible creations of a society There is nothing inherently “natural” about material
culture Examples: art, jewelry, weapons, clothing
Non-Material Culture Intangible creations of a society A group’s way of thinking Examples: religion, beliefs, values
What Is Culture? Culture is learned and is not “natural” We take our culture for granted
It touches every aspect of our lives without us really realizing it
Culture becomes the lens through which we perceive and evaluate what is going on around us.
What is normal, natural, or usual? We believe our ways are “Normal”
What Is Culture? Ethnocentrism
Using your own culture as a yardstick for judging other societies, usually in a negative way
The belief that our culture is the “best” Culture Shock
The personal disorientation that accompanies exposure to a different culture or way of life
Cultural Relativism Understanding a culture’s practices from their
perspective Not judging a culture but trying to understand it
on its own terms
What Is Culture? Richard Edgerton’s Sick Societies (1992)
Evaluating cultures on their “quality of life” Characteristics of a “sick culture”
A culture that fails to survive because its own beliefs or institutions are harmful
Enough people are dissatisfied with their social institutions or cultural beliefs that a society is threatened
A culture that continues unsafe practices that hurt its population either physically or mentally
Examples: cultures that practice female circumcision, sell young girls into prostitution, accept wife beating
Symbolic Culture
Components of Symbolic Culture Symbolic Culture
Non-material culture because its central component is the symbols people use
Symbols This is anything that carries a particular meaning
recognized by people who share a culture They are used to communicate with other people We are so dependent on them that we take them
for granted Includes: gestures, languages, values, norms,
sanctions
Components: Gestures and Language Gestures
Using one’s body to communicate with others What a gesture means may vary depending on
where you are in the world It is important to learn the proper gestures when
visiting other countries The “OK” symbol has very different meaning in Italy
Language A system of symbols that allows people to
communicate abstract thoughts with one another Cultural Transmission: Language also ensures the
continuity of culture
Components: Language Five purposes of language
Allows human experience to be cumulative Allows us to move beyond our immediate experiences We would be limited to understanding only a short time period
Provides a social or shared past We can easily communicate our past events with others with
language Provides a social or shared future
We can communicate our future plans with other easily with language
Allows shared perspectives We can communicate abstract ideas
Allows complex, shared, goal-directed behavior We can share a purpose for getting together
Components: Language Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
Developed in the 1930s by anthropologists Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf
Language creates ways of thinking and perceiving People perceive the world only in terms of the symbols
contained in their language Each language has its own distinct symbols that serve
as building blocks of reality Instead of objects determining our language, our
language determines the way we see objects Example: perception of such words as negro v.
African-American and how Eskimos perceive snow
Values, Norms, and Sanctions
Components: Values, Norms, Sanctions Values
Culturally defined standards of desirability, goodness, and beauty that serve as a broad guideline for social living
Beliefs are specific statements that people hold to be true
Values are the broad principles while beliefs are the specifics
Norms Socially defined rules of behavior Serve as guidelines for our behavior and our
expectations of the behaviors of others Informal v. formal norms Norms will change as cultures change
Components: Values, Norms, Sanctions Sanctions
Reactions people get for either following or breaking norms
Positive Sanction Approval for following a norm
Negative Sanction Disapproval for breaking a norm
Folkways Norms that are not strictly enforced We are expected to do them but there are no laws
that require us to do them Examples include common courtesy and etiquette
Components: Values, Norms, Sanctions Mores
Norms that have a moral basis Violation of mores may produce moral indignation,
shock, and horror Taboo
Norms that are so strongly ingrained that violation of them brings revulsion
Examples: Incest and cannibalism Sanctions for violating them are severe
Laws These are norms that are formalized and back by
political authority
Subcultures and Countercultures
Subcultures and Countercultures Subculture
The values and related behaviors of a group that distinguishes its members from the larger culture
Everybody is a member of numerous subcultures Examples: Ethnicity, religion, occupations, home region
Counterculture Cultural patterns that strongly oppose those widely
accepted within a society Youth Counterculture
Many societies link counterculture with youth Military Counterculture
During the 1990s, there was a growth of militaristic groups that were highly suspicious of the federal government
Values in U.S. Society
Values in U.S. Society Sociologist Robin Williams’ values of American
culture: Achievement and Success Individualism Activity and Work Efficiency and Practicality Science and Technology Progress Material Comfort Humanitarianism Freedom Democracy Equality Racism and Group Superiority
Values in U.S. Society Henslin (2011) added three additional
American values: Education Religiosity Romantic Love
Value Clusters Values together that together form a larger whole Example: hard work, education, and material
comfort go together; you need the first two to get the second
Values in U.S. Society Value Contradictions
Values that contradict one another To follow one means to come in conflict with another Racism contradicts freedom and democracy This can be a major force for social change
A new group of values is emerging in American culture: Leisure Self-fulfillment Physical Fitness Youthfulness Concern for the Environment
Values in U.S. Society These new core values are met with strong
resistance to more traditional members of society Culture Wars – Term used to describe the severe
clash in values between the generations There is a big difference between our beliefs
in how we should act and how we actually act Ideal Culture – Values and norms that describe the
way we should behave Real Culture – The values and norms that people
actually follow
Technology and Culture
Technology and Culture Central to a group’s material culture is its
technology Sets the framework for a groups non-material culture as
well Technology
Tools of a society and the skill and procedures necessary to make and use those tools
New Technology Emerging technology that has a significant impact on
social life Cultural Lag
Not all parts of a culture changes at the same pace Some parts may change while others lag behind New elements of material culture (technology) change
faster than non-material Sometimes, non-material culture never catches up
Technology and Culture Causes of cultural change:
Invention – Creating new cultural elements Discovery – Recognizing and understanding
something that already exists Diffusion – Spread of objects or ideas from one
society to another Usually societies are eager to adopt more superior tools
and weapons Cultural Leveling
Process in which one culture becomes similar to another
Theoretical Analysis of Culture Functional Analysis
Depicts culture as a complex strategy for meeting human needs Cultural values give meaning to life and bind people
together Cultural Universals
These are traits that are part of every known culture Family, funeral rites, and jokes
Social-Conflict Analysis Draws attention to the link between culture and
inequality Any cultural trait benefits some members of society at the
expense of others Materialism - A society’s system of material
production has a strong effect on the rest of a culture Our competitive values are tied in with our society’s
capitalist economy