A sociological A sociological perspectiveperspective

Culture

ContentsDefinition of cultureDefining characteristics of cultureThe Components of culture• Values• Norms• Symbol• LanguageDevelopment of Culture around the world• Cultural Universal• Innovation and discovery, Cultural diffusion • Mcdonalization of society• cultural lagAspects of Cultural diversity/Variation • Levels of Culture• Subculture & counterculture• Cultural shock• Cultural diffusionAttitudes towards cultural variation • Cultural ethnocentrism• Cultural relativism• Cultural Xenocentrism

CultureSociologically, culture is viewed in the broadest possible sense- referring to everything that is part of a people’s way of life.

Definition• Sociologist Cooly and Angel said, ‘Culture is the sum total of the

reflection of the way of life’.

• According to E.B. Tylor, ‘culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society’. (E.B. Tylor, Primitive Cultures 1871).

• Culture is the way of life shared by a group- a system of ideas, values, beliefs, knowledge, expressiveness and customs transmitted from generation to generation within a social group (Metta Spencer).

1. Culture is a dynamic, constantly changing process that is shaped by political, social and economic conditions.

•Culture is all encompassing.Culture is all encompassing.•Culture is general and specific.Culture is general and specific.•Culture is commonly shared.Culture is commonly shared.•Culture is learned.Culture is learned.•Culture is symbolic.Culture is symbolic.

Defining features of Culture

Elements of Culture

• Values• Values are culturally defined standards for what is good, desirable and

proper or bad, undesirable and improper which serve as broad guidelines for social living.

Influence people’s behavior

Criteria for evaluating actions of others

Values may change

Elements of Culture

• Norms– Established standards of

behavior maintained by a society– Norms are rules by which a

society guides the behavior of its members.

To be significant, norms must be widely shared and understood

Types of Norms

• Formal norms: generally written; specify strict punishments

• Informal norms: generally understood but not precisely recorded

Elements of CultureThe American sociologist William Graham Summer introduced

two important terms to the study of norms.

• Folkways- Norms that are everyday habits and conventions. These are a society’s customs for routine, casual interaction. A person who fails to conform to these norms or folkways may be thought of as thoughtless or crude, but not as a criminal or a sinner.

• Mores- Mores refer to a society’s

standards of proper moral conduct. These norms are sacred and violations of them are almost unthinkable.

Taboos

– Taboos are mores so strong that violation is considered extremely offensive and even unmentionable.

– The incest taboo, which prohibits sexual relations between certain kin, is an example of a nearly universal taboo.

Sanction

• Sanctions-Penalties or rewards for conduct concerning a social norm.

• Formal Sanctions-salary bonus, firing from job.

• Informal Sanction-smile, humiliation.

Laws Formal, standardized norms that have been enacted by legislatures and are enforced by formal sanctions. Civil law deals with disputes among persons

or groups. Criminal law deals with public safety and

well-being.

Elements of CultureSymbols:• A symbol is anything that carries a particular

meaning recognized by people who share the same culture.

• Language:• Language is a key element of culture. It has

been called ‘the storehouse of culture’ (Harroff, 1962). Language is a system of verbal and non-verbal symbols that allows members of a society to communicate with one another. All cultures have a spoken language though not all have a written language.

Culture and the Dominant Ideology

– Describes the set of cultural beliefs and practices that help maintain powerful social, economic, and political interests

– Functionalists view culture as stabilizing agent for sociology

– Conflict theorists view culture as serving the privileges of powerful groups.

• Dominant Ideology

Development of Culture Around the World Cultural Universals

Cultural Universals are learned behavior patterns that are shared by all of humanity collectively.  No matter where people live in the world, they share these universal traits.– Societies develop common practices, including:

• Athletic sports• Music• Funeral ceremonies• Medicine• Sexual restrictions

Development of Culture Around the World

– Process of introducing new idea or object to a culture

• Discovery: making known or sharing existence of an aspect of reality

• Invention: when existing cultural items are combined into a form that did not exist before

• Innovation

Development of Culture Around the World

• Globalization, Diffusion, and Technology– Diffusion: process by which a cultural item

spreads from group to group or society to society

– Mcdonaldization of society

– Technology: information about how to use the material resources of the environment to satisfy human needs and desires

Development of Culture Around the World

– Material culture: physical or technological aspects of our daily lives

• Food items• Houses• Factories• Raw materials

• Customs• Beliefs• Philosophies• Governments• Patterns of

communication

Culture Lag: period of maladjustment when nonmaterial culture is still struggling to adapt to new material conditions

Cultural lag means a gap between Cultural lag means a gap between technological change and technological change and adjustment in norms and values. adjustment in norms and values. This term was introduced by This term was introduced by William F. Ogburn. According to William F. Ogburn. According to him, the technological change him, the technological change tends to occur quickly and cause tends to occur quickly and cause new situations that require changes new situations that require changes in norms for social relationshipsin norms for social relationships

Development of Culture Around the World

– Nonmaterial Culture: ways of using material objects as well as:

Cultural DiversityLevels of culture:

• National culture The experiences, beliefs, learned behavior patterns,

and values shared by citizens of the same nation.

• International culture Cultural practices that are common to an identifiable

group that transcends national borders.

• Subcultures The existence of more than one culturally defined

group within a larger nation.

Cultural Diversity

Subculture• A subculture is a segment of society that shares a distinctive

pattern of norms and values that differs from the pattern of the larger society.

Counter culture• A counterculture means “against the culture” (Yinger, 1960). A

group whose norms, attitudes, values and lifestyle directly challenge or seek to change those of the mainstream culture.

Cultural Diversity• Cultural diffusion

• It is the process by which a cultural item spreads from one society to another society. Diffusion can occur through a variety of means like exploration, military conquest, missionary work, the influence of mass media, tourism and the internet.

• Cultural shock• The feeling of surprise and disorientation that is

experienced when people encounter cultural practices different from their own.

Attitudes towards Cultural Diversity

Cultural ethnocentrism– The tendency to assume that one’s own culture and way of life are

superior to all others. William Graham Summer coined the term ethnocentrism.

Cultural relativism

– Cultural relativism views people’s behaviour from the perspective of their culture. It stresses that different social contexts give rise to different norms and values.

• Cultural Xenocentrism– The belief that the products, styles, or ideas of ones society are

inferior to those that originate else where