What is Culture?

Anthropology 330

Kimberly Porter Martin

What is Culture?DEFINITION

Culture is the abstract, learned, shared rules and standards for generating behavior and understanding experience.

KEY COMPONENTS Abstraction means that culture is ideas in people’s heads, not physical objects.

Culture is learned, not genetically programmed.Culture is shared and social, not personal and individual.Culture is rules and patterns, whether

conscious or unconsciously followed . People decide how to behave using their culture’s rules and patterns.

People understand the world through their culture’s patterns of belief.

DIFFERENT from the Textbook!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Learn THIS definition!

What is Society?DEFINITION

A society is a group of people living according to a shared culture.

KEY COMPONENTS

A society is a concrete phenomenon A society is a group of people living their lives The thing that makes a group of people a society is that they share a common culture

Cultural Products

BehaviorBeliefsSymbolsMaterial culture

Societies

Behavior

ActionsActivitiesEventsRelationships

Beliefs

Interpretations Ideas Ways of understanding Assumptions Perceptions of truth/reality

SymbolsKEY ASPECTS The ability to symbolize is the

most fundamental aspect of culture.

Symbols help people identify, sort,and classify things, ideas, and behaviors.

When people symbolize using language, they can express experiences that took place earlier or suggest events that may happen.

DEFINITION

Something that stands for something else

TYPES OF MATERIAL CULTURE

•Artifacts are portable objects made by people, eg. Tools, food, decorative or religious articles, vehicles, etc.

•Features are alterations in the environment made by people – eg. Roads, architecture, irrigation systems, etc.

DEFINITION

The concrete products made by people that meet the standards and expectations of a group

Material Culture

Pluralistic Societies

DEFINITION Societies

composed of a number of different cultural or subcultural groups.

•India

415 Distinct Languages

461 and 465 Distinct Tribal Groups

Plus immigrant groups

•China

29 Languages Spoken

China denies having indigenous groups

Plus immigrant groups

•There are very few monocultural

societies left in the world

Subcultures

DEFINITION

A subdivision of a national culture that shares some features with the larger society and also differs in some important respects.

EXAMPLES OF SUBCULTURES

Ethnic subcultures

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=aNUyd1UeD5k&feature=related

Gay subculture

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=NpuaKLrajsw

Aryan Brotherhood Subculture

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=1BhNgCevbAc&feature=related

Rave subcultures

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlip8LHcJaI&feature=related

Anthropological Perspectives

The emic approach (insider view) seeks to describe another culture in terms of the categories, concepts, and perceptions of the people being studied.

In the etic approach (outsider view), anthropologists use their own categories and concepts to describe the culture under analysis.

What is Ethnocentrism?

DEFINITION

Ethnocentrism is judging another culture using your own culture’s rules and standards.

KEY COMPONENTS Judgement or evaluation

of the behaviors and ideas of others

Imposing your own standards when they may not apply

Thinking your way is the best or only correct way

What is Cultural Relativism?

DEFINITION

Cultural relativism is judging another culture using its own rules and standards.

KEY COMPONENTS Judging or evaluating the

behavior or ideas of others Looking at ideas and

behaviors from the perspective of the culture you are viewing.

Trying on other points of view

Culture ShockDEFINITION A psychological

disorientation experienced when attempting to operate in a radically different cultural environment.

Aspects of Culture Shock

Confusion over how to behave.Confusion over how to behave. Surprise or disgust after realizingSurprise or disgust after realizing some of the features of the newsome of the features of the new culture.culture. Feeling a loss of old familiar Feeling a loss of old familiar surroundings and ways of doingsurroundings and ways of doing things.things. Feeling rejected by members of theFeeling rejected by members of the new culture.new culture. Loss of self-esteem because youLoss of self-esteem because you don’t seem to be functioningdon’t seem to be functioning very effectively.very effectively. Doubt over your own cultural values.Doubt over your own cultural values.

Symptoms of Culture Shock

HomesicknessCompulsive eating

or drinkingChauvinistic excesses

Boredom IrritabilityStereotyping and

hostility toward host nationals

Withdrawal Exaggerated cleanliness

Loss of ability to work effectively

Excessive sleepMarital stress and

family tensionUnexplainable

weeping

Coping with Culture Shock

What is Ethnicity?

DEFINITION Ethnicity is the group

with which one chooses to identify on the basis of shared ancestry and/or heritage.

KEY COMPONENTS We choose which parts of our

heritage to actively use We choose how much of our

heritage to actively use We take part of our personal

identity from these choices This is a different part of diversity

than culture or race

What is Race?

DEFINITION

Race is a socially constructed category based on arbitrary physical and cultural characteristics that is used for purposes of discrimination.

KEY COMPONENTS Race is NOT a biological reality Race is an arbitrary set of ideas

created by certain cultures Racial groups are not defined the

same ways from one society to another

Race is used to divide people into groups so that they can be treated differently in society

DIFFERENT from the Textbook!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Learn THIS definition!

Racism Vs. EthnocentrismRacism is the belief that people with different

physical features and/or cultural traditions are inferior to one’s own group.

Ethnocentrism is judging another person or group using your own group’s cultural standards and rules.

Prejudice vs automatic pilot.

Powerpoint Study Guide

Culture

Society

Behavior

Symbols

Material Culture

Pluralistic Societies

Subcultures

Emic

Etic

Ethnocentrism

Cultural Relativism

Culture Shock

Ethnicity

Race