2. Culture is the values, beliefs, behavior, and material
objects that together form a people’s way of life.
3. Culture refers to the beliefs, values, behavior
and material objects that, together, form a
people's way of life.
Culture determines how we view the world around us
Culture includes the traditions we inherit and
pass on to the next generation
Culture: totality of our shared language,
knowledge, material objects, and behavior
3
4. Culture refers to the total lifestyle of a people,
including all of their ideas, values, knowledge,
behaviors, and material objects that they share
Culture shapes and guides people’s perception of
reality
5. Food we eat
Clothing
Music
Games we play
How to express emotions
What is good or bad
What is high or low culture (if any)
8. 8
• Society: the structure of relationships within
which culture is created and shared through
regularized patterns of social interaction
– Society provides the context within which our
relationships with the external world develop
– How we structure society constrains the kind
of culture we construct
– Cultural preferences vary across societies
9. Society refers to a group of people who are relatively
self-sufficient and who share a common territory and
culture
Members of the society preserve and transmit it from
one generation to the next (through literature, art,
video recording and other means of expression)
10. Culture refers to that people’s traditions, customs,
and behaviors. It includes ideas, values, and artifacts
Sharing a similar culture helps to define the society
to which we belong
11. The concept of culture (a shared way of life) must be
distinguished from those of nation (a political
entity) or society (the organized interaction of
people in a nation or within some other
boundary).
Many modern societies are multicultural---their
people follow various ways of life that blend
and sometimes clash.
On this planet our race, homo sapiens evolved
250,000 years ago give or take a few
thousand. But the first cities appeared about
12,00 years ago. Think about that. For 95%
of human life there were no cities. What kind
of culture was there then?
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12. Culture is a universal feature of human social life
Culture is cumulative
Culture is learned
Culture is shared
13. Material Culture includes all those things that
humans make or adapt from the raw stuff of
nature: houses, computers, jewelry, oil paintings,
etc (Stick from the forest might be a part of
material culture)
Nonmaterial culture is a group's way of thinking
(including its beliefs, values) and doing (its
common pattern of behavior, including language
and other forms of interaction) (Poem about
stick)
14. Is the process by which a cultural item is spread
from group to group or society to society
Diffusion can occur through a variety of means,
among them exploration, military conquest,
missionary work, influence of mass media, and
tourism
15. The use of smoking tobacco began when Indian
tribes in the Caribbean invented the habit of smoking
the tobacco plant
Over the periods of hundred of years, tobacco
traveled through Central America and across the
North America
16. Societies resist ideas which seem too foreign (or
threatening to their own beliefs)
Each culture tends to be selective in what it absorbs
(food vs. beliefs)
Europe accepted silk, magnetic compass, chess,
and gunpowder from Chinese but rejected the
teaching of philosophy
17. Our speech, our gestures, our beliefs, our
customs are usually taken-for-granted
We assume that they are “normal” or “natural”,
and almost always we follow them without
questions
Culture provides implicit instructions that tell us
what we ought to do in various situations. It
provides a basis for our decision making.
18. Non-material culture – intangible human creations
Material culture – tangible creations of a society
Shapes what we do
Helps form our personalities
Informs our definition of what is
‘normal ‘
19. ● High culture refers to cultural patterns that distinguish a society’s
elite.
● Popular culture designates cultural patterns that are widespread
among a society’s population.
- High culture is not inherently superior to popular culture.
What’ll You Have? Popular Beverages Across the United
States. What people consume is one mark of their status as a
“highbrow” or “lowbrow.
- The New “Culture of Victimization.” Americans may be
becoming increasingly unwilling to accept personal
responsibility for their failings and misfortunes
● Subcultures are cultural patterns that distinguish some segment of a
society’s population. They involve not only difference but also
hierarchy
● Counterculture refers to cultural patterns that strongly oppose those
widely accepted within a society. Countercultures reject many of
the standards of a dominant culture
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20. When a society is made up of multiple cultures that society has to
deal with and somehow reconcile cultural differences and conflicts.
In addition to the types of cultural variations we’ve talked about, there
are other sources of cultural variations.
Most notable are differences based on
Race
National/Ethnic Origin
Religion
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21. ● We will deal with this issue more extensively in the unit on Race and
Ethnicity.
● The most common, and oldest ways of dealing with multiple cultures
is probably forcing assimilation and/or wiping out minority cultures.
● More recently, we have witnessed the development of pluralistic
cultures in which the different cultures tolerate each other.
● Multi-Culturalism is a more recent development that recognizes the
cultural diversity of the United States and promotes the equality of
all cultural traditions.
- The United States is the most multicultural of all industrial
countries. By contrast, Japan is the most monocultural of all
industrial nations
- Multiculturalism stands in opposition to Eurocentrism, the
dominance of European (especially English) cultural patterns.
21
22. ● Language Diversity across the United States. The 2000
U.S. Census reports that 18 percent of people over the age
of five speak a language other than English in their home
● Some call for Afrocentrism, the dominance of African
cultural patterns in people’s lives.
● Supporters of multiculturalism argue that it helps us
come to terms with our diverse present and
strengthens the academic achievement of African-
American children.
● Opponents of Multiculturalism argue that it encourages
divisiveness rather than unity.
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24. “Culture becomes the lens through which we
perceive and evaluate what is going around us”
We have expectations of “the way people ought
to be”
Cultural shock- is the disorientation that people
experience when they come in contact with a
fundamentally different culture and can no longer
depend on their taken-for-granted assumptions
about life
25. Segments of the populations of Australia, Asia, and
Africa consume protein-rich insects. In the
photograph, a woman enjoys a dry-roasted insect
29. Symbols:
A symbol is anything that carries a particular meaning
recognized by people who share a culture (a flag, a word, a
flashing red light, a raised fist, an animal etc).
* non-verbal gestures can be very “symbolic” and diverse.
-Diverse meanings can be given to different variations of the same
object, for example, the winking of an eye.
30. Language
A system of symbols that allows people to
communicate with one another.
Function of language:
-Enhances communication (“lets make sure we’re on the same page”)
-Ensures continuity of culture (story telling)
-Identifies societies or groups (group specific words)
-Determines how a person is perceived by others (proper grammar vs slang)
31. Since people can conceptualize the world only
through language, language precedes thought
Word symbols and grammar organize the world of us
and determines our behavior
Language does more than describe reality, it shapes
the reality of a culture
32. The Solomon Islanders have 9 distinct words for
“coconut”, each specifying an important stage of
growth
They have only one word for all meals of the day
The Aleuts (northern Canada) have 33 words for
“snow” (texture, temperature, weight, color,
load0carrying capacity, etc)
33. The Hanunoo people of the Philippines have
different names for 92 varieties of rice
Americans use a single word “rice”
Hanunoo would be incapable of seeing the
distinction b/w a Ford and a Toyota
34. Values and Beliefs
-VALUES are culturally defined standards by which people
assess desirability, goodness, and beauty and that serve as
broad guidelines for social living.
BELIEFS are specific statements that people hold to be true
(e.g. The possibility that the US will one day have a female president
- based on the shared value of equal opportunity)
38. - Norms are the agreed-upon expectations and rules by
which a culture guides the behavior of its members in
any given situation.
TYPES
PROSCRIPTIVE
Should nots, prohibited
PRESCRIPTIVE
Shoulds, prescribed like medicine
39. There are four basic types of norms that sociologists commonly refer to: folkways,
mores, taboos, and laws.
Folkways, sometimes known as “conventions” or “customs,” are standards of
behavior that are socially approved but not morally significant.
For example, belching loudly after eating dinner at someone else's home breaks an American folkway.
Mores are norms of morality. Breaking mores, like attending church in the nude, will
offend most people of a culture.
Certain behaviors are considered Taboo, meaning a culture absolutely forbids them,
like incest in U.S. culture.
Finally, Laws are a formal body of rules enacted by the state and backed by the
power of the state. Virtually all taboos, like child abuse, are enacted into law, although
not all mores are.
For example, wearing a bikini to church may be offensive, but it is not against the law.
40. Folkways are often referred to as "customs."
They are standards of behavior that are socially
approved but not morally significant.
They are norms for everyday behavior that people follow
for the sake of tradition or convenience. Breaking a
folkway does not usually have serious consequences.
Cultural forms of dress or food habits are examples of
folkways. In America, if someone belched loudly while
eating at the dinner table with other people, he or she
would be breaking a folkway. It is culturally appropriate to
not belch at the dinner table, however if this folkway is
broken, there are no moral or legal consequences.
41. Mores are strict norms that control moral and ethical
behavior.
Mores are norms based on definitions of right and wrong.
Unlike folkways, mores are morally significant. People
feel strongly about them and violating them typically
results in disapproval.
Religious doctrines are an example of mores. For
instance, if someone were to attend church in the nude,
he or she would offend most people of that culture and
would be morally shunned.
Also, parents who believe in the more that only married
people should live together will disapprove of their
daughter living with her boyfriend. They may consider the
daughter’s actions a violation of their moral guidelines.
42. Mores are norms deemed highly necessary to the
welfare of a society, often because they embody the
most cherished principles of people
Each society demands obedience to its mores
(violation can lead to severe penalties
Examples: murder, child abuse
43. Sociologists Ian Robertson illustrated the difference between
Folkways and Mores: “A man who walks down a street wearing
nothing on the upper half of his body is violating a folkway; a
man is wearing nothing on the lower half of his body is violating
one of mores (requirement that people cover their genitals and
buttocks in public “(1987)
44. Taboos are norms that are so deeply held that even
the thought of violating them upset people
In the U.S. There is a taboo against eating human
flesh
45. Sanctions are penalties and rewards for conduct
concerning a social norm
Conformity to a norm can lead to positive sanctions
such as pay raise, a medal, a word of gratitude, or a
pat on a back
47. are collective concepts of what is considered good,
desirable, and proper-or bad, undesirable, and
improper- in a culture
Values indicate what people find important and
morally right (or wrong)
Values influence people's behavior and serve as
criteria for evaluation the actions of others
48. A taboo is a norm that society holds so strongly
that violating it results in extreme disgust.
Often times the violator of the taboo is
considered unfit to live in that society.
For instance, in some Muslim cultures, eating
pork is taboo because the pig is considered
unclean.
At the more extreme end, incest and cannibalism
are taboos in most countries.
49. Laws are a formal body of rules enacted by the state and
backed by the power of the state.
Virtually all Taboos, like child abuse, are enacted into law,
some Mores are, but not all. Folkways are never laws.
For example, wearing a bikini to church may be
offensive, but it is not against the law.
Many laws (unlike mores) do not have a moral evaluation
connected to them. Not stopping completely at a stop
sign is against the law, but you will not be judged
“immoral” for doing it.
Definition - A body of rules of conduct of binding legal
force and effect, prescribed, recognized, and enforced by
a controlling authority.
50. Various means by which members of society
encourage conformity to norms
GUILT
A negative judgment we make about ourselves i.e. “internal
compass”
SHAME
The painful sense that others disapprove of our actions
i.e. must value their opinion to feel shame
51. High culture
Cultural patterns that distinguish a society’s elite
Popular culture
Cultural patterns that are widespread among society’s
population
Subculture
Cultural patterns set apart some segment of society’s
population
Counterculture
Cultural patterns that strongly oppose those widely accepted
within a society
56. Ethnocentrism is a tendency to evaluate and
judge the customs and traditions of others
according to one’s own cultural tastes, beliefs,
and standards
We learn that the ways of our own group are
good, right, proper, and superior to other ways
59. Has both positive and negative consequences
On the positive side, it creates in-group loyalty
On the negative side, ethnocentrism can lead to
harmful discrimination against people whose
ways differ from ours
60. “Pathological horror and fascination with the
mouth…”
“Holy-mouth-man” and rituals with mouth
Women bake their head in small ovens
Latipso ceremonies
61. Cultural relativism is a tendency to
understand and evaluate a culture in the
context of its own special circumstances
None of us can be entirely successful at
practicing cultural relativism
We cannot help viewing a contrasting
way of life through the lens that our own
culture provides
62. Chinese immigrant was convicted in a New York court of
bludgeoning his wife to death with a hammer
He was sentenced to only 5 years of probation
The judge took into consideration the cultural
considerations
The deceased women confessed extramarital affair
Testimony of an expert in Chinese culture revealed that
husbands in China exact severe punishment on their
wives
In posttrial hearings, the judge declared that the
defendant “took all his culture with him to the U.S. and
therefore was not fully responsible for his violent act///”
63. Reverse to ethnocentrism
Xenocentrism is the belief that the products,
styles, or ideas of one’s society is inferior to
those that originate elsewhere
People in the U.S. assume that French fashion
or Japanese electronic devices are superior to
our own
64.
65. People are charmed by the lure of goods from
exotic places?
Such fascination with British china or Danish
glassware can be damaging to the U.S.
competitors
Some companies have responded by crating
products that sound European like Haagen-
Dazs ice cream (made in Teaneck, New
Jersey)
66. Ethnocentrism
The practice of judging another culture by the
standards of one’s own culture
Cultural relativism
The practice of judging a culture by its own standards
67. ● Counterculture refers to cultural
patterns that strongly oppose those
widely accepted within a society.
Countercultures reject many of the
standards of a dominant culture.
● Cultural relativism views the behavior
of a people from the perspective of their
own culture. There are distinctive
subcultures within cultures and even
organizations within a culture
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68. ● If Cultures goes through these different phases , then
they have to change
● As cultures change, they strive to maintain cultural
integration, the close relationship among various
elements of a cultural system.
- William Ogburn’s concept of cultural lag refers to the
fact that cultural elements change at different rates,
which may disrupt a cultural system.
- Three phenomena promote cultural change
-Inventions, the process of creating new cultural
elements.
-Discovery, recognizing and understanding an idea
not fully understood before.
-Diffusion, the spread of cultural traits from one
cultural system to another 68
69. -This takes place in 3 ways:
INVENTION - creating new cultural elements
Telephone or airplane
DISCOVERY – recognizing and understanding
something already in existence
X-rays or DNA
DIFFUSION – the spread of cultural traits from one
society
to another
Jazz music or much of the English language
70. ●Ethnocentrism is the practice of judging another culture
by the standards of one’s own culture.
● Sociologists tend to discourage this practice, instead
they advocate cultural relativism, the practice of
judging a culture by its own standards.
● Some evidence suggests that a global culture may be
emerging.
- Three key factors are promoting this trend:
-Global economy: the flow of goods.
-Global communications: the flow of information.
- Global migration: the flow of people.
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71. Global culture is much more advanced in some parts of
the world than in others
• Many people cannot afford to participate in the material
aspects of a global culture
• Different people attribute different meanings to various
aspects of the global culture
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72. ● New and emerging communications, computer, and
other technologies. Don’t forget bio tech
- It provides a set of concepts that both material and
non material culture need to adapt to.
-It can span the globe, but not all cultures will accept
or adopt to these technologies and the changes they
cause/impose at the same rate.
- East and West have different bases and adopt at
different rates
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73. Today’s children are bombarded with
virtual culture, images that spring from
the minds of contemporary culture-
makers and that reach them via a
screen. Some of these cultural icons
embody values that shape our way of
life. But few of them have any historical
reality and almost all have come into
being to make money.
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