CHAPTER 3

SOCIETY

People who interact in a defined territory

And share a culture

Society & Culture-> Interdependent

Society

What is Culture?

Ways of thinking and acting

Material objects

That form a way of life

Culture

Culture: Two Categories

1. Material CulturePhysical things created by members of society

2. Non-Material (Symbolic)Culture

Ideas created by members of society

Material Culture

Physical objects people create and give meaning

Examples:Homes School buildingsChurches, synagogues, temples,

mosques Cell phonesClothesCarsComputersBooks

Material Culture:

Material Culture

Non-Material Culture

Common elements:

Symbols

Language

Values

Norms

Non-material CultureRules of Etiquette for Eating: Japan

Non-material CultureRules of etiquette for eating U.S.

Symbols

Meaning recognized by people who share a culture

Humans create meaning

Symbols

Non-material / Symbolic Culture

We communicate through: Signs Gestures Language

Signs

Gestures17

Language

System of symbols: People communicate

Language: Key to accumulating knowledge

Cultural TransmissionPassing culture one generation to the next

Human Languages: A Variety of SymbolsHere the single English word “Read” is written in twelve of the hundreds of languages.

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

The way people think is strongly affected by their native languages.

Controversial theory by linguist

Edward Sapir and his student Benjamin Whorf

Does language shape reality?

See and understand world through language

Cannot think without language

Language connects symbols with emotions

Does language determine thought?

In Chinese, only a single term luotuo( 骆驼 )

In English the word is camel. In Arabic, there are more than 400

words for the animal.

Eskimo language has many words involving snow. For example:

apun= “snow on the ground”, qanikca= “hard snow on the ground”, utak= “block of snow”

Language & RealityIn English, time & objects counted & talked about in same way

Time is objectified

In Hopi, concept of time as “becoming later”,

Not a physical quantity that you can “have”

Language and Reality

Language & Reality

Cartoon Introduction to linguistic relativity (6 min)

http://vimeo.com/42744105

*** Video of indigenous people (LT 2 min) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS1Dno_d2yA

How Many Cultures?

One indication is language

7,000 languages

Words Past and Present

40s Slang Take a powder Fuddy-duddy Gobbledygook Eager beaver Flip your wig Lettuce Pass the buck

60s & 70s Slang Skinny Can you dig it? Spaz Far out Chill Bread A gas Bug out

9/11 Language and EmotionsLanguage influences human emotional experiences

Words such as anger or sadnessCultural artifacts of English language

Connecting symbols with Emotions

Values and Beliefs

ValuesCulturally defined standardsWhat is desirable, good, and beautiful

Broad guidelines for social living

BeliefsStatements accepted as true

Key Values of U.S. Culture Robin Williams Jr. (1970) 10 values

1.Equal Opportunity

2. Individual Achievement & Personal Success

3. Material Comfort

4. Activity and Work

5. Practicality and Efficiency

6. Progress

7. Science

8. Democracy & Free Enterprise

9. Freedom

10. Group Superiority

Norms

Rules that guide behavior People respond with Sanctions:RewardsPunishments

Sanctions encourage conformity to cultural norms

Laws

Norms established by an “authority”

Examples:Speed limits Income TaxCrime

Mores (“more rays”) or Taboos

Norms widely observedGreat moral significance

Religious dietary restrictions

PolygamyPedophiliaIncestCannibalism

FolkwaysNorms for routine or casual interaction

Correct mannersAppropriate dressProper eating behavior

SanctionsShame

Painful sense that others disapprove

GuiltNegative judgment we make about ourselves

Ethnocentrism

People use their culture as standard to evaluate another group or individual

Viewing other cultures as abnormal

Cultural Relativism Understanding other cultures on their terms

Researchers use cultural relativismObjectivity

High Culture & Popular Culture

High CultureCultural patterns of society’s elite

Popular CultureCultural patterns widespread among a society’s population

High CultureOpera

Ballet

Art

Popular Culture

Dominant Culture, Subcultures, and Countercultures

Dominant culture refers to the values, norms, and practices of the group within society that is most powerful in terms of wealth, prestige, status, and influence.

A subculture is a group within society that is differentiated by its distinctive values, norms, and lifestyle.

Dominant Culture, Subcultures, and Countercultures

A counterculture is a group within society that openly rejects and/or actively opposes society’s values and norms.

Dominant Culture, Subcultures, and Countercultures

Applying Theory: Culture