Understanding CULTUREUnderstanding CULTURE

What to Expect...What to Expect... What is Culture?What is Culture? Components of CultureComponents of Culture

• Material CultureMaterial Culture• Non-Material Culture Non-Material Culture

Culture and AdaptationCulture and Adaptation SubculturesSubcultures Cultural UniversalsCultural Universals

What is Culture?What is Culture?

Culture is Culture is “...all that “...all that human beings learn to do, human beings learn to do, to use, to produce, to to use, to produce, to know, and to believe as know, and to believe as they grow to maturity and they grow to maturity and live out their lives in the live out their lives in the social groups to which social groups to which they belong.”they belong.”

Culture and BiologyCulture and Biology

Human beings are biological Human beings are biological creatures with biological needscreatures with biological needs

Humans differ from most other Humans differ from most other animals, however, in the basis for animals, however, in the basis for our behaviorour behavior– Animal behavior is based largely on Animal behavior is based largely on

instinctsinstincts which are universal for a which are universal for a given speciesgiven species

– Human behavior is Human behavior is learnedlearned in in interaction with culture, and is thus interaction with culture, and is thus highly variablehighly variable

Culture Shock, Culture Shock, Ethnocentrism and Ethnocentrism and Cultural RelativismCultural Relativism

Culture shockCulture shock refers to the difficulty that refers to the difficulty that people have when they encounter cultures people have when they encounter cultures very different from their ownvery different from their own

Our tendency is to make value judgments Our tendency is to make value judgments on the basis of our own customs, a practice on the basis of our own customs, a practice called called ethnocentrismethnocentrism

Sociologists strive toward Sociologists strive toward cultural cultural relativismrelativism when studying other cultures— when studying other cultures—understanding these cultures on their own understanding these cultures on their own termsterms

2 Main Components of 2 Main Components of CultureCulture

Material CultureMaterial Culture

Material CultureMaterial Culture consists consists of all things humans make of all things humans make and useand use

American society places American society places great importance on great importance on science and technologyscience and technology

Non-Material Culture Non-Material Culture

Non-Material CultureNon-Material Culture consists of consists of non-tangible human creations, non-tangible human creations, including knowledge beliefs, including knowledge beliefs, values and rules for behaviorvalues and rules for behavior

The statue of liberty, for example, The statue of liberty, for example, while a material artifact, while a material artifact, symbolizes the value that symbolizes the value that Americans place on freedomAmericans place on freedom

NormsNorms NormsNorms are standards of expected are standards of expected

behaviorbehavior Norms are relative:Norms are relative:

– Across timeAcross time

– Across societiesAcross societies

– Across SituationsAcross Situations

Some Important Some Important Distinctions Among Distinctions Among NormsNorms

Mores:Mores: Norms which Norms which are vital to a society are vital to a society and morally significantand morally significant

Folkways:Folkways: Norms that Norms that permit great discretion permit great discretion in carrying out as long in carrying out as long as certain boundaries as certain boundaries are not violatedare not violated

Ideal Norms:Ideal Norms: Expectations of what Expectations of what people would do under people would do under perfect conditionsperfect conditions

Real Norms:Real Norms:

Adjustment of idealized Adjustment of idealized norms to real life norms to real life conditionsconditions

Values and Cognitive Values and Cognitive CultureCulture

ValuesValues are the general orientations are the general orientations toward life—its notions of what is toward life—its notions of what is good or bad, pleasurable or painful, good or bad, pleasurable or painful, etc.etc.

Values are part of Values are part of cognitive culturecognitive culture, , which refers to the “thinking” which refers to the “thinking” component of culture such as component of culture such as beliefs and knowledge as well as beliefs and knowledge as well as valuesvalues

LanguageLanguage Language allows to organize the Language allows to organize the

world world It also allows us to communicate It also allows us to communicate

complex ideas with otherscomplex ideas with others Language reflects cultural reality Language reflects cultural reality

and what a culture considers and what a culture considers importantimportant

Language also Language also shapesshapes our view of our view of reality, an idea known as the reality, an idea known as the Sapir-Sapir-Whorf HypothesisWhorf Hypothesis

SymbolsSymbols

A symbol is anything that A symbol is anything that represents something other than represents something other than itselfitself

The meanings of symbols are The meanings of symbols are arbitrary, in that meaning is not arbitrary, in that meaning is not inherentinherent to the symbol to the symbol

The meanings of symbols are The meanings of symbols are shared by a substantial number of shared by a substantial number of people in a given culturepeople in a given culture

More Symbols...More Symbols...

Identify and discuss the possible Identify and discuss the possible meanings of the following symbolsmeanings of the following symbols

Culture and AdaptationCulture and Adaptation

Culture is the primary means by which Culture is the primary means by which humans adapt to the challenges of their humans adapt to the challenges of their environmentenvironment

AdaptationAdaptation refers simply to the process refers simply to the process by which humans adjust to their by which humans adjust to their environment. It takes to forms:environment. It takes to forms:– SpecializationSpecialization involves developing ways that involves developing ways that

work well in a particular environmentwork well in a particular environment– Generalized adaptabilityGeneralized adaptability involves more involves more

complicated yet more flexible ways of doing complicated yet more flexible ways of doing thingsthings

Mechanisms of Cultural Mechanisms of Cultural ChangeChange

Cultural change takes place through Cultural change takes place through two primary processes:two primary processes:– InnovationInnovation—involves new practices or —involves new practices or

tools either through discovery or tools either through discovery or inventioninvention

– DiffusionDiffusion—involves the movement of —involves the movement of cultural practices or tools from one cultural practices or tools from one culture to another. When this occurs, culture to another. When this occurs, these practices or tools are usually these practices or tools are usually reformulatedreformulated—modified to better fit the —modified to better fit the new culture.new culture.

Cultural LagCultural Lag

Cultural LagCultural Lag is a term is a term coined by William Ogburn coined by William Ogburn to refer to the tendency for to refer to the tendency for certain aspects of culture certain aspects of culture to change more quickly to change more quickly than others, often causing than others, often causing conflictconflict

Material culture tends to Material culture tends to change more rapidly than change more rapidly than non-material culturenon-material culture

We have the technology to prolong life almost

indefinitely, but have not been able to clearly articulate an

appropriate system of ethics for “when to pull the plug”

SubculturesSubcultures SubculturesSubcultures consist of certain consist of certain

segments of the population segments of the population who share certain beliefs, who share certain beliefs, lifestyles, values and norms lifestyles, values and norms which are distinctive from the which are distinctive from the population. population.

The notion of The notion of subsubculture does culture does not suggest an inferior culturenot suggest an inferior culture—rather, that it is a distinctive —rather, that it is a distinctive culture within a larger cultureculture within a larger culture

Subculture of Jewish-

Americans

American Culture

Relationship between culture and subculture

Types of SubculturesTypes of Subcultures

Cultural UniversalsCultural Universals

Cultural UniversalsCultural Universals refer to cultural features that refer to cultural features that are found in all culturesare found in all cultures

Anthropologists have identified several cultural Anthropologists have identified several cultural universals, includinguniversals, including– A division of laborA division of labor—the division of tasks among —the division of tasks among

members of a populationmembers of a population– An incest taboo—An incest taboo—prohibition against sexual relations prohibition against sexual relations

with family memberswith family members– Rites of passage—Rites of passage—rituals marking major life rituals marking major life

transitionstransitions– IdeologiesIdeologies—belief systems that unite the members of —belief systems that unite the members of

a culturea culture