What is culture

What is Culture?Culture is a people’s shared way of thinking and actingIt may also be defined as “a way of life”

What does culture look like?A people’s culture includes their languages, knowledge and beliefs, laws and moral values, customs and traditions, art and music – and all other aspects that have been developed socially

What is Culture?

People take their own culture for granted and may not realize how it affects their thinking and behaviour

Cultural Baggage

Since humans Since humans cannot rely on cannot rely on instincts for instincts for

survival, survival, culture is a culture is a ‘tool kit’ for ‘tool kit’ for

survivalsurvival

Our ‘tool kit’ is divided into two partsOur ‘tool kit’ is divided into two parts

Material CultureBegin as raw material,

transformed into usable items made first for survival, such as shelter

Beyond survival, we make use and share objects that are interesting and important to us

Maslow’s Hierarchy of

Needs

Nonmaterial CultureAbstract or intangible human creations of society that influence people’s behaviour

LanguagLanguagee

BeliefBeliefss

ValuesValues

Rules of Rules of BehaviouBehaviou

rr

Family Family PatternPattern

ss

Political Political SystemSystem

ss

LanguageA systematic way of relating meanings with the sounds made by the human voice.People can use language to talk about anything they imagine, including things that are impossible and events that have not yet taken place.

LanguagePeople can use language freely to think of new ideas and to express them in new ways, including making up new words.People can use language appropriately in situations they have not encountered before.

Beliefs

Beliefs are the mental acceptance or conviction that certain things are real or trueMay be based on faith, tradition, experience, scientific research, or a combination of theseWe also have beliefs in our material culture

Cultural UniversalsAppearance such as

bodily adornment

and hairstyles

Cultural UniversalsActivities Activities such as such as sports, sports, games, games,

dancing, dancing, and jokesand jokes

Q. Why are fish

so smart?

A. They always go

around in schools.

Cultural InstitutionsSocial Social

institutioninstitutions such as s such as religion, religion, law, and law, and familyfamily

Cultural UniversalsCustomary Customary practices practices such as such as cooking, cooking,

folklore, gift folklore, gift giving, and giving, and hospitalityhospitality

Cultural Universals - ProsConsidered useful because they ensure a smooth and continual operation of societySociety must satisfy its basic needs and degree of safety in order to surviveChildren and other new members of society must be taught the ways of the groupSociety must settle disputes between its members

Cultural Universals - ConsMay not be the result of functional necessity for a societyThe practices of one society may be imposed over members of anotherA conquering nation may use its power to impose its behaviours and beliefs on those defeatedAssimilation and conformity of indigenous peoples by those who hold economic, political, and religious power