CULTURE

CULTURECULTURE

What is culture? What is culture? • Refers to a people’s way of life – Refers to a people’s way of life –

including how they meet their needs, including how they meet their needs, their language, religion, beliefs, their language, religion, beliefs, customs, institutions, and technology customs, institutions, and technology – Institution – organization developed by Institution – organization developed by

each society to make social roles clear each society to make social roles clear and to take care of social needs and to take care of social needs

– Examples: Families, School, Governments Examples: Families, School, Governments

Cultural FactorsCultural Factors

• Food Food • Shelter Shelter • ReligionReligion• Education Education • Security/Security/

Protection Protection • LanguageLanguage

• Relationships: Relationships: Family & othersFamily & others

• Political & Social Political & Social OrganizationsOrganizations

• Creative Creative Expression – Art, Expression – Art, Music, Dance, etc.Music, Dance, etc.

Special Things about Special Things about CultureCulture

• Geography – Where you live Geography – Where you live shapes how you liveshapes how you live

• History – Past experiences shapes History – Past experiences shapes expectation for the future expectation for the future

• Religion – shapes values Religion – shapes values • Language – changes as culture Language – changes as culture

changeschanges

Rural/Urban Rural/Urban • Rural – traditional, farmers, Rural – traditional, farmers,

livestock herders, or village livestock herders, or village craftsmen, live in huts or small craftsmen, live in huts or small cottages. cottages.

• Urban – technology, large buildings, Urban – technology, large buildings, sanitation systems, electricity, sanitation systems, electricity, education, travel. education, travel.

Social Structure Social Structure • Upper class: earns or inherits wealth, Upper class: earns or inherits wealth,

often are leaders in society often are leaders in society • Middle class: educated & successful, Middle class: educated & successful,

managers, professionals, small business managers, professionals, small business owners, owners,

• Working class: manual workers: factories, Working class: manual workers: factories, mining, transportation or craftsmen mining, transportation or craftsmen

• Peasants: farm workers, or subsistence Peasants: farm workers, or subsistence farmers, little education or world farmers, little education or world experiencesexperiences

• Lower Class: uneducated & unskilled. Lower Class: uneducated & unskilled.

Social Mobility Social Mobility • Before Industrial Revolution – 2 main Before Industrial Revolution – 2 main

classes, upper & peasants, small middle classes, upper & peasants, small middle class. class.

• After IR – upper, large middle class, large After IR – upper, large middle class, large working class, and small lower class working class, and small lower class

• Ability to move: Ability to move: – Hindu Caste system: no movement, born to a Hindu Caste system: no movement, born to a

caste, determines work, friends, etc. caste, determines work, friends, etc. – Other societies: work hard, save, start a Other societies: work hard, save, start a

business, sent kids to college, make a better business, sent kids to college, make a better lifelife

Gender Roles Gender Roles • Roles assigned to Men and Women Roles assigned to Men and Women • Changing roles in MDCChanging roles in MDC• LDC – women lack assess to LDC – women lack assess to

education and opportunity education and opportunity – Where?Where?

Multicultural SocietiesMulticultural Societies• Homogeneous societiesHomogeneous societies – most – most

everyone belongs to the same ethnic everyone belongs to the same ethnic group, shares the same language, & group, shares the same language, & traditions. traditions. – Saudi Arabia & Japan, Saudi Arabia & Japan,

• Heterogeneous societiesHeterogeneous societies – – multicultural, mix of people & cultures.multicultural, mix of people & cultures.– Usually is a dominate group & several Usually is a dominate group & several

minoritiesminorities– US & BrazilUS & Brazil

Special Problems Facing Special Problems Facing MinoritiesMinorities• Ethnic Prejudice: Dominate group treats Ethnic Prejudice: Dominate group treats

minority group as inferior, denies them minority group as inferior, denies them power to keep them under control. power to keep them under control.

• Discrimination & Exclusion: deny civil & Discrimination & Exclusion: deny civil & political rights, deny property political rights, deny property ownership, or access to public facilities. ownership, or access to public facilities. Intermarriage illegal.Intermarriage illegal.– Example: South Africa apartheid Example: South Africa apartheid

• Expulsion & Genocide: Forcing the Expulsion & Genocide: Forcing the group to leave or extermination. group to leave or extermination. – Example: Nazi Germany killing Jews, Serbs Example: Nazi Germany killing Jews, Serbs

in Bosnia killing Muslimsin Bosnia killing Muslims

Culture Change & Culture Change & ExchangeExchange

• Innovation – to solve storage needs, some make baskets out of reeds, others made clay pots.

•Diffusion – TV and Internet spread ideas today

•Acculturation – Wearing jeans all over the world instead of traditional garments.

Language & IdentityLanguage & Identity•Helps establish cultural Helps establish cultural

identity identity •Builds sense of unityBuilds sense of unity•Leads to Nationalism Leads to Nationalism •Can divide, if more than one Can divide, if more than one

language used in a regionlanguage used in a region

Language FamiliesLanguage Families

•3,000-6,500 Languages today3,000-6,500 Languages today•Categorized by families Categorized by families •Today’s languages developed Today’s languages developed

from earlier onesfrom earlier ones•Versions of a language is Versions of a language is

called dialectscalled dialects

Language Language DiffusionDiffusion

•Invented: Trade routes, Invented: Trade routes, example Swahiliexample Swahili

•Blended, example CreoleBlended, example Creole•Migration, colonistMigration, colonist

ReligionReligion•Monotheistic – belief on 1 Monotheistic – belief on 1 god god

•Polytheistic – belief in Polytheistic – belief in many godsmany gods

•Animistic belief in divine Animistic belief in divine force in natureforce in nature

Creative ExpressionCreative Expression •Performing Arts – Dance, Performing Arts – Dance,

music, theater, film music, theater, film •Visual Arts – architecture, Visual Arts – architecture,

painting, sculpture, and painting, sculpture, and textilestextiles

•Literature – poems, folk tales, Literature – poems, folk tales, storiesstories