Culture!. Culture Refers to a people’s entire learned way of life, including the –physical objects they make (material culture) and –their values, –norms,

Culture!Culture!

Culture

• Refers to a people’s entire learned way of life, including the – physical objects they make (material culture)

and – their values, – norms, – symbols, – language, and – knowledge (non-material culture)

Select one of the followingeducation funerals mealtime

games weapons medicine

List material and non-material elements…

Values• General ideas that people share about

what is good or bad

• How we “evaluate” our behavior- internalized standards

• State 10 of your personal values

American Values-Ball-Rokeach et al.

10. Salvation9. True friendship8. A comfortable life7. A sense of accomplishment6. Wisdom5. Happiness4. Self-Respect3. Freedom2. A world at peace1. Family security

18. Social recognition17.An exciting life 16. Pleasure15.A world of beauty14. Mature love13. National security 12. Equality11. Inner harmony

Don’t Stand So Close To Me!

• NPR: Don't Stand So Close To Me

Norms• Specific guidelines for action that state

how people should behave in particular situations (unwritten rules)– Often unspoken customs that people know

and follow

• State 10 norms of the culture in which you live

Norms (cont’d)• Folkways: Everyday habits (simple- like shaking

hands, clearing plate)– Violate: tolerate

• Mores: strong norms that are morally significant. Respected and sacred customs (prohibitions against incest, cannibalism, sexual abuse of children)– Violate: unfit for society

• Laws: rules enacted by a political body and enforced by the power of the state

– Violate: big trouble! Most laws based on folkways and mores

Smile, You’re on Candid Camera

Symbols• Objects, gestures, sounds or images that

represent something other than themselves• They can mean different things for different

people• Everything is symbolic! Usually meanings

come from tradition & consensus• Think of 15 examples of symbols (include

some personal symbols)

Language• System of verbal and usually written

symbols with rules about how those symbols can be strung together to convey more complex meanings– So necessary! This is how we pass

information from generations

English and Japanese Alphabet

C

H

I

N

E

S

E

Esperanto

Esperanto• Sample text in Esperanto

– Ĉiuj homoj estas denaske liberaj kaj egalaj laŭ digno kaj rajtoj. Ili posedas racion kaj konsciencon, kaj devus konduti unu la alian en spirito de frateco.

– All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Language (cont’d)• Social action: how people use language to

coordinate their activities and to create/confirm social understandings– People change their patterns of speech as social

contexts change…examples?

• Social Markers: patterns of behavior that provide indications about who people are…– They identify where a person fits into a social structure

• We often categorize people using speech patterns….get this vs. how could I help you?

Knowledge• Body of facts, beliefs, and practical

skills that people acquire over time• Knowledge vs. beliefs (example of the

beginnings of man….Bible vs. Science)• Much is practical knowledge and

cannot be explained in words or formulas…walking, riding a bike, etc.

Basic Elements of Culture• Material vs. Non-Material

Basic Elements of Culture• Material

– Artifacts• Physical objects made

by people and which have meaning attached

• Non-Material– Values– Norms– Symbols– Language– knowledge

Choose one of the

following and list some

elements of culture

• Education• Funerals• Mealtime• Games• Dating• Medicine• Art

List material and nonmaterial elements of culture!

Culture Lag• Culture Lag occurs

when the material elements of culture develop faster than the non-material elements.

• The introduction of the automobile (material culture) caused upset with– Dating freedom– Sex– Drinking and driving– Families moving away

from one another– Status symbols

Cultural Integration and Cultural Integration and DiversityDiversity

Assimilation vs. Diversity• Assimilation: Process by which

newcomers give up culturally distinct beliefs, values, and customs and take on those of the dominant culture

• Preservation of Diversity: to keep one’s own heritage alive

• Tension between the two

Cultural Integration• A result of assimilation that refers to how well

culture is a functionally integrated system (along w/ power, social relations, etc)

• Ralph Linton: problem w/ highly integrated & high-functioning culture is that if one thing changes, the whole system can be off balance

Cultural Integration, cont’d• It is a matter of degree:

– United States: loosely knit– Japan: more closed, discouraging

immigration– England: moderate w/ some immigration

Cultural Diversity• Two reasons societies remain culturally

diverse:– 1. Cultural minorities do no want to assimilate

into the dominant culture– 2. The dominant groups in society seek to

maintain their power and privilege by keeping certain minority groups separate and unequal (example of apartheid in South Africa)

Cultural Diversity (cont’d)• Subcultures: where there are norms, values,

etc. that members of a cultural minority share to make them distinct– Arise when people in similar circumstances find

themselves isolated from the mainstream world- – How? By thoughts, looks, actions, choices,

beliefs, etc

• They must have the opportunity to interact, making them products of symbolic interaction

Hispanic subculture

– Obligation, loyalty, and respect towards family (extended), dignity, self-respect, highly personal, one-on-one

– Least inclined to assimilate in the US– Make an effort to surround themselves w/

their culture…. neighborhoods, shops, clubs, etc.

Other Subcultures• Deviant: what one subculture can

sometimes be labeled by the dominant culture (drug users, gangs, homosexuals)

• Counterculture: subculture oriented towards challenging or changing culture

Ethnocentricism• Seeing one’s own culture as good or better

than others (seeing it as “human nature”)– Can be a source of stability, but also of

misunderstanding and friction between groups– Example of first white Europeans with black

Africans• Norms were different (marriage, killing, etc) so

admonished them, and didn’t give credit for success (like Ghana)

Cultural Relativism• Trying to understand the elements of a

culture in its own terms and how it relates to time, place, and set of circumstances.

Production of Culture• Cultural gatekeepers: people who decide

which items will get exposure to culture– Talk-show hosts, film critics, DJ’s

Culture and the MediaCulture and the Media

Media Influences• Television, phone, radio, internet• News broadcasts

– Portion of politician statements reduced from 43sec in 1968 to 8.9 seconds in 1998

– Quick! (not boring)

• J. Meyrowitz: people think they “know” people on TV b/c they are so close to them (gives people illusions)

• Neil Postman: too much of an “entertaining culture” - don’t take things seriously enough

•THE END!