1. Culture and Society

2. Culture
Culture is essential for our individual survival and communication with others
We are not born with the information we need to survive
Culture is essential for the survival of societies
It establishes our laws and rules for interaction

3. Nature vs. Nuture Nature is our biological and genetic makeup
Nurture is derived from our social environment
We are not born knowing kindness or hatred
Humans do not have instincts but we do have reflexes
An instinct is biologically determined behaviour patterns common to all members of a species
A reflex is biologically determined involuntary response such as sneezing
Drives are biologically determined impulses common to all members of a species that satisfy needs such as food, water, safety, and shelter

4. Our ‘tool kit’ is divided into two parts
Cultural Baggage
Since humans cannot rely on instincts for survival, culture is a ‘tool kit’ for survival
Our ‘tool kit’ is divided into two parts

5. Material Culture
Consists of the physical or tangible creations that members of a society make, use, and share
Items begin as raw materials and transformed into usable items through technology
We use these items first for survival such as shelter
Beyond survival, we make use and share objects that are interesting and important to us

6. Nonmaterial Culture
Consists of the abstract or intangible human creations of society that influence people’s behaviour
Family Patterns
Values
Language
Rules of Behaviour
Beliefs
Political Systems

7. Nonmaterial Culture
Central component of nonmaterial culture is beliefs
Beliefs are the mental acceptance or conviction that certain things are real or true
May be based on faith, tradition, experience, scientific research, or a combination of these
We also have beliefs in our material culture

8. Cultural Universals
All human beings face the same basic needs such as food, water, and shelter
Thus we engage in similar activities that contribute to our survival
Cultural universals are customs and practices that occur across societies
The universal categories created by anthropologist George Murdock are present in all cultures

9. Appearance such as bodily adornment and hairstyles
Cultural Universals
Appearance such as bodily adornment and hairstyles

10. Activities such as sports, games, dancing, and jokes
Cultural Universals
Activities such as sports, games, dancing, and jokes
Q. Why are fish so smart?
A. They always go around in schools.

11. Cultural Institutions
Social institution such as religion, law, and family

12. Cultural Universals
Customary practices such as cooking, folklore, gift giving, and hospitality

13. Cultural Universals
These general customs and practices may be present in all cultures in one form or another
Specific forms may vary and could be misinterpreted between cultures such as telling a joke

14. Cultural Universals - Pros
Considered useful because they ensure a smooth and continual operation of society
Society must satisfy its basic needs and degree of safety in order to survive
Children and other new members of society must be taught the ways of the group
Society must settle disputes between its members

15. Cultural Universals - Cons
May not be the result of functional necessity for a society
The practices of one society may be imposed over members of another
A conquering nation may use its power to impose its behaviours and beliefs on those defeated
Assimilation and conformity of indigenous peoples by those who hold economic, political, and religious power

16. Components of Culture Symbols Language Values Norms Folkways Mores
Laws
Beliefs

17. Symbols Anything that meaningfully represents something else
Can function to produce loyalty and animosity; love or hate
Key is that there may be one symbol but it is interpreted differently by different cultures

18. Examples of symbols
The Middle Finger

19. Examples of symbols Heartlove Peacedove Hate Nazi Swastika
Siren an emergency
Raised middle finger hostility
Pink female
Blue male

20. Language
A set of symbols that express ideas and enable people to think and communicate with one another
Kinds:
Verbal
Nonverbal such as written or in gestures
Unique to humans as a species

21. Language as Symbols

22. Language
Language not only expresses our thoughts and perceptions but also influences our perception of reality
Some languages do not have gender: most Canadian Aboriginal languages, Cibano of the Philippines
Hopi: has no present, past or future tenses

23. Language and Gender
Exclusive language – English language ignores women with words like mankind and chairman
Often he or she denotes occupations – Doctors are usually referred to he and teachers as she
Often gendered language connotes positions of power
Predisposition to think of females in sexual terms – broad, fox, bitch, babe
Men have performance pressure and sexual prowess placed on them – stud, jock, hunk, dude

24. Language , Race, and Ethnicity
Language may create and reinforce our perceptions about race and ethnicity by transmitting preconceived ideas about the superiority of one category of people over another

25. Language , Race, and Ethnicity
Words that have more than one meaning (i.e. black as in blackhearted) which reinforce a negative image
Derogatory terms (especially those popularized in movies, music, or comedy routines)
Words are used to used to reinforce perceptions about a group i.e. savage, primitive
The voice of certain verbs, which minimizes a group’s achievements, i.e. given the right to vote versus, fought for the right.

26. Language Diversity in Canada
Canada is a linguistically diverse society consisting of Aboriginal languages, French and English, and many other languages
A major issue throughout Canadian history has been how to balance a cultural policy of multiculturalism against a language policy of bilingualism

27. Language Diversity in Canada
Language as a keystone to culture because it is the chief vehicle for understanding and experiencing one’s culture
Some key concepts
Bilingualism
Two solitudes
Aboriginal Languages: New attempts to revive them
Example: Ancient Hebrew was a dead language until it was re-created in recent history by Jewish peoples

28. Values
Collective ideas about what is right or wrong, good or bad, and desirable or undesirable in a particular culture
They provide the criteria for evaluating people, objects and events

29. Elements of Values
Criteria by which we evaluate others, objects, and events
Often in pairs of opposites: good/ bad; brave/cowardly; hardworking/lazy, light/darkness
Are very general in orientation

30. Canadian Values
Citizens Forum on Canada’s Future identified the following core Canadian values:
Consultation and dialogue
Equality and fairness
Accommodation and tolerance
Support for diversity

31. Canadian Values
Citizens Forum on Canada’s Future identified the following core Canadian values:
Compassion and generosity
Canada’s natural beauty
Canada’s world image

32. Value Contradictions
Values that conflict with one another or are mutually exclusive
For example, people believe that the poor should have adequate living, yet vote in governments which are not in accord with this value

33. Ideal Culture vs. Real Culture
Ideal: values and standards of behaviour that people in a society profess to hold
Real: the values and standards of behaviour that people actually follow
Issue of Hypocrisy – Pretending to be something that we are not

34. Norms Established rules of behaviour or standards of conduct
Prescriptive: what behaviour is appropriate (example: to pay taxes)
Proscriptive: what behaviour is not appropriate
Formal Formal: written down as laws
Sanctions: rewards for appropriate behaviour and punishment for inappropriate behaviour

35. Folkways
Those informal norms or everyday customs that may be violated without serious consequences within a particular culture
Examples: brushing teeth, kinds of clothes, gestures, religious fasting, kinds of cars we buy, kinds of houses we live in

36. Mores (MOR-ays)
Are strongly held norms with moral and ethical connotations that may or may not be violated without serious consequences in a particular culture
Examples: sexual morality
Taboos: So strong that their violation is considered to be extremely offensive
Example: sexual bonding between close kin

37. Laws
Formal, standardized norms that have been enacted by legislatures and are enforced by formal sanctions
Examples: in Canada, the taboo of incest is illegal
Types:
Civil: deals with disputes between people
Criminal: deals with public safety and well-being