Chapter 3: Culture Culture & Society in a Changing World Components of Culture Technology, Cultural Change, & Diversity A Global Popular Culture Sociological Analysis of Culture Culture in the Future

Culture: The knowledge, language, values, customs, and material objects that are passed from person to person and from one generation to the next in a human group or society.

We ask, therefore: What part does culture play in shaping people and the social relations in which they participate? What are the essential components of culture? To what degree are we shaped by popular culture? How do subcultures and countercultures reflect diversity within a society? How do the various sociological perspectives view culture?

Culture and Society in a Changing World Travelers are wise to know what various gestures mean in different cultures Kicking, showing sole of shoe or throwing a shoe is a great insult in the Arab world “Hook ’em horns” sign means “your spouse is unfaithful in Italy, or “hang loose” in Hawaii

Culture is essential: For our survival For our communication with other people For the survival of societies The common denominator that makes the actions of individuals intelligible to the group The rules and laws, the systems that make our lives live-able

We don’t act as we do out of instinct Humans don’t have instinct, they have reflexes (unlearned, biologically determined involuntary responses to some physical stimuli) or drives (unlearned, biologically determined impulses common to all members of a species) Nature: biological & genetic makeup Nurture: our social environment Nurture tells us the appropriate way to satisfy our drives

Material & Nonmaterial Culture Material culture consists of the physical or tangible creations that members of a society make, use & share (Examples?) Nonmaterial culture consists of the abstract or intangible creations of society that influence people’s behavior (Examples?)

Cultural Universals: All humans have the same basic needs (food, clothing, shelter) thus we engage in similar activities that contribute to our survival George Murdoch compiled a list of >70 cultural universals (customs and practices that occur across all societies)

Cultural Universals include: Physical appearance (bodily adornments, etc.) Activities (sports, dance, games) Social institutions (family, law, religion) Customary practices (cooking, folklore, gift giving, hospitality) Present but forms vary from society to society Ensure the smooth and continual operations of societies

Cultural universals also: May be imposed by members of a society on members of another Conquering nations do this to conquered ones Examples?

Components of Culture: Symbols: anything that meaningfully represents something else Shared meanings among people Can be used to induce loyalty, as well as for animosity Examples: flags, clothing, cars, logos

Language: A set of symbols that expresses ideas and enables people to think and communicate with one another Verbal Written/visual Sapir-Whorf hypothesis says language shapes the view of reality of its speakers Not necessarily determinate but certainly influential

Language and Gender: English language ignores women--refers to humans in general in the masculine He/she usage reflects this, especially as related to occupations Descriptive terms for women also objectify them Use of Ms to replace Mrs or Miss is a way to make language less gender biased

Language, race, ethnicity: Language also can reinforce racial stereotypes: blackhearted, a black mark, etc. Derogatory racial slurs are often used in conjunction with physical threats, “popularized” in movies Words are used to create or reinforce perceptions about a group (natives as savages or primitives) Voice of verbs may minimize or wrongly identify the achievements of others

More on ethnicity/language Adjectives that typically have positive connotations can have different meanings when used in certain contexts Dominant language speakers often feel threatened when they witness others speaking a different language Assimilation and inclusion often depend upon acquisition of and fluency of language

Values: Collective ideas about what is right or wrong, good or bad, and desirable or undesirable in a particular culture Typically, values come in pairs of positive and negative We use values to justify our behavior and we defend our values

American Values: Individualism: people are responsible for their own success or failure Achievement and success: personal achievement results from successful competition with others Activity & work: we praise those who achieve by industrious work; we ridicule those we see as lazy Science & technology: faith in advances Progress & material comfort: we want more than the basics, but nicer things

More American values: Efficiency & practicality: bigger, better, faster Equality: in the US, this is equality of opportunity, not outcome Morality and humanitarianism: we help others, particularly after natural disasters Freedom and liberty: basic rights Racism and group superiority: we value our own culture group and nation

Value contradictions: Values that conflict with one another or are mutually exclusive Example: morality and humanitarianism can conflict with individual achievement and success All countries have these, not only the US

Ideal Versus Real Culture Ideal culture: the values and standards of behavior that people in a society profess to hold Real culture: the values and standards of behavior that people actually follow The degree of discrepancy between ideal and real cultures is relevant to sociologists studying social change

Norms: Established rules of behavior or standards of conduct Prescriptive norms state what behavior is appropriate or acceptable Proscriptive norms state what behavior is inappropriate or unacceptable Prescriptive: opening the door for someone carrying a heavy load Proscriptive: texting while driving

Norms, continued: Not all norms are of equal importance, but those most important are formalized Laws are the most common type of formal norm, enforced by sanctions Sanctions are rewards for appropriate behavior and penalties for inappropriate behavior Informal norms--unwritten standards Informal sanctions--less clearly defined and can be applied by anyone

Norms--Folkways: Informal norms or everyday customs that may be violated without serious consequences within a particular culture Examples: wearing deodorant, brushing teeth, dressing appropriately Culture specific, learned

Norms--Mores: Particular culture’s strongly held norms with moral and ethical connotations that may NOT be violated without serious consequences Based on cultural values, considered to be crucial for the well-being of the group, more serious sanctions Taboos: mores so strong that their violation is considered to be extremely offensive and even unmentionable

Examples of Mores and Taboos Incest taboo--nearly universal Sharia law--in Muslim nations that follow the edicts of the Koran relating to dominance of men over women, women may not mix with men in public, must cover up, may go only to women’s banks, see women doctors, etc.

Norms--Laws: Formal, standardized norms that have been enacted by legislatures and are enforced by formal sanctions Civil law deals with disputes among persons or groups Criminal law deals with public safety and well being When criminal law is violated, fines and prison sentences are the most likely sanctions

Technology, Cultural Change, and Diversity