Chapter 2 Culture

What is Culture? Language, Beliefs, Values, Norms Behavior Passed from One Generation to the Next Material vs. Nonmaterial Cultures Patterns of behavior Language, gestures, and other forms of interaction © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Module 9 Culture and Society Society: Large number of people who live in same territory, who are relatively independent of people outside that area, and who participate in a common culture Common culture simplifies day-to-day interactions Adorno: worldwide culture industry limits people choices

Module 9 Cultural Universals Cultural Universal: certain common practices and beliefs that all societies have developed Many are adaptations to meet essential human needs Murdoch compiled list of cultural universals but they are expressed differently from culture to culture

Cultural Universals Examples: Appearance (bodily adornment, hairstyles) Activities (sports, dancing, games, joking) Social institutions (family, law, religion) Practices (cooking, folklore, gift giving)

Culture and Taken-for-Granted Orientations What is Normal, Natural, or Usual? The Culture Within Us Culture as Lens Culture Shock Ethnocentrism The many ways in which culture affects our lives fascinate sociologists © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Elements of Culture Though cultures vary greatly, they have common elements Symbols Language Values Norms

Practicing Cultural Relativism Understanding Cultures on Their Own Terms “Sick Cultures” - Robert Edgerton Confronting Contrasting Views of Reality None of us can be entirely successful at practicing cultural relativism © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Components of Symbolic Culture Gestures Conveying Messages without Words Gestures’ Meaning Differ Among Cultures Can Lead to Misunderstandings Is it really true that there are no universal gestures? © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Symbols Humans sense the surrounding world and give it meaning Symbols Anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture Human capacity to create and manipulate symbols is almost limitless

Gestures with Different Meanings in Other Societies “Hook ‘em Horns” or “Your spouse is unfaithful”

Gestures with Different Meanings in Other Societies “He’s crazy” or “You have a telephone call”

Gestures with Different Meanings in Other Societies “Okay” Or “I’ll kill you”

Components of Symbolic Culture Language Allows Cumulative Human Experience Provides Social or Shared Past Provides Social or Shared Future Allows Shared Perspective Allows Complex, Shared, Goal-Directed Behavior © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Language and Perception: Sapir-Whorf Language Has Embedded Within It Ways of Looking at the World Sapir-Whorf Reverses Common Sense Rather than objects and events forcing themselves onto our consciousness, it is our Language that determines our consciousness, & hence our perception of objects and events © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Module 12 Values Cultural values: Collective conceptions of what is good, desirable, and proper – or bad, undesirable, and improper Influence people’s behavior Criteria for evaluating actions of others Values may change

Values in U.S. Society Achievement and Success Individualism Hard Work Efficiency and Practicality Science and Technology Material Comfort Freedom © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Values in U.S. Society Democracy Equality Group Superiority Education Religiosity Romantic Love © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Emerging Values Leisure Self-fulfillment Physical Fitness Youthfulness Concern for the Environment © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Values and Culture Culture Wars: When Values Clash Value and Distorting Lenses “Ideal” vs. “Real” Culture The values, norms, and goals that a group considers ideal, worth aiming for © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Norms Norms are 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.

Folkways Everyday customs that may be violated without serious consequences within a particular culture. In the United States, folkways include: using deodorant brushing our teeth wearing appropriate clothing for a specific occasion These are sometime referred to as soft norms

Mores Strongly held norms with moral and ethical connotations that may not be violated without serious consequences. Taboos are mores so strong that violation is considered extremely offensive and even unmentionable. The incest taboo, which prohibits sexual relations between certain kin, is an example of a nearly universal taboo.

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.

Situational Norms that change according to the situation As an example: Normative behavior at a sporting event would not be appropriate within the context of the normal classroom

Acceptance of Norms People do not follow norms in all situations Module 12 Acceptance of Norms People do not follow norms in all situations Behavior that appears to violate society’s norms may represent adherence to a particular group’s norms Norms may be violated because they conflict with other norms Acceptance of norms is subject to change

Module 12 Sanctions Sanctions: Penalties and rewards for conduct concerning social norm Positive sanctions: Pay raises, medals, and words of gratitude Negative sanctions: Fines, threats, imprisonment, and stares of contempt

Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism Module 9 Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism Ethnocentrism: Tendency to assume that one’s own culture and way of life represents the norm or is superior to others Conflict theorists: ethnocentric value judgments serve to devalue groups and to deny equal opportunities Functionalists: ethnocentrism maintains sense of solidarity

Module 9 Cultural Relativism Cultural relativism: People’s behaviors from the perspective of their own culture Different social contexts give rise to different norms and values

Popular Culture Activities, products, and services that are assumed to appeal primarily to the middle and working classes. These include rock concerts, spectator sports, movies, and television.

Subcultures and Countercultures Groups of people in a small corner in life, (occupation) tend to develop specialized Ways to communicate with one another Subculture - A World Within the Dominant Culture Countercultures - Groups With Norms and Values at Odds With the Dominant Culture © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Old Order Amish Subculture Strong faith in God. Rejection of worldly concerns. Rely on horse and buggy for transportation.

Amish Subculture

Examples of Countercultures Beatniks of the 1950’s Flower Children of the 1960’s Drug Enthusiasts of the 1970’s

Beatniks of the 1950’s

Flower Children of the 1960’s

Sociobiology and Culture Module 9 Sociobiology and Culture Sociobiology: Systematic study of how biology affects human social behavior Founded on Darwin’s Theory of Evolution Sociobiologists assert that many cultural traits rooted in genetic makeup

Technology in the Global Village The New Technology - New Tools The long-accepted idea that it is proper to Withhold rights on the basis of someone’s sex can no longer be sustained Cultural Lag and Cultural Change Technology and Cultural Leveling © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.