The Human Culture Ramesh kumar

What is Culture Culture is a shared, learned, symbolic system of values, beliefs and attitudes that shapes and influences perception and behavior -- an abstract "mental blueprint" or "mental code." Culture is a shared, learned, symbolic system of values, beliefs and attitudes that shapes and influences perception and behavior -- an abstract "mental blueprint" or "mental code."  Must be studied "indirectly" by studying behavior, customs, material culture (artifacts, tools, technology), language, etc.  Learned. Process of learning one's culture is called enculturation.  Shared by the members of a society. No "culture of one."  Patterned. People in a society live and think in ways that form definite patterns.  Patterned. People in a society live and think in ways that form definite patterns.

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio What is Culture……cont…  Mutually constructed through a constant process of social interaction.  Symbolic. Culture, language and thought are based on symbols and symbolic meanings.  Arbitrary. Not based on "natural laws" external to humans, but created by humans according to the "whims" of the society. Example: standards of beauty.  Internalized. Habitual. Taken-for granted. Perceived as "natural."  It is man-made environment.

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2/3/2016 P.K ChandioCulture…..continue Culture refers to the following Ways of Life, including but not limited to:  Language : the oldest human institution and the most sophisticated medium of expression.  Language : the oldest human institution and the most sophisticated medium of expression.  Arts & Sciences : the most advanced and refined forms of human expression.  Arts & Sciences : the most advanced and refined forms of human expression.  Thought : the ways in which people perceive, interpret, and understand the world around them.  Thought : the ways in which people perceive, interpret, and understand the world around them.  Spirituality : the value system transmitted through generations for the inner well- being of human beings, expressed through language and actions.  Spirituality : the value system transmitted through generations for the inner well- being of human beings, expressed through language and actions.

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio What is Culture…..continue  Social activity : the shared pursuits within a cultural community, demonstrated in a variety of festivities and life-celebrating events.  Social activity : the shared pursuits within a cultural community, demonstrated in a variety of festivities and life-celebrating events.  Interaction : the social aspects of human contact, including the give-and-take of socialization, negotiation, protocol, and conventions. All of the above collectively define the meaning of Culture

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio What is Culture…..continue  Culture--the way of life of a group of people

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Culture Culture is “...all that human beings learn to do, to use, to produce, to know, and to believe as they grow to maturity and live out their lives in the social groups to which they belong.” Culture is “...all that human beings learn to do, to use, to produce, to know, and to believe as they grow to maturity and live out their lives in the social groups to which they belong.”

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Types of Culture

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Material Culture  Material culture –physical things that we can see or touch, all the artifacts of a group of people (artifacts of life … stuff).  Everything we build or make.  Utensils, tools, farming methods.  Food and clothing.  Buildings and communication systems.

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Non-Material Culture  Nonmaterial culture is the invisible (eek) and intangible parts of culture –Beliefs –Values –Norms/Rules –Language  Values are nonmaterial shared judgments about what is desirable or undesirable, right or wrong, good or bad

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Non-Material Culture  Everything we believe in or practice  Religion and values  Laws and political systems  Language, music, and ideas.  Norms - folkways, mores, and laws

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Norms  Norms: written or unwritten guides for behavior telling one what is acceptable or not in social situations.  Mores: Strong idea for right & wrong  Folkways: Idea for right and wrong  Taboo: Violation of mores.  Sanctions: Rewards & Punishments

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Norms : Cultural rules:  shared rules of behavior (based in a culture’s values) –Folkways –Mores –Taboos –Laws

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Norms  Mores: Strong idea for right & wrong  Folkways: Idea for right and wrong  Taboo: Violation of mores.  Rules: social rules to govern the practices and rituals of society.  Sanctions: Rewards & Punishments

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Social Norms  Mores and Folkways Religious folkway Religious more

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Social Norms  Folkways--norms that apply to routine situations –Things dealing with daily life like how to eat certain foods –How to greet others

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Social Norms Mores--these are powerful norms concerning the morality of an act. –These type of situations usually result in severe punishments

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio The 5 Components of Culture 1. Technology Physical objects we use and the rules for using them. Physical objects we use and the rules for using them. 2. Symbols: Anything that represents something larger than itself and has a shared meaning. Anything that represents something larger than itself and has a shared meaning. 3. Language Organization of written or spoken symbols into a standardized system

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio The 5 Components of Culture 4. Values Shared beliefs about what is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable. 5. Norms  Shared rules of conduct that tell people how to act in specific situations.  Norms are standards of expected behavior

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Cultures are dynamic but how & why?  Invention - new idea about how something can be made or done.  innovation - improvement in technology  cultural diffusion - ideas from one culture spread to another.

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Terms used in Culture Cultural Shock: what happens when you are exposed to a completely new society--living in a primitive society and then being transported to a modern/industrial society. Cultural Lag:  It is difference b/w old and new adopted culture of group.  it is also called generation gap.  Difference b/w two culture  Cultural Conflict.  Culture shock refers to the difficulty that people have when they encounter cultures very different from their own

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Terms used in Culture  Beliefs—concepts people accept as true about how the world operates.  Values--a general feeling among a society about what is good or bad, appropriate or inappropriate.

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Symbols  A symbol is anything that represents something other than itself

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Cultural Log  Cultural Lag is a term coined by William Ogburn to refer to the tendency for certain aspects of culture to change more quickly than others, often causing conflict  Material culture tends to change more rapidly than non-material culture

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Subculture  Subcultures consist of certain segments of the population who share certain beliefs, lifestyles, values and norms which are distinctive from the population.  The notion of subculture does not suggest an inferior culture—rather, that it is a distinctive culture within a larger culture Relationship between culture and subculture

2/3/2016 P.K Chandio Types of Subcultures