Sociology Chapter 3
CULTURE
Intro to Culture
Definitions
• Culture- The beliefs and behaviors that a social group shares
• Society- A group of people who share a community (definable
region) and a culture (beliefs and practices of a group)
• *Neither society nor culture could exist without the other
• *Text example of how we behave in a fast food restaurant*
What is Culture? 3.1
-Most Human Behavior is LearnedEX’s
• In the US marriage is for “love”- many other places it is arranged
• We often shop for a week-many Europeans shop daily
• We try to avoid physical contact with strangers on buses/trainsJapan hires people to shove people into buses/trains
We know what we know and we want to be “normal” and secure that
we won’t be challenged for our behaviors
Expressions of Culture
Material Culture- Objects or belongings of a group of people. Ex’s: bus
passes, cars, churches.
Nonmaterial Culture- Ideas, attitudes and beliefs of a society.
*They often interact, your style of clothes can make a statement, a
bus pass indicates capitalism.
Cultural Universals- Patterns or traits that are globally common to all
societies. Ex’s: Music, funeral services, family units, humor- most CU’s
are around shared experiences and/or survival.
Relating to Other Cultures
• If you break it down to specifics- there are more cultural differences
than similarities. Ex’s: Language and food- Cultural Universals or
Difference?
• Personal Space exampleEthnocentrism- Evaluating another culture in how it compares to your
own. IE- belief that your own culture is superior.
*Those darn British drive on the wrong side of the road.
*It is normal and healthy to appreciate your own culture- but it can
go too far.
Relating to Other Cultures- Cont’d
Cultural Imperialism- The deliberate imposition of one’s own cultural
values on another culture.
Ex’s- Native American boarding schools, conquistadores, encomienda
system, Inquisitions, Sharia, Democracy in the ME………… Your Ex?
Culture Shock- The disorientation and frustration that occur when
confronted with a different culture. Fun at first but that wears off and
becomes stressful
Wears off as the more you learn about the new culture, the more
comfortable you become.
Have any of you experienced culture shock?
Relating to Other Cultures- Cont’d
Cultural Relativism- Assessing culture a by its own culture and not by
your own. Some issues can make this very hard. EX- female genital
mutilation- practiced in many areas of the world.
Xenocentrism- When someone believes that another culture is
superior to their own. Can be really hard for exchange students or a
sociologist returning from the field.
*Everybody has biases and being aware of them can help keep them
in check
3.2 Elements of Culture
Values- Are a culture’s standard for discerning what is good and just
in a society. Values are deeply embedded and critical for transmitting
and teaching a culture’s beliefs.
Beliefs- Are the tenets or convictions that people hold to be true.
EX- The belief in the American Dream that hard work will bring
success and wealth. Our value is that wealth is good and important
EX- We value courage and believe that soldiers deserve respect
Elements of Culture Continued
*Values suggest how we should behave- but reality is another
story*
Ideal Culture- The standards society would like to embrace. EX’sWe should all live a healthy lifestyle. Students should all
maximize their education etc
Real Culture- Crime, racism etc.
In groups of 3 think of an example of real vs ideal culture
Values into Action
The three ways that societies put values into actions are:
1. Rewards- When you observe the norms of society you often
receive a reward like a thank you or maybe a plague or a
bonus.
2. Sanctions- Are a societies approval or disapproval for certain
actions. They can be formal like being fired or informal like a
thank you or a frown.
3. Punishments- Breaking social norms can lead to loss of job,
imprisonment etc. Also people can be labeled.
*The above can be interpreted differently from culture to
culture- male hand holding is a good example.
Norms
Norms- Tell us what is “normal” in our society
Formal Norms- These are established, written rules. Laws are
examples as so are college entrance requirements, drug testing at
work. Formal norms are the most clearly stated and specific of the
norms.
Informal Norms- Casual behaviors that are generally and widely
conformed to. EX’s- standing in line, using a napkin at a restaurant,
calling me Mr. Dion.
What are some other examples of informal norms?
Other Kinds of Norms
Mores- Are norms that have a moral basis. Adultery, murder, public
drunkenness, body odor, plagiarism. The more serious ones are backed by
lack and lesser ones by public disapproval
Folkways- Norms with no moral basis. When to shake hands, not wearing a
tie etc. Folkways vary dramatically from society to society
Breaching Experiments- On page 63- testing what people do when
someone around them “breaches” behaves in a socially awkward manner.
EX- starting a conversation with a stranger at a urinal. These experiments
are valuable in uncovering many of the unwritten rules we live by.
Symbols and Language
Symbols- Provide clues to help understand the world. Some are real
useful like
signs and others convey nonmaterial meaning like
wedding rings, blue ribbons. A symbol used out of context can carry a
strong message. A soldier with a peace sign on their uniform. Symbols
can also convey information when they are destroyed- burning flags.
Language- The most universal of all symbols. All cultures have
language but even within a culture subtle information is carried
regarding class/education etc. Do you call it a pop or soda. Language
also reflects the changes in a society- internet/LOL/YOLO.
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
SWH -AKA the Theory of Linguistic Relativity
People understand their world through the meaning embedded in
their language.
• Eskimos have 12 words for snow and ice
• American English has the most words for time
• Some Native American tribes have about half their language for
horse terms
*Even within a language the type of words you use convey meaning
Nonverbal Communication
http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz31230423c0d88.html
Gestures can vary a lot between cultures. Log on and take the quiz at
the above address.
Some nonverbal communication is universal- smile, folded arms and
hands on hips are good examples.
America’s attitudes towards bilingualism is different than Australia’s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOnoSA-iazo
High Brow and Low Brow
The US has a national culture, but even within this there are types of
cultures. One of the major delineations is the distinction between High
Culture and Popular Culture.
High Culture- These are the things that the elite in society do. They
usually cost a lot of money. EX’s Opera, Ballet. They involvement in
high culture usually implies prestige, intellectualism and
political/economic power
Popular Culture- Those things that everybody has access to and most
can talk about it. EX’s American Idol, Seahawks, pop music
Subculture and Counterculture
Subculture- A smaller cultural group within a larger group. Bikers,
ethnic and racial groups, Amish, Mennonites etc.
Counterculture- A subculture that doesn’t buy into many of the values
and beliefs of the main culture. Sometimes they even from their own
“Utopian” communities. Polygamists, racists (Idaho), communes,
hipsters- see page 67-68.
Hipsters-Jazz-Beatniks-Hippies
Cult- A counterculture usually a religious group with a charismatic
leader. Jim Jones, Yearning for Zion, David Koresh are examples
Cultural Change
Culture is always evolving with material advancements
Innovation- An object or concept’s initial appearance in society. The
two ways that this happens are discoveries and inventions.
Discovery- Make known something that already exists. Columbian
Exchange, Galileo, horses.
Inventions- When something new is formed from existing objects or
concepts. Electric appliances, silicon chip, cars etc.
Culture Lag- The time lapse between the introduction of a new
material object and when it becomes an accepted part of nonmaterial
culture. Sometimes this can create generation gaps
Graph of Cultural Lag
Figure 3.9 Sociologist Everett Rogers (1962) developed a model
of the diffusion of innovations. As consumers gradually adopt a
new innovation, the item grows toward a market share of 100
percent, or complete saturation within a society. (Graph
courtesy of Tungsten/Wikimedia Commons)
Contemporary Issues
The world is smaller than ever and continuing to shrink
Globalization- The integration of international trade and finance
markets. Multinational companies are a big part of this. Also
increased communication and travel facilitate the flow of goods,
information and people.
Diffusion- The spread of material and nonmaterial culture. This
coincides with globalization. This really shows up in the foods we eat.
*The diffusion of American culture is a major world issue*
Can you think of other examples of diffusion?
Functionalist View of Culture
Society is a system where all parts work to create society as a
whole
• Culture exists to meet members’ basic needs
• Values are an important part of a societies culture- US values
education, fairness, individuality etc
• Culture consists of material object like classrooms, books and
nonmaterial aspects like values, concepts and beliefs
Conflict Theory on Culture
Conflict theorists view social structure as inherently unequal
• Culture is seen as perpetuating the inequalities of race, gender, age
• The source of many of these inequalities is found in a society’s value
system- Youth, Wealth etc
• The core of conflict theory is the effect of economic production and
materialism ie Industrialization and the concentration of wealth and
power
• The “American Dream” perpetuates the belief in privileges for the
wealthy
Symbolic Interactionism
Most concerned with face-to-face interactions between
members of a society.
• Culture is created and maintained by the way people interact and
interpret each other’s actions
• People continually derive meaning from the objects and actions of
others
• Language is a major symbol used in interpreting meaning-SWH
• To a SI proponent, culture is highly dynamic and fluid
Final Thoughts About Culture
• Culture is all the practices, beliefs, values and behaviors of a society
• Culture is learned
• Culture influences the way we act and perceive our world and the
world around us
• Culture is social comfort- makes us comfortable knowing how to
behave
• Culture is the glue that enables societies and nations to exist
without
• When we study other cultures, we understand our own better