Chapter 2
Culture
Chapter Outline
Culture and Society in a Changing World
 Components of Culture
 Technology, Cultural Change, and Diversity
 A Global Popular Culture?
 Sociological Analysis of Culture
 Culture in the Future

Questions for You…




Think about your definition of culture…..
How would you describe your culture to someone
who is not familiar with your culture?
What values, traditions, beliefs, holidays,
celebrations, and material objects are important
in your culture?
What have you learned based on your culture?
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.
Culture




Culture is essential for survival and
communication with other people.
Culture is learned through interaction,
observation and imitation.
Culture is fundamental for the survival of
societies.
Culture is the “essence” of human social
interaction.
How Much Do You Know About Global
Food and Culture?

True or False?

Cheese is a universal food enjoyed by people of all
nations and cultures.
How Much Do You Know About Global
Food and Culture?

False.

Although cheese is a popular food in many cultures,
most of the people living in China find cheese very
distasteful and prefer delicacies such as duck feet.
How Much Do You Know About Global
Food and Culture?

True or False?

Giving round-shaped foods to the parents of new
babies is considered to be lucky in some cultures.
How Much Do You Know About Global
Food and Culture?

True.

Round foods such as pears, grapes, and mooncakes
are given to celebrate the birth of babies, because the
shape of the food is believed to symbolize family
unity.
Culture

Material culture


Physical or tangible creations (such as clothing
shelter, and art) that members of a society make, use,
and share.
Nonmaterial culture

Abstract or intangible human creations of society
(such as attitudes, beliefs, and values) that influence
people’s behavior.
Hand Gestures with Different Meanings
Even more…
Cultural Universals

Examples:
Appearance (bodily adornment, hairstyles)
 Activities (sports, dancing, games, joking)
 Social institutions (family, law, religion)
 Practices (cooking, folklore, gift giving)

Components of Culture
Symbol
Language
Anything that meaningfully
represents something else.
Symbols that express ideas and
enable people to communicate.
Symbols
Symbols can also affect our thoughts about gender, race and ethnicity
Examples:
•The color of clothing has symbolic meanings for male and female.
Babies are almost invariably dressed according to whether they are boys
(blue or red) or girls (pink or yellow).
•Black and white are not the true colors of peoples’ skin, but we
nevertheless make references to people at a racial level by using these
terms. When we think of our thought-associations with these colors,
‘black’ is often viewed negatively while ‘white’ is viewed positively.
Why don’t we say ‘pinkish-tan’ or ‘golden- brown’?
Language
•Language – a set of symbols that express ideas and enable
people to think and communicate with one another (eg. Verbal
[spoken], non-verbal [written, gestured])
•Language creates visual images in our heads
Language and Social Reality:
•Does language communicate reality or does it create reality?
•Examples:
•When we use the terms pro-life or pro-choice, are we expressing
reality as it is or are we creating it?
•Some Aboriginal languages do not have personal pronouns for
gender (ie. he / she)
Language
•Language and Gender
•How does our language reflect our cultural assumptions about
gender?
•Examples:
•Gender-specific references to occupations
eg. mankind or chairman.. Other examples…
•Language, Race and Ethnicity
•How does our language reinforce our perceptions and
misconceptions about race and ethnicity?
•Examples:
•Derogatory references to minority ethnic groups
eg. Negative associations with ‘black’;
Choosing words such as primitive or Indian in reference to
Aboriginals
Symbolic/language examples in your life.
continued
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis



According to this theory, language shapes the
view of reality of its speakers.
If people are able to think only through language,
then language must precede thought.
Language can create and reinforce our
perceptions about gender (e.g., “Men Working”)
and race and ethnicity (e.g., “English only
legislation”).
Components of Culture
Values
Collective ideas about what is
right or wrong and good or bad.
Norms
Established rules of behavior or
standards of conduct.
Values
•Values – collective ideas about what is right and wrong, good or bad,
and desirable or undesirable in a particular culture
(eg. Equality, fairness, tolerance, dialogue, diversity, America’s
natural beauty, America’s global image)
•Values typically come in pairs of positive and negative
(eg. brave vs. cowardly; hardworking vs. lazy)
•Value contradictions
•These are values that contradict with one another or are mutually
exclusive
•For example, 75% of Americans feel that “people who are poor have
a right to an adequate income to live on,” but many of them still show
strong support for governments that cut budgets in order to reduce
deficits
Values
•Ideal vs Real culture
•Ideal culture refers to the values and standards of behavior that
people in a society profess to hold
•Real culture refers to the values and standards of behavior that
people actually follow
(For example, we might think of ourselves as “good citizens”,
but still drive above the speed limit or do engage in other illegal
activities - however seemingly harmless.)
Norms
•Norms – established rules of behavior or standards of conduct
(eg. pay taxes, don’t talk while you eat, say please and thank you,
don’t drink and drive)
•Formal vs informal norms
•Formal norms are written down and involve specific punishments
for violators (eg. Laws)
•These may be enforced by sanctions, either positive (from simple
praise to medals of honor) or negative (ranging from mild
disapproval to life imprisonment)
•Informal norms are unwritten standards of behavior understood by
people who share a common identity. When they are violated, other
people may apply informal sanctions (eg. a frowning gesture, a
public scolding, etc.)
Ten Core American Values
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Individualism
Achievement and Success
Activity and Work
Science and Technology
Progress and Material Comfort
Ten Core American Values
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Efficiency and Practicality
Equality
Morality and Humanitarianism
Freedom and Liberty
Racism and Group Superiority
Polling Question


Do you believe these values are still important
today?
Which, if any, remain particularly important?
Which, if any, are no longer salient?
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.

Formal and Informal Norms

Formal norms are written down and involve
specific punishments for violators.


Laws are the most common type of formal norms.
Informal norms are unwritten standards of
behavior understood by people who share a
common identity.

When individuals violate informal norms, people may
apply informal sanctions.
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

Norms

Crowded conditions exist around the world, yet
certain norms prevail in everyday life. Is the
behavior of people in this Osaka, Japan train
station a reflection of formal or informal 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 wellbeing.

Technology, Cultural Change, and
Diversity


Changes in technology continue to shape the
material culture of society.
Cultural lag is a gap between the technical
development of a society and its moral and legal
institutions.
Cultural Diversity

Cultural differences between and within nations
are caused by:

Natural circumstances


Climate, geography
Social circumstances

Technology, composition of the population
Cultural Diversity of U.S. Society:
Religion
Cultural Diversity of U.S. Society:
Income
Cultural Diversity of U.S. Society: Race
and Ethnicity
Subcultures

Subculture is a category of people who share
distinguishing attributes, beliefs, values, and/or
norms that set them apart in some significant
manner from the dominant culture

Example: Old Order Amish
Strong faith in God.
 Rejection of worldly concerns.
 Core values include the joy of work, the primacy of the
home, faithfulness, thriftiness, tradition and humility.

Subcultures: Old Order Amish
Countercultures

Countercultures are groups that strongly reject
dominant society values and norms and seek
alternative lifestyles

Examples: Beatniks of the 1950’s; Flower Children of
the 1960’s; Drug Enthusiasts of the 1970’s
Culture Shock, Ethnocentrism, and
Cultural Relativism



Culture shock refers to the anxiety people
experience when they encounter cultures
radically different from their own.
Ethnocentrism is the assumption that one’s
own culture is superior to others.
Cultural relativism views and analyzes
another culture in terms of that culture’s own
values and standards.
Polling Question

Which cultural background do you identify with
the most? Choose only one.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Anglo (white, non-Hispanic)
Hispanic
African American, black
Native American (American Indian)
Asian
Other
High Culture vs. Popular Culture

High Culture: Activities patronized by
members of the upper-middle and upper classes,
with time, money, and knowledge assumed
necessary for its appreciation.


Classical music, opera, ballet, live theater
Popular Culture: Activities, products, and
services that are assumed to appeal primarily to
the middle and working classes.

Rock concerts, spectator sports, movies, and
television.
Sociological Analysis of Culture
Quick Quiz
1.
________ consists of the physical or tangible
creations that members of a society make, use,
and share.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Nonmaterial culture
Cultural universals
Material culture
High culture
Answer: C

Material culture consists of the physical or
tangible creations that members of a society
make, use, and share.
2. Language, beliefs, values, rules of behavior,
family patterns, and political systems are
examples of:
A.
B.
C.
D.
material culture
high culture
nonmaterial culture
cultural universals
Answer: C

Language, beliefs, values, rules of behavior,
family patterns, and political systems are
examples of nonmaterial culture.
3. An example of a symbol is:
A.
B.
C.
D.
a dove
all of the choices
a heart
Nazi swastika
Answer: B

A dove, a heart, and a Nazi swastika, are all
examples of symbols.
3. According to the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis:
A.
B.
C.
D.
reality is objective and is easily understood by
humans.
language shapes the view of reality of its speakers.
reality is based on the interactions of individuals.
with more knowledge, a person minimizes the
influence of language.
Answer: B

According to the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis,
language shapes the view of reality of its
speakers.
4. According to Karl Marx, and Marxist theorists:
A.
B.
C.
D.
none of the choices.
ideas are used by agents of the wealthy to affect the
thoughts and actions of members of other classes.
ideas are effective for the working classes to motivate
the wealthy.
ideas have little impact on the relations between the
wealthy and poor in societies.
Answer: B

According to Karl Marx, and Marxist theorists,
ideas are used by agents of the wealthy to
affect the thoughts and actions of
members of other classes.
5. Sanctions are only punishments when behavior
or attitudes are deviant.
A.
B.
False
True
Answer: A


Sanctions are not only punishments when
behavior or attitudes are deviant.
Positive sanctions reward and reinforce
normative behavior.