We dont see the world the way it is, we see the world the way we are.

*If

something is not an element of culture it is co-opted by the culture or culturized.

Anything that we humans conceive of, describe, make or use becomes an element of culture.

 Culture

is the entire way of life for a group of people. It is hard for us to see our own culture, so we may not recognize the extent to which it shapes and defines who we are.

 It

includes things such as language, standards of beauty, hand gestures, styles of dress, food, and music. Culture is learned. It is passed from one generation to the next through communicationnot genetics.

tool for adaptation

Humans are tremendously adaptable

Physical environments Arctic Deserts Moon

 Culture

ultimately represents our adaptation to the physical environment

conditions a way to make sense of the world

religion social policy construction of reality

 Biology

and Culture

The intersection between biology and culture is human nature or biological needs expressed in an agreed upon manner

All cultures allow for the expression of biology-which gives us the rich variety of cultures around the world reproduction Eating Kinship networks

 Ethnocentrism

occurs when a person uses their own culture as a standard to evaluate another group or individual, leading to the view that cultures other than ones own are abnormal.
Ethnocentrism is the belief that your own culture is superior to others and the practices of other cultures are less enlightened and should conform to your ideals

 Cultural

relativism is the process of understanding other cultures on their own terms, rather than judging according to ones own culture.
studying any group, it is important to try to employ cultural relativism because it helps sociologists see others more objectively.

When

 Culture

is:

learned passed on from one generation to another dynamic

over time from place to place

 Culture

has two distinct components

Material Culture
Human Technology --- what we make and use

Non-Material (symbolic) Culture

All Knowledge, Beliefs, Values and Rules for human behavior

 Human

artifacts All those things that we make and use in our daily lives

food houses cars

All

these things reflect cultural development and change culture

 Material

culture includes the objects associated with a cultural group, such as tools, machines, utensils, buildings, and artwork.

 Food

represents our ability to surviveit represents our ability to procreate and move our genes forward Food is attached to many celebrations, customs and rituals

 There

are social rules that are attached to food in every culture

Who eats with whom? In what order do members of a cultural groups eat? Who gets more or less food?

 Food

can be symbolic

 Symbolic

culture includes ways of thinking (beliefs, values, and assumptions) and ways of behaving (norms, interactions, and communication).

One

of the most important functions of symbolic culture is to allow us to communicate through signs, gestures, and language.

 Signs

(or symbols), such as a traffic signal or product logo, are used to meaningfully represent something else. Gestures are the signs that we make with our body, such as hand gestures and facial expressions; it is important to note that these gestures also carry meaning.

21

 The

most important and powerful component of non-material culture

Language language reveals much about us and our ways language can be used as a tool

 Finally,

language is a system of communication using vocal sounds, gestures, and written symbols. This is probably the most significant component of culture because it allows us to communicate.

 Language

is so important that many have argued that it shapes not only our communication but our perceptions of how we see things as well.
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which is the idea that language structures thought and that ways of looking at the world are embedded in language, supports this premise.

The

 Values

are shared beliefs about what a group considers worthwhile or desirable; these guide the creation of norms.
are the formal and informal rules regarding what kinds of behavior are acceptable and appropriate within a culture.

Norms

 Values

Those ideas we hold to be true, right or good wrong or bad

Rules for appropriate behavior

Norms Formal norms

Laws

Informal

norms

Folkways

Mores
Taboos

 Norms

are specific to a culture, time period, and situation.

can be either formal, such as a law or the rules for playing soccer, or informal, not written down and unspoken.

Norms

 Types

of norms can also be distinguished by the strictness with which they are enforced.

 Laws

(rules)

Explicit codified laws or rules for behavior Serious consequences for violation

Fines Loss of rights/privileges imprisonment

Enforced by formal agents of social control

A folkway is a loosely enforced norm that involves common customs, practices, or procedures that ensure smooth social interaction and acceptance.

Mores
strongly

held norms that have a moral dimension and are many times supported by law, but not always. Mores carry greater moral significance, is closely related to the core values of a group, and often involves severe repercussions for violators.
murder rape cheating

taboo is a norm engrained so deeply that even thinking about violating it evokes strong feelings of disgust, horror, or revulsion for most people.

 Sanctions

are positive or negative reactions to the ways that people follow or disobey norms, including rewards for conformity and punishments for norm violators. Sanctions help to establish social control, the formal and informal mechanisms used to increase conformity to values and norms and thus increase social cohesion.

 Components

Knowledge How do we know what we know?

history science religion intuition

 Components

Beliefs How do we come to believe what we believe?

religion media socialization

 Multiculturalism

values diverse racial, ethnic, national, and linguistic backgrounds and so encourages the retention of cultural differences within society, rather than assimilation.

 The

dominant culture refers to the values, norms, and practices of the group within society that is most powerful in terms of wealth, prestige, status, and influence.

subculture is a group within society that is differentiated by its distinctive values, norms, and lifestyle.

 Ethnic

subcultures or enclaves Social class

homeless super rich

Deviant

subculture

organized crime

 Some

are not criminal

Some are criminal like the Mafia

counterculture is a group within society that openly rejects and/or actively opposes societys values and norms.

 Culture

is dynamic

Innovation: technological change occurring directly to a society

Diffusion: the movement of traits from one culture to another

technology ethos missions

 Cultures

usually change slowly and incrementally, though change can also happen in rapid and dramatic ways.
times, a subculture can influence the mainstream and become part of dominant culture, or something that is dominant can change to a counterculture.

At

FIGURE 3.1

CHANGES IN COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

2000

FIGURE 3.1

CHANGES IN COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

2009

Cultural Crossroads Concept Quiz It is easy for us to see our own culture and see how it shapes and defines who we are.

a. true b. false

Cultural Crossroads Concept Quiz When a person uses their own culture as a standard to evaluate another group or individual, this is called: a. egotism. b. egocentrism. c. ethnocentrism. d. material culture.

Cultural Crossroads Concept Quiz Which of the following is NOT a component of culture?
a. material culture b. signs c. language d. symbolic culture e. All of the above are components of culture.

Cultural Crossroads Concept Quiz Which norm has the greatest moral significance?

a. folkways b. pathways c. mores d. symbolic culture

Cultural Crossroads Concept Quiz Which of the following groups within society that openly rejects and/or actively opposes societys values and norms? a. the dominant culture b. a subculture c. a counterculture d. a materialistic culture

The Real World: An Introduction To Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright 2012 W. W. Norton & Company

The Real World: An Introduction To Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright 2012 W. W. Norton & Company