Post on 18-Jan-2016
Part II – the Individual and SocietyChapter 3: Culture and Society
Lecture #4
What is Culture?
“the ways of life of the individual members or groups within a society”
What is Culture?
- Man-made
- “Shared” by members of a society
- “Learned” “Achieved”
- “transmitted” thru the socialization process or human interaction
What constitutes Culture?
- Material
- Non-Material
What constitutes Culture?
Material
The physical objects that a society creates and uses
Non-Material
The abstract creations of a society
Values
Norms (including laws) etc.
What constitutes Culture?
Values
“the abstract ideals” (P. 48)
Socially shared ideas about what is right.
What constitutes Culture?
Norms
“definite principles or rules people are expected to observe” (P. 48)
What constitutes Culture?
Material Cultures
↑
Norms
↑
Values
Nature and Nurture
Human beings
Nature “Biological” “Genetic”
“Given”
Nurture “Cultural” “Achieved”
Nature and Nurture
“Nature” vs. “Nurture”
Which determines human actions and behaviors?
What is the relationships between “Nature” and “Nurture”?
Nature and Nurture
Sociobiology“the application of biological principles to explain the social
activities of animals, including human beings.” (P. 50)
Human beings Animals≒“Our generic makeup accounts for most aspects of social
life.” (P.54)
Nature and Nurture
Sociology vs. Sociobiology
“biological reductionism”
Incest taboo
Nature and Nurture
Sociology vs. Sociobiology
Cultural diversity
Cultural Change
How does “culture” change?Contacts
Communications
Processes of interaction b/w different cultures
Cultural Change
- Colonization
Cultural Change
- Immigration
- War
- “Globalization” Transportation (tourism); Communication
Culture and Globalization
“Music Goes Global” Now?
Culture and Globalization
Music Global Now?
Dick Lee
“Music Goes Global” now?
Cultural Change
What happens when different cultures meet?
- Acculturation
- Assimilation
- Accommodation
Cultural Change What happens when different cultures meet?
Acculturation
People from one advanced cultures (civilization) incorporate norms and values from other cultures into their own
through a process.
Cultural Change What happens when different cultures meet?
Assimilation
Culturally distinct groups within a society of an advanced culture adopt the norms and values of that advanced
culture and gain equal statuses in its groups and institutions.
Cultural Change What happens when different cultures meet?
Accommodation
The process by which a smaller, less powerful group or society is able to maintain the major features of its culture
even after prolonged contact with a larger, stronger culture.
“Newyorican”
Cultural Change
George Ritzer
“McDonalization of Society”
“efficiency”
“predictability”
“control”
“calculability”
Cultural Change“McDonalization of Society”?
Cultural Change“McDonalization of Society”?
Cultural Change“McDonalization of Society”?
Cultural Change“McDonalization of Society”?
Values
↓ Norms
↓
Material Cultures
Cultural Change
Assimilation / Subcultures
Countercultures
Accommodation
Cultural Change
Ethnocentrism
Cultural relativism (pluralism)
Cultural Change
Cultural relativism
How much can we allow diversity of culture?