Chapter 3

Culture

By: Adila Abdullah

What is culture?• Culture is the ways of thinking, the ways of acting and the material object that together form a people’s way of life.• The root of the word “culture” is the same as that of the word “cultivate”, suggesting that people living together in a society actually “grow” their way of life over time.• Divided into two major partsa) material culture- The physical things created by members of a society. Example, clothes, shelter.

b) Non-material culture- the ideas created by members of a society. Example; language, beliefs, values

Component of CultureSymbolsLanguageValues and beliefsNorms

Symbols• Anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by

people who shared a culture.• Example: a whistle, a wall covered with graffiti, a flag.• Difference meaning can e associated with the same symbol.

Example; wink of an eye.• Societies create new symbols all the time. Example, new

cyber- b4, cu, omg, gtg, etc.

Language• Language- system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another.• Language also key to cultural transmission- the process by which one generation passes cultural to the next.• Languages evolve in response to changing historical and social conditions.  Some language transformations typically occur in a generation or less. • For instance, the slang words used by your parents were very likely different from those that you use today.  You also probably are familiar with many technical terms, such as "text messaging" and "high definition TV", that were not in general use even a decade ago. 

Cont’

• A dialect is a variant of a language. Dialects may be both regional and social. If it is associated with a geographically isolated speech community, it is referred to as a regional dialect. •However, if it is spoken by a speech community that is merely socially isolated, it is called a social dialect. These latter dialects are mostly based on class, ethnicity, gender, age, and particular social situations.• Typically, the dialects of a society are ranked relative to each other in terms of social status

Values and Beliefs• Values- Culturally defined standards that people use

to decide what is desirable, good and beautiful that serve as broad guidelines for social living.

• Belief-Specific thoughts or ideas that people hold to be true.

Values 1 Malaysia

• Culture of excellent• Boldness• Humility• Reception• Loyalty• Meritocracy• Education • Integrity

Norms• Norms- Rules and expectations by which a society guides the

behavior of its members.• Mores- Norms that are widely observed and have great moral

significance. Distinguishing what is right and what is wrong. • For example: Adults not engage in sexual relations with

children.• Folkways- Norms for routine or casual interaction. For

instance, Appropriate greetings, proper dress, brushing teeth, etc

• Social Control- Attempts by society to regulate people’s thoughts and behavior.

Cultural Diversity: Many Ways of Live in One World1) High Culture and Popular Culture2) Subculture3) Multiculturalism4) Counterculture5) Cultural Change6) Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

1) High Cultural and Popular Culture• High culture: Cultural patterns that distinguish a

society’s elite.• High culture consists of classical music, opera, ballet,

live theater and other activities usually utilized by elite audiences, composed primarily of members of the upper middle and upper classes, who have the time, money and knowledge assumed to be necessary for its appreciation.

• High culture as a device used by the dominant class to exclude the subordinate classes.

Cont’• Popular Culture: Culture patterns that are widespread among a society’s population• Popular culture consists of activities, products, and services that are assumed to appeal primarily to members of the middle and working classes.• For example: movies, cell phone, football, etc.

2) Subculture• Subculture- Cultural patterns that set apart some

segments of society’s population.

• Some people who have unique shared behavior linked to a common racial, language or nationality background identify themselves as members of a specific subculture.

3) Multiculturalism

• A perspective recognizing the cultural diversity of the United States and promoting equal standing for all cultural traditions.

• Immigrants from around the world have come together to form a new way of life

4) Counterculture

• Counterculture: Cultural patterns that strongly oppose those widely accepted within society.• Young people are most likely to join counterculture group, perhaps because younger persons generally have less invested in the existing culture

5) Cultural Change• Societies experience cultural change at both material and

nonmaterial levels.• Changes in technology continue to shape the material culture

of society.• Technology refers to the knowledge, techniques and tools

that allow people to transform resources into usable forms and the knowledge and skills required to use what is developed.

• New technologies make a significant difference in many people’s lives.

Cont’• All parts of culture do not change at the same pace.• When a change occurs in the material culture of a society, nonmaterial must adapt that change. Frequently resulting a gap between the two.

• William F. Ogburn- “Cultural Lag” (The fact that some cultural elements changes more quickly than others disrupting a cultural system)

• Cultural lag occurs when material cultural change faster than nonmaterial culture, thus creating a lag between the two cultural components.

• For instance, the invention of automobile.

Causes of Change•1) Invention- the process of creating new culture elements. For example: telephone, computer, internet.•2)Discovery- recognizing and understanding more fully something already existence. For example: Foods of other culture•3) Diffusion- the spread of cultural traits from one society to another through such means as exploration, the media, tourism and immigration.

6) Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

• Ethnocentrism- the practice of judging another cultural by the standards' of one’s own culture.

• Ethnocentrism is based on the assumption that one’s own way of life superior than all others.

• For example: Most school children are taught that their own school and country are the best. The school song, national anthem.

• Negative impact- people emotionally attached to their way of life.

An alternative to ethnocentrism is cultural relativism- the practice of judging a culture by its own standards)

Cultural must be viewed from the standpoint of those who live in a particular society.

For example: Why cattle are viewed as sacred and not kill and eaten in India, where widespread hunger and malnutrition exist?

From the ethnocentric view, cow worship is the cause of the hunger in India.

However, the Hindu taboo against killing cattle is very important to their economic system. Live cows are valuable because they are direct source of food. From ecological system cows consume grasses of little values to humans. Then they produce fuel, fertilizer, milk, leather and floor covering.

Negeri Sembilan- “Adat pepatih” more emphasize to women’s side.

Culture and Human FreedomCulture as constrainCulture as freedom