Cultural Variation, Subcultures, and Countercultures Dr. Urban

Cultural Universals Arts and Leisure Basic Needs Beliefs Athletic sports, dancing, decorative art, games, music Basic Needs Clothing, cooking, housing Beliefs Folklore, funeral rites, religious ritual Communication & Education Education, language Family Kinship, marriage Government & Economy Division of labor, law, rights, trade, calendar Technology Medicine, tools Cultural Universals

Cultural Variation Cultural diversity, pluralism, and multiculturalism Subcultures – groups whose values and related behaviors are so distinct that they set their members off from the general culture. 1,000s of subcultures in U.S. Examples - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_subcultures Countercultures – groups whose values set their members in opposition to dominant culture. Challenge dominant culture’s core values Cultural Variation

Responses to Cultural Variation Ethnocentrism – tendency to view one’s own culture and group as superior. Leads to discrimination, cultural stagnation Cultural Relativism – belief that cultures should be judged by their own standards rather than by applying the standards of another culture. Understand cultural practices from points of view of members of a particular society. But, cultural practices that result in exploitation should be judged as morally inferior Responses to Cultural Variation

Cultural Diffusion – spreading of cultural traits from one society to another Cultural Lag – time between cultural change, when ideas and beliefs are adapting to new material conditions. Material culture changes more readily than nonmaterial culture Cultural Leveling – process in which cultures become more and more alike E.g., McDonald’s, Starbucks, NY Yankees, etc. Cultural Change