3. Culture and Societies

Culture and Society Defined Through culture, people and groups define themselves, conform to society's shared values, and contribute to society. According to Fredrick Tylor, culture can be defined as the whole complex that includes values, traditions, norms, ethics, sciences, arts, laws, religions, and all tools and buildings acquired by man as a member of society.

Sociologists define society as the people who interact in such a way as to share a common culture. Society can also have a geographic meaning and refer to people who share a common culture in a particular location. Culture and society are interrelated. A culture consists of the “objects” of a society, whereas a society consists of the people who share a common culture

Culture's Roots: Biological or Societal? Material and Non‐Material Culture. Symbols and Language in Human Culture: Every culture has its own set of symbols associated with different experiences and perceptions. Thus, as a representation, a symbol's meaning is neither instinctive nor automatic.

Cultural Values A culture's values are its ideas about what is good, right, fair, and just. Conflict theory focuses on how values differ between groups within a culture, while functionalism focuses on the shared values within a culture. A culture, though, may bridge conflicting values. For instance, the value of equality may conflict with the value of individualism.  Real culture refers to the values and norms that a society actually follows, while ideal culture refers to the values and norms that a society professes to believe.

Cultural Norms Norms are the agreed-upon expectations and rules by which a culture guides the behavior of its members in any given situation. Sociologists speak of at least four types of norms:  Folkways, sometimes known as “conventions” or “customs,” are standards of behavior that are socially approved but not morally significant. Mores are norms of morality. Taboo, meaning a culture absolutely forbids them, Laws are a formal body of rules enacted by the state and backed by the power of the state.

Hence, members must want to conform and obey rules Hence, members must want to conform and obey rules. They first must internalize the social norms and values that dictate what is “normal” for the culture; then they must socialize, or teach norms and values to, their children. If internalization and socialization fail to produce conformity, some form of “social control” is eventually needed. Social control may take the form of ostracism (enforcement), fines, punishments, and even imprisonment

Cultural Diversity If you want to talk about cultural diversity you have to talk about subcultures, countercultures, assimilation and multiculturation, and ethnocentrism and cultural relativism.

Culture shock is a term describes the anxiety produced when a person moves to a completely new environment

Towards a global culture Cultures have always influenced each other through travel, trade, and even occupation.

Society Society is a large, continuing, organized groups of people with its own territorial base. When you think of a home, three things always come to mind: Place, People, Sense of belonging.

There are different meanings for society: 1. A group of people related to each other. 2. A like-minded people. 3. An economic, social, or industrial infrastructure, made up of a varied collection of individuals. 4. A particular ethnic group. 5. An organized voluntary association of people. 6. A civil society

Types of society Sociologist Gerhard Lenski differentiates societies based on their level of technology, communication, and economy: (1) hunters and gatherers, (2) simple agricultural, (3) advanced agricultural, (4) industrial, and (5) special (e.g. fishing societies or maritime societies

Community Community is defined as a human settlement and the people who share life in it, bound together by natural participation in common social institution. Communities change in many ways, among them: geographically by growing or being absorbed. And psychologically, through contact with urban values, traditions and customs.

Three other elements may also be present in any usage of the term community. Communities may be thought of as collections of people with a particular social structure; A sense of belonging or community spirit. All the daily activities of a community, work and non-work, take place within the geographical area, which is self-contained

We can list out the characteristics of a community as follows: 1 We can list out the characteristics of a community as follows: 1. Territory 2. Close and informal relationships 3. Mutuality 4. Common values and beliefs 5. Organized interaction 6. Strong group feeling 7. Cultural similarity