Cultural Variation Chapter 2 Section 2

World Languages The cultures of the world are very different. There are about 240 languages spoken by at least one million people in the world today. There are many dialects of the same basic language.

Dialects of the English Language British English American English Canadian English Australian English

Cultural Universals Features that are common to all cultures are called cultural universals. In the 1940s, anthropologist George Murdock examined hundreds of different culture and compiled a list of over 60 cultural universals.

Cultural Universals Cooking Feasting Toolmaking Body Adornment Religion Myths and Folklore Sports Forms of Greeting Medicine Dancing Family Housing Music Funeral Ceremonies Gift Giving Language

Traits Can Vary Widely Example: Family In the West, a family consists of one or both parents and their children. In other parts of the world, a family may include a man, his several wives, and their children.

Traits Can Vary Widely Example: Marriage In the U.S., marriage is usually between two people who choose to get married. In other societies, marriages are arranged at birth. In both situations, the purpose is the same, add new members to the society and care for them until they are old enough.

What is Ethnocentrism? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSJFBeVFtak&feature =related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

Ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism is the tendency to believe that one's ethnic or cultural group is centrally important, and that all other groups are measured in relation to one's own. The ethnocentric individual will judge other groups relative to their own particular ethnic group or culture, especially with concern to language, behavior, customs, and religion.

Cultural Relativism & Ethnocentrism http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uwxdFhOZvI&feature=related

Cultural Relativism Cultural relativism is the principle that an individual human's beliefs and activities should be understood in terms of his or her own culture. Rather than applying the standards of their own culture, understand cultural practices from the point of view of the members being studied.

Subculture A group within society that share values, norms, and behaviors that are not shared by the entire population. Subcultures do not pose a threat, and perform important functions. Examples include: Chippewa people, residents of San Francisco’s Chinatown, soldiers, police, doctors, teachers, religious leaders

Counterculture A group that rejects the values, norms, and practices of the larger society and replaces them with a new set cultural patterns. Examples include: 1950s “Beatniks”, 1960s “hippies” and anti-Vietnam War protestors, 1980s “punks”, lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender counterculture