Chapter 2 Culture

Terminology Culture shock –Disorientation due to the inability to make sense out of one’s surroundings Domestic and foreign travel Nonmaterial culture –The intangible world of ideas created by members of a society © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Terminology Material culture –Tangible things created by members of society Cultural relativism –More accurate understanding © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Terminology Culture –The ways of thinking, the ways of acting, the material objects that form people’s way of life Society –People who interact in a defined territory and share a culture © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

What is Culture? Culture and Human Intelligence Culture, Nation, and Society How Many Cultures? –One indicator of culture is language –Globally, experts document almost 7,000 languages © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Symbols Anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture Societies create new symbols all the time. Reality for humans is found in the meaning things carry with them –The basis of culture; makes social life possible © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Symbols People must be mindful that meanings vary from culture to culture. Meanings can even vary greatly within the same groups of people. –Fur coats, Confederate flags, etc. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Language Does Language Shape Reality? A system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another Cultural transmission Sapir-Whorf thesis –People perceive the world through the cultural lens of language © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Window on the World Global Map 2–1 Language in Global Perspective Chinese (including Mandarin, Cantonese, and dozens of other dialects) is the native tongue of one-fifth of the world’s people, almost all of whom live in Asia. English is the native tongue or official language in several world regions (spoken by 5 percent of humanity) and has become the preferred second language in most of the world. The largest concentration of Spanish speakers is in Latin America and, of course, Spain. Spanish is also the second most widely spoken language in the United States. Sources: Lewis (2009), and Central Intelligence Agency (2009).

Sociologist Robin Williams’ Ten Values Central to American Life Equal opportunity Achievement and success Material comfort Activity and work Practicality and efficiency © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sociologist Robin Williams’ Ten Values Central to American Life Progress Science Democracy and free enterprise Freedom Racism and group superiority © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Values Sometimes Conflict Emerging Values Values: A Global Perspective Sometimes one key cultural value contradicts another Value conflict causes strain Values change over time © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Norms Mores and Folkways –Mores (pronounced "more-rays") Widely observed and have great moral significance –Folkways Norms for routine and casual interaction © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ideal Versus Real Culture Ideal culture –The way things should be –Social patterns mandated by values & norms Real culture –Way things actually occur in everyday life –Social patterns that only approximate cultural expectations © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cultural Values of Selected Countries

Technology and Culture Hunting and Gathering Societies Horticultural and Pastoral Societies Agrarian Societies Industrial Societies Postindustrial Societies © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cultural Diversity High Culture and Popular Culture Subculture Multiculturalism Counterculture Cultural Change © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cultural Diversity Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism A Global Culture? –The global economy: The flow of goods –Global communications: The flow of information –Global migration: The flow of people © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Language Diversity across the United States

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Life Objectives of First-Year College Students, 1969 and 2010

Theories of Culture The Functions of Culture: Structural- Functional Theory Inequality and Culture: Social-Conflict Theory Evolution and Culture: Sociobiology © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Culture and Human Freedom Culture as constraint –We know our world in terms of our culture Culture as freedom –Culture is changing and offers a variety of opportunities –Sociologists share the goal of learning more about cultural diversity © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.