1. Cultural Diversity
Chapter 2

2. The Meaning of Culture
Unlike animals, humans are not controlled by instincts.
Humans are able to adapt to and change their environments.
The way groups and societies deal with the environment is the foundation of culture.

3. The Meaning of Culture
Culture is all the shared products of human groups.
These can be physical objects and the beliefs, values, and behaviors shared by a group.
Material culture consists of the physical objects people create and use.
Books, clothing, cooking utensils, etc..
Nonmaterial culture is abstract human creations.
beliefs, family patterns, ideas, languages, political and economic systems, skills, and work practices.

4. The Meaning of Culture
The terms society and culture ae often interchangeable, however sociologists distinguish between the two terms.
A Society is a group of interdependent people who have organized it in such a way as to share a common culture and feeling of unity.
Society = people
Culture = material and nonmaterial products created by people

5. The Meaning of Culture Culture is both learned and shared.
For example, not everyone in the US:
dresses the same,
belongs to the same church
Listens to the same type of music
Most people do choose from the same broad set of material and nonmaterial culture in their environment
There are many languages in the US, but English is the dominant one
There are many religions, but Christianity is the dominant one

6. The Meaning of Culture
Technology is a society’s physical objects and the rules for using those objects.
Using items of material culture, particularly tools, requires knowledge of various skills, which is part of nonmaterial culture.
Example:
The ability to use a computer to access and surf the internet.
Sociologists are not only interested in the skills, but also in the rules of acceptable behavior.
Hacking
Illegal downloads

7. The Meaning of Culture
The use of symbols is the very basis of human culture.
We create our culture and communicate it to group members and future members.
A symbol has a shared meaning attached to it.
Examples of symbols:
Words
Gestures
Images
Sounds
Objects
events

8. The Meaning of Culture
Language is the organization of written or spoken symbols into a standardized system.
When organized into accepted rules of grammar, words can be used to express any kind of idea.
In the US, we use the American form of English.
We use English in schools, books, magazines, radio, and television

9. The Meaning of Culture
Values are the shared beliefs about what is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable and undesirable.
Language and symbols help us communicate our values to one another and future generations.
Values shape:
the character of a society
Material culture produced
Nonmaterial culture produced

10. The Meaning of Culture Norms are created to enforce cultural values.
They are shared rules of conduct to tell people how to act in specific situations.
Norms are expected behavior, not actual behavior.
Norms can be applied selectively
Priests cannot marry
Police and soldiers taking live vs civilians.
Norms can vary geographically
Norms vary with the strictness in which they are enforced:
Folkways
Mores

11. The Meaning of Culture
Mores have great moral significance attached to them.
Violation of mores endanger society’s well being and stability.
This is considered to be deviant.
Examples:
Murder
Looting
Fraud
Folkways are norms that describe socially acceptable behavior, but do not have great moral significance attached to them.
Folkways outline the common customs of everyday life.
Failure to abide will result in a reprimand or minor punishment.
Some degree of nonconformity is permitted
Examples:
Waiting in line
Shaking hands

12. The meaning of culture
Societies have established punishments for violating mores in order to protect society’s well being – these are called laws.
Laws are written rules of conduct enacted and enforced by the government.
Most laws serve to enforce mores and social stability.
Examples:
Laws against murder, rape, arson, theft
Some laws may enforced folkways.
Not using the handicap parking when you are not hanicap

13. The Meaning of culture
Cultural traits are individual acts, tools, or beliefs related to a particular situation or need.
This is the simplest level of culture.
Examples:
Using utensils to eat with vs eating with hands
Saying “hi” to someone
Shaking hands vs bowing

14. The Meaning of Culture
Cultural complexes are a cluster of interrelated traits.
Example: Soccer
Traits
Shin guards
Cleats
Kicking/passing the ball
Slide tackling
Specific beliefs related to the game also exist such as rules.
Penalties
Financing, marketing, and advertising of soccer.

15. The meaning of culture
Cultural patterns are the combination of a number of cultural complexes into an interrelated whole.
Example: separate complexes of basketball, baseball, soccer, football, tennis, and track combine to make the American athletic pattern.
Other cultural patterns include :
Agriculture
Education
Family life
Manufacturing
Religion

16. Cultural Variation
Everyday activities, such as eating dinner, can differ widely depending on the culture.
Another example of variation in culture is language.
There are more than 220 different languages around the world!
There are also variations of the same language around the world.
English
American English
British English
Australian English
Canadian English
v=55u6gun0N60

17. Cultural Variation
Cultural universals are features common to all cultures.
Sociologist George Murdock identified more than 65 cultural universals.
Among these are:
Dancing
Family
Body adornment
religion
Folklore
Music
funerals

18. Cultural Variation In all cultures the purpose of family is the same
to ensure that new members will add to the society and cared for until old enough to fend for themselves.
Family also introduces components of culture to children
The family makeup varies from culture to culture
Some cultures are just parents and children
Others are multigenerational
Some are polygamous
Some are monogamous

19. Cultural Variation
In order to study variations among societies, sociologists must be careful to remain critical of biases in their observations and conclusions.
They must not be ethnocentric
Ethnocentrism is the tendency to view one’s own culture and group as superior.
This means we tend to view others as inferior
This is usually based on factors like technology
When ethnocentrism is extreme society can become stagnant.
Ethnocentrism limits the new influences by excluding others

20. Cultural Variation
Cultural relativism is the belief that cultures should be judged by their own standards, rather than applying the standards of another culture.
This helps sociologists and anthropologists to understand practices that may seem strange or different from their own culture.
Example: child brides

21. Cultural Variation
Cultural variations exist not only among societies, but within them as well.
Subcultures form when society’s norms, values, and behaviors are not shared by the entire population.
They don’t reject all of society’s values and practices of the society
Subcultures include:
Age
Gender
Race/ethnicity
Religion
Politics
Social class
Geography

22. Cultural Variation
Most subcultures do not present a threat to society.
Subcultures can actually make society more open to change.
In some instances, subcultural practices are intended to challenge the values of the larger society.
When a group rejects the norms, values, and practices of society and replaces them with a new cultural pattern a counterculture has formed.
Examples:
Organized crime
Hippies
Neo-nazis