1. What is Culture? Anthropology 330 Kimberly Porter Martin

2. What is Culture? DEFINITION Culture is the abstract, learned, shared rules and standards for generating behavior and understanding experience. KEY COMPONENTS  Abstraction means that culture is ideas in people’s heads, not physical objects.  Culture is learned, not genetically programmed.  Culture is shared and social, not personal and individual.  Culture is rules and patterns, whether conscious or unconsciously followed.  People decide how to behave using their culture’s rules and patterns.  People understand the world through their culture’s patterns of belief. DIFFERENT from the Textbook!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Learn THIS definition!

3. What is Society? DEFINITION A society is a group of people living according to a shared culture. KEY COMPONENTS  A society is a concrete phenomenon  A society is a group of people living their lives  The thing that makes a group of people a society is that they share a common culture

4. Cultural Products  Behavior  Beliefs  Symbols  Material culture  Societies

5. Behavior  Actions  Activities  Events  Relationships

6. Beliefs F Interpretations F Ideas F Ways of understanding F Assumptions F Perceptions of truth/reality

7. Symbols KEY ASPECTS  The ability to symbolize is the most fundamental aspect of culture.  Symbols help people identify, sort,and classify things, ideas, and behaviors.  When people symbolize using language, they can express experiences that took place earlier or suggest events that may happen. DEFINITION Something that stands for something else

8. TYPES OF MATERIAL CULTURE Artifacts are portable objects made by people, eg. Tools, food, decorative or religious articles, vehicles, etc. Features are alterations in the environment made by people – eg. Roads, architecture, irrigation systems, etc. DEFINITION The concrete products made by people that meet the standards and expectations of a group Material Culture

9. Pluralistic Societies DEFINITION F Societies composed of a number of different cultural or subcultural groups. India 415 Distinct Languages 461 and 465 Distinct Tribal Groups Plus immigrant groups China 29 Languages Spoken China denies having indigenous groups Plus immigrant groups There are very few monocultural societies left in the world

10. Subcultures DEFINITION A subdivision of a national culture that shares some features with the larger society and also differs in some important respects. EXAMPLES OF SUBCULTURES Ethnic subcultures http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=a NUyd1UeD5k&feature=related Gay subculture http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=N puaKLrajsw Aryan Brotherhood Subculture http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=1 BhNgCevbAc&feature=related Rave subcultures http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= Jlip8LHcJaI&feature=related

11. Anthropological Perspectives F The emic approach (insider view) seeks to describe another culture in terms of the categories, concepts, and perceptions of the people being studied. F In the etic approach (outsider view), anthropologists use their own categories and concepts to describe the culture under analysis.

12. What is Ethnocentrism? DEFINITION Ethnocentrism is judging another culture using your own culture’s rules and standards. KEY COMPONENTS  Judgement or evaluation of the behaviors and ideas of others  Imposing your own standards when they may not apply  Thinking your way is the best or only correct way

13. What is Cultural Relativism? DEFINITION Cultural relativism is judging another culture using its own rules and standards. KEY COMPONENTS  Judging or evaluating the behavior or ideas of others  Looking at ideas and behaviors from the perspective of the culture you are viewing.  Trying on other points of view

14. Culture Shock DEFINITION A psychological disorientation experienced when attempting to operate in a radically different cultural environment. Aspects of Culture Shock Confusion over how to behave. Confusion over how to behave. Surprise or disgust after realizing Surprise or disgust after realizing some of the features of the new some of the features of the new culture. culture. Feeling a loss of old familiar Feeling a loss of old familiar surroundings and ways of doing surroundings and ways of doing things. things. Feeling rejected by members of the Feeling rejected by members of the new culture. new culture. Loss of self-esteem because you Loss of self-esteem because you don’t seem to be functioning don’t seem to be functioning very effectively. very effectively. Doubt over your own cultural values. Doubt over your own cultural values.

15. Symptoms of Culture Shock Homesickness Compulsive eating or drinking Chauvinistic excesses BoredomIrritability Stereotyping and hostility toward host nationals WithdrawalExaggerated cleanliness Loss of ability to work effectively Excessive sleep Marital stress and family tension Unexplainable weeping

16. Coping with Culture Shock

17. What is Ethnicity? DEFINITION Ethnicity is the group with which one chooses to identify on the basis of shared ancestry and/or heritage. KEY COMPONENTS F We choose which parts of our heritage to actively use F We choose how much of our heritage to actively use F We take part of our personal identity from these choices F This is a different part of diversity than culture or race

18. What is Race? DEFINITION Race is a socially constructed category based on arbitrary physical and cultural characteristics that is used for purposes of discrimination. KEY COMPONENTS F Race is NOT a biological reality F Race is an arbitrary set of ideas created by certain cultures F Racial groups are not defined the same ways from one society to another F Race is used to divide people into groups so that they can be treated differently in society DIFFERENT from the Textbook!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Learn THIS definition!

19. Racism Vs. Ethnocentrism Racism is the belief that people with different physical features and/or cultural traditions are inferior to one’s own group. Ethnocentrism is judging another person or group using your own group’s cultural standards and rules. Prejudice vs automatic pilot.

20. Powerpoint Study Guide Culture Society Behavior Symbols Material Culture Pluralistic Societies Subcultures Emic Etic Ethnocentrism Cultural Relativism Culture Shock Ethnicity Race