Understanding Culture

What is Culture?

• Culture is the shared symbols, beliefs, values, traditions, and practices of a society.
• It encompasses both thoughts and things, like expectations and artwork.

Types of Culture

• Mass Culture or Popular Culture: Accepted by the majority of society, regardless of class.
• High Culture: Associated with the upper classes and elites.
• Subculture: A culture existing within a larger culture, like orthodox Christianity within the broader context of Christianity.
• Dominant Culture: The culture that holds power and influences others, often associated with wealth or social standing.
• Subordinate Culture: Cultures that challenge the dominant culture.

Ways to Divide Culture

• Nonmaterial Culture: Includes ideas, symbols, norms, and intangible things.
• Material Culture: Refers to physical and tangible objects, like tools.

Symbols

• Anything that conveys shared meaning within a culture.

Language

• A system of symbols used for communication, development, and cultural transmission.
• The Sapir-Whorf Thesis suggests language influences thought, which then influences experience.

Norms

• Societal standards of behavior or accepted ways of doing things.
• Folkways: Norms signifying social preferences that do not lead to formal punishment, like bad table manners.
• Mores: Core norms defining right and wrong, often considered moral norms, like lying or cheating.
• Taboos: Actions strictly forbidden and strongly condemned by society, such as incest, killing sacred animals, or dietary restrictions based on religion.
• Laws: Rules or regulations enforced by the state, like laws against murder or robbery.

Sanctions

• Punishments or rewards for following or violating social norms.
• Informal Sanctions: Less severe consequences or rewards.
• Formal Sanctions: More significant consequences or rewards, often involving official institutions.

Values

• Collective beliefs about what is good, desirable, or proper, as well as what is considered bad, undesirable, or improper within a culture.

Beliefs

• Definitions and explanations accepted as true by a group of people.

Society

• Consists of social structure and culture
• Shared symbols, beliefs, values, traditions, and practices

Culture

• Consists of thoughts (expectations) and things (art, clothes)

Types of Culture

• Mass Culture or Popular Culture: Accepted culture of the majority
• High Culture: Culture of upper classes and elites
• Subculture: Culture within a culture, e.g., Orthodox Christianity within Christianity's core values
• Dominant Culture: Allows the wealthy or high class to control others
• Subordinate Culture: Cultures that contest the dominant culture

Dividing Culture

• Nonmaterial Culture: Ideas, symbols, norms, intangible things
• Material Culture: Physical, tangible things, tools

Symbols

• Anything that carries a specific meaning recognized by people sharing a culture

Language

• A system of symbols allowing communication, development, and transmission of culture
• Sapir-Whorf Thesis: Experience influences thoughts, which then influences language.

Norms

• Standards of behavior or generally accepted ways of doing things

Types of Norms:

• Folkways: Norms specifying social preferences without punishment, e.g., bad table manners
• Mores: Core norms establishing right and wrong (moral norms), e.g., lying or cheating
• Taboos: Actions unacceptable to a society, causing massive uproar when violated, e.g., incest, killing sacred animals, eating food restricted by religion
• Laws: Rules or regulations enforced by the state, e.g., murder, robbery

Sanctions

• Penalties and rewards for conduct concerning social norms
• Informal: Lower reward or penalty
• Formal: Higher reward or penalty

Values

• Collective conceptions of what is good, desirable, and proper - or bad, undesirable, and improper

Beliefs

• Definitions and explanations about what is assumed to be true, e.g., religious beliefs

This quiz explores the concept of culture, including its definitions, types, and components. You'll learn about mass culture, high culture, subcultures, and how culture can be divided into material and nonmaterial aspects. Test your knowledge and deepen your understanding of cultural dynamics.