Understanding Culture: Material vs. Non-material

• Culture forms the foundation of human societies, shaping beliefs, values, and behaviors.

Definition of Culture

• Culture includes the shared beliefs, customs, and practices of a group, forming its unique way of life.

Material vs. Non-material Culture

• Material culture includes tangible objects like tools, clothing, and technology.
• Non-material culture includes intangible elements like beliefs, values, language, and traditions.

Characteristics of Culture

• Culture is learned through socialization and interaction, not innate.
• Cultural elements are shared by a group, creating belonging and identity.
• Culture uses symbols, objects, or gestures to convey meaning and understanding.
• Culture changes and adapts to new situations.
• Cultures adapt to new environments, ensuring survival and continuity.
• Different cultural elements are connected, creating a cohesive system.

Cultural Universals

• Certain traits are found in all societies despite cultural diversity.
• Language is a system for social interaction and cultural transmission.
• Marriage is a social institution for establishing families.
• Rituals are behaviors with symbolic meaning, associated with beliefs or events.

Ethnocentrism

• Ethnocentrism judges other cultures based on one's own, potentially causing prejudice.

Cultural Relativism

• Cultural relativism means understanding cultures on their own terms, without imposing judgments.

Enculturation

• Enculturation learns and internalizes the norms, values, and beliefs of one's culture.

Acculturation

• Acculturation adopts elements from another culture while keeping one's own identity.

Assimilation vs. Multiculturalism

• Assimilation integrates individuals into a dominant culture, often abandoning their practices.
• Multiculturalism promotes the coexistence and appreciation of multiple cultures in a society.

Cultural Diffusion

• Cultural diffusion spreads cultural elements from one society to another through trade, migration, or media.

Social Norms

• Social norms are expected behaviors, from customs to formal laws, structuring social interactions.

Values

• Values are standards of good and bad, influencing choices and societal norms.

Beliefs

• Beliefs are convictions or accepted truths, based on faith, tradition, or science.

Symbols

• Symbols are objects, gestures, sounds, that powerfully communicate within a culture.

Language

• Language is a system of symbols for communication, which shapes thought, culture, and society.

Rites and Rituals

• Rites and rituals are behaviors with symbolic meaning, often tied to religious practices or life events.

Cultural Integration

• Cultural integration refers to the interconnectedness of cultural elements, creating order.

High Culture vs. Popular Culture

• High culture includes elite expressions like art and classical music.
• Popular culture includes mainstream entertainment like movies and television.

Subculture

• A subculture is a smaller group within a culture with distinct beliefs, values, or behaviors.

Counterculture

• A counterculture rejects dominant norms and values, advocating for change.

Xenocentrism

• Xenocentrism prefers another culture over one's own, devaluing their heritage.

Cultural Lag

• Cultural lag occurs when material culture advances faster than non-material culture, causing social problems.

Cultural Hybridization

• Cultural hybridization blends cultural elements from different societies, creating new expressions.

Glocalization

• Glocalization adapts global elements to local cultures, mixing global and local influences.

Impact of Globalization on Culture

• Globalization increases interaction and sharing, but can also lead to cultural clashes and tensions.

Society

• Society includes individuals sharing a culture and territory, and understanding societies helps us understand human behavior and social interactions.

Definition of Society

• Society is a group sharing culture and territory, bound by social institutions and values.

Social Structure

• Social structure organizes social relationships and institutions that shape society.

Social Institutions

• Social institutions shape behavior and interactions.
• Family is the primary unit of socialization, offering support and cultural transmission.
• Education imparts knowledge, skills, and values, shaping individual and societal progress.
• Government makes/enforces laws, regulates behavior, and provides public services.

Primary vs. Secondary groups

• Primary groups are small groups with intimate relationships.
• Secondary groups are larger, impersonal groups based on shared interests.

Status and Role

• Status is a person's position in society, while role is its expected behaviors.

Ascribed vs. Achieved Status

• Ascribed status is assigned at birth, like race.
• Achieved status is earned through efforts, like education.

Social Norms and Sanctions

• Social norms are expected behaviors, while sanctions are consequences for following or breaking them.

Types of Societies

• Societies evolve through stages, each with different economic and social structures.
• Hunting societies rely on hunting and gathering, often nomadic and egalitarian.
• Pastoral societies raise livestock, often semi-nomadic with social hierarchies.
• Horticultural societies cultivate crops, often settled with more complex structures.
• Agricultural societies rely on agriculture, using farming and complex hierarchies.
• Industrial societies rely on mechanized production, causing urbanization and social mobility.
• Post-industrial societies focus on information and technology, with a highly-educated workforce.

Socialization

• Socialization is the process of learning norms, values, beliefs, and behaviors.

Agents of Socialization

• Agents of socialization influence the socialization process.
• Family shapes early development and transmits values.
• Peers influence behavior, attitudes, and identity adolescence.
• Schools transmit knowledge, skills, and societal norms.
• Media influences beliefs, values, and behaviors.
• Religion provides spiritual guidance and moral frameworks.

Deviance

• Deviance violates social norms, from minor to serious crimes.

Social Control

• Social control regulates behavior through formal and informal channels like laws or disapproval.

Social Stratification

• Social stratification ranks people by status and power, creating social hierarchies.

Caste vs. Class System

• A caste system bases hierarchy on birth.
• A class system allows social mobility by wealth, education and occupation.

Gender Roles and Socialization

• Gender roles involve social expectations of different genders.

Race and Ethnicity

• Race and ethnicity are social categories based on characteristics, creating hierarchies.

Social Mobility

• Social mobility involves moving up or down the social hierarchy depending on education, occupation, and wealth.

Poverty and Inequality

• Poverty and inequality are the unequal distribution of wealth, leading to social problems.

Globalization and Society

• Globalization fosters connections between societies, causing cultural and economic globalization.
• Cultural exchange, globalization facilitates the sharing of ideas, beliefs, and creates convergence.

Urbanization

• Urbanization is the growth of cities, which leads to significant changes in social life.

Explore culture's role in shaping societies. Learn about material and non-material aspects, including beliefs, values, and tangible objects. Discover the characteristics and universals of culture.