CULTURE AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE

 In groups define culture.

 What’s the difference between culture and
society?
CULTURE
 Culture refers to the beliefs, values, behavior and
material objects that, together, form a people's
way of life.
 Culture determines how we view the world
around us
 Culture includes the traditions we inherit and
pass on to the next generation
 Culture: totality of our shared language,
knowledge, material objects, and behavior
MEANING OF CULTURE
 Culture is a very broad that includes in itself all
our way of life,
 modes of behaviour,
 our philosophies and ethics,
 our morals and manners,
 our customs and traditions,
 our religious, political, economic and other type of
activities.
MEANING OF CULTURE
 It is main concept in Anthropology but it is
essential or fundamental in Sociology.
 The study of society becomes incomplete without
a proper understanding of the culture of the
society.
 Culture and society go together they are
inseparable.
 WHAT IS CULTURE?
 The knowledge, values, customs,
and material objects passed from
one group to another group or society
 (Culture is) “A toolkit for the survival of mankind”
 Society and Culture are independent, neither could exist
without the other
 In order for a society to survive there must be laws, rules, and
guidelines, all of which are culture driven
 Functionalists might call it a “symbiotic” relationship
 Some cultures vary widely from others
 For instance the “Horns” sign commonly used at sports events in the
U.S. implies that your spouse is unfaithful in Italy
 Even more diametric; the symbol for “ok,” in Tunisia means “I’ll kill
you!”
 I hope at least the “peace” sign is universal… Let’s see some fun facts!!

 - Culture Fun Quiz -

Generally speaking, culture is the

values, beliefs, and material objects

t h a t c o n s t i t u t e a p e o p l e ’s w a y o f l i f e .
COMPARISON OF CULTURE AND SOCIETY
MAJOR CULTURES WITHIN A SOCIETY
 Universal Culture
 Subcultures

 Material Culture

 Nonmaterial culture
CULTURAL UNIVERSALS

 Cultural traits shared by nearly all societies

 Arts and Leisure activities

 Basic Needs
 Clothing, cooking, Housing
 Communication and Education
 Family Courtship
 kin groups, marriage
 Government and Economy
 Calendar, division of labor, government, law,
property rights, status differentiation, trade
 Technology
 Medicine, tool making
SUBCULTURES
 Groups that share values, norms, and behaviors
that are not shared by the entire population.

 Subcultures are groups within a group whose

values and behavior are distinctly differently
from the dominant culture.

 The notion of subculture does not suggest an

inferior culture—rather, that it is a distinctive
culture within a larger culture Subculture
of Drug
Users
 Different way of looking at life, but still
compatible with the main culture
American
Culture
TYPES OF SUBCULTURES
MATERIAL CULTURE

 Material culture includes the objects associated

with a cultural group, such as tools, machines,
utensils, buildings, and artwork.
NONMATERIAL CULTURE
 Nonmaterial culture includes creations and
abstract ideas that are not embodied in physical
objects.
 Any intangible products created and shared
between the members of a culture
 Social roles, rules, ethics, and beliefs are just some
examples.
COMPONENTS OF CULTURE
LANGUAGE
 Language is a system of symbols that allows people
to communicate with one another. It can be either
written or spoken or both
 Language is the key to cultural transmission, the
process by which one generation passes culture to the
next.
 Through most of human history, cultural
transmission has been accomplished through oral
tradition
Don’t ignore the non-verbal aspects
NORMS

 Norms –rules and expectations by which a society

guides the behavior of its members. Norms can be either
prescriptive or proscriptive.
 Prescriptive Norms
 What behavior is appropriate or acceptable

 Proscriptive Norms
 What behavior is inappropriate or unacceptable

 Formal and Informal Norms

 Formal norms are written down, and often carry specific
punishments for violators
 Positive or negative; praise and honors; versus, disapproval

to the death penalty!

 Informal norms are unwritten, often carry informal
sanctions and are often not clearly defined (they often vary
among sub-groups)
 Informal sanctions may include but are not limited to:
frowns, gestures, remarks, etc.
DEGREES OF NORMS
Norms are often classified by their relative social importance

Folkways - distinguish between right and rude

Standards of behavior that are socially approved but not morally
significant. E.g. Belching loudly after eating dinner at someone else's home breaks
an American folkway.
Informal, everyday customs that if violated carry little consequences, and
are not enforced. E.g. no deodorant, not brushing teeth, or inappropriate
clothing

Mores - distinguish between right and wrong

Norms of morality. Breaking mores will offend most people of a
culture.(“Mor-ays”) A particular cultures strongly held norms with moral
and ethical connotations that may not be violated without serious
consequences
May result in loss of employment, or imprisonment
“Taboos,” strong mores that their violation is extremely offensive, and
unmentionable. Incest is a widely accepted taboo

Laws - a formal body of rules enacted by the state and backed by the
power of the state.
E.g. Child abuse is against Maldivian and U.S. laws.
Sociologists Ian Robertson illustrated the difference between Folkways
and Mores: “A man who walks down a street wearing nothing on the upper
half of his body is violating a folkway; a man is wearing nothing on the
lower half of his body is violating one of mores (requirement that people
cover their genitals and buttocks in public “(1987)
SOCIAL CONTROL
 Internal social control
 Ideologies, beliefs, values

 External social control

 Informal Sanctions
 Physical and verbal reactions.
 Embarrassment and stigma.

 Avoidance and ostracization.

 Formal sanctions.
 Formal sanctions in large organizations.
 Governments, laws, and police.

 Courts, hearings, trials, and punishments.

VALUES & BELIEFS
 Values are collective ideas about right and wrong,
good or bad, and desirable or undesirable in a
particular culture
 Beliefs –specific ideas that people hold to be true

Value contradictions:
 Mutually exclusive values (We may want to help but it
might be impossible to do so)
• Ideal Culture

 Values and standards in society profess to hold

• Realistic Culture

 Values and standards people actually follow

 For example: People claim to be very law abiding, yet

smoke marijuana (hmm…)
 People think themselves to be good drivers, yet constantly
drive over the speed limit
SIGNS & SYMBOLS
 Symbols – anything that meaningfully represents
something else
 Valentine’s heart = love, Swastika = Hate, Siren =
warning.

 Not universal-specific to a culture.

 Can be icons, images, gestures, and tangible things

 The meanings of symbols are shared by a

substantial number of people in a given culture
MORE SYMBOLS...

Identify and discuss the possible meanings of the

following symbols
 CULTURAL CHANGE
 Cultures are not static, they often change over time
 Cultures change through three processes:
 Acculturation: exchange of cultural features that
results from long-term exposure between cultures.
 Diffusion-two groups contact one another and one
groups takes on the traits of new groups. Borrowing of
traits between cultures
 Innovation—involves new practices or tools either
through discovery or invention
Look at the above picture:
• Is fish processing undertaken in the same manner now?
• Have you experienced this in your own island/ household?
• Has it changed over time?
• Why is it not practiced as before?
• How is it practiced now?
 CULTURAL LAG
 Cultural Lag is a term coined by
William Ogburn to refer to the
tendency for certain aspects of
culture to change more quickly
than others, often causing conflict
 the gap between technical
development and its moral and
legal institutions
 Material culture tends to change
more rapidly than non-material
culture
 Onset of computers and personal
privacy for instance
 CULTURAL UNIVERSALS
 Cultural Universals refer to cultural features that are
found in all cultures
 Customs and practices common to all societies
 Sports, bodily adornment, social institutions, (and many more!)
 No matter where you are, you will find that many common
things are shared by all cultures.
 When we say culture is universal, we mean that all
cultures share certain ideas or concepts that are similar
despite surface differences in expression and practice.
DIVERSITY AND UNIFORMITY OF CULTURE
 Diversity:
 Its based on the religion
 Language
 Way of life
 Tradition
 Locality
 Geographical area
 Family environment
 Historical Accidents
 Mobility of human organism
 Inventions and Discoveries
 Individual habits
 Change in modes of production
 Dominant cultural themes
DIVERSITY AND UNIFORMITY OF CULTURE
 Unity is, all the culture have their fundamental
approach to literature, philosophy, traditions and
customs.

 Caste, religious rites, ceremonies are following all

the culture.

 Further holding that all the culture have music,

dance, song etc.,

 Some festivals concern as a national and

international festivals.
TRANS CULTURAL SOCIETY
 Cultural traits invented or discovered in one
society to another that the way of spread directly
(persons or group) or indirectly (radio, TV etc.,) to
other societies.

 Transmission of culture which is movement of

traits through time that is, from generation to
generation.
 Now the united states in transmitting to others.
 FACTORS INFLUENTIAL IN THE PROCESS OF
TRANS CULTURAL SOCIETY

 Availability of transportation and

communication.
 Prestige of the transmitted cultural and its
people.
 Migration.

 The need for some new element to meet a crisis.

 Adaptability of the recipients of the new culture.

NATURE OF CULTURE
 Culture is a acquired quality.
 Culture is social, not individual heritage of man.

 Culture is idealistic.

 Culture is the total social heritage.

 Culture fulfils some needs.

 Culture is an integrated system.

 Language is the chief vehicle of culture.

 Culture varies from society to society.

NATURE OF CULTURE
 Culture is an acquired quality:
 Culture is not innate. Culture is learned.
 Traits learned through socialization, habit and
thoughts are what is called culture.

 Culture is social, not individual heritage of

man:
 It is a social product which is shared by most
members of the group.
NATURE OF CULTURE
 Culture is idealistic:
 Culture embodies the ideas and norms of a group.
 It is the expression of human mind in the course of
history.

 Culture is the total social heritage:

 It is passed from one generation to another through
traditions and customs.
NATURE OF CULTURE
 Culture fulfils some needs:
 It fulfils those ethical and social needs of the group.

 Culture is an integrated system:

 Its various parts are integrated with each other.
 New element which is introduced is also integrated.
NATURE OF CULTURE
 Language is the chief vehicle of culture:
 Man lives not only in the present but also in the past
and future.
 Through language culture transmits to past to
present and present to future.

 Culture varies from society to society:

 Every society has a culture of its own, it not uniform.
 Culture is different from US to India.
CULTURE SHOCK, ETHNOCENTRISM, CULTURAL
RELATIVISM AND GLOBALIZATION

 Culture shock refers to the difficulty that people

have when they encounter cultures very different from
their own

 Ethnocentrism-judging the practices of another

culture by one’s own culture
 Positive or negative; anthems and flags, to superiority and
stereotypes
 E.g.-Why do people from other cultures stand so close?

 Cultural Relativism-Judging the cultural practices

of another culture by the value for that culture
 Ex.-Jews and the prohibition of eating pork
IS TECHNOLOGY PROMOTING A GLOBAL
CULTURE?

● New and emerging communications, computer,

and other technologies. Don’t forget bio tech
- It provides a set of concepts that both
material and non material culture need to
adapt to.
-It can span the globe, but not all cultures will
accept or adopt to these technologies and the
changes they cause/impose at the same rate.
- East and West have different bases and
adopt at different rates
VIRTUAL CULTURE

Today’s children are bombarded with

virtual culture, images that spring from
the minds of contemporary culture-makers
and that reach them via a screen. Some of
these cultural icons embody values that
shape our way of life. But few of them have
any historical reality and almost all have
come into being to make money.
 Let’s read about our culture and discuss
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
 It refers to a society's framework, consisting of
the various relationships between people and
groups that direct and set limits on human
behavior.
 The major components of social structure include
culture, social class, social status, roles, groups,
and social institutions.
 Social structure guides people's behaviors.
 In groups draw a hierarchy of a social institution
and state their status, sub groups and roles
 Eg:
COMPONENTS OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE
 Status
 Roles

 Groups

 Institute

 Society
COMPONENTS OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE

 Status: a socially defined position in a group or

society

 Types of status
 Ascribed status-The status that someone is born
with and has no control over

 Achieved status-The status you achieve, at some

point after birth, sometimes through your own
COMPONENTS OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE
 Roles: A set of behavioral expectations
associated with a given status

 Social Groups: consists of two or more people

who interact frequently and share a common
identity and a feeling of interdependence
COMPONENTS OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE
 Social Institutions: A set of organized beliefs
and rules that establishes how a society will
attempt to meet its basic social needs.

 Society: as a group of people who live within a

defined territory and who share a culture