PROJECT ON CULTURE,

SUBCULTURE,
CASTE,
ETHNIC GROUP AND
RELIGIOUS GROUP..
SUBMITTED TO:-
PROF. S.P. SINHG
SUBMITTED BY:-
ADARSH JAIN
ROLL NO:- 02
MBA 1ST SEM

ROYAL SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

ROYAL GROUP OF INSTITUTION
GUWAHATI
CULTURE
Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from
colere, meaning "to cultivate") is a term that has
different meanings.
However, the word "culture" is most commonly
used in three basic senses:
excellence of taste in the fine arts and humanities,
also known as high culture
an integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief,
and behavior that depends upon the capacity for
symbolic thought and social learning
the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and
practices that characterizes an institution,
organization or group
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
The connection between culture and language has been
noted as far back as the classical period and probably long
before. The ancient Greeks, for example, distinguished
between civilized peoples and bárbaros "those who babble",
i.e. those who speak unintelligible languages. The fact that
different groups speak different, unintelligible languages is
often considered more tangible evidence for cultural
differences than other less obvious cultural traits.

A community’s ways of speaking or signing are a part of the

community’s culture, just as other shared practices are.
Language use is a way of establishing and displaying group
identity. Ways of speaking function not only to facilitate
communication, but also to identify the social position of the
speaker. Linguists calls different ways of speaking language
varieties, a term that encompasses geographically or
socioculturally defined dialects as well as the jargons or
styles of subcultures. Linguistic anthropologists and
sociologists of language define communicative style as the
ways that language is used and understood within a
particular culture.
CULTURE STUDIES
Cultural studies is an academic field which combines political economy,
communication, sociology, social theory, literary theory, media theory,
film/video studies, cultural anthropology, philosophy, museum studies and
art history/criticism to study cultural phenomena in various societies.
Cultural studies researchers often concentrate on how a particular
phenomenon relates to matters of ideology, nationality, ethnicity, social
class, and/or gender.
The following are the five main characteristics of cultural studies:
Cultural studies aims to examine its subject matter in terms of cultural
practices and their relation to power. For example, a study of a subculture
(such as white working class youth in London) would consider the social
practices of the youth as they relate to the dominant classes.
It has the objective of understanding culture in all its complex forms and of
analyzing the social and political context in which culture manifests itself.
It is both the object of study and the location of political criticism and
action. For example, not only would a cultural studies scholar study an
object, but she/he would connect this study to a larger, progressive
political project.
It attempts to expose and reconcile the division of knowledge, to overcome
the split between tacit cultural knowledge and objective (universal) forms
of knowledge.
It has a commitment to an ethical evaluation of modern society and to a
radical line of political action.
Since cultural studies is an interdisciplinary field, its practitioners draw a
diverse array of theories and practices.
CULTURAL CHANGE
Cultural invention has come to mean any innovation that is
new and found to be useful to a group of people and expressed
in their behavior but which does not exist as a physical object.
Humanity is in a global "accelerating culture change period",
driven by the expansion of international commerce, the mass
media, and above all, the human population explosion, among
other factors.Cultures are internally affected by both forces
encouraging change and forces resisting change. These forces
are related to both social structures and natural events, and are
involved in the perpetuation of cultural ideas and practices
within current structures, which themselves are subject to
change.
Social conflict and the development of technologies can
produce changes within a society by altering social dynamics
and promoting new cultural models, and spurring or enabling
generative action. These social shifts may accompany
ideological shifts and other types of cultural change. For
example, the U.S. feminist movement involved new practices
that produced a shift in gender relations, altering both gender
and economic structures. Environmental conditions may also
enter as factors. Changes include following for the film local
hero. For example, after tropical forests returned at the end of
the last ice age, plants suitable for domestication were
available, leading to the invention of agriculture, which in turn
brought about many cultural innovations and shifts in social
dynamics.
Full-length profile portrait of Turkman woman, standing on a carpet at
the entrance to a yurt, dressed in traditional clothing and jewelry.
Cultures are externally affected via contact between societies, which
may also produce—or inhibit—social shifts and changes in cultural
practices. War or competition over resources may impact technological
development or social dynamics. Additionally, cultural ideas may transfer
from one society to another, through diffusion or acculturation. In
diffusion, the form of something (though not necessarily its meaning)
moves from one culture to another. For example, hamburgers, mundane
in the United States, seemed exotic when introduced into China.
"Stimulus diffusion" (the sharing of ideas) refers to an element of one
culture leading to an invention or propagation in another. "Direct
Borrowing" on the other hand tends to refer to technological or tangible
diffusion from one culture to another. Diffusion of innovations theory
presents a research-based model of why and when individuals and
cultures adopt new ideas, practices, and products.
Acculturation has different meanings, but in this context refers to
replacement of the traits of one culture with those of another, such has
happened to certain Native American tribes and to many indigenous
peoples across the globe during the process of colonization. Related
processes on an individual level include assimilation (adoption of a
different culture by an individual) and transculturation.
SUBCULTURE
An identifiable subgroup of society with a distinctive set of
behaviour, beliefs, values, and norms. Though a subculture is
subordinate to the dominant culture of a society, it sometimes
allows individuals greater group identification. Those who take
part in particular sports, for example, racing cyclists, professional
footballers, are sometimes referred to as a subculture.
Six key ways in which subcultures can be understood:
through their often negative relations to work (as 'idle', 'parasitic',
at play or at leisure, etc.);
through their negative or ambivalent relation to class (since
subcultures are not 'class-conscious' and don't conform to
traditional class definitions);
through their association with territory (the 'street', the 'hood, the
club, etc.), rather than property;
through their movement out of the home and into non-domestic
forms of belonging (i.e. social groups other than the family);
through their stylistic ties to excess and exaggeration (with some
exceptions);
through their refusal of the banalities of ordinary life and
massification
SUBCULTURE IDENTIFICATION
Subcultures can be distinctive because of the age,
ethnicity, class, location, and/or gender of the members.
The qualities that determine a subculture as distinct may
be linguistic, aesthetic, religious, political, sexual,
geographical, or a combination of factors. According to
Dick Hebdige, members of a subculture often signal their
membership through a distinctive and symbolic use of
style, which includes fashions, mannerisms, and argot.
They also live out particular relations to places; Ken
Gelder talks about "subcultural geographies" along these
lines.
The study of subcultures often consists of the study of
symbolism attached to clothing, music and other visible
affectations by members of subcultures, and also the
ways in which these same symbols are interpreted by
members of the dominant culture. Subcultures have been
chronicled by others for a long time, documented,
analysed, classified, rationalised, monitored, scrutinised.
In some cases, subcultures have been legislated against,
their activities regulated or curtailed
SUBCULTURE IDENTIFICATION WITH
MAINSTREAM CULTURE
It may be difficult to identify certain
subcultures because their style (particularly
clothing and music) may be adopted by mass
culture for commercial purposes. Businesses
often seek to capitalize on the subversive
allure of subcultures in search of Cool, which
remains valuable in the selling of any product.
This process of cultural appropriation may
often result in the death or evolution of the
subculture, as its members adopt new styles
that appear alien to mainstream society. This
process provides a constant stream of styles
which may be commercially adopted.
CASTE
A group of people bound together through Hindu
religious sanctions and rituals. Broadly speaking, the
origins of the caste system, first articulated in the
Law Book of Manu between 200 bc and ad 200,
were functional. The four major caste groups
(varnas) were characterized according to the social
functions they performed. Brahmins were the
educators, kshatriyas the producers and warriors,
vaishyas the merchants, and shudras the labourers.
Tasks perceived as involving pollution were
undertaken by the avarna, or Untouchables. Castes
are further divided into subcastes (jatis) which are
more important in their impact on daily lives of
people. Those belonging to a jati form a biradari
which is the specific sociocultural unit within which
caste roles are performed.
Any of the hereditary, endogamous social classes
or subclasses of traditional Hindu society, stratified
according to Hindu ritual purity, especially the
Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra castes.
A social class separated from others by
distinctions of hereditary rank, profession, or
wealth.
A social system or the principle of grading
society based on castes.
The social position or status conferred by a
system based on castes: lose caste by doing
work beneath one's station.
A specialized level in a colony of social insects,
such as ants, in which the members, such as
workers or soldiers, carry out a specific function.
CASTES IN INDIA
Nowhere is caste better exemplified by degree of
complexity and systematic operation than in India.
The Indian term for caste is jati, which generally
designates a group varying in size from a handful to
many thousands. There are thousands of such jatis,
and each has its distinctive rules, customs, and
modes of government. The term varna (literally
meaning "color") refers to the ancient and somewhat
ideal fourfold division of Hindu society: (1) the
Brahmans, the priestly and learned class; (2) the
Kshatriyas, the warriors and rulers; (3) the Vaisyas,
farmers and merchants; and (4) the Sudras,
peasants and laborers. These divisions may have
corresponded to what were formerly large, broad,
undifferentiated social classes. Below the category
of Sudras were the untouchables, or Panchamas
(literally "fifth division"), who performed the most
menial tasks.
ETHNIC GROUP
A group of individuals with a shared sense of belonging based on a
common heritage and sociocultural background. The individuals
within an ethnic group are often visibly different from other
individuals by virtue of unique lifestyle or appearance, and they
usually share a common culture, customs, and norms.
Of, relating to, or characteristic of a sizable group of people sharing
a common and distinctive racial, national, religious, linguistic, or
cultural heritage.
Being a member of a particular ethnic group, especially belonging
to a national group by heritage or culture but residing outside its
national boundaries: ethnic Hungarians living in northern Serbia.
Relating to a people not Christian or Jewish Social group or
category of the population that, in a larger society, is set apart and
bound together by common ties of language, nationality, or culture.
Ethnic diversity, the legacy of political conquests and migrations, is
one aspect of the social complexity found in most contemporary
societies. The nation-state has traditionally been uneasy with ethnic
diversity, and nation-states have often attempted to eliminate or
expel ethnic groups. Most nations today practice some form of
pluralism, which usually rests on a combination of toleration,
interdependence, and separatism. The concept of ethnicity is more
important today than ever, as a result of the spread of doctrines of
freedom, self-determination, and democracy. See also culture
contact; ethnic cleansing; ethnocentrism; race; racism.
ETHNICITY
A group within a larger society which considers itself to be different
or is considered by the majority group to be different because of its
distinctive ancestry, culture, and customs. Ethnicity in a group
generally becomes pronounced as a result of migration (forced or
voluntary), and a group may only achieve the status of an ethnic
association as a result of migration; for example, the group labelled
as ‘Pakistanis’ by white Britons may not only contain very diverse
individuals who would have little in common in Pakistan in terms of
class or even language, but is often widened to include Nepalis or
Indians. Ethnicity is often the basis for social discrimination, and
ethnic unity tends to increase as a result of such discrimination.
Human geographers have been greatly concerned with the
development of ethnic segregation in the city, and have identified
causes both external and internal to the ethnic minority. The external
causes—imposed by the majority charter group— include
discrimination, low incomes which direct them towards inner-city
locations, and the need for minorities to locate near the CBD since
much of their employment is located there. Internal causes—
springing from the ethnic group itself—include a desire to locate near
facilities serving the group, such as specialized shops and places of
worship, desire for proximity to kin, and protection against attack.
Indices of segregation have been developed in order to measure the
extent of segregation, as well as policies to further integration.
ETHNIES AND ETHNIC
CATEGORIES
In order to avoid the problems of defining ethnic classification as labelling
of others or as self-identification, it has been proposed to distinguish
between concepts of "ethnic categories", "ethnic networks" and "ethnic
communities" or "ethnies".
An "ethnic category" is a category set up by outsiders, that is, those who
are not themselves members of the category, and whose members are
populations that are categorised by outsiders as being distinguished by
attributes of a common name or emblem, a shared cultural element and
a connection to a specific territory. But, members who are ascribed to
ethnic categories do not themselves have any awareness of their
belonging to a common, distinctive group.
At the level of "ethnic networks", the group begins to have a sense of
collectiveness, and at this level, common myths of origin and shared
cultural and biological heritage begins to emerge, at least among the
élites.
At the level of "ethnies" or "ethnic communities", the members
themselves have clear conceptions of being "a named human population
with myths of common ancestry, shared historical memories, and one or
more common elements of culture, including an association with a
homeland, and some degree of solidarity, at least among the élites". That
is, an ethnie is self-defined as a group, whereas ethnic categories are set
up by outsiders whether or not their own members identify with the
category given them
ETNICITY IN SPECIFIC COUNTRIES
In the United States of America, the term "ethnic" carries a much
broader meaning than how it is commonly used in some other
countries. Ethnicity usually refers to collectives of related groups,
having more to do with morphology, specifically skin color, rather than
political boundaries. The word "nationality" is more commonly used for
this purpose (e.g. Italian, German, French, Russian, Japanese, etc.
are nationalities). Most prominently in the U.S., Latin American
derived populations are grouped in a "Hispanic" or "Latino" ethnicity.
The many previously designated Oriental ethnic groups are now
classified as the Asian racial group for the census.
The terms "Black" and "African American", while different, are both
used as ethnic categories in the US. In the late 1980s, the term
"African American", was posited as the most appropriate and politically
correct race designation. While it was intended as a shift away from
the racial inequities of America's past often associated with the
historical views of the "Black race", it largely became a simple
replacement for the terms Black, Colored, Negro and the like, referring
to any individual of dark skin color regardless of geographical descent.
Likewise, white-skinned Americans from Africa are not considered
"African American". Many African Americans are multiracial. More
than half of African Americans also have European ancestry
equivalent to one great-grandparent, and 5 percent have Native
American ancestry equivalent to one great-grandparent.
The term "White" generally describes people whose ancestry can be
traced to Europe (including other European-settled countries such as
Argentina, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, Canada and Cuba) and who now live
in the United States. Middle Easterners may also be included in the white
category, at least as opposed to black. They are defined as peoples from
the Middle East, that is, Southwest Asia and North Africa. These countries
include the Arab nations, Iran, and Afghanistan. All the aforementioned
are categorized as part of the "White" racial group, as per US Census
categorization. This category has been split into two groups: Hispanics
and non-Hispanics (e.g. White non-Hispanic and White Hispanic.)
In the United Kingdom, many different ethnic classifications, both formal
and informal, are used. Perhaps the most accepted is the National
Statistics classification, identical to that used in the 2001 Census in
England and Wales (see Ethnicity (United Kingdom)). The classification
White British is used to refer to the indigenous British people. The term
Oriental refers to people from China, Japan, Korea and the Pacific Rim
while Asian is used to refer to people from the Indian subcontinent; India,
Pakistan and Bangaldesh.
China officially recognizes 56 ethnic groups, the largest of which is the
Han Chinese. Many of the ethnic minorities maintain their own cultures,
languages and identity although many are also becoming more
westernised. Han-Chinese predominate demographically and politically in
most areas of China, with the exception of Tibet and Xinjiang, where the
Han are still in the minority. The Han Chinese is the only ethnic group
bound by the one-child policy. (For more details, see List of ethnic
groups in China and Ethnic minorities in China.)
In India ethnic categories are not recognized by the government. The
population is categorized in terms of the 1,652 mother tongues spoken
and/or the 645 scheduled tribes to which individuals belong.
RELIGIOUS GROUP
A large group of religious congregations united under a
common faith and name and organized under a single
administrative and legal hierarchy.
One of a series of kinds, values, or sizes, as in a system of
currency or weights: Cash registers have compartments for bills
of different denominations. The stamps come in 25¢ and 45¢
denominations.
A name or designation, especially for a class or group
Denominations often form slowly over time for many reasons.
Due to historical accidents of geography, culture and influence
between different groups, members of a given religion slowly
begin to diverge in their views. Over time members of a religion
may find that they have developed significantly different views
on theology, philosophy, religious pluralism, ethics and religious
practices and rituals. Consequently, different denominations
may eventually form. In other cases, denominations form very
rapidly, either resulting from a split or schism in an existing
denomination, or if people share an experience of spiritual
revival or spiritual awakening, and choose to form a new
denomination based on that new experience or understanding.