Culture (Chapter 4) - Lecture notes Chapter 4 PDF

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Oct.05 2017

Culture (Chapter 4)  Culture- Sociology and Cultures  A complex collection of values, beliefs, behaviours and material objects shared by a group and passed on from one generation to the next (Ravelli and Webber)  Also “the ways of thinking, the ways of acting and material objects that together form a peoples way of life”  This is perhaps one of the most important topic areas in the social sciences; Topic lots of debates  Canada is, as your text points out is one of the most multicultural countries in the world  This celebration of diversity is noteworthy because Canada leads the world in both legislation and attitudes towards multiculturalism  “The tremendous diversity that human cultures display if fascinating  Origins of Culture  Origins difficult to determine: little material evidence. Much culture is non-material and interconnectivity of cultures for the emergence of culture  Over the evolution of humankind and over the last 4-5 million years, we do know that our hominid ancestors developed social life paternal care, pair-bonding, subsistence lifestyles, environmental adaptation and then thought art, language and religion  The evolution of homo sapiens or modern human beings, dates back to only 200,000 years ago  What is Culture 5 Key Features: 1. Culture is learned 2. Culture is shared 3. Culture is cumulative 4. Culture is transmitted 5. Culture is human Two aspects of culture include: -Material culture (e.g. physical objects found in a given culture)

-Nonmaterial culture (e.g. values/norms)  Culture is the language, beliefs, values, norms, behaviours and material objects that are important enough to pass on to future generations of society  Another key component to culture is society  Society refers to people who interact in a defined territory and share a culture (Macionis)  Society is at the root of all cultures and we tend to overlook the importance of this concept Culture Universals- Traits that are part of every known culture (Macionis) Innovation- The modernization of culture, which is presented through new opportunities (Teevan) Diffusion- the distribution of cultural ideas from one culture to the next (Teevan) Cultural Lag- the fact that come cultural elements change more quickly than others, disrupting a cultural system (Macionis) Values- Beliefs about ideal goals and behaviours that serve as standards for social life  Hard work, fairness, honestly, integrity, equality, topless, nudity, beauty, democracy etc. Beliefs- Specific ideas that people hold to be true  Evolution of man, religion, afterlife Value Contradictions- Values, which are totally opposed  Helping others vs. getting ahead Norms- Culturally defined rules that outline appropriate behaviours (e.g. clothing, belching n public) Folkways- Informal norms that suggest customary ways of behaving (e.g. walking on wrong side of the sidewalk) Mores- norms that carry a strong sense of social importance and necessity (e.g. sexual conduct, honesty)

Taboo- A prohibition on actions deemed immoral or disgusting (e.g. forbidden) Law- a type of norm that is formally defined and enacted in legislation  State plays a central role in not only defining what law is and also evolves law over time Sanction- a penalty for norm violation or a reward for norm adherence  Break the law= Sanction Ethnocentrism- the tendency to views ones own culture as superior to all others Cultural Relativism- The appreciation that all cultures have their own norms, mores and customs and should be evaluated and understood on their own terms rather than according to ones own culture standards Cultural Shock- a feeling of disorientation, alienation, depression and loneliness experienced when entering a cultural different from ones own  Components of Culture: Language We understand/evaluate our culture through different symbols/Languages/Values, Beliefs/Norms Symbols- something that stands for or represents something else  Gestures (pointing/shrugging)  Signs (stop/dangers/explosive) Cyber symbols- is being created all the time, as are short-form language strands such as ‘lol’ etc.  Components of Culture Language is the ‘heart’ of a symbolic system and can be defined as as shared system of rules and meanings that governs the production and interpretation of speech

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis- the assertion that language influences how we perceive the world (also known as linguistic determinism)

Cultural Transmission- the process by which on generation passes culture to the next  Language and Theory Functionalist- language reflects/allows for shared values Conflict- views language as a tool to retain power and control in society Symbolic Interactions- views language as a product and means of conveying interactions (Teevan) High Culture- cultural patterns that distinguish a societies elites (Macionis) Popular Culture- cultural patterns that are widespread among a society’s population (Ibid) Subcultures- a group within a population whose values, norms, folkways or mores set them apart from the mainstream culture (Ravelli and Webber) Counterculture- a type of subculture that strongly opposes the widely held cultural patterns of the larger population  Technology and Culture Lenski argued- a society level of technology is crucial in determining the cultural ideas and artefacts that may emerge or are possible (Macionis)  Hunting and Gathering Societies  Use of simple tools to hunt/survive  Very few differences among society’s members  The work of all is required Pastoralism- domestication of animals (Macionis) Horticulture- the use of hand tools to raise crops (Ibid)  Combining two processes allows support of hundred of members in a given society

 Cultural Diversity Homogeneous Societies- members are similar in backgrounds, race, religion, ethnicity, languages (Teevan)

Heterogeneous Societies- variety of social characteristics in terms of backgrounds, race, religion, ethnicity (Teevan)  Socio-biology A theoretical approach that explores ways in which humans biology affects how we create culture (Macionis) Rest upon Charles Darwin and the Origins of species (natural selection) 1. All living things live to reproduce 2. Basis of humans blueprints found within genes 3. Random variations allows for testing of ne life patterns 4. Genes that promote reproduction dominate/survive (Teevan/Macionis)...