SOC1502 - Written Assignment 2 PDF

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This is a written assignment for the course SOC1502 - Introduction to Sociology...

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Material and Nonmaterial Culture

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Material and Nonmaterial Culture University of the People SOC 1502 – Introduction to Sociology Jan Sloan, Instructor November 24, 2021

Material and Nonmaterial Culture

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Material and Nonmaterial Culture Culture is a broad term that refers to a range of largely intangible aspects of social life. Sociologists describe culture as the shared values, ideas, languages, relationships, and practices those individuals share and that may be used to identify them as a collective (Cole, 2019). In every society, culture can take two forms: material and nonmaterial. This paper aims to examine the difference between material and nonmaterial culture from a personal point of view, identifying ten objects and describing what aspects of nonmaterial culture they represent. According to Little (2014), material culture refers to goods or properties of a group of people and serves as a representation of their culture and history. This element of culture encompasses a broad range of activities, from architecture, technology, and clothes to cinema, music, and literature. On the other hand, nonmaterial culture refers to a society's ideas, attitudes, and beliefs and encompasses all the intangible parts of a culture that are related with the communal activities and spheres of social life. Material and nonmaterial parts of culture are inextricably linked, and physical things frequently serve as symbols for cultural ideas. In other words, our values, beliefs, and knowledge all influence the things we create. Similarly, material culture may influence nonmaterial parts of culture (Cole, 2019). The ten objects of material culture representing aspects of nonmaterial culture I’d like to discuss are the followings: Money: Money is the perfect example of how a material object can be related to a nonmaterial concept, which is capitalism.

Material and Nonmaterial Culture

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Coffee: My city is famous for making the best coffee in Italy. For Neapolitans, coffee represents a break from the daily routine, and it is considered to be an excuse: an excuse to tell a friend you love them (De Crescenzo, 2019). Pulcinella: Pulcinella is a puppet from the Neapolitan tradition and symbolize the ability of Neapolitans to get the best from a bad situation. Squares: Beyond their artistic beauty, squares in Naples represent a meeting point where the life happens. They can be considered as the symbol of our social life, and serve as bars, cinemas, and discos for young people. Songs: Neapolitan music is a traditional form of music sung in the Neapolitan language and represents the importance of our language. Little Red Horn: The little red horn for Neapolitans is a symbol of protection against bad luck and evil presences. If it breaks, it means that it protected the owner from something. Pizza: For Neapolitans, Pizza is the most delicious food in the world. It represents the history of their city and their secular traditions. Churches: There are more than 450 churches in Naples (Ciaoflorence Tours & Travel, n.d.), which are a symbol of the huge faith Neapolitans have. Rice: In my culture, throwing rice to people on their wedding day is a symbol of wishing them fortune for their life together. Vespa: The vespa is one of the most iconic Italian symbols and represent the Italian sweet life. In conclusion, this exercise has revealed to me that Neapolitans are very linked to their history and traditions, and that in our culture many material objects serve as a symbol for our vast nonmaterial culture.

Material and Nonmaterial Culture

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Ciaoflorence Tours & Travel. (n.d.). How Many Churches in Naples? https://www.ciaoflorence.it/en/page/105 Cole, N. L. (2019, August 2). Defining culture and why it matters to sociologists. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/culture-definition-4135409 De Crescenzo, L. (2019, July 19). Luciano de Crescenzo. ilGiornale.it. https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/spettacoli/luciano-decrescenzo-cordoglio-sui-social-1729017.html Little, W. (2014). Introduction to Sociology – 1st Canadian Edition. BCcampus. https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontosociology/...