Society and Culture

• Characteristics of Culture:

  • Culture is learned
  • Culture is shared
  • Culture is symbolic
  • Culture is systemic and integrated
  • Culture is adaptive
  • Culture is dynamic
• Culture is learned through enculturation, acquired by being born into a particular society, and passed on through language
• Culture is shared within exclusive domains of social relations, leading to cultural variations
• Culture is based on symbols and spread from generation to generation through symbols
• Culture is a complex system, made up of interconnected parts where a change in one part affects others
• Cultural adaptation involves biological and cultural changes to help humans adjust to their environment
• Cultures are not static, they change over time through diffusion, which is the spreading of ideas, things, or behaviors between cultures
• Society is defined as a group of people with common territory, interaction, and culture, living together in a definite territory, having a sense of belongingness, mutually interdependent, and following a certain way of life
• Culture - "that complex whole which encompasses beliefs, practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts, symbols, knowledge, and everything that a person learns and shares as a member of society." (Edward Burnett Tylor)
• Forms of Culture:

  1. Material Culture - tangible or physical objects created by society from raw materials in nature

  • Artifacts - are the material expressions of culture, objects made by humans from raw materials or other objects already produced by humans
• 2. Non-material Culture - intangible aspects of culture like ideas ranging from art to music to philosophy

  • Symbols - are anything created by humans to represent something else
  • Values - are shared ideas or standards of what is right and wrong, ethical or unethical, acceptable or unacceptable, worthy or unworthy, desirable or undesirable
• Element of Culture Non-material

  * Norms - are rules guiding human behavior and interaction in society

  1. Folkways are informal norms; rules of casual behavior that do not take much effort to think about
  2. Mores are the most specific, clearly stated, and strictly enforced norms that carry sanctions for violators
  3. Laws - norms that are promulgated, enacted, or codified by members of society.
  4. Taboos - highest form of mores which must be strictly observed with no exceptions
• Element of Culture Non-material

  • Rituals - established ways, sets of action, and/or ceremonies that mark the transition of person from one part to another in the life course.
• Multiculturalism - the recognition of the existence of various culturally diverse and the only way to deal with this is to promote equality of different cultures
• Cultural Relativism - the belief that all cultural traditions have equal value and validity regardless of their origins or history
• Cultural Diversity - refers to variations in the cultural patterns within societies
• Multiculturalism - the recognition that many societies are now culturally diverse and the only way to deal with this diversity is to promote the quality of different cultures
• High Culture - patterns that differentiate a society's elite from the rest
• Popular Culture - patterns that have wide presence and acceptance in any given culture.
• Subculture -a group that has its own sets of standards and expectations that gives it a sense of belonginess to the group as opposed to non-members.
• Counterculture - any group whose values and beliefs challenge, run counter to, or even reject the larger culture.
• Ethnocentrism - is the attitude of judging another culture based on the standards of one's culture
• Cultural Relativism - where one suspends one's cultural views and biases by seeing another culture according to the standards of that culture.
• CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE

  1. CULTURE IS LEARNED.
  2. CULTURE IS SHARED.
  3. CULTURE IS SYMBOLIC.
  4. CULTURE IS SYSTEMIC AND INTEGRATED.
  5. CULTURE IS ADAPTIVE.
  6. CULTURE IS DYNAMIC.
• Culture is Learned

  > Through language, the cultural traits of society are passed on to younger members in the process of growing up through enculturation.
• CULTURE IS SHARED

  as it offers all people ideas about behavior - Since culture is shared within exclusive domains of social relations, societies operate differently from each other leading to cultural variations. Culture is shared practices and shared understanding of people.
• CULTURE IS SYMBOLIC

  Culture is based on symbols, and culture is spread from generation to generation through symbols. A symbol is something that means or stands for something else.
• CULTURE IS INTEGRATED

  Culture is a complex system, made up of many parts that are interconnected and related to each other. When one part of the system changes, other parts also change, since everything is connected. One part can influence the others.
• Culture is Adaptive

  > Biological Adaptation, which involves biological changes (e.g. skin color, physique).

  > Cultural Adaptation, where culture helps humans adapt to their environments (e.g. clothing, rituals)
• CULTURE IS DYNAMIC

  Cultures are not static–they change over time. One way they change is through diffusion. Diffusion is the spreading of an idea, thing, or behavior between cultures. Cultures are not isolated–different cultures have been in contact with each other throughout history.
• Acculturation is when different cultures meet and people start to adapt to the new culture without giving up their own.
• Assimilation means fully embracing the dominant culture while letting go of one's original culture. This is often demanded of new immigrants to a society.
• SOCIETY

  A society is a group of people with common territory, interaction, and culture. It is a group of people living together in a definite territory, having a sense of belongingness, mutually interdependent of each other, and follow a certain way of life.
• Major Functions of Society

  1. It provides a system of socialization.
  2. It provides the basic needs of its members.
  3. It regulates and controls people's behavior.
  4. It provides the means of social participation
  5. It provides mutual support to the members.