Culture

1. Culture A Review

2. Recall: • We are social beings • We live in groups • We interact with each other in groups • Groups have an impact on us

3. Culture • Culture is everything that is learned and shared by members of a social group. This includes the values or ideas about what is important to the people in the group. Culture is expressed through a variety of methods including dress, language, religion, and food

4. CULTURE- Learned Shared Passed on

5. Material Things that are created by humans Buildings Autos Computers Non-material Behaviours Symbols Attitudes Values of the culture Culture

8. Nine Universals of Culture Material Culture:food, clothing, housing, transportation, and tools Arts, Play and Recreation: fine arts, drama, and beauty Social Organization: societies, families, and kinship systems Language and non-verbal communication Social Control: government systems, rewards, and punishment Conflict and Warfare: defence systems, practices of warfare, conflict, and conflict resolution Education: formal and informal Worldview: belief systems, religion, and values Economic organization: trade, production, labour, property, and standard of living

9. Cultural elements are the backbone of a social group. The cultural elements define the behavior of the society and how the members of the society perceive the world. Culture produces order and regularity in a society. This makes behavior predictable. The three main cultural elements are:                            A) Values                            B) Norms                           C) Social Roles

10. Values Values are the general beliefs of a society that define right and wrong and also define the general preferences of the group. What are a few examples of Canadian values? What are a few examples of values from other nations?

11. Norms • Norms are relatively precise rules specifying the behaviors permitted and prohibited for the groups members. There are two types of norms: folkways and mores. Folkways: These norms do not provoke a strong reaction from society when broken. The response from society can range from disgust to snubbing the, person.Examples??? Mores (morays): The violation of these norms provoke a strong reaction form the group members. Penalties range from a fine to incarceration for breaking laws.Examples???

12. Social Roles Social Roles: A cluster of expectations concerning behaviors that are appropriate for an individual in a given social situation. We all perform many roles. Ascribed Role: Roles that we are assigned through our blood line.Examples???Achieved Role: Roles that we earn.Examples??? Gender role: is defined partly by genetic make-up but mainly by the society and culture a person lives in.

13. Role Conflict Role conflict is a situation in which the behavioral expectations of one role are inconsistent with those of another role. Role conflict occurs when people are confronted with incompatible role expectations in the various social statuses they occupy. When the roles are associated with two different statuses, the result is known as status strain. When the conflicting roles are both associated with the same status, the result is known as role strain. Conflict may also occur when people disagree about what the expectations are for a particular role or when someone simply has difficulty satisfying expectations because their duties are unclear, too difficult, or disagreeable. • Examples: • A parent may feel conflicting obligations to employers who demand full devotion to the job and children who need to be cared for when they are sick (status strain). Examples????

14. Cultural Integration • Cultural integration refers to the changes that occur in society when new ideas or items are introduced. Change in one aspect of culture leads to changes in other areas of society. Society can have changes in all or some of the following areas: Political effects Justice effects Economic effects Social effects

15. Causes of Cultural Variation • Environment / Geography • Invention and Discovery • Isolation or Integration • Basic Values / Goals

16. Environment / Geography • The area in which a group of people live will determine, to some extent the type of culture they develop. • Climate: type and style of clothing, physical features • Natural Resources: development of economic base, housing styles • Topography: settlement patterns

17. Invention and Discovery • One group of people will not necessarily invent or discover the same things as another group; or they may use the same discovery but in unique ways. • Europeans had advantages in warfare over the First Nations due to the discovery of gunpowder • Central American First Nations discovered the wheel but only used it on toys.

18. Isolation or Integration • A culture may develop without interacting with other cultures, it may develop in isolation and will therefore develop in a different way than other cultures. • Certain tribal cultures, Mennonites, Amish • Cultural Diffusion- when one culture is spread from one location to another ie: American Culture of TV, Internet, tea (orginally from China), globalization, Disney in Japan

19. Basic Values / Goals • Those things which are considered worthwhile and good to any group of people are that group’s basic values. • North America—technology is progress • First Nations---harmony with the land • Canadian-equality and fairness in a democratic society • Japan---work ethic

20. Culture Changes over time, WHY? • Discovery: the process of learning about something previously unknown or unrecognized. • Invention: the process of reshaping existing cultural items into a new form. • Diffusions: the transmission of cultural items or social practices from one group or society to another

21. Culture Terms Multiculturalism is the practice of maintaining the unique characteristics of each cultural group in a society that includes one or more different cultures. New ideas and art forms are among the benefits of a multicultural society. Being exposed to different cultures can enrich the lives of individuals and benefit society as a whole.

22. Culture Terms • Cultural assimilation is the process by which members of subordinate racial and ethnic groups become absorbed into the dominant culture. The members of an ethnic group adopt the dominant group traits, such as language, dress, values, religion and food preferences. • “melting pot”

23. Culture Terms • Cultural relativism is the belief that it is important to respect the diversity of other cultures; behaviours and customs of any culture must be viewed and analyzed by the culture’s own standards. • Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s culture is standard and thus, superior to others.

25. Honour Killing • Read the article “Cultural-driven Abuse of Women Must be Addressed” • Answer questions

26. Fifth Estate – honour killing • http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/episodes/2011-2012/escape-from-justice

27. Cultural Terms • Subcultures are a group of people that share certain values and beliefs with the larger culture, but have characteristics that members share only with each other. • First Nations • Acadians • Military • Skaters

28. Subcultures Shared ideology …values, norms, beliefs Shared esthetic …dress, pastimes, music Shared vernacular …specialized language 3 types of Sub-cultures: • Vocational subcultures • Recreational subcultures • Ethnic subcultures

29. What is a counterculture? • A group who’s values and norms deviate from or are at odds with those of dominant culture: • Usually viewed as negative/dangerous, but not always (e.g. women’s lib groups in the 70s or the Civil Rights movement of the 60s) • Hippies, KKK, early punk, Satanists, Hells Angels/Pagans, Anarchists, Cults

30. What is a “cult”? • A group whose beliefs seem extremely bizarre or abnormal. • Commonalities: • Authoritarian • Oppositional • Exclusivistic • Legalistic • Subjective • Persecution-Conscious • Sanction-Oriented • Mysterious • Common traits: • A desire to belong • Unassertiveness • Gullibility (impaired capacity to question critically) • Low tolerance for ambiguity • Cultural disillusionment or alienation • Idealism • A lack of self-confidence • A desire for spiritual meaning

31. Test next class - Tuesday! • You need to know: • Cultural Universals • Mores • Folkways • Ascribed roles • Achieved roles • Social roles • Role conflict You will need to understand them – not define them. This PP can be found on my webpage.