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Sociology: Chapter 2 Section 1

Sociology: Chapter 2 Section 1. “Cultural Variations” Standards: 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.9, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12, 2.13, & 5.8. A Diverse World. “If you count ONLY the languages that have over 2,000,000 speakers, there are more than 220 different languages…”

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Sociology: Chapter 2 Section 1

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  1. Sociology: Chapter 2 Section 1 “Cultural Variations” Standards: 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.9, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12, 2.13, & 5.8

  2. A Diverse World • “If you count ONLY the languages that have over 2,000,000 speakers, there are more than 220 different languages…” • There are also different dialects of the same language

  3. What do we have in common? • Cultural Universals: Traits common to ALL/MOST cultures • George Murdock: 1940’s Came up with 60 Cultural Universals • Ex: • 1. Cooking • 2. Feasting • 3. Myths {Urban Legend} (Hull House; Reder Road) • 4. Folklore • 5. Religion

  4. Culture Variations • Margaret Mead: 1930’s Anthropologist • Studied variations and Temperamental differences • Concluded that differences based on Culture • Mead studied two different people from Papau New Guinea • Arapesh • Mundugumor

  5. Arapesh Lived in mountains Had scarce food Were planters Were non aggressive Cooperative Arranged marriages Girls (7-8) Boys (13-14) Monogamous w/ Expectations Mundugumor Lived in fertile river valley Hunters Lots of food Aggressive Competitive Jealous Show off Scattered families Large # of wives (Polygamy) Lineage pattern: (Property) Fathers to Daughters Mothers to sons *known as the “Rope” Arapesh and Mundugumor

  6. Language and Culture…p 34 • Benjamin Whorf: Linguistic-Relativity Hypothesis • Two Principles: • 1. Language shapes the way that people think • 2. People who speak different languages perceive the world in different ways • Ex. Since the Inuit (Eskimos) of N. America live in landscape dominated by snow, their language features many different words that describe that many potential states of snow (Drifting, Falling…etc) • For this reason, Whorf concludes that the Inuit have a better understanding of snow than most other cultures

  7. Studying Variation • Ethnocentrism: • Caused by cultural diversity • Who is right? • “Tendency to view ones own culture as superior to others.” • We often mock the beliefs and actions of other cultures with the assumption that what we are doing is right

  8. Studying Variation • Cultural Relativism: • Cultures should be judged by their OWN standards; not ours (Verstehen) • Marvin Harris: Cannibals and Kings • Harris explored the Indian prohibition against killing cows in spite of food shortages • Harris concluded that Indians did not kill cows because they were needed for plowing fields and providing milk; both of which are essential to the Indian culture

  9. Studying Variation • Subculture: Do not share ALL of the culture traits of the dominant society • Ex. Little Italy in Chicago • Ex. Little Havana in Miami • Consider selves as PART of the main culture, but still retain SOME of their original culture traits • Counter Culture: REJECT ALL aspects of the dominant society • Ex. Anarchists • Ex. Hermit • * Culture PowerPoint Project (Std. 2.7-2.9 & 5.8)

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