1 / 20

The Meaning of Culture

Explore the core aspects of culture, from social organizations to customs, arts, and government systems. Discover the importance of language, religion, and economic systems in shaping societies. Delve into cultural diffusion, ethnocentrism, and convergence. Engage in reflective questions on identity and cultural elements in your own life.

saguilera
Download Presentation

The Meaning of Culture

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Meaning of Culture

  2. The Elements of Culture • Everyone born into a culture. • Share common characteristics. • Anthropologists divided into 7 Elements

  3. #1 Social Organizationsmaller structure-meet needs of people • Family Patterns- • most important • nuclear family • extended family

  4. Social Classes • Ranking of people in order of status • Based on what that culture values highly • Social mobility

  5. Customs and Traditions • -rules of behavior • cultural rules vary in importance • social pressure to fit in • Social norms-unify or not

  6. Arts and Literature • Products of human imagination such as art, music, literature that please and entertain us. • Folk tales-traditions that help pass on a culture’s basic beliefs and values. • A and L help to strengthen a culture’sidentity

  7. Language • The cornerstone of culture • reflects a culture’s identity • unify culture (or not) • age

  8. Religion • Arts often closely linked to people’s religious beliefs • within a culture, people usually share religious beliefs • Meaning of life

  9. Forms of Government • People’s governments provide for their common needs such as order and protection • people organize governments • types of governments: • democracy • republic • dictatorship

  10. Economic Systems • Economics refers to how people use limited resources to satisfy their wants and needs. • 3 basic questions: • what goods and services should we produce • how should we produce them • for whom should we produce them

  11. Economics cont. • Traditional economy: people produce most of what they need to survive • Market economy:buying and selling goods and services. • Command economy: government controls what goods are produced & what they cost • Mixed-most nations have mixed economies

  12. The American Dream

  13. Cultural diffusion • spread of culture and the factors that account for it, such as migration, communications, trade, and commerce

  14. Ethnocentrism • The tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one's own culture. • Cultural superiority

  15. Cultural Divergence • The restriction of an element of culture from outside influences • Example: government censorship

  16. Cultural Convergence Cultural convergence occurs when multiple cultures become more like one another through exposure to traditions, ideals and languages.

  17. Questions to Ponder • Describe three elements that help give YOUR culture its identity. • How are family patterns related to YOUR culture? • How do the arts in the United States help to unify the nation? • Which element of culture is most relevant in your life?

More Related