3. Characteristics of Society & Culture

Question 1

The major groups that were identified during the historical process of the Caribbean have now formed a society of their own, due to the fact that

Answer 1

they settled in specific areas for a long period of time. In the respective areas of settlement, they would have developed

Question 2

Society has (4)

Answer 2

1. A shared, common purpose
2. A defined territorial space
3. Continuity over time and space
4. They are all citizens within a space

Question 3

Culture (in Caribbean territories) has: (5)

Answer 3

1. learned behaviours
2. customs and traditions
3. norms and values which guide behaviour
4. Institutions would have emerged to prescribe behaviour (church, school, courts, government)
5. Gendered practices (child rearing, employment)

Question 4

Examples of cultural diversity in Caribbean (3)

Answer 4

1. Pudding and Souse - Began as a source of protein for the enslaved. Use of corn meal to make cou-cou.
2. Amerindians used cassava, pepper-pot.
3. Europeans - Religion, Government Systems (Governor-General), Dress

Question 5

Culture can be divided into two groups

Answer 5

1. The material culture – foods, etc.?

2. Non-material culture – that learned through observation or formal teaching

Question 6

Culture can also be seen as its subcultures such as (4)

Answer 6

1) Drug culture
2) Cyber culture
3) Literacy culture
4) Migration culture

Question 7

High Culture is

Answer 7

elitist understanding of culture

Question 8

Popular Culture is

Answer 8

music, arts, festivals, cuisine promoted through the mass media. Not necessarily a people’s
indigenous culture; heavily influenced through globalization

Question 9

the geographical definition of society

Answer 9

a group of people that originates from a common place or in the same geographical area over a long period of time or a group that calls a particular location ‘home’.

In the context of the Caribbean, a society is referred to as the boundaries of a nation state.
For instance, the Jamaican society, the St Lucian Society, the Cuban Society, etc

Question 10

the sociological definition of society

Answer 10

involves the sharing of certain values and attitudes that serve as standards by which behaviours are measured and controlled

Question 11

historical definition of society is

Answer 11

people who share similar historical background, culture and interests

for instance, the Jamaican Horticultural Society, Jamaican Society for the Aged.

Question 12

social structure definition of society

Answer 12

within each society, there is a strict social structure.

This refers to a network of interrelationship among the individuals and groups.

In their pursuit of understanding the general make-up of a society, sociologists study relationships to verify their effects on the function of the society

Question 13

society is

Answer 13

a collection of people living in the same area over time

Question 14

Culture is the

Answer 14

the ways of life of a people,

including aspects of lifestyle, products, ideas and symbols, common to members of a specific society, community or organization.

Like society, the concept of culture involves a number of meanings or aspects that work on different levels

Question 15

The social world is characterized by

Answer 15

constant change.

So too is the natural world; for example, rivers, earth movements, the subatomic world, diseases, viruses and so on present a dynamic, highly interactive and constantly changing milieu

Question 16

To the sociologist who is involved in the systematic study of society, the important aspect in defining society is its group structure framework. Each society has a social structure - that is a

Answer 16

network of interrelationships among individuals and groups

Question 17

A society is not usually defined only by political borders on a map, but also by

Answer 17

the similarities among the group that are used to identify them.

Question 18

Groups made up of members of a society may migrate to other places because of

Answer 18

wars, shortages in food, natural disasters or even political and religious differences and thus transport their society with them

Question 19

elements that determine the general social conditions of a society are (5)

Answer 19

1) population characteristics
2) social behaviour
3) social institutions
4) cultural influences and
5) social change

Question 20

how population characteristics determine the general social conditions of a society

Answer 20

Population characteristics determine the general social patterns of a group of people living within a certain geographical area.

There are two chief kinds of population studies, demography and human ecology.

Demographers compile and analyze various studies, including people’s age, birth and death rates, marriage rates, ethnic background and migration patterns.
Many demographic studies explain the effects of social conditions on the size and composition of a population. For example, several studies of the 1900’s found a direct correspondence between the growth of science, medicine and industry and a decline in the death rate.

Human ecology on the other hand deals mainly with the structure of urban environments and their patterns of settlement and growth.
Studies in human ecology explain why and how cities and other communities grow and change

Question 21

how social behaviour determine the general social conditions of a society

Answer 21

Social psychologist usually work with small groups and observe attitude change, conformity, social interaction, leadership morale, other forms of behaviour and examine the results of conflicts between groups such as crime, social movement and war.

In most societies standard of behaviour are passed on from one generation to the next.

Sociologists and psychologists in the pursuit to uncover the mysteries behind social change within the societies observe how people adjust their behaviour to conform to these standards (a process called socialization).

Change may be caused by fashions, inventions, revolutions, wars or other events and activities

Sociologists also study social roles and status (a person’s importance or rank).

Question 22

social behaviour is studied where

Answer 22

extensively in the field of sociology.

Question 23

social interaction is

Answer 23

the way members of a group respond to one another and to other groups.

Question 24

how social institutions determine the general social conditions of a society

Answer 24

Social Institutions are organized relationships among people which tend to perform specific Inaction within the society.

These institutions include business organizations, churches, government, security forces, hospitals, family and schools.

Each institution, has a direct effect on the society in which it exists.

For example, the attitudes and the goals of an entire society are influenced by the transmission of learning and knowledge in educational institutions.

Some branches of sociology study the influence of one particular type of institution.

These branches include the sociology of the family and the sociology of law.

Question 25

Demography is

Answer 25

the systematic study of the size, composition and distribution of human populations.

Question 26

Being able to associate with and feel like part of a group or society based on its culture is referred to as

Answer 26

cultural identity

Question 27

Cultural identity is the

Answer 27

feeling of belonging, usually based on one’s self-perception, to any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture

Question 28

social roles is the

Answer 28

function or expected behaviour of an individual within a group