Ch 2 Flashcards
culture
knowledge, language, values, customs and material objects that are passed from person to person and from one generation to the next
beliefs
central component of nonmaterial culture is the mental acceptance or conviction that certain things are true or real
Cultural Universals
customs and practices that occur across all societies
Who used cultural universals in their study?
George Murdock
- anthropologist, used 70 universals in his study
How do symbols relate to culture?
symbols make culture possible because they allow for shared meaning
- express shared meanings; allow groups to communicate cultural ideas and abstract concepts
Why are values important in understanding people?
values are a source of criteria for evaluating people, events and objects
folkways
informal norms and everyday customs that may be violated without serious consequences and are not often enforced
cultural lag
the gap between the technical development of a society and the development of its moral and legal institutions
- created by William Ogburn
What is an example of positive ethnocentrism?
Olympics and competition
- combine nationalism and patriotism
symbolic interactionist perspective
states that people create, maintain and modify culture as they go about their everyday activities, continually negotiating their social realities
functionalist perspective
states that a common language and shared values help produce consensus and harmony
Pros and Cons of the functionalist perspective?
strength: focuses on the needs of society and that stability is essential for society’s continued survival
weakness: overemphasis on harmony and cooperation
postmodern perspective
states that there are many cultures within the U.S alone
and we need a new way of conceptualising culture and society to grasp a better understanding of how popular culture may simulate rather
conflict perspective
believe that certain groups may use culture to maintain their privilege and exclude others from society’s benefits
material culture
consists of physical and tangible creations that members of society make, use and share
- changes in technology help shape material culture
nonmaterial culture
symbols, language, values and norms
language
set of symbols through which groups communicate
- important human attributes is the ability to use language to share our experiences, feelings and knowledge with others
mores
norms with strong moral and ethical connotations and are essential to the stability of a culture
laws
formal, standardized norms that are enforced by formal sanctions
culture shock
anxiety people experience when they encounter cultures radically different from their own
ethnocentrism
the assumption that one’s own culture is superior to other cultures
cultural relativism
views and analyzes another culture in terms of that culture’s own values and standards
counterculture
a group that strongly rejects dominant societal values and norms and seeks alternative lifestyles
cultural imperialism
the extensive infusion of one nation’s culture into other nations
high culture
classical music, opera, ballet, live theater and other activities usually patronized by elite audiences
nonmaterial culture
the abstract or intangible human creations of society that influence people’s behavior
norms
established rules of behavior or standards of conduct
popular culture
activites, products and services that are assumed to appeal primarily to members of the middle and working class
sanctions
rewards for appropriate behavior or penalties for inappropriate behavior
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
the proposition that language shapes the view of reality of its speakers
subculture
a category of people who share distinguishing attributes, beliefs, values and/or norms that set them apart in some manner from the dominant culture
taboos
mores so strong that their violation is considered to be extremely offensive and even unmentionable
technology
the knowledge, techniques, and tools that allow people to transform resources into usable forms and the knowledge and skills required to use them after they are developed
value contradictions
values that conflict with one another or are mutually exclusive
