Chapter 3 Culture Flashcards
Culture
Symbols, language, norms, beliefs, values and artifacts that are part of a society.
Culture and society are always [___].
[…changing]
Our reactions are [___] induced.
[…culturally]
Sociologists note that biological explanations have been used historically to oppress groups
Sterilization; Mass violence; Genocide
Material culture, or artifacts
A society’s physical objects, like tools, clothing, utensils and transportation.
Nonmaterial culture
Includes the intangible aspects of culture associated with the ways we think, communicate and act.
Symbols
Things that stand for something else and that evoke reactions and emotions.
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
It is argued that language shapes how we think and perceive the social and physical worlds.
Sexist and racist language, which shape how people perceive one another and serve to reinforce the existing unequal social structure.
Policeman-Police officer; Mankind-Humankind; Man made-Artificial
Beliefs
Ideas or convictions that people hold to be true, and are typically rooted in science, mythology, folklore or religion.
Values
Judgments of what is good or bad and desirable or undesirable, and are critical for transmitting and teaching the beliefs of a culture.
Cultural values shape the norms of society
In Japan, lawsuits happen infrequently, due to the value of group harmony; U.S. cultural values emphasized include individualism and the work ethic
Norms
Standards and expectations for behaving.
Informal norms, or folkways
Standards of behavior that are considered less important but still influence how we behave.
Formal norms, like mores (derived from the moral code) and laws (derived from the legal code)
Refer to the standards of behavior considered the most important in any society.
Ideal culture
Desired cultural traits of a society.
Real culture
True outcome of cultural thought and practice.
Ideal-Real culture example
In the U.S., monogamy is idealized, but in practice, infidelity is common.
Preindustrial societies
Have limited artifacts compared to the conspicuous consumption found in industrial and post-industrial societies.
Cultural systems associated with forms of society.
Post-industrial societies are typically democratically governed, while agrarian societies tend to be ruled by monarchs or dictators.
Ogburn’s theory
Ogburn discussed that societies and their cultures change due to discoveries, inventions or the diffusion of one of these across societal boundaries.
Discoveries
Occur when something completely new is observed or found, like germ theory.
Inventions
When something new is created from things that already exist, like smartphone.
The [___] across societal boundary lines is another source of social change.
[…cultural diffusion]
Cultural lag
Reflects the fact of behavioral norms that have not yet adapted to new technological innovations.
Cultural leveling
Results from social change brought by cultural diffusion, particularly in the globalized environment.
Cultural diversity
Can bring about different reactions, like cultural relativism or ethnocentrism.
Cultural relativism
Refers to the belief that we should not judge any culture as superior or inferior to another culture.
Ethnocentrism
Refers to the tendency to judge another culture by the standards of our own and to the belief that our own culture is indeed superior to another culture.
Culture shock is the uncomfortable feeling we experience when exposed to and immersed in unfamiliar cultures.
Cultural relativism
Judging other cultures by the standards of one’s own culture
Human rights
Universal and provide a standard for the protection and dignity of individuals regardless of cultural context
Things might be looked at ethnocentrically by people from other societies
Capital punishment; Use of nursing homes; Proliferation of guns.
