Culture Flashcards
Define culture
A complex collection of values, beliefs, behaviours, and material objects shared by a group passed on from one generation to the next
What are the six defining features of culture?
1) It is learned (from the day you are born-table manners)
2) It is shared (through interactions, shared understanding- we all understand what beauty is)
3) It is transmitted (through generations)
4) It is cumulative (altered over time)
5) It is human
6) It is pattern (share an understanding of when an appropriate time is for what)
What are the 3 reasons we can’t determine when culture began?
1) very little material evidence
2) non-material therefore we cannot peserve it for future generations to study
3) many of the developments that enabled our ancestors to become cultural were all interconnected and integral for the emergence of culture
What is material culture?
Examples?
Tangible artifacts, physical objects, and items found in a given culture (in society)
ex. clothes, wedding rings, cars
*They all have meanings associated with each object**
What is non material culture?
Examples?
Society’s intangible and abstract components
Values, norms, sanction, beliefs
*all passed on from generation to generation*
Define Values
Beliefs about ideal goals and behaviours that serve as standards for social life
- Freedom
*teaching value of order- lining up*
Define Norms
Cultural rules that outline appropriate behaviour
- unwritten
*how we should act*
Define Sanction
Anything that rewards appropriate behaviour or penalizes inappropriate behaviour
Sanctions:
Define Folkways
Folkways - do not inspire severe moral condemnation when violated
- informal norms that suggest customary ways of behaving
* least sever sanction if custom is not followed*
EX.burping then say excuse me and its fine
Sanctions:
Define Mores
Mores - Norms that carry a strong sense of social importance and necessity
- inspire strong moral condemnation
*frowned upon by society*
EX. extramarital affairs, prego women drinking
Define Cultural Universals
Customs and practices that occcur across all societies
EX. given name (culturally specific)
Define Ethnocentrism
Example
The tendency to view one’s own culture as superior to all others
- judging another culture exclusively by the standards of one’s own
*we try to avoid this*
EX. In england we say they are driving on the wrong side because its different then what we do.
Define Cultural Relativism
Appreciation that all cultures have intrinsic worth and should be evaluated and understood on their own terms
*Avoid judging other culture’s cutoms and traditions before trying to understand them*
Define culture shock
The feeling of disorientation, alienation, depression, and loneliness experienced when entering a culture very different from one’s own
- Dont have to adapt to it, but have to understand it
EX. clothing, hair color, kissing in public
Define re-entry shock
Going back to your country after being away for a long time
Define symbol
Something that stands for or represents something else
Define language
A shared symbol system of rules and meanings that governs the production and interpretation of speech.
- key identifier of cultural boundaries
- shared cultural symbols allow us to interact
When a ________ dies, a little bit of ______ dies with it
When a language dies, a little bit of culture dies with it
Define the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
The assertion that language influences how we perceive the world
Define linguistic determinism
Language determines how we perceive the world
Define linguistic relativism
Language reflects how we perceive the world
What is non-verbal communication ?
Using body language, eye contact, proximity and micro-expression that reveal your true emotions and feelings
Define a subculture
Example?
A group within a population whose values, norms, folkways, or mores set them apart from the mainstream culture
- Often based on race, ethnicity and religion
EX. chinatown in vancouver
Define a counterculture
Ex. Hippies
A type of subculture that strongly opposes the widely held cultural patterns of the larger population
EX. Hippies, Hells angels
Who believes that Canada’s adaptation to a harsh physical environment has defined its culture, and to some extent has defined what it means to be Canadian?
Margaret Atwood
What are some Canadian values?
- Belief in equality and fairness
- Importance of accommodation and tolerance
- Support for diversity
- Compassion and generosity
- Commitment to freedom and peace
What are the three sources for inspiring cultural changes?
1) Discovery (of something new that has cultural applications)
2) Invention/innovation (modification of cultural item to produce something new)
3) Diffusion (transmitted from one group to another)
What are Veblen and Bourdieu’s contributions?
The 3 different cultural variations; High, Popular, and Cultural Capital
Define High culture
Examples?
The set of preferences, tastes and norms that are supported by high status groups
EX> designer brands, fancy restaurants, vacations
Define Popular Culture
The culture of ordinary people
*nothing but the choices of society**
EX. Buying the next new trend, increase consumption, globalization
What is Cultural Capital?
Examples?
A body of knowledge and interpersonal skills that helps people to get ahead socially
- It’s a tool that is not available to everyone, it moves you up the social ladder
EX. dress for success
Define Functionalism
Relationship between the parts of society, how aspects of society are functional
Define Conflict theory
Competition for scarce resources; how the elite control the poor and the weak
Define Symbolic Interactionism
Use of symbols in face-to-face interactions
A group of women playing recreational hockey is an example of what type of culture?
A subculture; there is no threat to social stability
A outlaw biker gang is an example of what type of culture?
Counterculture; challenges the larger society’s laws, values, and beliefs
What is the Functionalist approach Culture? (3)
- Culture allows us to have certain values and beliefs which make it easy to have laws
- We wouldnt be able to function as a society without culture
- Culture plays a part in helping people to meet needs
How does the Conflict theory approach Culture? (2)
- Those who hold power define and perpetuate a culture’s ideology
- Values and norms allow people to be empowered and wealthy… which leads to social inequality
How does Symbolic Interactionism approach Culture?
- Culture is the set of symbols to which we collectively assign values and the result of our active engagement with those around us
- How culture is created and recreated through social interactions
- Gestures alter our lives
EX. someone smiles, you smile back = good reaction
VS. Someone smiles, you flip them off = bad reaction
What does functionalism not take into account for culture?
The tension from subcultures and countercultures
