Culture Flashcards
Society
A group of people that live in a geographic area, who interact with each other, and have a common culture.
Culture
Shared beliefs, values, and practices that participants of society must learn.
Community
A definable region containing people. Ex Neighborhoods or the United States
Material Culture
The tangible physical objects or belongings of a group of people.
Nonmaterial Culture
Attitudes, ideas, and beliefs of a society.
How are Material and Nonmaterial cultures always related?
Physical objects (Material culture) often represent and symbolize cultural ideas (Nonmaterial culture)
Cultural Universals
Patterns or traits that are globally common to all societies. Usually revolves around basic human survival or around shared human experiences. Ex. smiles, concept of death, etc
Ethnocentrism
Evaluating and judging another culture based on how it compares to one’s own cultural norms.
Cultural Imperialism
Forcing your own cultural values on another culture. Ex. European Colonialism.
Culture Shock
When experiencing the differences between one own’s culture and another makes them feel frustrated or disorientated.
Cultural Relativism
The practice of assessing a culture by its own standards rather than viewing it through the lens of one’s own culture.
Xenocentrism
The belief that another culture is superior to one’s own.
Values
A culture’s standard for discerning what is good and just in a society.
Beliefs
Tenets or convictions that people hold to be true.
Sanction
Reactions that are used to encourage or discourage someone else’s behaviors in accordance to social values and norms
Norms
The visible and invisible rules on how to behave by what society has defined as good, right, or important.
Mores
Norms that embody the moral views and principals of a group.
Folkway
Norms without any moral underpinning. More day-to-day behaviors
Symbols
Gestures, signs, objects, signals, and words that provide clues to help people understand the world
Symbols
Gestures, signs, objects, signals, and words that provide clues to help people understand the world
High Culture
The attitudes and experiences that exist in the highest class segment of society
Popular Culture
Cultural experiences and attitudes that exist in mainstream society.
Subculture
A smaller culture within a larger culture: operate smoothly within the larger society.
Counterculture
A type of subculture that rejects some of the larger cultures norms and values.
