Download Culture Culture Culture is the totality of learned, socially transmitted

Culture
Culture
Culture is the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects and
behaviour. In sociological terms, culture consists of all objects and ideas within a society.
Sharing a similar culture may help to define the group or society to which one belongs.
Society
A fairly large number of people are said to constitute a society when they live in the same
territory, are relatively independent of people outside their area, and participate in a culture. It
the largest form of a human group.
How do cultures develop around the world?
The process of expanding culture has been under way for thousands of years. Archaeologists
have found evidence of hearths built to harness fire 700 000 years ago. They have found tools
that date back more than 100 000 years. There is evidence of paintings, jewellery and statues
that are over 35 000 years old. Tracing the development of culture is not easy. Archaeologists
cannot “dig up” weddings, laws, or governments, but they are able to locate items that point to
the emergence of cultural traditions.
Cultural Universals
Despite their differences, all societies have developed certain common practices and beliefs,
known as cultural universals. Many cultural universals are, in fact, adaptations to meet
essential human needs, such as people’s need for food, shelter, and clothing. Anthropologist
George Murdock compiled a list of cultural universals. Some of these include athletic sports,
cooking, funeral ceremonies, medicine, and sexual restrictions. While these practices are
universal, the manner in which they are expressed varies from culture to culture.
Example = choice of marriage
Not only does the expression of cultural universals vary from one society to another, but it also
may change dramatically over time within a society.
Example = styles of dance, change and expand through innovation and diffusion
Innovation
The process of introducing an idea or object that is new to a culture is known as innovation.
Innovation interests sociologists because of the social consequences that introducing
something new can have in any society. There are two forms of innovation:
1. Discovery: making known or sharing the existence of an aspect of reality. A significant
factor in the process of discovery is the sharing of new-found knowledge with others.
Example =DNA/new moon of Saturn
2. Invention: results when existing cultural items are combined into a form that did not
exist before.
Example = bow and arrow, automobile, television, Protestantism, democaracy
Diffusion
Sociologists use the term diffusion to refer to the process by which a cultural item is spread
from group to group or society to society. Diffusion can occur through a variety of means,
among them exploration, military conquest, missionary work, the influence of the mass media,
tourism, and the Internet. In recent decades, international trade and the exchange of ideas
have accelerated cultural diffusion. Sociologists use the term globilization to refer to the
worldwide integration of government policies, cultures, social movements, financial markets.
Early in human history, culture changed rather slowly through discovery. Then, as the number
of discoveries in a culture increased, inventions became possible. The more inventions there
were, the more rapidly additional inventions could be created. In addition, as diverse cultures
came into contact with one another, they could each take advantage of the other’s innovations.
Citizens of nations may tend to feel a loss of identity when they are bombarded with culture
from outside. Many societies try to protect themselves from the invasion of too much culture
form other countries, especially the economically dominant United States.
Canada’s federal gov’t requires that 35% of can songs
Technology
Technology in its many forms has now increased the speed by which aspects of culture are
shared and has broadened the distribution of cultural elements. Sociologist Gerhard Lenski has
defined technology as “information about how to use the material resources of the
environment to satisfy human needs and desires”. Technology not only accelerates the
diffusion of scientific innovations but also transmits culture. Control or at least dominance, of
technology influences the direction of diffusion of culture. Technology has a globalizing effect
as diverse cultures become interconnected through the material and nonmaterial elements of
its use. Technological applications, such as the Internet, provide a shared element of material
culture, while the behaviours employed and attitudes acquired during participation in a chat
room contribute to shared nonmaterial culture.
Material Culture
It refers to the physical or technological aspects of our daily lives. (ex . food items, houses,
factories, and raw materials
Nonmaterial Culture
It refers to the ways of using material objects and also to customs, beliefs, philosophies, and
patterns of communication. Nonmaterial culture is generally more resistant to change.
Cultural Lag
This term refers to the period of maladjustment when the nonmaterial culture is still adapting
to new material conditions
McDonalization of society (George Ritzer)
Describe how the principles of fast-food restaurants developed in the US have come to dominate more
and more sectors of society... walk in medial clinics, religious groups marketed on tv, McCafe (Austiran
love of coffee cake and converstation