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CULTURAL
DIVERSITY
The Meaning of
Culture
Cultural
Diversity
Identify as many culture
universals as possible.
These are features that exist
in all societies.
THE MEANING OF CULTURE
• Culture- consists of all the
shared products of human
groups.
• Material Culture- physical
objects that people create.
Examples: automobiles, clothing,
books, buildings, computers, etc
• Nonmaterial Culture- abstract
human creations
Examples: language, ideas, beliefs,
rules, skills, family patterns,
economic systems, etc
• Society- a group of mutually
interdependent people who
have organized in such a way
as to share a common culture
and feeling of unity.
MEANING OF CULTURE CONT.
• Symbol- anything that stand
for something else.
• Language- organization of
written or spoken symbols
into a standardized system.
• Values- shared beliefs about
what is good or bad, right or
wrong, desirable or
undesirable.
• Norms- shared rules of
conduct that tell people how
to act in specific situations.
• Law- written rule of conduct
that is enacted and enforced
by the government
EXAMINING CULTURE
• Culture is continually
changing.
• Sociologists examine a
culture by breaking it
down into levels and
studying each level
separately.
• New material objects are
constantly being
introduced, as are new
words, expressions, and
ideas.
CULTURE TRAITS
• Culture Trait- an
individual tool, act, or
belief that is related to
a particular situation or
need.
• Our use of forks,
knives, and spoons
when eating is an
example.
• The manner in which
we greet people is also
a culture trait.
CULTURAL COMPLEXES
• Culture Complex- a cluster
of interrelated traits
• Example: The game of
football
-Material traits are football,
cleats, helmets, etc.
-Specific acts include kicking,
passing, catching, tackling, etc.
-Beliefs related are to be a good
sport, certain rules to the game,
penalties given for violations,
etc.
CULTURE PATTERNS
• Culture Patterns- the
combination of a
number of culture
complexes into an
interrelated whole.
• For example, the
complexes of sports
such as basketball,
softball, swimming,
tennis, and soccer
combine to form
American athletics.
CULTURAL VARIATION
• The cultures of the
world are very
different.
• For example, there are
approximately 240
different languages in
the world today.
• In addition, the same
language may have
several variations.
-British English, American
English, Canadian English,
and Australian English.
WHAT DO WE HAVE
IN COMMON?
• Cultural Universalsfeatures common to all
cultures
• Among these universals
are cooking, feasting, tool
making, religion, myths,
sports, forms of greeting,
medicine, dancing, family,
housing, music, funeral
ceremonies, gift giving,
language, etc.
VARIATIONS AMONG
SOCIETIES
• In the 1930’s,
Margaret Mead
conducted a study of
cultural variation
among several small
societies in New
Guinea.
The Arapesh
The Mundugumor
Case Study Page 33
Define these key terms in
your own words:
•Material Culture
•Nonmaterial Culture
•Language
•Culture Universals
DEALING WITH VARIATION
• Variations in cultural
practices have both
positive and negative
consequences.
• Ethnocentrism- the
tendency to view one’s
own culture and group as
superior
• Cultural Relativism- the
belief that cultures should
be judged by their own
standards.
VARIATION WITHIN
SOCIETIES
• Subculturesunique cultural
characteristics of
societies.
• Counterculturewhen a group
rejects the values,
norms, and
practices of the
larger society and
replaces them with
a new set of
cultural patterns.
San Francisco’s Chinatown
share many broad American
culture traits but also have their
own customs.
Meaning of Culture
Definition
of Culture
Shared Products
of Human Groups
Material
Culture
Non
Material
Culture
Physical
Objects
Abstract
Human
Creations
Components
of Culture
Symbols
Language
Values
Norms
Anything
that stands
for
something
Written and
spoken
symbols
Shared
beliefs
about good
and bad
Shared rules
of conduct
Folkways
Mores
Laws
Common
Conventions
Morally
Significant
Norms
Written rules
of conduct