Culture defined as the beliefs, values, behavior, and material objects

shared by a particular people

- in Sociology refers to everything that is a part of peoples way
of life
- lives become meaningful because of culture
- instincts e.g. hunger; culture manner of eating, what to eat,
when to eat, how to cook food
- human culture and biological evolution are linked human
beings have the capacity to fashion the natural environment to
suit their needs (in cold countries fashion is different with that
in tropical countries; desert people do not usually take a bath
because water is a scarce resource; Filipinos take a bath more
than once a day)
Non-material intangible creations of human society (values
patriotism, love for family; beliefs superstitious beliefs; behavior
Pinoy pointing a direction using his/her mouth/psst)
Material tangible products of human society (architecture, cuisine,
clothing)
Culture shared way of life
Nation political entity
Society refers to the organized interaction of people in a nation or
within some other boundary
Components of culture
Symbol anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by
members of a culture
- the means through which we make sense of our lives
- e.g. black bar pin during the death of a relative; cross/churches
that addu is a catholic university and so one must act
accordingly
language a system of symbols that allows members of a society to
communicate with one another
- all cultures have language but this need not be written
- some scientific evidence suggests that even animals (like
chimps) have at least rudimentary ability to use symbols
- language is more than simply attaching labels to the real world
- Sapir-Whorf (Edward Sapir/Benjamin Whorf) we know the world
only in terms of our language; language then determines, to a
large degree, our reality; culture is thereby shaped by language
(e.g. no word in English/Filipino in taking pleasure in the misery

of other others; Germans have it schadenfreude; maybe

because in the Philippines, it is taboo to wish ill on your
neighbors (being outwardly religious)
Values the standards by which members of a culture distinguish
desirable from the undesirable; the good vs. the bad
- the broad principles, evaluations, and judgments from the
standpoint of a given culture
- learned through socialization, help shape the development of
personality
Beliefs sharing of knowledge, ideas and common ideas in a group of
people
- fables, proverbs, myths, folklore ,traditions, superstition, education
and etc.
Norms rules that guide behavior
- proscriptive mandating what we must not do
- prescriptive stating what we must do
- varies in terms of importance

mores norms that have great moral significance

folkways norms that have little moral significance
concepts developed by William Graham Sumner
norms provide for conformity
sanctions positive and negative responses to the behavior of
people that reward conformity and punish deviance
important part of a societys cultural system of social control
through socialization, cultural norms are internalized and
constraints are imposed on peoples behavior --- avoiding guilt
and shame
social control the various means by which members of society
encourage conformity to cultural norms

ideal culture social patterns mandated by cultural values and norms

real culture social patterns that actually occur
-

material and nonmaterial culture are very closely related;

artifacts or human creations, express the values of a culture
material culture reflects a cultures technology application of
cultural knowledge to the task of living in a physical environment
attempt to manipulate natural environment; cultures attempt to
adapt to natural worlds

high culture refers to natural patterns that distinguish a societys

elites
popular culture designates cultural patterns that are widespread
among a societys population
subculture cultural patterns that distinguish some segment of a
societys population (e.g. Filipinos Cebuanos0
- based on age, ethnicity, residence, sexual preference,
occupation, and many others
counterculture cultural patterns that strongly oppose popular culture
- members of counterculture are likely to question the morality of
the majority group and engage in some form of protest activities
- e.g. Hippies
cultural integration refers to the close relationship among various
elements of a cultural system
cultural lag refers to the fact that cultural elements change at
different rates, which may disrupt a cultural system
- e.g. recognizing that same-sex relationships can have the same
rights as that of heterosexual couples cannot be had in the
Philippines; still embracing the teachings of the conservative
Catholic Church
cultural change:
1. invention
2. discovery
3. diffusion
- e.g. invention of the steam engine paved the way for Industrial
Revolution to take place; along with the values of people in that
part of history
ethnocentrism the practice of judging another culture by the
standards of ones own culture
- creates a biased evaluation of unfamiliar practices
cultural relativism refers to the practice of judging any culture by its
own standards
Theoretical Analysis of culture
1. structural-functionalist culture is understood as an organized
system devised to meet human needs

a. cultural universals traits found in every culture of the

world
2. social conflict inequality among different categories of people
in a culture;
a. e.g. caste system in India
3. cultural ecology emphasizes that human culture is significantly
shaped by the natural environment
a. defined as a theoretical paradigm that explores the
relationship of human culture to the physical environment
b. e.g. sacred cows in India help the farm; status symbol
i. Cow worship Hindu Religion
ii. Second Millenium B.C. Hindu scared texts (Vedas)
do not prohibit the slaughter of cattle; eaten at
ceremonial feasts presided over by Brahman priests
iii. 200 A.D. Brahman priests exhorted the population
to venerate the cow and forbade them to abuse it or
feed on it; religious feasts involving ritual slaughter
were eliminated
iv. Islamic invasion (8th Century AD) Hindus may have
found it politically expedient to set themselves off
from the invaders, who were beefeaters, by
emphasizing the need to prevent slaughter of their
sacred animals
v. Cow is a symbol of health and abundance
vi. Economic use milk/yogurt; farm tractor; dung for
hearths (cooking fuel)/fertilizers
vii. Prohibition against beefeating restricts consumption
by the higher castes and help distribute animal
protein to the poorest sectors of the population
4. sociobiology theoretical paradigm that seeks to explain cultural
patterns as a product, at least in part of biological causes
a. Charles Darwins theory of natural selection, applies to
human evolution
b. Focus on the existence of certain cultural universals as
evidence that culture is determined to a significant degree
by biology
c. Genetic coding passed from one generation to the next
d. Illustrates how biological forces make some cultural
patterns more common than others (e.g. males
genetically driven - promiscuity/quantity; women
quality/ selectivity choice of mates machismo,
women look for men who could support them; men look for
sexy women to ensure fertility)