CHAPTER 4

SOCIETY

People who interact in a defined territory

And share a culture

Society & Culture-> Interdependent

Society

What is Culture?

Ways of thinking and acting

Material objects

That form a way of life

Culture

Culture: Two Categories

1. Material CulturePhysical things created by members of society

2. Non-Material (Symbolic)Culture

Ideas created by members of society

Material Culture

Physical objects people create and give meaning

Examples:Homes School buildingsChurches, synagogues, temples,

mosques Cell phonesClothesCarsComputersBooks

Material Culture:

Material Culture

Non-Material Culture

Common elements:

Symbols

Language

Values

Norms

Non-material CultureRules of Etiquette for Eating: Japan

Non-material CultureRules of etiquette for eating U.S.

Non-material Culture: Music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tJYN-eG1zk

http://www.youtube.com/user/beyonce

Symbols

Meaning recognized by people who share a culture

Humans create meaning

Symbols

Non-material / Symbolic Culture

We communicate through: Signs Gestures Language

Signs

Gestures

Language

System of symbols: People communicate

Language: Key to accumulating knowledge

Cultural TransmissionPassing culture one generation to the next

Human Languages: A Variety of SymbolsHere the single English word “Read” is written in twelve of the hundreds of languages.

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

The way people think is strongly affected by their native languages.

Controversial theory by linguist

Edward Sapir and his student Benjamin Whorf

Does language shape reality?

See and understand world through language

Cannot think without language

Language connects symbols with emotions

Does language determine thought?

In Chinese, only a single term luotuo( 骆驼 )

In English the word is camel. In Arabic, there are more than 400

words for the animal.

Eskimo language has many words involving snow. For example:

apun= “snow on the ground”, qanikca= “hard snow on the ground”, utak= “block of snow”

Language & RealityIn English, time & objects counted & talked about in same way

Time is objectified

In Hopi, concept of time as “becoming later”,

Not a physical quantity that you can “have”

Language and Reality

Language & Reality

English—a world of things Time as commodity

Hopi—a world of events

Language & Reality

http://vimeo.com/42744105

*** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS1Dno_d2yA

How Many Cultures?

One indication is language

7,000 languages

Words Past and Present

40s Slang Take a powder Fuddy-duddy Gobbledygook Eager beaver Flip your wig Lettuce Pass the buck

60s & 70s Slang Skinny Can you dig it? Spaz Far out Chill Bread A gas Bug out

Language and EmotionsLanguage influences human emotional experiences

Words such as anger or sadnessCultural artifacts of English language

Connecting symbols with Emotions

Values and Beliefs

ValuesCulturally defined standardsWhat is desirable, good, and beautiful

Broad guidelines for social living

BeliefsStatements accepted as true

American Values

Key Values of U.S. CultureRobin Williams Jr. (1970)

Ten values central to our way of life

1.Equal OpportunityNot equality of condition but equality of opportunity

2.Individual Achievement & Personal Success

3.Material Comfort

4. Activity and WorkOur heroes are “doers”

5. Practicality and Efficiency Practical over the theoretical

6. Progress

7. ScienceExpect scientists to solve problems and improve our lives

8. Democracy and Free EnterpriseIndividual rights

9. FreedomIndividual initiative over collective conformity

10. Racism and Group Superiority

Some people in the U.S. still judge others according to gender, race, ethnicity, and social class

Emerging ValuesValues change over time: Material comfort Personal growthU.S. always valued hard workRecently, increasing importance of leisureTime off from work for:

TravelFamilyCommunity service

NormsRules that guide behavior People respond with Sanctions:

RewardsPunishments

Encourages conformity to cultural norms……Norbert Elias

Laws

Norms established by an “authority”

Examples:Speed limits Income TaxCrime

Mores (“more rays”) or Taboos

Norms widely observedGreat moral significance

Religious dietary restrictions

PolygamyPedophiliaIncestCannibalism

FolkwaysNorms for routine or casual interaction

Correct mannersAppropriate dressProper eating behavior

SanctionsShame

Painful sense that others disapprove

GuiltNegative judgment we make about ourselves

Ethnocentrism

People use their culture as standard to evaluate another group or individual

Viewing other cultures as abnormal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QJ7ZrL9Y4g

Cultural Relativism Understanding other cultures on their terms

Researchers: Use cultural relativismObjectivity

High Culture & Popular Culture

High CultureCultural patterns of society’s elite

Popular CultureCultural patterns widespread among a society’s population

High Culture

Popular Culture

Applying Theory: Culture

Society: The Basics, 9th Edition by John Macionis

Copyright © 2007 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.