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Relationship Between Culture & Society!

2 What is Society? Society is the bigger, cooperating

social group with an organized sense of relationship.

It is the sum of interactions and people.

3 What is Culture? Culture can be seen as tradition that creates

cohesion and continuity. It has a lot of different meanings It is the traits of a populations behavior, values

and beliefs.

4 Difference b/w society and culture Base

Culture is based off of historical precedence

society is an agreement on how each member should behave. 

Scope Society is the overall bigger picture Culture is a part of society

5 Difference b/w society and culture Flexibility

Culture is changing constantly and exclusive

Society is more stable and inclusive Examples

Examples of culture are fashion, language, traditional products, music, art and ideals.

Examples of society are villages, small towns and big cities

6 Relationship b/w culture and society Present and continuous movement Society and culture are closely related and

interlinked But they are “Not Interchangeable” culture plays a key role in the formation of a society Characteristics of relationship b/w culture and

society Mutual existence Not Identical Essential Difference

7 Mutual Existence

Culture and society are co-existent. No culture could exist without society

and equally no society could exist without culture

8 Not Identical

Culture and society may have the some common elements but the two are not the same; they are not identical.

9 Essential difference

Society is composed of people Culture consists of knowledge, ideas, customs,

traditions, mores, beliefs, skills, institutions, organizations and artifacts.

10 Major cultures within a society

Universal Culture Subcultures Countercultures Material Culture Nonmaterial culture

11 Cultural Universals

Cultural traits shared by nearly all societies Arts and Leisure activities Basic Needs

Clothing, cooking, Housing Communication and Education Family Courtship

kin groups, marriage Government and Economy

Calendar, division of labor, government, law, property rights, status differentiation, trade

Technology Medicine, tool making

12 Subcultures

Groups that share values, norms, and behaviors that are not shared by the entire population.

13 Countercultures

Groups that rejects the major values, norms, and behaviors that is practiced by larger society.

14 Major cultures within a society

Universal Culture Subcultures Countercultures Material Culture Nonmaterial culture

15 Material Culture

Material culture includes all the physical things that people create and attach meaning to

Clothing, food, tools, architecture etc.

16 Nonmaterial culture Nonmaterial culture includes creations and abstract

ideas that are not embodied in physical objects. Any intangible products created and shared

between the members of a culture Social roles, rules, ethics, and beliefs are just some

examples.

17 Cultural Sociology

Specialized field of sociology that studies the culture and its relationship with society

culture in the sociological field can be defined as the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material objects that together shape a people's way of life.

 Every cultural phenomena should be seen as a product of social processes

18 Major areas of research

Theoretical constructs in sociology of culture Cultural change Culture theory Cultural deviation Evolution of culture

19 Cultural deviance Deviance describes an action or behavior that

violates social norms of a society Formal deviance: crime, Legal action Informal deviance: Ethical violations, Taboo  Positive deviance

20 Evolution of culture

Human culture changes Similar to Darwinian theory of evolution New traditions, customs and rituals are adopted by

society The ability of societies to adapt is critical to long

term survival Flexible cultures survive Rigid societies vanish

21 THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

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