Culture Part 2

1. Culture Part 2 • Components of Nonmaterial Culture • Theoretical perspectives on culture • Test Review

2. Nonmaterial Culture • Recall:Nonmaterial culture consists of the nonphysical human creations of a society that influence it’s behaviour • The main elements include: • symbols • language • values • norms • sanctions

3. Symbols • Symbols: are gestures or items that are assigned a particular meaning that is recognized by everyone who shares in that particular culture • Culture could not exist without symbols because there would be no shared meanings among people • Each culture determines the meaning of its own symbols and uses them to communicate with others

4. Canadian Symbols

5. Symbols • Some symbols are recognized globally

6. Symbols • Some are only recognized regionally

7. Symbols • Symbols can produce strong feelings of loyalty, animosity, love and hate. • Symbolic meanings can vary within a single society • For example, the Canadian flag may produce feelings of national pride for English speakers and may symbolize ethnic oppression for some French speakers from Quebec.

8. Language • Language is the foundation of every culture • Language: a set of symbols that express ideas and enable people to think and communicate with one another • It can be spoken as well as written, and is the method that is used to pass culture down to the next generation by a process called cultural transmission

9. Language • Language is constantly changing – we create new words and modify old meanings – especially in our modern culture • New words such as: lol, omg, spamming, crunk, caffe latte, hoodie now appear in English language dictionaries

10. Language • Older words often become obsolete as a culture’s values and priorities change • Interdigitation- holding hands • Pilgarlic – a bald man • Wittol – man who tolerates wifes infidelity • Puchritude – breathtaking beauty • Bloviate – to speak loudly and at great length

11. Language • There are about 7,000 languages in the world today • But….half of those are in danger of extinction. 3,500 languages are spoken by only 0.2% of the world’s population – some by only a few people • When these people die, so too will their languages. • When a language dies, a little bit of culture dies with it, which is a loss to all of us

12. Language diversity in Canada • Canada is a linguistically diverse society consisting of many Aboriginal languages, French, English and many other languages. • Top ten languages spoken in Canada: • English, French, Chinese, Punjabi, Spanish, Italian, Ukrainian, Arabic, German, Tagalog.

13. Gestures • The use of the body to communicate with others without using words • While people in every culture use gestures, their meaning can vary dramatically from one culture to another • For ex:

14. Gestures • In North America the “ok” hand gesture means well done • In France, it is an insult meaning you are worth nothing. • In Japan, it means money • In Greece and Turkey, this same symbol is a rude word for your rear end.

15. Gestures • Thumbs up gesture: we understand it as good job, while those in Australia take it to mean “up yours”.

16. Gestures • Eating with your left hand is considered unclean and unacceptable in many Muslim countries and India

17. Gestures • The middle finger is a very well-known gesture around the world

18. Values • Values: collective ideas about what is right or wrong, good or bad, and desirable or undesirable in a particular culture • Example: the belief that racial discrimination is wrong and that democracy is right are both values

19. Values • Values influence people’s everyday decisions and behaviour • Consider how you start your weekday….the alarm goes off and you must decide whether to get out of bed or continue sleeping. • What values are at play in your decision?

20. Values • People’s values within a culture may differ according to such facts as: age, gender, ethnicity, religion… • Example: support for gay marriages in Canada is much higher among younger people than older, and higher among women than men.

21. Canadian Values Citizens Forum on Canada’s Future identified the following core Canadian values: Consultation and dialogue Equality and fairness Accommodation and tolerance Support for diversity

22. Canadian Values Citizens Forum on Canada’s Future identified the following core Canadian values: Compassion and generosity Canada’s natural beauty Canada’s world image

23. Values • Value Contradictions: • Values that conflict with one another or are mutually exclusive • For example: • Pro-life and pro-choice (the right to life of the unborn and the right of a woman to choose) • Support for tolerance and accommodation in general, yet oppose such values for particular groups (ie: gay marriage rights)

24. Values • In every society there are discrepancies between what we claim to value and what we actually do • Ideal versus Real culture: • Ideal: values and standards of behaviour that people in a society profess to hold • Real: the values and standards of behaviour that people actually follow

25. Values • For example, we profess to believe in fidelity in marriage yet many of us engage in extra-marital affairs

26. Values • If you could cheat on your next sociology test and get away with it, would you? • Why or why not?

27. Norms • Values guide the creation of norms • Norms: established standards of behaviour maintained by a society • Norms help people to know how to act in given social situations • It is rude to speak with your mouth full • Don’t interrupt when others are speaking • Turn your cell phones off in class

28. Types of Norms • Sociologists classify norms in two ways – one way is to classify them as Formal or Informal • Formal norms: are written down and involve specific punishment for violators. • Laws are the most common type of formal norms. • For example: laws regarding theft, rape, sale of drugs…

29. Types of Norms • Informal norms: unwritten standards of behaviour understood by people who share a common identity. • When individuals violate informal norms, other people may apply informal sanctions such as frowning or making a negative comment or gesture. • For ex: how would you react to someone picking their nose in public ?

30. Cultural Variation of Norms • Personal space: different cultures stipulate varying degrees of space between people when speaking • In Japan, they prefer to keep 2-3 feet between themselves when communicating

31. Folkways • Sociologists also classify norms on the basis of their importance in a society. • Folkways: those informal norms or everyday customs that may be violated without serious consequences within a particular culture. • Examples: not brushing your teeth, not using deodorant, wearing inappropriate clothing for specific occasions.

32. Folkways

33. Mores • Mores: (pronounced MOR-ays) norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance in a society • We think of them as essential to our core values and insist on conformity • Example: rape and murder

34. Taboos • The strongest mores are referred to as taboos • These are so strongly engrained that even the thought of its violation is greeted with revulsion • Ex: eating of human flesh or incest

35. Universal Taboos?

36. When one culture’s Custom is another’s Taboo • A case in the US involving the practice of “coining” among Cambodian immigrants. • Process where hot objects are pressed on the child’s forehead or back as cures for various illnesses – a process which leaves large welts on the child. • These are seen as warning signs of child abuse by teachers and social service workers, which have lead to the child’s removal.

37. Norms change over time • Even within a society norms can change dramatically over time. • For example, 50 years ago it was appalling for women to have children out of wedlock and families went to great lengths to cover this up. • Now, single mothers are a common and accepted type of family structure.

38. Norms change over time • Until 1973 , homosexuality was regarded as not only taboo but a psychiatric disorder. • Now, Canada is one of only a few countries in the world that has legalized same-sex marriage (along with Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, South Africa & Norway).

39. Sanctions • Penalties and rewards for conduct concerning a certain norm • Their purpose is to influence future behaviour and enforce adherence to norms in a culture

40. Sanctions • Like norms, sanctions can be formal or informal • A positive, formal sanction would be receiving an A+ on your sociology exam for studying hard • A negative, formal sanction would be being expelled from college for plagiarizing your sociology paper

41. Sanctions • A positive, informal sanction would be a compliment from your boss for doing a good job at work • A negative, informal sanction would be giving someone the “evil eye” for budding into line at Tim Hortons

42. Theoretical perspectives on culture • Now, let’s take a look at how the major theoretical perspectives view culture • Recall: Functionalist perspective is based on the assumption that society is a stable orderly system with interrelated parts that serve specific functions

43. Theoretical perspectives on culture Functionalism: This perspective argues that culture reflects a society’s strong central and shared values A cultural practice or trait will persist if it performs functions that society seems to need or it contributes to overall social stability

44. Theoretical perspectives • Conflict theory: This perspective argues that culture serves to maintain the privileges of certain groups at the expense of other groups • Culture reflects the values and norms of the dominant group in a society and reinforces patterns of inequality

45. Theoretical perspectives • Symbolic Interactionism: Argues that a society’s core culture is perpetuated through daily social interactions • A culture’s values and norms are defined and redefined through face-to-face social interaction

46. Theoretical perspectives • Feminism: Argues that culture reflects society’s view of men and women • Values and norms reinforce gender roles for men and women and help perpetuate men’s dominance

47. Test #1 Review • All chapters and powerpoints from weeks 1-4. • 20% of your mark • 50 multiple choice questions, 20 marks short answer questions