CULTURE. Definition: Culture is a complex system of meaning & behavior that defines the way of life...
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Transcript of CULTURE. Definition: Culture is a complex system of meaning & behavior that defines the way of life...
CULTURE
Definition:
• Culture is a complex system of meaning & behavior that defines the way of life for a given group or society.
• Culture gives meaning to society.
1. Culture is shared.
• Held in common; collectively experienced & agreed upon
• In US - culture varies significantly– Different races & ethnicities with different histories,
languages & beliefs
• Despite diversities - certain symbols, language patterns, belief systems are distinctively American (1st amendment freedoms)
2. Culture is learned.
• Beliefs & practices are so well learned that they seem perfectly natural (food prep or how to dress); we do or know w/o realizing in most instances
• Learned directly or indirectly• Until culture learned, feel like outsider
(teacher to administrator, new recruit in military)
• Process of learning = socialization
3. Culture is taken for granted.
• We engage in specific cultural practices that people seldom question (how do you eat your hamburger or pizza?)
• To recognize “taken for granted” - observe a tourist, ninth grader or new student at SHS
• Culture unifies people, but the lack of communication across cultures can have negative consequences (US in Iraq or exchange student in class)
4. Culture is symbolic.
• Meaning of symbols is created by cultural significance.
• Symbols mean different things to different cultures (American flag in US or in Iraq)
• Cultural meaning created in specific social contexts (cross on alter v. cross burning in front yard)
• Symbols have great influence & are powerful expressions
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5. Culture varies across time & place.
• Physical & social environments vary so people adapt to the challenges they face differently (urban v. rural, civil rights movement).
• Culture not fixed from 1 place to another.• Therefore, meaning systems that develop
within cultures must be seen in their context• Cultural relativism - not possible to
understand behavior if not know context, but does not mean that every cultural practice is morally acceptable.