Culture

Culture
• Culture refers to the human-made environment, which includes material and non-material
products that are transmitted from one generation to the next.
• When individuals are required to transfer information or cultural aspects from one
generation to the next, they need to pay attention to up-gradation of their communication
skills.
• These are transmitted through symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human
beings, including their embodiments as artifacts. The essential core of culture therefore lies
in those finer ideas, which are transmitted within a group, both historically derived as well
as selected with the attached value.
• Culture refers to historically transmitted patterns of meanings embodied in symbols, by
means of which the individuals communicate, preserve, and develop their knowledge.
• Culture refers to the expression of nature in the ways of living and thinking. It may be
observed in various spheres, which are, social, religious, economic, and political. There
are two components of culture, material and non-material.
• Material culture consists of objects that are related to the material aspects of one’s life,
i.e. attire, food items, other goods, etc. Whereas, non-material components are, norms,
values, beliefs, and so forth. There are differences in the cultural traits of the individuals,
belonging to different regions, states as well as countries.
Elements of culture
1. Norms
• Social norms are the perceived informal, mostly unwritten, rules that define acceptable and appropriate actions within a
given group or community, thus guiding human behavior.
• The behavior that societies expect of their members in a particular situation.
• If people conform to the norm, they expect to be socially accepted or rewarded; if they do not, they expect to be socially
punished or excluded.
2. Values
• Values are the fundamental beliefs and principles that guide and shape an individual's behavior, decisions, and attitudes.
• They serve as a set of moral and ethical standards that help people determine right or wrong, important or unimportant,
and desirable or undesirable in their lives. Values are deeply ingrained and can vary from one person to another, often
reflecting one's cultural, social, religious, and personal background.
Social sanctions
• Social sanctions are mechanisms or controls that societies and communities use to regulate and enforce norms,
values, and rules.
• They serve as a means of maintaining order and encouraging individuals to conform to the accepted social
behaviors and expectations.
• Social sanctions can be positive or negative, and they influence an individual's behavior through various forms of
rewards and punishments.
• Positive Social Sanctions:
1. Approval and Praise
2. Rewards
• Negative Social Sanctions
1. Stigma and Shaming 2. Social Exclusion 3. Legal Penalties

Cultural relativism
• Cultural relativism refers to not judging a culture to our own standards of what is right or wrong, strange or
normal. Instead, we should try to understand the cultural practices of other groups in their own cultural
context.
• Anthropologist Franz Boas first used the idea of cultural relativism in 1887,
• Cultural relativism is the position that there is no universal standard to measure cultures by and that all
cultural values and beliefs must be understood relative to their cultural context, and not judged based on
outside norms and values.
• Basically, No culture is superior and inferior to another culture.
• For Example, in Hindu culture the concept of sati is considered a total cruelty to women. But after deeply
studying the Hindu culture it totally fits into their own social context.
• So we can say that some things are right and good in one culture as they fit into it and other things are wrong
and bad in that culture because it does not exist there.
Ethnocentrism
• The term, ethnocentrism was first coined by William Graham Sumner.
• Ethnocentrism is the act of judging another culture from the perspective of one’s own. The other culture is
viewed as inferior when compared to one’s own. One’s own perspective is judged as right while the other is
judged as wrong or less than.
• When you use your own culture as the center and evaluate other cultures based on it. You are judging, or
making assumptions about the food of other countries based on your own norms, values, or beliefs.
• It can also lead to discrimination against people who are different. For example, in many countries, religious
minorities (religions that are not the dominant religion) often face discrimination.
• On the other hand, ethnocentrism can create loyalty among the same social group or people in the same
society. For example, during the World Cup or Olympics, you may tend to root for your own country and
believe that the players or teams representing your country are much better. National pride is also part of
• For instance, during Europe’s colonial expansion, European colonizers
often viewed the people they colonized as uncultured savages who
needed European governance, dress, religion, and other cultural
practices.
Egocentrism
• Concern for your own interests and well-being over all others; self-centeredness.
• Egocentrism means an individual or group of individuals have failed to learn

other’s perspectives.
• Egocentrism means an individual or group of individuals have failed to learn

other’s perspectives.
Cultural lag
• The concept of cultural lag was first proposed by American sociologist William F. Ogburn in the
1920s. His work Social Change with Respect to Culture and Original Nature introduced the main
idea (Ogburn, 1922).
• Cultural lag refers to the idea that some aspects of culture change more slowly than others. It is a
phenomenon that occurs when one part of a society (usually technological innovations) changes
faster than another (culture), leading to a gap or “lag” between the two (Woodard, 1934). The
term also refers to the resulting social problems caused by this lag.
• For example, if technological advancements lead to significant changes in the way people work
and communicate, the social norms and values related to these changes may take longer to catch
up. This can result in tension or conflict as people struggle to adapt to new ways of doing things.
• Cultural lag can also occur when there are differences in the rate of change between
different groups within a society. For example, if one group adopts a new technology more
quickly than another group, this can lead to a gap in knowledge and understanding
between the two groups.
• He argued that technological change often occurs more quickly than social change and
that this can lead to difficulties as people struggle to adapt to new ways of doing things.
• Cultural lag is important, as it helps explain how societies change and adapt over time. It
also highlights the importance of considering the social and cultural impacts of
technological and other types of change.

Culture

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Culture

• The behavior that societies expect of their members in a particular situation.

• Positive Social Sanctions:

1. Approval and Praise

• Negative Social Sanctions

1. Stigma and Shaming 2. Social Exclusion 3. Legal Penalties

• Basically, No culture is superior and inferior to another culture.

judged as wrong or less than.

• Egocentrism means an individual or group of individuals have failed to learn

• Egocentrism means an individual or group of individuals have failed to learn

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