CULTURAL VARIATION

2-2

FOCUS QUESTION

• LIST ANY FOREIGN PRACTICES THAT DIFFER GREATLY FROM AMERICAN CULTURAL PRACTICES

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS• WHAT ARE CULTURAL UNIVERSALS AND WHY DO THEY EXIST?

• WHAT DO THE TERMS ETHNOCENTRISM AND CULTURAL RELATIVISM MEAN?

• WHAT FACTORS ACCOUNT FOR VARIATIONS AMONG AND WITHIN CULTURES?

WHAT ARE CULTURAL UNIVERSALS?• CULTURAL UNIVERSALS – GENERAL FEATURES COMMON TO ALL CULTURES,

SUCH AS COOKING, DANCING, ATHLETIC SPORTS, FUNERAL CEREMONIES, AND MEDICINE

• ALL SOCIETIES HAVE DEVELOPED CERTAIN COMMON PRACTICES AND BELIEFS

• CULTURAL UNIVERSALS CHANGE OVER TIME AND FROM SOCIETY TO ANOTHER

WHY DO THEY EXIST??

• BECAUSE SOME NEEDS ARE SO BASIC THAT ALL SOCIETIES MUST DEVELOP CERTAIN FEATURES TO ENSURE THEIR FULFILLMENT

ETHNO – WHAT??

• ETHNOCENTRISM – TENDENCY TO VIEW ONE’S OWN CULTURE AND GROUP AS SUPERIOR TO OTHER DIFFERENT CULTURES

CULTURAL RELATIVISM• CULTURAL RELATIVISM – BELIEF THAT A CULTURE SHOULD BE

JUDGED BY ITS OWN STANDARDS RATHER THAN BY THOSE OF ANOTHER CULTURE

• XENOCENTRISM IS AN EXTENSION OF CULTURAL RELATIVISM; IT IS THE BELIEF THAT THE PRODUCTS, STYLES, OR IDEAS OF ONE’S SOCIETY ARE INFERIOR TO THOSE THAT ORIGINATE ELSEWHERE

ACTIVITY #1

CREATE A DRAWING OR ONE PANEL CARTOON THAT ILLUSTRATES THE CONCEPT OF CULTURAL RELATIVISM

VARIATIONS BETWEEN CULTURES• SUBCULTURE – GROUP WITHIN A SOCIETY WHICH SHARES

VALUES, NORMS, AND BEHAVIORS THAT ARE NOT SHARED BY THE ENTIRE POPULATION

• COUNTERCULTURE – SUBCULTURE WHICH REJECTS THE MAJOR VALUES, NORMS, AND PRACTICES OF THE LARGER SOCIETY AND REPLACES THEM WITH A NEW SET OF CULTURAL VALUES

SUBCULTURES• THE CULTURES OF GROUPS WHOSE VALUES AND NORMS OF BEHAVIOR

DIFFER FROM THE DOMINANT CULTURE

• MEMBERS OF SUBCULTURES INTERACT FREQUENTLY AND SHARE A COMMON WORLD VIEW

• SUBCULTURES SHARE SOME ELEMENTS OF THE DOMINANT CULTURE AND COEXIST WITH IT.

COUNTERCULTURES• SUBCULTURES CREATED AGAINST THE VALUES OF THE

DOMINANT CULTURE

• MEMBERS REJECT DOMINANT VALUES AND DEVELOP PRACTICES THAT DEFY NORMS AND VALUES OF THE DOMINANT GROUP

• NONCONFORMITY IS AN INDICATOR OF COUNTERCULTURE

ACTIVITY #2• LISTEN TO THESE SONGS THAT DEMONSTRATE ASPECTS OF SUBCULTURE AND

DISCUSS HOW THE MUSIC/LYRICS REPRESENT THE SUBCULTURE’S ACTIONS, BELIEFS, NORMS, VALUES

• “EAT IT” – WEIRD AL

• “TACO GRANDE” – WEIRD AL

• “BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY” – QUEEN

• “MY IMMORTAL” – EVANESCENCE

• “MY MOM STILL CLEANS MY ROOM” – MXPX

• “TUBTHUMPING” – CHUMBWUMBA

• “VIVA LA VIDA” – WEIRD AL