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.