SOC202H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Ethnocentrism
September 16, 2015
Conceptualizing Culture
Outline
oWhat is culture?
Nature vs. culture
Two approaches to culture
Sociological approaches to culture
oKey elements of culture
Identifying culture
oThe cultural diamond
What is culture?
oAn example is a tree
oIt is an organism that grows and is not culture
oHowever, trees can be symbols
Ex. Christmas tree, maple tree, or the survivor tree (911 tree that
survived)
Ideas of a fit body is cultural
Culture doesn’t ascribe in the thing itself but the meanings we ascribe
to it
oCulture as cultivation
oCulture as civilization
Culture stood for something as civilized, well mannered
oCulture as a way of life
What is culture?
oViewpoint 1: “The best that has been thought and known”
Traditional humanities perspective
Some culture superior to others
Culture opposes prevailing social norms
Culture is fragile and can be lost
Culture is sacred
This viewpoint is also ethnocentric (one culture is better than
another)
oViewpoint 2: “That complex whole”
Social science perspective: culture as a way of life
Avoids evaluation in favour of relativism
Close link between culture and society
Culture is a practice (rather than a fragile possession), and can be
studied empirically
Sociologists
oSociology of culture
-Explicit, expressive, symbolic forms
Ex. Music, art
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Document Summary
Sociological approaches to culture: key elements of culture. What is culture: an example is a tree, it is an organism that grows and is not culture, however, trees can be symbols. Christmas tree, maple tree, or the survivor tree (911 tree that survived) Culture doesn"t ascribe in the thing itself but the meanings we ascribe to it: culture as cultivation, culture as civilization. Culture stood for something as civilized, well mannered: culture as a way of life. What is culture: viewpoint 1: the best that has been thought and known . Culture is fragile and can be lost. This viewpoint is also ethnocentric (one culture is better than another: viewpoint 2: that complex whole . Social science perspective: culture as a way of life. Culture is a practice (rather than a fragile possession), and can be studied empirically. Implicit grounding for action (why we act the way we do) 6 elements of culture: norms and values.
