SOCL 2001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Cultural Capital, Cultural Imperialism, Culture Shock
Document Summary
Cultural characteristics: culture is learned, transmitted between generations either formally or informally, shared, adaptive and always changing. Material vs. nonmaterial culture: material- tangible objects, nonmaterial- shared meanings used to interpret and understand each other. Symbols: anything that stands for something else, has a particular meaning for a culture. Distinguishes cultures, unite or divide, changes over. Folkways vs. mores: folkways- norms that involve everyday customs. Macro level factors can cause change: mores- norms that are considered very important, define what people must do. Taboos- strong prohibitions of extremely offensive acts. Ideal vs. real culture: ideal: society"s beliefs, values, norms they say they hold, real: peoples actual everyday behavior. Belief that ones culture is superior to others. Can be functional by promoting cultural unity, reinforcing conformity and stability. Can be dysfunctional by generating hatred, discrimination and conflict. Belief no culture is better than another. Judges a culture based on its own standards: cultural relativism.
