SOC101Y1 Lecture Notes - Cultural Relativism, Ethnocentrism
Document Summary
Humans require symbolic systems to compensate for lack of instincts. If human"s social life is not determined by our instincts, then what is?>culture. Culture is the sum of socially transmitted ideas, practices, and material objects that people create. Culture gives us guidelines for how to think and act. A society exists when people interact and share culture, generally in a geographically delimited area. Culture is like air it"s everywhere but no where at the same time. Adam & eve eg. person asks their sister if she had a boy or a girl. The idea that babies are either male or female are a culture artifact. Not all humans are born male or female. ( could be born intersexed" ) People find it hard to accept because it is not considered normal". Killed by a group of men because she was transgendered. Native american societies do not have 2 genders but three ( berdache or two-spirit).