SOCL 2001 Chapter : 9 4 13 Culture
Document Summary
Knowledge, values, social norms, ways of thinking- passed down from one generation to the next. Ethnocentrism- the assumption that one"s own way of life is superior to all others. Ex: we judge our way of life as superior because we see our lifestyle of not consuming dog as superior. Pledge of allegiance- we"re taught that america is superior and we judge others by those attitudes. Consumer society- consumption is a mass phenomenon among people. The things we buy and how we spend money is all part of our society and culture. Material-0 any physical object that we give social meaning. Cell phone, car, life wouldn"t be the same. Nonmaterial- invisible or abstract creations that dictate behavior. Can be further broken down into 4: symbols- anything that meaningfully represents something else. Hand gestures- can be different from culture to culture. Italian: lanugage- shared symbols that enables people to communicate. Key to cultural sharing: values- right and wrong.
