Term
What is culture?
What is culture?
Answer
Definition
Shared beliefs, values, norms, customs, behaviors, and artifacts characterizing a group or society.
Culture consists of all learned and shared behaviors and ideas that guide social life. It includes:
Cultural Relativism: Culture is not innate; individuals acquire culture through socialisation. It is relative and varies greatly between societies and historical times, known as cultural relativism.
Sociologists classify culture into several specific types based on group characteristics and influence:
What is culture?
Shared beliefs, values, norms, customs, behaviors, and artifacts characterizing a group or society.
How is culture passed from generation to generation?
Through socialisation.
What are norms?
Rules and expectations guiding behavior in a society.
What are values in cultural terms?
Deeply held beliefs about what is right and important.
Give examples of material culture.
Clothing, technology, buildings.
What is cultural relativism?
The idea that culture varies and should be understood in its own context.
What is a subculture?
A group within society with distinct norms and values differing from the dominant culture.
Define high culture.
Cultural products considered superior by society’s elite, like classical music and fine art.
What is popular culture?
Widespread cultural entertainment enjoyed by the majority.
What does global culture refer to?
The worldwide spread and sharing of cultural elements.
Explain consumer culture.
A culture emphasizing consumption and material goods to define identity.
What is cultural hybridity?
The blending of different cultural elements to create new forms.
How do norms enforce behavior?
Through sanctions—rewards for conformity, punishments for deviance.
Why is culture considered socially constructed?
It is learned through social interaction, not innate.