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Think of any cultural practice.

In the internet, search for cultural practices of other societies. Do these practices make sense to
you or do they seem absurd?
The legitimacy of certain practices and ideas can be understood only within the unique context
of the group or society in which they occur. What is considered abnormal in one case might be
perfectly normal, even necessary in another.
Dimensions of Culture

In the common usage the term culture is often evoked only when discussing something
foreign.
We rarely feel the need to question why we do certain things in the course of our everyday
lives we just do them.
o Its the other people in other lands whose rituals and beliefs need explaining.
o What we fail to realize is that culture is doing its job most effectively when it is
unnoticed
o Its what we take for granted that were least likely to speak about; and its those
cultural silences that are most familiar to members and most important for social
order to endure. (Perin, 1988 in Newman, 2000)
Only in times of dramatic social change and moral uncertainty, or when circumstances
force us to compare our society to another (for example, when traveling abroad) do we
become aware that we, too, are influenced by a set of cultural rules and values.
We are then products of the culture and historical epochs in which we reside.
o Without much conscious effort, we learn what to believe, what to value, and which
actions are proper and improper in both public and private.

Material and Nonmaterial Culture

Material Culture
The physical artifacts that shape the lives of the members of a particular society:
distinctive clothing, buildings, inventions, food, artwork, writings, music, and so on
Some of the most important elements are technological achievements, which
are the ways members of a society apply knowledge to changing social, economic,
or environmental conditions
o Examples: automobiles, plastic products
Changes in material culture can also bring about unforeseen results in the physical
environment
Although material culture gives a society its distinctive character, it is increasingly
becoming more global in nature
o Transnational media, global communication and transportation systems, and
massive immigration have made cultural purity all but obsolete (Griswold,
1994 in Newman 2000)
Nonmaterial Culture
All the nonphysical products of society that are created over time and shared:
knowledge, beliefs, customs, values, morals, symbols, and so on
Also includes common patterns of behavior and the forms of interaction appropriate
in a particular society
It is a design for living that distinguishes one society from another

Tells us how our society works, what we are to believe is possible, how we are to
conduct our everyday lives, and what to do if something breaks down

Without understanding of a societys nonmaterial culture, peoples behavior not to

mention the symbolic significance of their material world would be thoroughly
incomprehensible
To some societies, sharing elements of material and nonmaterial culture with other
cultures is seen as dangerous encroachment on long-held traditions and national unity
Language: about 60% of all existing languages have fewer than 10,000 speakers.
These languages are highly vulnerable to disappearance in a global culture. Each
year, about 30 languages around the world become extinct
Growth of the English as language of choice.

Subcultures
Culture can also exist in smaller, more narrowly defined units.
A subculture consists of values, behaviors, and physical artifacts of a group that
distinguishes itself from the larger culture. A culture within a culture
o Consider your life in the university. Are you aware of the material and nonmaterial
culture that exists on your campus?
But placing a label on a subculture sometimes forces people to ignore its complexity and
diversity.
o Example: teen subculture the label overlooks the multitude of subgroups within
the subculture, and treats it as a single, self-contained entity
History: The Archives for Everyday Living
Like culture, history is simultaneously ubiquitous and invisible
We rarely see the connection between our personal lives and the larger historical context
in which we live
o History tends to be equated with the past
o We often try to understand the thoughts and actions of people who lived long ago
by a particular set of contemporary criteria
The norms and values that govern everyday life in a given society are also likely to change
over time
o Some cultural practices that were wholly unacceptable in the past have now
become commonplace
o Other acts have not just become less acceptable, theyve become criminal
Historical shifts in the cultural acceptance of certain behaviors involve more than just a
societal realization of the danger of such behaviors. Actually, such designations are
greatly influenced by social and economic concerns. (example: the criminalization of
opium)
Cultural Expectations and Social Order

Despite periodic shifts in the acceptability of specific acts, culture and history provide
people with a common bond, a sense of shared personal experiences
o That we can live together at all depends on the fact that we share a tremendous
amount of cultural knowledge
o This knowledge allows us to predict, with a fair amount of certainty, what most
people will do in a given situation

The actions of individuals are not simply functions of personality types or psychological
predispositions; rather they are also a reflection of shared cultural expectations
o Culture provides us with information about which of these actions are preferred,
accepted, disapproved, or unthinkable at a given time (McCall & Simmons, 1978 in
Newman 2000)
o Consider shopping at a supermarket, what are the unspoken norms that operate?
Norms can be generalized in similar situations. Without such unspoken rules, every
situation would have to be interpreted, analyzed, and responded to as if it were an entirely
new occasion.
The RIGHT emotions. The norms that govern the expression of emotions do not exist in
any explicit form. People who instinctively hide or alter their emotions to fit the situation
play a significant role in maintaining social order.
o We have many unwritten rules about which emotions are appropriate to feel, which
are appropriate to display, and how intense the emotional display should be under
specific circumstances
o Cultural norms about expressing emotions are often linked to organizational
concerns and needs (examples: feeling rules required by occupations)

Cultural and Institutionalized Norms

Large social institutions are closely related to culture. Some institutions reflect deeply held
cultural values
o Example: Market economy reflects the values of achievement, competition material
acquisition, etc
Institutions are also strongly supported by cultural norms. When a particular pattern of
behavior becomes widely accepted and taken for granted in society, sociologists say that
it has become an institutionalized norm
Institutionalized norms constrain peoples behavior by making some lines of action
unthinkable
o They dont juts limit options, they also establish the setting in which people discover
their preferences and begin to see the world in a particular way (like, orientation
and training sessions people undergo when starting a new job)
When institutions change so do institutionalized norms (changes in Filipino family lead to
changes in the expectations)
Shifts in one institution are often linked to shifts in another

Norms and Sanctions

Most norms provide only a general framework of expectations; rarely do they tell us
exactly how to act, and rarely are they obeyed by all people at all times
o Norms may be ambiguous or contradictory. It is no surprise, then, that behavior
sometimes departs markedly from normative expectations
o When it does, negative sanctions may be applied
A sanction is a direct social response to some behavior; a negative sanction is the one
that punishes or otherwise discourages violations of social norms and symbolically
reinforces the cultures values and morals
Different norms evoke different sanctions when violated
o Mores norms, sometimes codified into laws, taken very seriously by the society
Violations of some mores can elicit sever, state-sponsored punishment

Other mores may be equally serious but are much less formally stated.
Sanctions for violating these norms may be in the form of public ostracism or
exclusion from the group, as when one is excommunicated for going against
the moral doctrines of ones church
o The vast majority of everyday norms are relatively minor, however; violation of
these norms, called folkways, carries much less serious punishment
Structural-functional perspective: each time a community moves to sanction an act, it
strengthens the boundaries between normative and nonnormative behavior

In-groups and Ethnocentrism

Distinguishing between our in-group and out-groups is not unusual; people tend to
evaluate other cultures in comparison to their own. This tendency is called
ethnocentrism.
Ethnocentrism is a consequence of the nature of human interaction itself
o Much of our everyday lives is spent in groups and organizations. By their very
character these collectivities are composed of individuals with some, though not
necessarily all, shared interests. Same is true for larger cultures.
o To the extent that majority of our time is spent with others like us, our interactions
with others not like us will be limited, and they will remain foreign or
mysterious to us. Similarity breeds comfort; difference breeds discomfort.
Another reason for the existence of ethnocentrism is the loyalty we develop to our
particular culture.
o Being part of a group, organization, or culture that we feel positive about
encourages a sense of loyalty, which in turn encourages ethnocentrism
Cultural loyalty is encouraged by institutional ritual

Cultural Variation and Everyday Experience

As populations grow more ethnically diverse and as the people of the world become linked
more closely by commerce, transportation, and communication, the likelihood of
individuals from different cultures and subcultures clashing over folkways and mores
escalates.
Many of the difficulties and tragedies of the contemporary society can be traced to the
lack of awareness of differences in cultural expectations
o In 1997, a Danish woman visiting New York City was arrested and charged with child
neglect for leaving her infant child alone on the sidewalk outside the restaurant
while she ate lunch inside. In Denmark such practice is common and considered
appropriate
o A Chinese immigrant living in New York City bludgeoned his wife to death with a
hammer after she confessed she was having an affair. Instead of convicted of
murder, the man was convicted of the lesser charge of second-degree
manslaughter. The judge said he treated the defendant lightly because of testimony
regarding Chinese cultural attitudes towards adultery. Adultery in China is an
enormous stain that reflects not only on the aggrieved husband but also on his
ancestors and all future generations of his family.
An awareness of cultural differences can also be crucial in international relations.
o Edward T. Hall (1969), in his classic study of conceptions of space and territory,
points out that perceiving the world differently leads to different definitions of what
constitutes crowded living, different interpersonal relationships, and even different
approaches to both local and international politics

Cultural differences are more than just differences in habits and customs. The culture we
grow up in shapes our most fundamental beliefs.
o Example: medical beliefs and practices always reflect the cultural values of our
society. We cant claim to have a disease that doesnt exist in our culture (Koro of
Malaysia, Susto of Latin America)
o The way doctors treat their patients and their ailments is also largely determined by
cultural attitudes
o Cultural attitudes also determine what it means to be sick. Each society has a sick
role, a widely understood set of rules about how people are supposed to behave
when sick

The Experience of Pain.

o Is pain physical and universal?
o Why do people with similar injuries react so differently to pain?

Reference
Newman, DM (2000). SOCIOLOGY: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life. 3 rd edition.
California: Pine Forge Press.