Society and Culture

The Concept Society

The largest group to which one
belongs is called society.
Different ways in which the term
is used:
Society is a collection of
people living in the same
geographical area over time.
Society is also used to
describe the lifestyles of the
wealthy.
Society is a guide to
 behaviour.
Characteristics
A shared common purpose
A defined territorial space
Continuity over time and
space
Citizenship within a space
Popular Meaning of
Society
Information society - a society within
which maximum use is made of ICTs.
The way information is managed, stored
and communicated influence people in
 ways that change relationships. (techno-
immigrant vs. techno-native).
Learning society a society in which
emphasis is placed on continuous
learning from ones experiences.
Civil society where society is seen
as the place where citizens abide by the
law and laws are applied evenly to all.

The Framework of
Society
1. Social institutions
(intangible)
the largest possible groups
in society
 (examples the economy,
education, politics, religion and
family).
Sociologists regard them as
groups of cherished ideas
and beliefs and how we want
our lives organized.

2. Social Organizations
(tangible)
groups formed in society
because of ideas and beliefs
held about different aspects of
social life. (examples
 extended family, types of
schools, churches, political
systems).

Does society influence

behaviour?
The Concept Culture
The different senses of culture:

Popular culture refers to music, art and

craft, festivals, literature, design, film etc.
promoted mainly by the mass media

Culture as learned behaviour where

members have shared meaning about
something, such as, language.

Culture as a way of life of a people, for

example, celebrating.
 Sub-culture refers to a set of values and
attitudes shared by a specific group within a
larger group.

Definition
Culture is the accumulated store of symbols,
ideas and materials products associated
with a social system, whether it be an entire
society or a family (Johnson, 1995).
.

Divisions of Culture
Material culture
Products such as:
artefacts, artistic
expression
culinary skills, processes
 architecture, technologies
family rearing practices
economic organization

2. Non-material culture
Represents cherished ideas,
beliefs values and norms that
are expressed in behaviour
and material objects.

How is society related to

culture?
Values, Norms and
 Behaviour
Cultural values are ideas shared by
the society about how something is
ranked in terms of its relative social
worth or goodness.
Norms are standards of behaviour
that are culturally accepted and
which emerge from the set of
cultural values people share.
Norms invoke a range of sanctions
and rewards that are conferred on
members of society according to
their behaviour.
The behaviours of people
demonstrate whether or not they
have accepted the values and
norms.

Caribbean Culture

Factors Shaping
Caribbean Society and
Culture
The near genocide of aboriginal peoples

Common experiences of slavery,

indentureship and the plantation system

Cultural diversity, social stratification and

hybridization

Colonial rule, and the legacy of a colonial

mentality

Problems of definition the label

 Caribbean is applied to some countries without
a Caribbean coastline

The archipelagic nature of the Caribean

Dependent economies

A culture of migration to metropolitan

countries and positive feelings for things foreign

Syncretism of Caribbean cultural practices

with those of other countries

QUESTION:
How do people learn values?
 Cultural Erasure,
Retention and Renewal
The Role of Values
The erasure of cultural practices is
often a gradual process and usually
stems from an on-going conflict between
traditional ways of doing things in the
society and newer methods
Cultural retention results from a
deliberate desire to keep traditions alive
so that some groups would be able to
preserve their sense of identity.
Cultural renewal refers to efforts to
salvage parts of the past by fashioning
new practices based on the old. They
stem from a feeling that there is much of
value in what has been neglected, that
could have been almost erased.

Changes in the underlying

values of a society over time
influences changes in material
culture. Hence, valuing a
modern way of life based on a
western model of consumer
items and an urban lifestyle
effectively changes Caribbean
culture. Some practices may
be erased, some retained and
some renewed in this process.
 References:
Hillman, Richard. S. &
DAgostino, Thomas. J. (2003).
Understanding the
Contemporary Caribbean.
Jamaica: Ian Randle
Publishers.
Reid. Ruel. B. (2002). Caribbean
Studies.
Jamaica: RBReid.