Culture: Definition, Components and Types

Definition of Culture:

Culture is defined by various personalities in a number of ways:

According to E.B. Taylor, “culture as that complex whole which includes knowledge belief,
art, morals, law, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member
of society”.

MacIver defines, “Culture is the expression of own nature in our modes of living and of
thinking in our everyday intercourse in art, in literature, in religion, in recreation and
enjoyments”.

According to Bierstadt, “Culture is that complex whole that consists of everything we think,
do and have as members of society.”

Ellwood defines, “Culture includes on the one hand the whole of man’s material civilization
tools, weapons, system of industry, and on the other„ all the non-material or spiritual
civilization such as language, literature.,-art, religion, morality, law and government.”

Meaning of Culture

Culture is the sum total of habits, values, customs, fine arts, drawings, architecture, traditions
and life-style of man. It also means achieving the highest ideals of mankind, at a particular
period or time in human history. Culture is journey of man from cave (darkness) to home
(light).The word 'Culture' is used with a specific meaning and includes ideology, intellect,
skill, art and noble values. The development of different branches of philosophical thinking,
fine arts, religious customs and traditional paintings, sculpture and the economic
development are also a part of culture.

Culture means a way of life of a particular group of people, at a particular period. It is the set
of patterns of human activity within a society or social group. Culture is how we act, think,
and behave based on the shared values of our society. It is how we understand symbols, from
language to hand gestures. It is everywhere, and we continually develop and define our
culture on a daily basis.

The culture of India refers collectively to the thousands of distinct and unique cultures of all
religions and communities present in  India.
India's languages, religions, dance, music, architecture, food, and customs differs from place
to place within the country, often labelled as an amalgamation of several cultures, spans
across the Indian subcontinent and has been influenced by a history that is several millennia
old. Many elements of India's diverse cultures, such as Indian
religions, philosophy, cuisine, languages, martial arts, dance, music and movies have a
profound impact across the  world.

The most prominent feature of India's culture it that it combines many cultures. India is a land
of great variety and many influences have worked to produce modern India. India has shown
great capacity for absorbing what came to her from outside. Thus, culture includes all forms
of human behaviour which epitomizes his life. It represents material and non-material aspects
of life.

Components/ Elements/ Forms of Culture:

A culture has various elements or components. They are:

1. Behaviour patterns of group such as mores, folkways, customs, traditions, laws, morals,
stereotypes, taboos, legends, fashion, myth etc.

2. Literature including prose, poetry, drama, story, etc.

Art includes music, dance, sculpture, paintings, architecture, photography etc.

4. Religion includes worship, observance of rituals, sacrifice, prayers etc.

5. Ethics.

6. Educational and recreational institutions like library, museum, school, cinema, theatre,
cultural clubs.

7. Socio-economic and political institutions.

8. Commerce, industries and transport.

Characteristics of Culture:

1. Culture is the sum total of acquired traits which man acquires by socialization process.
Thus, culture comprises good behaviour patterns of people in the society.

2. Culture is transmitted from generation to generation. Each generation is free to modify the
cultural heritage and then transmits it to the next generation.

3. Culture is a social heritage of man. It represents group’s expectations. Man cannot create it
bereft of group’s influence. Therefore, it has not its individual connotation.

4. A culture which does not meet the recurring needs and demands of mankind is obsolete
and outmoded. As such, a culture is good if it gratifies the social and ethical needs of man.

5. Culture is not static but dynamic. It receives good things from other cultures. Thus, there is
a cultural synthesis or integration. As a result, culture gets refined and influences the life
styles of individuals. It is subject to change and grow. So, culture is adaptative in nature.
Culture changes as civilization changes.

6. Culture has the quality of becoming integrated. Various parts of culture are integrated with
each other. It welcomes new element to be incorporated in it.
7. Culture is the manifestation of individual’s mind in different environments and
circumstances. Man is interwoven with cultural mainstreams and becomes part and parcel of
it.

8. Culture is idealistic as it stands for ideals, norms and patterns of behaviour.

9. Culture is diffused among various groups. As a result, there is seen how one group accepts
another’s culture in their styles of living.

10. Culture is modified and renewed in the light of new experiences.

Types of Culture:

According to Ellwood, culture is of two types viz. material and non-material culture. The
former includes all sorts of man- made objects and things that have been evolved over ages
for man’s well-being and comforts such as clothes, utensils, homes, roads, ornaments, T.V.,
radio, machines, gadgets and various means of transport and communication.

Non-material culture includes all those ideals, attitudes and values which modify the
behaviour of an individual— language, literature, art, music, religion, customs, tradition,
morality, law, poetry. Famous sociologist Ogburn also finds out two types of culture—
material and non-material culture—one progresses and other recedes. So, there persists a
wide gap between the two types of culture.

Material culture refers to the physical objects, resources, and spaces that people use to
define their culture. These include homes, neighbourhoods, cities, schools, churches,
synagogues, temples, mosques, offices, factories and plants, tools, means of production,
goods and products, stores, and so forth. All of these physical aspects of a culture help to
define its members' behaviors and perceptions. Material culture consists of man-made objects
such as tools, implements, furniture, automobiles, buildings, dams, roads, bridges. In fact, the
physical substance which has been changed and used by man. It is concerned with the
external, mechanical and utilization objects. It includes technical and material equipments
like a printing press, a locomotive, a telephone, a television set, a tractor, a machine gun etc.
It includes our banks, insurance schemes, currency systems etc

Non material culture refers to the nonphysical ideas that people have about their culture,
including beliefs, values, rules, norms, morals, language, organizations, and institutions. For
instance, the non-material cultural concept of religion consists of a set of ideas and beliefs
about God, worship, morals, and ethics. These beliefs, then, determine how the culture
responds to its religious topics, issues, and events. When considering non-material culture,
sociologists refer to several processes that a culture uses to shape its members' thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors. Four of the most important of these are symbols, language, values,
and norms. Non material culture consists of the words the people use or the language they
speak, the beliefs they hold, values and virtues they cherish, habits they follow, rituals and
practices that they do and the ceremonies they observe. It also includes our customs and
tastes, attitudes and outlook, in brief, our ways of acting, feeling and thinking.
Material and non-material cultures include following things -

Material culture: Occupation, types of house, household articles, Musical instruments,

Weapons and hunting instruments, Dress and ornaments, Food and drinks.

Non material culture: Language, Clan, Kinship, Birth, Marriage, Death, God and
Goddesses.

There is a clear difference between material and non-material culture. The non material
aspects of any culture are its beliefs, customs, philosophy, patterns and ways of
communication like verbal and non-verbal and its government. The material aspect of culture
consists of the physical. These are houses, food items, factories, raw materials and
technologies. Every culture is the product of this interaction between its’ material and non
material aspects.

The other difference between material and non-material culture is that since culture is used in
different contexts, it also gives the meaning to an object (material culture). For example, a
ring might be just an artefact, but in a society where wedding rings are exchanged, it will be
valued differently. The difference between material and non-material culture is that it is
easier to change the material culture of any society than the non material part of it. This is
because culture is a socially learned and transmitted behavior. Ideas, norms, values and
beliefs are largely dependent on the kind of culture we belong to as the products of this non
material culture.

The non material aspects of any culture are its beliefs, customs, philosophy, patterns and
ways of communication (verbal and non-verbal) and its government. The material aspect of
culture consists of the physical. These are houses, food items, factories, raw materials and
technologies. Every culture is the product of this interaction between its’ material and non
material aspects. Another difference between material and non-material culture is that
material culture is easily lost while non material culture is not.