Musammat Mahzebin

Lecturer (Sociology)
Department of Humanities
Khulna University of Engineering and
Technology
 Class Content
• Culture
• Meaning and Definition
• Elements of Culture
• Changing Pattern of Culture in Bangladesh
Culture
• ‘Culture’ is one of the most important concepts in
social science.
• The study of human society immediately and
necessarily leads us to the study of its culture.
• Culture is very broad term that includes in itself
all our walks of life, our modes of behavior, our
philosophies and ethics, our morals and manners,
our customs and behaviors, religious, political,
economic and other types of activities.
 Meaning of Culture
• Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a
particular group of people, encompassing
language, religion, social habits, music and arts.
• culture as shared patterns of behaviors and
interactions, cognitive constructs and
understanding that are learned by socialization.
• Thus, it can be seen as the growth of a group
identity fostered by social patterns unique to the
group.
 Definition of Culture
• Malinowaski has defined culture as the
• ‘cumulative creation of man’ .
• He also regards culture as the handiwork
of man and the medium through which
he achieves his ends.
 Definition of Culture
• Edward B.Taylor a famous english
anthroplogist, has defined culture as
• ‘ that complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom
and any other capabilities acquired by man as
a member of society’.
 Charecteristics of Culture
• 1. Culture is Learnt:
• It is often called ‘ learned ways of behavior’.
• Ex- shaking hands or saying thanks.
• 2.Culture is Social:
• Culture does not exist in isolation. Neither is it
an individual phenomenon. It is a product of
society. It originates and develops through
social interactions.
3.Culture is Shared:
Culture in the sociological sense, is something
shared. It is not something that an individual
alone can possess. For ex-customs, traditions,
beliefs, ideas, values etc, are all shared by
people of a group or society.
4.Culture is transmissive:
Culture is capable of being transmitted from one
generation to the next. Ex-parents pass on
cultural traits to their children, and so on.
Culture is transmitted not through genes but
by means of language.
5.Culture is continuous and cumulative:
Culture exist as a continuous process. In its
historical growth it tends to become
cumulative.
6. Culture varies from Society to society;
7.Culture is dynamic and adaptive;
8.Culture is consistent and integrated.
 Elements of Culture
1.Cognitive Elements:
Culture of all societies whether preliterate or
literate include a vast amount of knowledge
about the physical and social world. The
posession of this knowledge is referred to as
the cognitive element.
2. Beliefs:
Beliefs in empirical terms are neither true nor
false.
3. Values and Norms:
Values may be defined as measures of goodness
or desirability of things.
Norms are the closely associated with values.
They are the group shared standard of
behavior.
4. Signs:
It includes signals and symbols. It includes
existence of past.
 Changing Pattern of Culture in
Bangladesh
• Static culture is moribund so it evolves from
time to time.
• The changes in culture are brought by
tendencies like cultural diffusion and
adaptation, acculturation, war and genocide,
etc.
• Every culture mutates to satisfy the changing
needs of social beings and the society itself.
• To defend the change, a popular practice of
the traditionalists is defending the growth and
enrichment of the culture and society. Even
though the mode, pace and process of such
modifications cannot always be similar, rather
vary due to several reasons.
• It is profoundly transforming Bangladesh’s
cultural atmosphere, which is inevitable
indeed.
• While there are other causes, the
fundamental feature behind cultural change is
“communication”.
• Cultural components and ideas are
transmitted through human interaction.
• To perceive transformation of culture, it is
imperative to acknowledge the methods and
modes of communication between cultures.
• Human communication is an act of
information exchange. Every information is
cultural, in other words, culture impact on
every single information.
• Therefore, the transmission of information is
the transmission of culture.
• Other Causes:
• Mass media;
• Art and architecture;
• Education;
• Environment;
• Colonial rule;
• Impact of Multinational Corporation.
 Functions of Culture
1) Culture is the treasury of Knowledge;
2) Culture defines situations;
3) Culture defines attitude, values and goals;
4) Culture decides our career;
5) Culture provides behavior patterns;
6) Culture moulds personality