Definition of Culture:

• A complex whole that includes: knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law, custom, and any
other capabilities and habits acquired by man (sic) as a member of society (Tylor
1871/1958 p.1)
• Refers to a large and diverse set of mostly intangible aspects of social life.

How do Sociologists define Culture?

• According to sociologists, culture consists of values, beliefs, systems of language,
communication, and practices that people share in common and that can be used to
define them as a collective
• Culture plays a crucial role in our social lives; it determines how we make sense of the
world and our place in it.
• Compose of materials and non-material aspects of culture.
• Material culture emerges from and is shaped by the non-material aspects of culture.

Emile Durkheim
• A French sociologist, and based on his research when people come together to
participate in rituals it strengthens their bonds.
• Both material and non-material aspects of culture are valuable in that they hold society
together.
NOTE: Material culture refers to physical objects that people used to define their culture. For an
instance: food, clothes, writings, craft, etc. On the other hand, Non-material culture refers to the
non-physical objects that people used to define their culture—for example: language, beliefs,
social rules, morals, and customs.

CHARACTERISTIC OF CULTURE
1. Culture is learned
2. Culture is shared
3. Culture is based on symbols
4. Culture is integrated
5. Culture is dynamic

1. Culture is learned
- Anthropologist Clifford Geertz defines culture as ideas based on cultural
learning and symbols.
- Culture is not inherited, we learn from our families, peers, and community.
- The process of learning culture is known as enculturation.

2. Culture is shared
- Culture is something that people share, and because they learned the same
culture they behave and think the same way. In addition, people in the same
culture were able to understand each other. For example, Filipino add “po” and
“opo” whenever they speak to the elderly or do “mano po” as show of respect.

3. Culture is based on symbols

- Symbolic thought is unique and crucial to humans and cultural learning. We
also learn about our culture through symbols.
- A symbol is something verbal or nonverbal, within a particular language or
culture, that comes to stand for something else.
- Language and arts are an example of symbols.
 4. Culture is integrated
- Culture is complex and made up of many parts that are related to each other.
When something changes in our culture, it is likely that some parts of our culture
also change. For example, it is now normal or accepted that women are the ones
who earn money while their husband stays at home, cleans the house, and takes
care of the children.
5. Culture is dynamic
- It simply means that cultures interact and change because cultures are
integrated.
- Cultures are not isolated—it had been in contact with different
cultures. Diffusion is the spreading of an idea between cultures.
- Acculturation is a process that an individual adopts to a new cultural
environment—incorporating the values, beliefs, language, and customs of the
new cultural environment.

CULTURES ARE PRODUCTS OF HISTORY

- Filipino culture for instance is a product of our colonial history and shared
elements with colonizers.

CULTURE CAN BE ADAPTIVE AND MALADAPTIVE

- Adaptation is how an organism adjusts to its environment. Cultural
adaptation is where culture helps humans adapt to their environment.
While cultural maladaptive has a negative effect on our life. Although not all
adaptation is good, once we recognize problems we find a way to solve them.

LEVEL OF CULTURE
1. National Culture
- Beliefs, behavior patterns, values, and cultural traits shared within a country.
2. International Culture
- Refers to cultural traits that extend beyond national boundaries.
3. Subculture
- A smaller group of people who share cultural traits and patterns within a
country.