Culture

Chapter 2
Culture

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Culture
Conclusion

Theory
• Students will be able to understand characteristics
and the origins of culture
• Students will understand elements of culture such as
symbols, language and values and belief

Application
Use Inglehart–Welzel and Hofstede Cultural model to
understand your cultural values so that you can
socialize better
Personal Growth – How can your understanding of
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis change your life?

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 WhatConclusion
is Culture?

• Culture is the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and

the material objects that together form a people’s way of
life.
• Culture includes what we think, how we act, and what we
own. Culture is both our link to the past and our guide to
the future.
 

• Nonmaterial culture is the ideas created by members of

a society, ideas that range from art to Zen Buddhism.
• Material culture, by contrast, is the physical things
created by members of a society, everything from
armchairs to zippers.

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 WhatConclusion
is Culture?

Culture as Human Nature

 
Culture shapes not only what we do but also what we think
and how we feel— our human nature.
Yanomamo of the Brazil: Aggression is natural
Semai of Malaysia: Live quite peacefully.
United States and Japan: Both Stress achievement and
hard work. However, US values individualism but Japanese
collective harmony.
Can you give 2 example of culture practice that you think is
common sense?

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 WhatConclusion
is Culture?

Sky Burial - is a funeral practice in which a

human corpse is placed on a mountaintop to
decompose to be eaten by scavenging
animals such as vultures

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 WhatConclusion
is Culture?

FUNERAL STRIPPER - Purpose of the strippers is not

only to attract crowds but to "appease wandering spirits"
as well as give the deceased "one last hurrah". 

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 WhatConclusion
is Culture?

Culture Shock
Uneasiness of other culture: Personal disorientation when experiencing
an unfamiliar way of life.

What are your examples of cultural shock?

Eating
SOCIOLOGICAL Century Eggs
PERSPECTIVE in Malaysia
// Lectures by Sean Ang
 WhatConclusion
is Culture?

How Many Cultures?

Experts document around 7,000 languages, suggesting the existence

of just as many distinct cultures. But many languages is in, 50% of
the 7,000 languages now are spoken by fewer than 10,000 people.

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 WhatConclusion
is Culture?

How Many Cultures?

 
•The disappearance of hundreds of these languages, and perhaps half the world’s
languages may even disappear before the end of this decade
Exampled of Endangered Language
Gullah, Pennsylvania German Sardinian (spoken on the European
island of Sardinia)
Pawnee (all spoken in the United Aramaic (spoken by Jesus of
States) Nazareth, still spoken in Middle East)

Han (spoken in northwestern Wakka Wakka as well as several other

Canada) Aboriginal tongues spoken in Australia

Oro (spoken in the Amazon Nu Shu ( Women only language from

region of Brazil) southern China)

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 WhatConclusion
is Culture?

Nu Shu: The Language for Women Only in Hunan, China

Zhou Shuoyi, the only male to have mastered the script,

compiled a dictionary listing 1,800 variant characters.
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang
 WhatConclusion
is Culture?

Scene from movie Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Yang Huanyi inhabitant of Jiangyong county, Hunan province and last

person proficient in this writing died on September 20,PERSPECTIVE
SOCIOLOGICAL 2004, age 98.
// Lectures by Sean Ang
 Origins
Conclusion
of Culture

Obviously an Ape

THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

Origins
Conclusion
of Culture

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

Origins
Conclusion
of Culture

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

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of Culture

Phase 1: Becoming Humans

Phase 2: Becoming Modern Humans

A Quick Walk Through of the Evidences

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_human_evolution_fossils

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Origins
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of Culture

DEFENDING THEORY OF EVOLUTION

1. Fossil Evidences
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_human_evolution_fossils

2. DNA Evidences
http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/genetics/ancient-dna-and-neanderthals

3. Lab Experiments
https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-created-a-living-organism-with-the-smallest-genome-yet
https://phys.org/news/2011-05-species-lizard-lab-cloning.html

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Culture
Conclusion

http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/archive/2627/26271801.jpg

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Origins
Conclusion
of Culture

Where are the evidences for the dispersal of modern humans?

Country Site Years Ago

Ethiopia Omo Kibish 195,000
Ethiopia Herto 160,000
Sudan Singa 155,000
Israel Skhul and Qafzeh 80-120,000
China Tian Yun 40,000
Malaysia Niah Cave 45,000
Romania Pestera cu Oase 40,000

Australia Lake Mungo 40,000

United States Wally’s Beach 13,000
Chile Monte Verde 15,000

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Origins
Conclusion
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Early Human Material Culture

Oldowan The Chopper-Chopping Tools

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Origins
Conclusion
of Culture

Early Human Material Culture

Acheulean The Handaxe

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Origins
Conclusion
of Culture

Neolithic Material Culture Arrowheads and Pottery

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Culture
Conclusion

Neolithic Material Culture Pottery

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

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of Culture

Göbekli Tepe – Cradle of Civilization?

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

Culture
Conclusion

Göbekli Tepe: Origin of

Civilization?

Shows that the erection of

monumental complexes was within
the capacities of hunter-gatherers
and not only of sedentary farming
communities as had been previously
assumed.

The construction of a massive

temple by a group of foragers is
evidence that organized religion
could have come before the rise of
agriculture and other aspects of
civilization. It suggests that the
human impulse to gather for sacred
rituals arose as humans shifted from
seeing themselves as part of the
natural world to seeking mastery
over it.

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

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Conclusion
of Culture

Bronze Age and Iron Age

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Origins
Conclusion
of Culture

For complete timeline refer to:

http://the24hourtala.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/ancivfs.gif

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Origins
Conclusion
of Culture

Mesopotamia – One of the earliest civilization in

the world. Hassuna, Samarra and Halaf Culture –
6000 to 5000 BC

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Origins
Conclusion
of Culture

Formation of Major Cultural Groups Based on Religion

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

Understanding
Conclusion
Your Cultural Value

Cultural Comparison

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Elements
Conclusion
of Culture

Symbols

Humans use their senses to experience the surrounding

world and transform elements of the world into symbols.
 
A symbol is anything that carries a particular meaning
recognized by people who share a culture.

A word, a whistle, a wall covered with graffiti, a flashing red

light, a raised fist—are examples of symbols.

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Elements
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of Culture

Video - How different society uses different symbols

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

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of Culture

Language

Language, the key to the world of culture, is a system of

symbols that allows people to communicate with one another.

Humans have created many alphabets to express the

hundreds of languages we speak.

Example of Cultural Differences 

•Most people in Western societies write from left to right
•Northern Africa and western Asia write from right to left
•Eastern Asia write from top to bottom.

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

Elements
Conclusion
of Culture

Chinese Speakers

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

Elements
Conclusion
of Culture

English Speakers

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

Elements
Conclusion
of Culture

Spanish Speakers

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

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of Culture

Language Transmit Culture

Language not only allows communication but is also the
key to cultural transmission, the process by which one
generation passes culture to the next.
Oral cultural tradition: Earliest Way of transmitting
culture. Writing was invented around 5,000 years ago.
20th Century: High-income nations has higher literacy
•14 percent of U.S. unable to read and write in a society
that increasingly demands such skills.
•In low-income countries of the world, 15 percent of men
and 24 percent of women are illiterate.

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Elements
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of Culture

Does Language Shape Reality?

•Theory by Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf. Sapir-
Whorf thesis states that people see and understand the
world through the cultural lens of language.
•In the decades since Sapir and Whorf published their
work, however, scholars have taken issue with this thesis.
•Current thinking is evidence does not support the notion
that language determines reality.

Do you agree with John Macionis?

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Elements
Conclusion
of Culture

The Piraha of Maici River of Amazon

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang
 Elements
Conclusion
of Culture

Does Language Shape Reality?

Case Study of Piraha Language

•Piraha is the indigenous language of the isolated Piraha people of

Amazonas, Brazil. The live along the Maici River of Amazon

•Pirahã is the only surviving dialect of the Mura Language (Others

extinct). Most shifted to Portuguese

•Piraha is therefore a “language isolate”, without any known connection

to other living languages. It is estimated to have between 250 and 380
speakers.

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Elements
Conclusion
of Culture

Number System of Piraha

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Elements
Conclusion
of Culture

Color Terminology of Piraha

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Elements
Conclusion
of Culture

APPLICATION

Can you change your life by changing the way you use language?

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Elements
Conclusion
of Culture

Values and Beliefs

 
Values, culturally defined standards that people use to
decide what is desirable, good, and beautiful and that serve
as broad guidelines for social living. People who share a
culture use values to make choices about how to live.
 
Beliefs, specific thoughts or ideas that people hold to be
true. In other words, values are abstract standards of
goodness, and beliefs are particular matters that individuals
consider true or false

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

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of Culture

Case Study: The American Values

 
Sociologist Robin Williams Jr. (1970) identified 10 Values :

1. Equal opportunity. Most people in the United States favor not

equality of condition but equality of opportunity.

2. Achievement and success. A successful person is given the

respect due a “winner.”

3. Material comfort. Success in the United States generally means

making money and enjoying what it will buy.

4. Activity and work. Us culture values action over reflection and

taking control of events over passively accepting fate.

5. Practicality and efficiency. We value the practical over the

theoretical, “doing” over “dreaming.”

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Elements
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Case Study: The American Values

 
6. Progress. Americans celebrate progress, viewing the “very latest”
as the “very best.”
 

7. Science. Believe that they are rational, logical people and look
down down on emotion and intuition as sources of knowledge.

8. Democracy and free enterprise. Members of the society believe

that individuals have rights that governments should not take away.

9. Freedom. We favor individual initiative over collective conformity.

 

10. Racism and Group Superiority. Most people in the United States
judge individuals according to gender, race, ethnicity, and social class.
Favors Northwestern European backgrounds (WASP)

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Culture
Conclusion

Emerging Values
 
Like all elements of culture, values change over time.
Americans have always valued hard work. Recently, more
emphasis on leisure— hobbies such as reading, travel, or
community service that provide enjoyment and satisfaction.
Similarly, although the importance of material comfort
remains strong, more people are seeking personal growth
through meditation and other spiritual activity.

Can you provide 3 Examples of Emerging Values by

comparing generation X and Generation Z

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Elements
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of Culture

What is the Future of Dining?

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Elements
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of Culture

What Does the World Eat For Breakfast?

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Understanding
Conclusion
Your Cultural Value

Cultural Values: Inglehert-Wezel Model

Values in higher-income countries differ from those

common in lower-income countries.

Lower Income

Value Survival: Importance on physical safety and

economic security. They worry about food and shelter

Tend to be Traditional: Celebrate the past and

emphasize the importance of family and religious
beliefs. Men has more power. Forbid practices such as
divorce and abortion..

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Understanding
Conclusion
Your Cultural Value

Cultural Values: Inglehert-Wezel Model

Higher-Income Nations

Individualism and Self-expression: Focusing their

attention on “lifestyle” and how to achieve the
greatest personal happiness.

Tend to be secular-rational: Less emphasis on

family ties and religious beliefs. Think for them for
themselves. Tolerant of others who differ from them.
Women is equal to men. Abortion and divorce
common.

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

Understanding
Conclusion
Your Cultural Value

Cultural Comparison

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Understanding
Conclusion
Your Cultural Value

Cultural Values: The Hofstede Cultural Element

Power Distance
Power Distance reflects the degree to which a culture believes how
institutional and organizational power should be distributed and how the
decisions of the power holders should be viewed

Collectivism vs. Individualism

Individualism-Collectivism describes the degree to which a culture relies
on and has allegiance to the self or the group. 

Masculinity vs. Femininity

Also known as achievement-nurturance indicates the degree to which a
culture values such behaviors as assertiveness, achievement, acquisition
of wealth or caring for others, social supports and the quality of life

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Understanding
Conclusion
Your Cultural Value

Cultural Values: The Hofstede Cultural Element

Uncertainty Avoidance (Low Risk Taker)
Refers to the extent to which a culture feels threatened by uncertain
situations and tries to avoid them by establishing more structure. The high
positive scores on the uncertainty avoidance index (UAI) indicate low
tolerance for ambiguity.

Long Term Orientation

Also known as Confucian Dynamism - It ranges from long term to
orientation to short term orientation. Other values includes thrift,
perseverance, a sense of shame, and following a hierarchy.

Indulgence Versus Restraint

Indulgence stands for society that allows free gratification of basic and
natural human drives (Enjoy Life and Have Fun).  Restraint - society that
suppresses gratification of needs and control it by means of strict social
norms.

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Understanding
Conclusion
Your Cultural Value

https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Understanding
Conclusion
Your Cultural Value

High Power Low Risk

Distance Individualist Masculine Long Term Indulgence
Taker

Low Power Collective Feminine High Risk

Distance Taker Short Term Restraint

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Culture

THE END

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang