The Cultural Context

Outline
Introduction

Culture is all-encompassing and integrated

Culture is learned behavior

Culture is shared

Culture is symbolic

Nature of Culture

Material and Non Material Culture

Elements of Culture

Conclusion
Culture is the process by which a person becomes
all that they were created capable of being.
Thomas Carlyle
 Introduction
• Edward Burnett Tylor defined culture as:

"Culture . . . is 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."
• Humans evolve and adapt primarily through culture
rather than changes in genetics.
• Simply culture is everything which is socially learned
and shared by the members of a society.
 Continued…
• Culture survives if it can accommodate to changing
conditions.
• Culture is viewed as a macro system.
system
• Binds a particular society together, and includes its
manners, morals, tools, and techniques.
Culture is all-encompassing and integrated
• Culture envelopes each of us, and touches every aspect of
our lives.
• Culture is systematic and integrated (it is not a random
phenomenon).
• Cultures teach us to share certain core values that helps
shape the personality of the individuals within a culture.

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 Culture is learned behavior
• Each child goes through a process of
enculturation when they grow up in a
culture.
• Children learn by observing the behaviors
of people in their surroundings, including
the recognition of symbols specific to that
culture.
 Culture is shared

• Culture is an attribute not of individuals per se but

of individuals as members of groups.
• Culture is transmitted by society.

• Enculturation unifies people by providing us with

common experiences.
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Culture A Culture B Culture C

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 Culture is symbolic

• Symbols can either be verbal (linguistic) or

nonverbal (object, written symbol).
• New symbols easily develop, old ones disappear.

• Symbols from one particular group are regularly

copied by others.

Wearing nose pin is a

symbolic part of our
culture
 Nature of Culture

• Culture is a group phenomenon.

• Cultures evolve from the interaction of person with

others, and a person’s belief or behavior becomes
part of the culture when it is externalized and
objectified.
 Material Culture

• Parts of culture that you can see or touch

- For sample, clothing, buildings, cuisines etc.
• The material objects that distinguish a group of
people, such as their art, buildings, weapons,
utensils, machines, hairstyles, clothing, and jewelry.
 Nonmaterial Culture
• Parts of culture that you cannot see or touch
- For instance, courage, honesty, love etc.
• Nonmaterial culture (also called symbolic culture) a group’s
ways of thinking (including its beliefs, values, and other
assumptions about the world) and doing (its common patterns
of behavior, including language and other forms of interaction).
 NONMATERIAL CULTURE PRESENTS ITSELF
AS A VALUE IN THIS CARTOON.
IT IS GOOD TO CARE FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT.
 Elements of Culture

• Norms

• Values

• Beliefs and Ideologies

• Social Collectives

• Statuses and Roles

Statuses and
Roles

• Cultural Integration
Conclusion
Thanks for your patience

Any queries please!