Understanding Culture, Society and Politics Reviewers

Society A society is a group of people involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same geographical or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations The term "society" came from the Latin word societas, which in turn was derived from the noun socius ("comrade, friend, ally"; adjectival form socialis) used to describe a bond or interaction between parties that are friendly, or at least civil. Interdependence is the mutual reliance between two or more groups. “Cooperating party” Cultural identity  is the identity or feeling of belonging to a group. It is part of a person's self-conception

and self-perception and is related to nationality nationality,, ethnicity ethnicity,, religion religion,, social class, class, generation generation,, locality or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture culture.. Solidarity is unity (as of a group or class) which produces or is based on unities of interests, objectives,

standards, and sympathies. It refers to the ties in a society that bind people together as one. A hierarchy (from the Greek hierarchia, "rule of a high priest", from hierarkhes, "leader of sacred rites") is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) i n which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another.

Culture is the social behavior and norms found in human societies. Culture is a central concept in anthropology, encompassing the range of phenomena that are transmitted through social learning in human societies. Latin “colere”, 'to inhabit, care for, till, worship' and “cultus”, 'A cult, especially a religious one.'

Politics Politics (from Greek: Politiká: Politika, definition "affairs of the cities") is the process of making decisions applying to all members of each group. More narrowly, it refers to achieving and exercising positions of governance — organized control over a human community, particularly a state.

Social Norms Function and its Types 

According to Young & Mack: Norms refer to the group shared expectation.

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According to Lesh, Larson & Goerman: Social norms are rule s developed by a group of people that specify how people must, should, may, should not and must not behave in various situation.

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Social norms are the code of ethics.

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Social norms are rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors.

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Social Norms are the rules for how people should act in a given group or society. Any behavior that is outside these norms is considered violation of norms.

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Social norms consist of rules of conduct and models of behavior prescribed by a society. They are rooted in the customs, traditions and value systems that gradually develop in this society

Functions of Social Norms: 

Control Behavior: Social norms control our behavior in the way that they provide a set pattern for our

behavior. 

Making behaviour systematic and pattern : Another function is that the behavior of the people

becomes systematic and pattern. 

Law and order:  Due to systematic and pattern behavior law and order can be maintained in society.

For disorderly society no law can work because of the unsystematic behavior of the people. 

Social norms helps in self-control:  norms are also helpful in making self-control.

Types of Social Norms:

1) Folkways.

2) Mores.

3) Law.

Folkways Definition of Folkways: 

According to Gillin and Gillin: Folkways are behavior patterns of everyday life which generally arise unconsciously in a group.

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A mode of thinking, feeling, or acting common to a given group of people.

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Man’s action repeated by him is his habit and a repeated behavior by a group of people is a

custom. 

These are common rules of manners that we are expected to use on a day-to-day basis.

1) Examples of Folkways: 1. Correct manners. 2. Appropriate dress. 3. Proper eating behavior.

Mores: 

According to Gillin and Gillin: Mores are those customs and group routines which are thought by the members of society to be necessary to the group’s continued existence. The must behavior is called Mores.

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Mores is the plural of mores which means custom.

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Mores are more serious norms but also informal like folkways.

Examples of Mores: 

Wearing clothes.

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Respect for the parents.

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Students to obey educational institute norms.

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Having sexual relationship with women without marriage.

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Entering into other’s house without permission.

Types of Mores: 1. Positive Mores

a. Positive more always prescribe behavior pattern. They represent the ‘Do’s. They give instructions and provide guidance for the people to behave in a particular way. 2. Negative Mores

a. Negative mores prescribe behavior patterns. They represent the “Don’t”. They are also called ‘taboos’. Taboos forbid or proh ibit certain behavior patterns.

LAW 

Those act , or which there violation and punishment has been defined are called laws

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Law is a system of rules a society sets to maintain order and protect harm to persons and property.

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Rules of conduct of any organized society, however simple or small, that are enforced by threat of punishment if they are violated

Race and Ethnicity

What Is Race? Some people view race as: 

Skin color: the Caucasian “race”,

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Religion: the Jewish “race”

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Nationality: the British “race”

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Entire human species: the human “race”

Sociological definition of race: “A category of people who have been singled out as inferior or superior, often on the basis of r eal or alleged

physical characteristics such as skin color, hair texture, eye shape, or other sub jectively selected attributes”

Race and Biology 

A race is a category of people who have been singled out as inferior or superior, on the basis of real or alleged physical characteristics such as skin color, hair texture, eye shape, or other attributes.

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Race has little meaning biologically due to interbreeding in the human population.

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Only 6% of DNA differences in humans can be attributed to racial differences and thus many social and natural scientists have dismissed race as a category.

Characteristics of Ethnic Groups 

Unique cultural traits.

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A sense of community.

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A feeling of ethnocentrism.

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Ascribed membership from birth.

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Tendency to occupy a geographic area.

Ethnic Groups Characteristics 

Common Ancestry

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Cultural Heritage

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Nations of Origin

Prejudice and Racism 

Prejudice - A negative attitude based on generalizations about members of selected racial, ethnic, or

other groups. o

Ethnocentrism refers to the tendency to regard one’s own culture and group as the standard.

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Stereotypes are overgeneralizations about the appearance, behavior, or other characteristics of members of particular categories.

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Racism-attitudes, beliefs, and practices that justify the superior treatment of one group

Cultural Relativism & Ethnocentrism Relativism 

Is the view that all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to the individual within his own social context

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In other words, “right” and “wrong” are culture-specific

Ethnocentrism

Cultural Form 

Cultural Form in Anthropology studies human beings and the development and dynamics of their cultures.

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It’s the scientific study of the development of human cultures based on ethnologic, ethnographic,

linguistic, social, and psychological data and methods of analysis.

PLURALITY OF CULTURES VERSUS MULTI-CULTURALISM 

Plural societies are those where many cultures coexist but some are dominant. These societies emphasize plurality but not equality.

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Multi cultural societies comprise different groups with varied beliefs, practices and historical memories. In an ideal multi cultural society, all cultures would be equal.

How Culture Works

Dominant Ideology •

A dominant ideology is a set of ideas that prevail in a society in a given time period.

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As Marx says, “In every age, the ruling ideas are the ideas of the ruling class.”

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In this view, culture tells us what to think and do. Culture makes it very hard to rebel and to do things differently.

Tool-Kit •

A tool-kit is a set of resources—knowledge, experiences, ideas—that we draw from to make decisions, construct our lives, and make sense of the world.

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This view of culture emphasizes human agency and says that culture gives us a set of optional ways to engage the world.

The 5 Dimensions of Cultural Potency

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Retrievability- where the item sits in social structure.

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Rhetorical Force- the content of the culture itself.

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Resonance- the content of the culture and its relationship to the audience.

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Institutional Retention-Formal institutions and social norms

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Resolution- the message of the cultural item and its relationship to other items and activities.