The Meaning of Culture The Elements of Culture

The Meaning of Culture

The Elements of Culture • Everyone born into a culture. • Share common characteristics. • Anthropologists divided into 7 Elements

#1 Social Organization smaller structure-meet needs of people • Family Patterns– most important • nuclear family • extended family

Social Classes • Ranking of people in order of status – Based on what that culture values highly – Social mobility

Customs and Traditions • -rules of behavior • cultural rules vary in importance • social pressure to fit in • Social norms-unify or not

Arts and Literature • Products of human imagination such as art, music, literature that please and entertain us. • Folk tales-traditions that help pass on a culture’s basic beliefs and values. • A and L help to strengthen a culture’s identity

Language • The cornerstone of culture • reflects a culture’s identity • unify culture (or not) • age

Religion • Arts often closely linked to people’s religious beliefs • within a culture, people usually share religious beliefs • Meaning of life

Forms of Government • People’s governments provide for their common needs such as order and protection • people organize governments • types of governments: • democracy • republic • dictatorship

Economic Systems • Economics refers to how people use limited resources to satisfy their wants and needs. • 3 basic questions: – what goods and services should we produce – how should we produce them – for whom should we produce them

Economics cont. • Traditional economy: people produce most of what they need to survive • Market economy: buying and selling goods and services. • Command economy: government controls what goods are produced & what they cost • Mixed-most nations have mixed economies

The American Dream

Cultural diffusion • spread of culture and the factors that account for it, such as migration, communications, trade, and commerce

Ethnocentrism • The tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one's own culture. • Cultural superiority

Cultural Divergence • The restriction of an element of culture from outside influences • Example: government censorship

Cultural Convergence Cultural convergence occurs when multiple cultures become more like one another through exposure to traditions, ideals and languages.

Questions to Ponder • Describe three elements that help give YOUR culture its identity. • How are family patterns related to YOUR culture? • How do the arts in the United States help to unify the nation? • Which element of culture is most relevant in your life?