Culture

Culture is one of the most important concepts in social science. The study of human society
immediately and necessarily leads us to the study of its culture. The study of society or any
aspect of it becomes incomplete without a proper understanding of the culture of that society.
Couture and society go together. They are inseparable.

Culture is a very broad term that includes in itself all our walks of life, our modes of behavior,
our philosophies and ethics, our morals and manners, our customs and traditions, our religious,
political, economic and other types of activities. Culture includes all that man has acquired in his
individual and social life.

According to Robert Bierstedt, ‘culture is the complex whole that consists of all the ways we
think and do and everything we have as members of society’.

According to Edward B. Tylor, ‘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. This definition is widely used today.

Characteristics of culture

The main features or characteristics of culture are given below:

1. Culture is learnt: Culture is not inherited biologically, but learnt socially by man. It is
not an inborn tendency. Culture is often called ‘learned ways of behavior’. Unlearned
behavior, such as closing the eyes while sleeping, the eye blinking reflex and so on, are
purely physiological and not cultural. Shaking hands, or thanks and shaving and dressing,
on the other hand are cultural. Similarly wearing clothes, combing the hair, wearing
ornaments, cooking the food, drinking from a glass, eating from a plate, driving a car,
enacting a role in drama, singing, praying, etc., are all ways of behavior learnt by man
culturally.
2. Culture is social: Culture does not exist in isolation. Neither is it an individual
phenomenon. It is a product of society. It originates and develops through social
interactions and shared by members of society.
3. Culture is shared: Culture in the sociological sense, is something shared. It is not
something that an individual alone can possess. For example, customs, traditions, beliefs,
ideas, values, morals, etc., are all shared by people of a group or society.
4. Culture is transmissive: Culture is capable of being transmitted from one generaion to
the next. Parents pass on culture traits to their children and they in turn to their children,
and so on. Culture is transmitted not through genes but by means of language. Language
is the main vehicle of culture. Language in its different forms like reading, writing and
speaking makes it possible for the present generation to understand the achievements of
earlier generations.
 5. Culture is continuous and cumulative: Culture exists as a continuous process. In its
historical growth it tends to become cumulative. Culture may be conceived of as a kind of
stream flowing down through the centuries from one generation to another.
6. Culture is consistent and integrated: Culture, in its development has revealed a
tendency to be consistent. At the same time different parts of culture are interconnected.
For example, the value system of a society is closely connected with its other aspects
such as morality, religion, customs, traditions, beliefs, and so on.
7. Culture is dynamic and adaptive: Through couture is relatively stable it is not
altogether static. It is subject to slow but constant changes. Change and growth are latent
in culture. For example we find amazing growth in the present Bangladeshi culture when
we compare it with culture of the prior to British period. Culture hence dynamic. Culture
is responsive to the changing conditions of the physical world. It is adaptive.
8. Culture is gratifying: Culture provides proper opportunities and prescribes means for
the satisfaction of our needs and desires. These needs may be biological or social in
nature. Our need for food, shelter and clothing, desire for status, name, fame, etc., are
fulfilled according to the cultural ways. In fact, culture is defined as the process through
which human being satisfy their wants.
9. Culture varies from society to society: Every society has a culture of its own. It differs
from society to society. Cultural elements such s customs, traditions, morals, ideals,
values, beliefs, philosophies etc., are not uniform everywhere. Ways of eating, speaking,
greeting, dressing, entertaining etc, of if different society differs significantly.

Civilization

The term civilization is derived from the Latin word ‘civitas’ which means a city. Hence the term
refers to all the attainments characteristics of human life in an organized city.

Civilization means outward behavior of man. –Kant.

Civilization is external, mechanical, utilitarian and concerned only with means.- Gisbert.

Civilization refers to those devices and instruments by which nature is controlled. It includes
technical and material equipment like a printing press, mobile, television etc. It also includes
whole apparatus of economic and political organizations like our schools, colleges, currency
systems etc. civilization is concerned with the utility of people in society that means we need the
products of civilization for the satisfaction of our wants.

Distinction between culture and civilization

Some significant points of difference between culture and civilization are given below.

1. Civilization has a precise standard of measurement but not culture: Civilization can
be measure by measuring the utility of the products of civilization. For example a tractor
 is superior to a hand plough; the banking system is superior to the primitive barter
system. But we cannot measure the cultural products. We can only assess the cultural
products by our personal judgement; but we cannot measure of quantify them. If
somebody were to say that literary works of Nazrul is better than those of Rabindranath
Tagore, we cannot prove or disprove it. Cultural things such as values, ideas, opinions,
morals, customs etc., are beyond measurement. Different ages and different groups have
their own standards of judgements with regard to these cultural things.
2. Civilization is always advancing but not culture: Civilization is always upward in
trend if there is no break of social continuity. Every generation adds its own
achievements to the already stored up energy and intelligence. Thus every technical
achievement is an improvement on the past. Change from mud road to tar road and then
to cement concrete road, from bow and arrow to the machine gun and then to atom bomb-
indicate improvement. (exceptional cases also exists but these are few. For example,
pyramid muslin cloth etc.).
Progress in case of culture is not assured. Culture is not always advancing. Here exist
upward and downward situations.
3. The products of civilization can easily communicated with people than those of
culture: Knowledge of civilization can be passed on very easily and without much effort.
We can easily use mobiles, computers, televisions, vehicles etc.
Products of culture cannot be easily communicated with common people. For example
the work of an artist is only for a man with artistic appreciation
4. Civilization is borrowed without loss or change but not culture: People can borrow
the products of civilization very easily. Technical devices and plant can easily be
borrowed or transferred. It will be easy for a Bangladeshi to borrow a scientific technique
invented in the West, but it will be difficult for a foreigner to borrow the Bangladeshi
cultural elements. Though there may be some cultural borrowings (examples are dress
styles, speaking styles, fashion, foods, entertainments etc.). They are insignificant
compared to the borrowing of civilization.
5. Civilization is external, but culture is internal: Civilization is external, mechanical and
utilitarian in character. It caters to the external needs of man. Civilization is a means
Culture is something internal. It refers to intrinsic values. It is the expression of our
modes of living and of thinking. Civilization is a matter of outward behavior whereas
culture requires morality as an inward state of man. Civilization is what we have, culture
is what we are.