Culture

and
Identity
Culture

refers to the way of life of the members of the society, or

of group within a society
Includes how they dress, their marriage customs,
language and family life, their patterns of work, religious
ceremonies and leisure pursuits (giddens, 2005).

Culture can be conceptually distinguished from society

but but there are very close connections between these
two notions.
 Culture & Society

A society is a system of relationships that connects

individuals together.

No culture exists without societies, but equally no society

exists without culture. (Giddens, 2005; Itulua-Abumere,
2013)
Material vs Nonmaterial

MATERIAL NONMATERIAL

CULTURE CULTURE

refers to the objects or consists of the ideas,

belongings of a group attitudes, and beliefs of a
of people society

Material and nonmaterial aspects of culture are linked,

and physical objects often symbolize cultural ideas.
Material or Nonmaterial?

FOLKTALE JEEPNEY

EATING HABITS

TOWN FIESTA
LECHON

SONGS
CHURCH
BOOKS

BELIEFS

MONUMENT
 Cultural Universals

are patterns or traits that are globally common

to all societies.

example:
family unit, music, concept of personal names,
humour
 Ethnocentrism

Evaluating and Judging another culture

based on how it compares to one's cultural
norms.
According to William Graham Sumner
(1906), ethnocentrism involve a belief or
attitude that one's culture is better than all
others.

Cultural Imperialism

the deliberate imposition of one's own

cultural values on another culture
Europe's colonial expansion in the past was
accompanied by severe cultural
imperialism

Ethnocentrism can be so strong that when

confronted with all te differences of a new
culture, one may experience disorientation
and frustration. In sociology, this is called
"culture shock".

 Cultural Relativism

is the practice of assessing a culture by its own standards rather than

viewing it through the lens of one’s own culture.
The anthropologist Ruth Benedict (1887–1948) argued that each
culture has an internally consistent pattern of thought and action,
which alone could be the basis for judging the merits and morality of
the culture’s practices.
Cultural relativism requires an open mind and a willingness to
consider, and even adapt to, new values and norms.

Elements of

Culture
 1. Symbols
Learn how culture can affect landscape
Understand the different kinds of cultural landscapes
How is culture spread?
Identify the cultural markers of your area