culture

Popular Culture

 Popular culture is the accumulated store of cultural products,

such as music, dance, art, literature, film, television etc., that
are consumed primarily by non-elite groups.
 These groups consist of working and lower class as well as
substantial segments of the middle class.
 It is sometimes, as such, referred to as the ‘culture of the
masses’.
 Elite Culture

 The term ‘elite culture’ in used usually to refer to the culture

of a socially dominant group in society.
 This dominant group is known by various names such as the
upper class, the ruling class, the elite etc.
 Elites who form a minority group in a society have power and
influence over others and are recognized as being in some way
superior
Culture Shock

 Culture shock is a common phenomenon often affects

travelers and people living far from home in unexpected ways.
 “Culture shock” comes from being cut off from things you are
familiar with.
 provide a guideline of how we adapt and cope with new
cultures.
 It also comes from living and working in an ambiguous
situation.
 Ethnocentrism
 Literally, ‘ethno’ mean people.
 A belief that one’s own group, culture, society and race is
good, normal, right and superior to other that are inferior,
wrong, abnormal and bad.
 when a society or culture thinks that they are better than
another, or all other, society's and cultures.
 It is ‘a tendency to evaluate the culture of others in terms of
own culture’.
 Accordingly, people often evaluate their own culture (beliefs,
values, behaviour patterns, and ways of living) superior to
other
 Pakistani consider himself as brave, hard worker and faithful
people
 Yard stick which measures other cultures.
 Express as chosen people, superior people, superior race, true
believers.
 All the groups and societies assume the superiority of their own
culture this reaction is called ethnocentrism.
 The tendency to judge other ways of life by the standard of
one own groups.
 Even within a society, different social groups are ethnocentric
e.g.
Ethnocentric western are or others may laugh at the Hindu taboo
against eating beef
 Ethnocentric Chinese may laugh on others unwilling to eat dogs.
 The Arab called himself hospitable
 Pakistani culture Etc.
Advantages

1. Loyalty and patriotism

 Individuals remain loyal to their culture and group
 They feel satisfaction in their own cultural setting, the
value system of the society
2. No Confusion
 Individuals Satisfied with their own culture
3. Integration and solidarity (e.g. Kashmir case)
4. Provide protection to group member
5. Concentration on own problem.
Disadvantages

1. Block/Hinder development
Bring conflict, high crime, affect social welfare development
(development is linked with peace and stability)
2. Social problem creation
Create conflict among classes
Sect, Race ethnic problem, Shia, Sunni, white American and African
American
3. Individualism
Spread individualism( tight boundaries among group)
Difficult to achieve mutual target, cooperation, close association and
we group feeling among member.
Lead to Isolation and backwardness of country as individual
 Xenocentrism

 Xenocentrism is a culturally based tendency to

value other cultures more highly than one’s own.
 On the basis of this feeling, the products, styles, ideas and values of
one’s society are regarded as inferior to that of other societies.
 For example, people in society often assume that British lifestyle
(dress pattern, etc.), French fashion or Japanese electronic devices
(TV, tape recorders, mobile set etc.) and Swiss watches are superior
to their own.
 This is why people give preference to foreign goods while
purchasing
 Cultural Relativism
 All cultures are equally valid and any culture deserves respect.
 Cultural relativism refers to not judging a culture to our own
standards of what is right or wrong, strange or normal. Instead, we
should try to understand the cultural practices of other groups in
their own cultural context.
 The belief that cultures must be judged on their own terms rather
than by the standards of another culture is called cultural relativism.
 An act that is immoral in one culture may be moral in another
 A holistic understanding of the term cultural relativism tries to
promote the understanding of cultural practices that are unfamiliar
to other cultures such as eating insects, pork, beef, etc.
 E.g Premarital pregnancy is good in Bontocs Society (Philippines).
Family system, Marriage, Religion, Govt, etc.
 Cultural Diversity
 Culture differs greatly from one another. (marriage, customs, profession,
family living, laws, government, trade pattern, language, religion etc.)
 The focus of behaviour varies widely from culture to culture.
 The subcontinent’s ways of living and behaving are quite different from
the Western/Arab/Chinese societies.
 There are people who believe on Hinduism while others are proud on
being Christian or Jewish or another religion.
 People are staunch believers of God while others even deny his
existence.
 In the West, for example, marital partners are chosen through the
practice of dating, while in Pakistan, till today, living aside a few.
 Jews do not eat pork, while Hindus eat pork but avoid beef.
 Westerners regard Girlfriend, and boyfriend culture as a normal part of
behavior in public places while in Pakistan it is refrained or avoided.
 Cultural Uniformity is the similarities of traits among culture
Cultural diffusion
 Different cultures are in contact with each other.
 The spreading of the cultural trait from one culture to another
 The process by which cultural traits of one society directly or
indirectly spread to other societies.
 The mixing of world cultures through different ethnicities,
religions, and nationalities has only increased with advanced
communication, transportation, and technology.
 Social media, transportation, cross-cultural interaction
 These different ideas when interacting with each other cause
the development of society in different ways and this
interaction is known as cultural fusion.
 Cultural Change

 culture is always evolving

 new things are added to material culture every day, and they
affect nonmaterial culture as well.
 Cultures change when something new (railroads, technology
or smartphones, etc.) opens up new ways of living and when
new ideas enter a culture ( as a result of travel or
globalization).
 Horton & Hunt: "changes in the culture of a society are called
cultural change."
 Kingsley Davis: "cultural changes embarrasses Occurring in any
branch of culture including, art, science, technology,
philosophy, etc. as well as changes in the forms and rules of
social organization.
 Birthday party, Mehendi, Nuclear family, old age homes, etc.