CULTURAL SYMBOLS

Unit 4
 WHAT IS CULTURE?

Culture is an accumulation of
the beliefs, traditions, language
and values of a particular group
of people.
 CULTURAL SYMBOL

Cultural symbols represent cultural beliefs

and ideologies.
A cultural symbol is a physical manifestation
that signifies the ideology of a particular
culture or that merely has meaning within a
culture.
 CULTURAL SYMBOLS

Christian culture - cultural

symbol of the cross
Jewish culture - cultural
symbol of the Star of David
Cultural symbols don't have
to be actual symbols or signs
 GESTURES

Gestures such as hand shakes

and hand signals
Same symbol mean different
things in different cultures
The thumbs up, which
symbolizes that everything is
great in American culture, is
just like giving the middle finger
in Greek culture.
 SYMBOLS INDICATING NATIONALISM

Freedom, strength and

power

Most haunting cultural symbols

of the Nazi Germans is the
swastika, which was worn on
an armband on the Nazi
uniform.
 EXAMPLES OF CULTURAL SYMBOLS

Mark (Christian cross)

Graphic design (Like flags, logo, seal etc.)
Colors (black/white for mourning)
Music (bagpipes)
Language (slogans)
Fashion (Kimono)
Architecture (British style)
Food & Beverages (Curry)
Animals (Tiger)
 EXAMPLES OF CULTURAL SYMBOLS

Mythical creatures (unicorn)

Plants (Maple tree)
Products (Wine)
Institutions (Cambridge)
Holidays (Deepavali)
Games (Sumo wrestling)
Artwork (Gothic)
Traditions (Tea ceremony)
Places (Marina)
 MOVIES & CULTURE

Art reflects fiction

Movies mirror culture
The relationship between movies and culture
involves a complicated dynamic
D. W. Griffith established his reputation with
the highly successful film The Birth of a
Nation, based on Thomas Dixon’s novel The
Clansman, a prosegregation narrative about
the American South during and after the Civil
War.
THE BIRTH OF A NATION

• Based on Thomas Dixon’s

novel The Clansman.
• Highly successful because it
captured the social and
cultural tensions of the era.
• Many protested due to the
racist attitudes in the film.
• Though controversial, the film
was classified as “culturally,
historically, or aesthetically
significant films” in U.S.
history.
 ANTI ESTABLISHMENT ATTITUDE

• Baby boomer generation came

of age during the Korean and
Vietnam wars
• Showed a cynicism toward the
patriotic, pro-war stance of their
World War II–era elders
• Displayed a fierce resistance
toward institutional authority in
general
• Antiestablishmentism
epitomized in the 1967 hit
film Bonnie and Clyde
ANTI WAR SENTIMENT
 SOCIAL ISSUES IN MOVIES

Hotel Rwanda (2004) – 1994 Rwandan genocide

The Kite Runner (2007) – story amidst war-torn
Afghanistan
Super Size Me (2004) – Fast food industry criticized
(McDonald changed its menu)
Food, Inc. (2009) – Corporate Farming practices
Bowling for Columbine (2002) – Columbine High
School Shooting, Gun culture criticized
Fahrenheit 9/11 – Criticized Bush and involvement in
Iraq war
 EXERCISE

Consider three films you have watched in the last year.

In what ways have these films reflected current
concerns, trends, or attitudes? Of these movies, which
do you think have the most potential to shape cultural
attitudes or bring about social change? How do you
think these movies might bring about this change?
Locate a film that has been remade and watch the
original and remade versions. Besides the obvious
changes in fashion and technology, what other
differences do you notice that reflect the cultural
attitudes, trends, and events in which each film was
produced?
 https://open.lib.umn.edu/mediaandculture/chapter/8-3-movi
es-and-culture
/
 https://
uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5c491c1c17c3bf4c553cc808/5c57
3a2c0464304a4fb22f64_Acebes_Jasmine_Phase1.pdf
 https://
compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/soc4.1223
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