Exploring Culture: Types, Components, and Characteristics

Introduction:

Culture is an integral part of society and plays a crucial role in shaping our beliefs, values, and behaviours. In this chapter, we will explore the concept of culture and its significance in the field of sociology. We will delve into the various components of culture, including language, norms, values, symbols, and material culture. Additionally, we will discuss the process of cultural transmission and examine the impact of culture on socialization, identity formation, and social change.

Understanding Culture:

Humans are born with certain instincts however unlike animals and birds they cannot rely on these few biological program instructions. To make surroundings more familiar and meaningful humans depend on culture. Culture can be defined as the shared beliefs, values, and practices that characterize a particular group or society. It encompasses everything from language and art to customs and traditions. Culture is not innate; it is learned and passed down from one generation to another through the process of socialization. It provides individuals with a framework for interpreting the world around them and shapes their behaviour and interactions.

Definitions of Culture:

"That complex a hole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, customs and any other compatibilities and habits acquired by a man as a member of society." (E. Tylor)

"Set of values believes behaviours and material objects that together constitute a People's way of life."(Macionis)

"A set of shared ideas or the customs beliefs and knowledge that characterise a society in a way of life." (L.A. Coser)

"A totality of learned, socially transmitted behaviour." (R.T.Schaefer)

Functions of Culture:

    Culture provides orientation and directs behaviour toward certain lines of action dividing a thin line between the permissible and prohibited acts within the society. Culture owns a certain utilitarian function which is the maintenance of orders as the result of a shared understanding and meanings. The following are the functions of culture:

Define situation: 

One of the functions of culture is to provide many signs or what sociologists refer to as symbols which help people define a situation. Whether a situation is friendly or hostile, good or bad, acceptable or unacceptable, desirable or undesirable, depends on the symbols inherent in that particular context. We account for most of the behaviour performed by others by looking at the context or situation in which it is occurring. Culture provides individuals with a set of certain ready-made definitions of situations. Culture provides traditional interpretations of a certain situation. Through culture, man gets traditional interpretations for many situations according to which he determines his behaviour. For example, if a cat crosses his way, he postpones the journey.

Providing behavioural patterns:

culture provides man with a set of behaviours for difficult situations. In the absence of culture, man would have been baffled even in the simplest situations. culture not only defines but also determines what we eat and drink, when to sleep when to laugh, etc. For example, gender roles are currently defined with respect to Eastern or Western culture. The behavioural patterns provided by culture make the surroundings more predictable.

Moulds Personality:

No child can develop human qualities in the absence of a cultural environment. Culture prepares man for group life. It is a culture that provides opportunities for the development of personality and sets limits on its growth. for example, a female's personality is introverted or extroverted with respect to Eastern or Western culture.

Characteristics of culture:

Culture is learnt:

Humans are born with few drives like eating and sleeping; however, what they prefer to eat and how they like to sleep varies from culture to culture. Even biological instincts are shaped in a cultural context. We learned most of the behaviours that we perform daily through culture. The process of learning Culture is facilitated by many agents like family, peers, school and media. The process through which individuals learn and accept culture in a way that they do not consider it as external is known as enculturation. Various development psychologists argue that humans have an inborn tendency to learn the language and various other social traits however they too recognize that what language and social traits children would be learning will depend on the particular culture in which they are raised. In epistemology, the state of human birth is similar to tabula rasa which means blank slate. Society writes its particular instructions on the slate through culture.

Culture is variable:

Every society has its own culture nonetheless this does not mean that various cultures are entirely dissimilar. Many cultures Can share certain traits however the way those traits are organised can differ. Culture is a variable in the sense that every society even different groups within a single society. Can have different cultures. This approach is known as cultural relativism that is culture is a relative concept that varies from society to society.

Culture is social:

Culture is social which means that culture cannot develop in seclusion. Culture develops and is maintained through the process of social interaction. To acquire and learn culture it is necessary to associate with others. As Simmel has argued society is a web of interacting individuals and culture develops and manifests itself in this web.

Culture is shared:

            As already discussed, culture cannot develop in seclusion, it needs association for the development. Culture is shared in the sense that a group of people have similar beliefs values and norms. The reason for this sharing is to make one's environment and surroundings more predictable.

Culture is transmissive:

            Culture is transmissive as it is passed on or transmitted from one generation to another. This does not mean that culture is always transmitted from the elder generation to the younger one. Transmission of Culture can be intergenerational as well as intra-generational. Language is considered the most dominant channel for cultural transition as the majority of the cultural traits that we possess have reached us through verbal tradition.

Cultural is Dynamic:

            Culture is not static. One simple manifestation of this could be reviewing the culture of one society five years back. We can simply come up with the fact that our cultural values have changed over time. Culture is dynamic in the sense that it continues to change and evolve. In modern society, this change is more rapid because of the technology.

Culture is Adaptive:

            Culture presents a relatively stable set of patterns. However, this does not mean that culture is rigid. Culture continues to evolve and adapt to changing physical and social conditions.

Components of Culture:

 Language:

Language is a fundamental aspect of culture as it enables communication and the transmission of knowledge and ideas. It consists of symbols, words, and grammatical rules that allow individuals to express themselves and share information. Man Leaves not only in the present but also in the past and future. He can do this because he possesses a language which transmits to him what was learned in the past and enables him to transmit the accumulated wisdom to the next generation. A specialised language pattern serves as a common bond to the members of a particular group or subculture. Although culture is transmitted in a variety of ways. Language is one of the most important vehicles for perpetuating cultural patrons.

 Norms

"Norms are the rules and expectations that guide our behaviour in society". Every society has certain expectations concerning behaviour that should be followed. They can be formal (laws) or informal (customs) and vary across cultures and are called Norms. Norms help maintain social order and cohesion by defining acceptable and appropriate behaviour.

Types of norms:

• Proscriptive: Mandating what we should not do. Negative norm.
•  Taboos: A strong Negative norm which is defined as a social or religious custom prohibiting or restricting a particular practice or forbidding association with a particular person, place or thing. A taboo is a vehement prohibition of an action based on the belief that such behaviour is either too scary or accursed for ordinary individuals to undertake, under the threat of supernatural punishment.
• Prescriptive: What we should do. Positive Norm.
•  Mores: “Mores” are strong norms. The stronger the norm is the less tolerance society has for the violation of the mores. All the mores have fairly strong punishments if violated. As a result, people try to follow as many “mores” as they can. Therefore the term "mores" refers to the norms set by society, largely for behaviour and appearance. Individuals who do not follow social mores are often considered as social deviants.
•   Folkways: These are formal norms and are usually not strictly enforced as long as the behaviour is more or less in keeping with what is expected. The informal nature of folkways means that there might be a lot of room for different behaviours in most situations without getting into too much trouble. Therefore, Folkways are the customs or conventions of daily life.

 Values and Beliefs:

Values: Values are the shared beliefs and principles that a society holds. Values are cultural standards for discerning what is good and just in society. These are deeply embedded and critical for transmitting and teaching a culture's beliefs. They serve as guidelines for evaluating what is desirable or undesirable, right or wrong. Values can differ across cultures and influence individual and collective behaviour.

Beliefs are the tenets or convictions that people hold to be true. Individuals in a society have specific beliefs, but they also share collective values.  Values help shape a society by suggesting what is good and bad, beautiful and ugly, sought and avoided. Living up to a culture's values can be difficult. It is easy to value good health but it is hard to quit smoking. 

 Customs:

Customs can be defined as a regular or patterned way of behaving or appearing because of their ancient nature. It is a cultural idea considered as characteristic of life in a social system. For example. Handshaking and bowing are customary ways of greeting people that distinguish one society from another. 

Types of Culture:

 Material Culture:

Material Culture: Material culture refers to the tangible objects and artefacts created by society. This includes tools, technology, buildings, clothing, and artwork. Material culture reflects the values, beliefs, and lifestyles of a particular group.

 Non-Material Culture:

The untouchable, abstract and nonphysical aspects of a culture are known as nonmaterial culture or intangible culture. For example, Norms, Beliefs, Customs, values and languages.

Conclusion:

 To conclude, Culture is everything which is socially learned and shared by the members of a society. Culture is a complex and multifaceted concept that influences every aspect of our lives. It shapes our beliefs, values, behaviours, and identity. Understanding culture is essential for sociologists as it helps explain societal patterns, social interactions, and social change. By studying culture, sociologists gain insights into the complexities of human behaviour and how societies function.