Culture

The Latin root of the word culture is colere, which can mean anything from cultivating and inhabiting, to worshipping and protecting. Culture can be summarized as the complex of values, customs, beliefs and practices, which constitute the way of life of a specific group.

 Sociological definitions of Culture 1. E.B. Taylor in Primitive culture (1871), puts it as 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. 2. According to T.S. Eliot, culture is not only a way of life, but the whole way of life of a people, from birth to the grave, from morning to night, and even in sleep.

 Ralph Linton states that, the culture of a society is the way of life of its members; the collection of ideas and habits which they learn, share and transmit from generation to generation. In Clyde Kluckhohns phrase, culture is a design for living held by members of a particular society. Since man has no instinct to direct his actions, his behaviour must be based on guidelines, which are learned. In order for a society to operate effectively, its members must share these guidelines

Culture has three essential characteristics; firstly, it is learned, secondly, it is shared and thirdly, the totality of what is both learned and shared by the members of a society, which makes the human society.

Characteristics of Culture
-- It is acquired through socialisation and is learnt. It is a collective entity. It reflects the ideal normative behaviour of a group. It always has links with the past. It meets the ethical and social needs of the group as a whole. Various parts of the culture are closely linked and integrated with each other.

Types of Culture
Material Culture Non-material Culture Non-material culture consists of the words people use, the ideas, customs and beliefs they hold and the habits they follow. Material culture consists of manufactured objects such as tools, furniture, automobiles, roads, bridges etc.

 Cultural Lag
When the material or technological dimensions change rapidly, the non-material aspects can lag behind in terms of values and norms. This can give rise to a situation of culture lag when the non-material dimensions are unable to match the advances of technology. W.F. Ogburn developed the idea of cultural lag.

 Cultural Traits
Cultural traits are the single elements or smallest units of a culture. They are the units of observation which when put together constitute culture. Non-material culture traits would include such actions as shaking hands, saluting the flag. Each culture includes thousands of traits. The concept was given by Wissler.

 Culture Shock
When a particular culture suddenly comes in contact with another very different culture, it experiences cultural shock.

 There are various attitudes developed by people towards cultural variation, which could be classified in sociological terms as Acculturation The adoption of some traits of the dominant culture by another cultural group paves the way for the absorption of the new cultural group into the dominant culture. Such traits are readily adopted even if the two groups are only slightly in contact.

 Ethnocentrism This is the attitude, which regarded other cultures as inferior to their culture.
Xenocentrism This is the belief that other cultures are superior to their culture. Cultural relativism This views peoples behaviours from the perspective of their own culture.