CULTURE (continued):Culture by social class, Multiculturalism, Cultural Lag

<< CULTURE (continued):Beliefs, Norms, Cultural Diversity

SOCIALIZATION: HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, NATURE, Social Isolation >>

Introduction to Sociology SOC101

Lesson 11

CULTURE (continued)

Culture by social class

Cultural diversity can involve social class. In everyday life, we usually use the term "culture" to mean art

forms such as classical literature, music, dance, and painting. We describe people who regularly go to the

theater as "cultured," because we think they appreciate the "finer things in life." We speak less generously

of ordinary people, assuming that everyday culture is somehow less worthy. Such judgments imply that

many cultural patterns are readily accessible to only some members of society. This is how particular

cultural patterns are associated with certain classes. We can further stretch the argument to other

components of culture for finding variations in different classes.

People often divide society in different social classes and find that each class represents differences in their

norms, values, beliefs, attitudes, and thinking. These norms, values, and attitudes may relate to the

institutions of marriage and family, religion, education, earning a living, or their political behavior, one could

find the differences. In this perspective culture is often divided into as:

High culture: Cultural patterns that distinguish a society's elite.

Popular culture: Cultural patterns those are widespread among a society's population.

Culture of poverty: Cultural patterns shared by the poor.

Sub-Culture

Cultural patterns that set apart some segments of a society's population. Cluster of patterns which both are

related to the general culture of the society yet distinguishable from it. The example could be: student sub-

culture, business sub-culture.

Multiculturalism

A policy followed by some governments whereby they recognize cultural diversity in the society and

promote the equality of all cultural traditions. Canadian government is following such a policy.

Counter-Culture

It is a subculture, which is in active opposition to the dominant culture. Cultural patterns that strongly

oppose widely accepted patterns within a society. Example could be of hippies, and drug users.

Cultural change

Cultural change is the process of alteration of culture over time. Any difference in a particular pattern

between two points in time may be called cultural change. This may be a change in the family pattern,

which is changing from `joint family system' to a `nuclear family system' in Pakistani society.

Cultural Lag

All parts (elements) of culture do not change at the same rate; some of them change faster than the other.

For example material culture may change faster than the non-material culture. We often see it is difficult to

change the habits quickly.

The different rate of change in the two integrated elements of culture can result in one element lagging

behind the other. William F. Ogburn called this gap between the two parts of culture as `cultural lag'. Such

a cultural lag usually disrupts the system. For example we see so many automobiles on the road. There is

Introduction to Sociology SOC101

an increase in their speed as well. There is a sharp increase in mobility. Let us look at another related

aspect; these automobiles need a similar change in the quality of roads, which has not changed accordingly

or you can say that it has lagged behind. Resultantly there is a lot of disruption leading to traffic jams,

accidents, and pollution. You can also look at the `traffic sense' among the public, be they the drivers, the

passengers, the cyclists, or the pedestrians. This lag between the increase in automobiles and the inculcation

of traffic sense in public also creates disruption in the system.

Causes of cultural change

Three factors bring change in the culture of a society. These are:

Inventions: The process of creating new cultural elements out of the existing elements. Since the modern

man has a comparatively richer reservoir of cultural elements at his disposal, therefore he creates more

inventions than the man in the olden times. The modern man does not have to reinvent the wheel; he has

to use this wheel, improve upon it and bring something new.

Discovery: It is the process of finding that already exists.

Diffusion: It means the spread of cultural traits from one society to another. It is the borrowing of culture

by one group from another. For purposes of diffusion contact between the two groups or societies is

necessary. In the olden times, due to the lack development of means of transportation and communication,

contact between different societies was limited. Therefore the diffusion was also limited. Whatever the

diffusion took place it was more a result of physical contact. But in the modern times there is a revolution

in the means of transportation and communication. Presently people don't have to be in physical contact

with other societies for knowing about each other's culture and for borrowing from each other. With the

help of electronic media people get exposure to other cultures and may like to borrow their cultural traits.

With the facilitation of diffusion process cultural change is quite rapid now days.

Ethnocentrism

The practice of judging other's culture by the standards of one's own culture. People consider their own

culture as superior to others and apply their standards for evaluating the patterns of behavior of others.

The whole judgment is centered on one's own culture.

Xeno-centrism

Considering other's culture as superior to one's own.

Cultural relativism

The practice of judging a culture by its own standards; a particular pattern of behavior is right or wrong as it

is declared by the people who follow it. Since those people are follow a particular practice, supposedly it

might be serving some useful function in that society. Nevertheless, the same practice may be useful for

one group and may be harmful for the other in the same society.

A global culture

Today, more than ever before, we can observe many of the same cultural practices being followed the world

over. We find people wearing jeans, hear the familiar music, and see advertising for many of the same

products in different countries. People learn some international language for purposes of communication.

Are we moving toward the single global culture?

Societies now have more contact with one another than ever before, involving the flow of goods,

information, and people. We are globally connected through:

Introduction to Sociology SOC101

· The global economy: the flow of goods.

· Global communication: the flow of information.

· Global migration: the flow of people.

These global links make the cultures of the world more similar. But there are three limitations to the global

culture thesis. First, the global flow of goods, information, and people is uneven. Generally speaking,

urban areas have stronger ties to one another, while many rural villages remain isolated. Then the greater

economic and military power of the Western society means that this society influences the rest of the world

more than happens the other way around. Second, the global culture thesis assumes that people everywhere

are able to afford various new goods and services. That is not so as the poor countries cannot afford it.

Third, although many cultural practices are now found throughout the world, people everywhere do not

attach the same meaning to them. People have to interpret the other's cultural practices from their own

perspective.

Culture and Human Freedom

Culture may put all kinds of constraints on the behavior of people and at the same time there is the

freedom, which may be provided by the same culture.

Culture as constraint: Cannot live without culture therefore we have to accept it. We are the prisoners of

culture.

Culture as freedom: Culture provides the opportunity to make and remake our world.

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