Culture in Society

Literally, culture in society may have developed from eastern philosophy. The Nepalese word ”Sanskar” is the origin of “Sanskriti” which means culture. The Collins Dictionary of sociology,” Culture is the human creation and use of symbols and artifacts”.

Culture is the medium, tool, vehicle, or means by which we meet our socio-cultural requirements. It is material and non-material in nature.
The ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society.

According to E. B. Taylor, “ Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, law, customs, skill, habits and any other capabilities acquired by man as a member of society”.

Major Types of Culture:

• Material Culture
• Non-material Culture

Material Culture:

Material culture consists of man-made objects such as tools, implements, furniture, automobiles, buildings, dams, roads, bridges, and in fact, the physical substance which has been changed and used by man.

It includes technical and material equipment like a printing press, a telephone, a television, a machine gun, etc, it includes our banks, parliament, insurance schemes, currency systems, etc. It is referred to as civilizations.

Non- material culture:

The term “culture” when used in the ordinary sense, means ‘non-material culture’. It is something internal and intrinsically valuable, reflects the inward nature of man. Non- material culture consists of the words the people use or the language they speak, the beliefs they hold, values and virtues they cherish, habits they follow, rituals and practices that they do, and the ceremonies they observe. It also includes our customs and tastes, attitudes and outlook, in brief, our ways of acting, feeling, and thinking.

Characteristics of Culture

• Culture is Material and Non-material in Nature
• Culture is enriched through social expenses
• Culture is shared group behavior
• Culture is Dynamic and Diverse in Forms
• It is Social Identity
• Culture consists of Ideal Behavior, Social Civilizations, and Social Experiences
• It is Social Heritage
• Language is the Chief Value of culture.

Functions of Culture

• Culture is the treasury of knowledge.
• Culture defines Situations
• Culture defines Attitudes, Values, and Goals
• Culture decides our Career
• Culture provides Behavior Pattern
• Culture molds Personality

Cultural Relativism:

• Cultural relativism is the understanding of people from the framework of its’ own culture.
• Cultural relativism is the principle that an individual human’s beliefs and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individual’s own culture.

Sub- Culture

The term “Culture” is used in various ways to mean various things. When used in a broad sense, it represents human life and portrays human achievements. In this sense, the term culture is understood as the great social heritage of entire mankind. It is sometimes used in a limited sense to mean a “national culture”, that is, to refer to the culture of a nation.

A nation consists of a number of groups and sub-groups. Each such group may have a way of life of is own. Each such group has a culture of its own. Cultures of such a group are known as ‘ subcultures’.

According to Duncan Mitchell,” a sub-culture is generally taken to mean a section of national culture”. For example, we are members of Nepali society and, therefore, share in Nepali culture. But we are also the members of a smaller population segment within the larger society.

Elements of Culture:

• Cognitive elements
• Beliefs
• Values and Norms
• Signs
• Non-normative ways of behaving

Organisational Culture: Sociological(Anthropology)

The business community was introduced to the idea of ‘corporate culture’ in the 1980s via the management consulting industry. Culture is deeply rooted in the life of each organization member and exerts tremendous influence on a variety of day-to-day activities like how decisions are made, how resources are allocated, who gets promoted and what behaviors are considered appropriate and so forth. Hence, culture as a treasury of knowledge that molds the human personality. It provides behavioral guidelines that help to cherish the goal of life as a functional member of society.

Norms

• In the literal meaning, the word ‘ Norm’ is derived from the Latin word ‘Norma’, which means method, rule, and measurement.
• Norm is standard or rules, regulating the behavior of social settings.
• Social norms “refer to the group – shared standards of behavior.
• Norms represent “standardized generalizations” concerning expected modes of behavior.

Values

• Social value is not as a value of commodity but it is the measurement of social behavior and human activities.
• It is the criteria to differentiate what should be done or what should not be done.
• The nature of social value is different according to society and culture.