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0:02what is culture and why does it
0:07matter broadly construed culture refers
0:10to a set of beliefs practices and
0:12symbols that are learned and
0:15shared together these beliefs practices
0:18and symbols form an all-encompassing
0:20integrated whole that binds people to
0:22together and shapes the worldview and
0:26lifeways to say that a group of people
0:28shares a culture does not necessarily
0:30mean all individuals think or act in
0:33identical
0:34ways this is because one's beliefs and
0:37practices can vary within a culture
0:39depending on age gender social status
0:42and other
0:44characteristics but of course members of
0:47a culture share many things in
0:49common and while we are not born with a
0:52particular culture we are born with the
0:54capacity to learn any
0:56culture in fact through the process of
0:59inculture ation we learn to become
1:01members of our group both directly
1:03through instruction from our parents and
1:05peers and indirectly by observing and
1:08imitating those around
1:11us it must be noted that culture
1:14constantly changes in response to both
1:16internal and external
1:18factors some parts of culture change
1:21more quickly than
1:23others for instance in dominant American
1:26culture technology changes rapidly while
1:29deep-seated Val values such as
1:30individualism freedom and
1:32self-determination change very little
1:34over
1:36time yet inevitably when one part of
1:39culture changes so do other
1:42parts this is because nearly all parts
1:44of a culture are integrated and
1:48interrelated in the definition above
1:50belief refers not just to what we
1:52believe to be right or wrong true or
1:55false belief also refers to all the
1:58mental aspects of culture including
2:00values Norms philosophies worldview
2:03knowledge and so
2:05forth practices on the other hand refers
2:09to behaviors and actions that may be
2:11motivated by belief or performed without
2:13reflection as part of everyday
2:17routines much like art and language
2:19culture is also
2:22symbolic a symbol is something that
2:24stands for something else often without
2:26a natural
2:28connection individual create interpret
2:31and share the meanings of symbols within
2:33their group or the larger
2:36society for example in the United States
2:39everyone recognizes a red octagonal sign
2:42as signifying
2:43stop in other cases groups within
2:46American society interpret the same
2:48symbol in different
2:50ways consider for instance the
2:53Confederate
2:55flag as is well known some people see it
2:58as a symbol of pride in a Heritage but
3:01many others see it as a symbol of the
3:03long Legacy of slavery segregation and
3:06racial
3:07oppression thus displaying the
3:09Confederate flag could have positive or
3:12more often negative
3:14connotations indeed cultural symbols
3:17powerfully convey either shared or
3:19conflicting meanings across space and
3:22time it is interesting to note that this
3:25definition of culture that is shared
3:28learned beliefs practices and symbols
3:31allows us to understand that people
3:33everywhere are thinkers and actors
3:34shaped by their social
3:36contexts for sure these contexts are
3:39incredibly diverse comprising the human
3:42cultural diversity that Drew many of us
3:44to become anthropologists in the first
3:48place while culture is Central to making
3:50us human we are still biological beings
3:53with natural needs and urges that we
3:55share with other animals such as hunger
3:57thirst sex and elimination
4:01human culture uniquely channels these
4:03urges in particular ways and cultural
4:05practices can then impact our biology
4:08growth and
4:10development indeed humans are one of the
4:13most dynamic species on
4:15Earth in fact our ability to change both
4:19culturally and biologically has enabled
4:21us to persist for millions of years and
4:24to thrive in diverse
4:27environments now why does culture matter
4:30especially to the sociologists and
4:34anthropologists culture is important to
4:36the anthropologists and sociologists
4:39because it plays an important role in
4:40the production of social
4:43order when we say social order we mean
4:46the stability of society based on the
4:47Collective Agreement to rules and Norms
4:49that allow us to cooperate function as a
4:52society and live together ideally in
4:55peace and
4:56Harmony in fact for the French soci
4:59ologist Emil durkheim both material and
5:02non-material aspects of culture are
5:04valuable in that they hold Society
5:07together the values beliefs morals
5:10communication and practices that we
5:12share in common provide us with a shared
5:14sense of purpose and a valuable
5:16Collective
5:18identity durkheim revealed through his
5:20research that when people come together
5:22to participate in rituals they reaffirm
5:25the culture they hold in common and in
5:27doing so strengthen the social t eyes
5:30that bind them
5:31together today sociologists and
5:34anthropologists see this important
5:36social phenomenon happening not only in
5:38religious rituals and celebrations like
5:40weddings and the Indian Festival of Holi
5:43but also in secular ones such as high
5:45school dances and widely attended
5:48televised sporting events for example
5:50the Super Bowl and March
5:53Madness in relative parlance the famous
5:56German social theorist and activist KL
5:59mark
6:00introduces the critical approach to
6:01culture in the social
6:04sciences according to Marx it is in the
6:07realm of non-material culture that a
6:09minority is able to maintain unjust
6:11power over the
6:13majority he reasoned that subscribing to
6:16mainstream values norms and beliefs keep
6:19people invested in unequal social
6:20systems that do not work in their best
6:22interests but rather benefit the
6:25powerful
6:26minority sociologists and
6:28anthropologists today see Marx's Theory
6:30and action in the way that most people
6:32in capitalist societies buy into the
6:35belief that success comes from hard work
6:37and
6:38dedication and that anyone can live a
6:40good life if they do these things
6:42despite the reality that a job which
6:44pays a living wage is increasingly hard
6:46to come
6:48by as we can see both theorists were
6:51right about the role that culture plays
6:52in society but neither was exclusively
6:56right culture can be a force for
6:58oppression and mination but it can also
7:01be a force for creativity resistance and
7:05Liberation it is also a deeply important
7:08aspect of human social life and social
7:11organization without it we would not
7:13have relationships or
7:16Society in addition to what has just
7:19been mentioned culture is important
7:21because it is reflection of a community
7:23or
7:24Nation this makes culture a vital and
7:27important determining factor of how the
7:29Community reacts responds and
7:32grows culture gives us a sense of
7:35belonging especially when everyone
7:37speaks the same
7:39language culture also provides stability
7:42that in turn gives us a feeling of
7:44security and
7:46safety for most people culture provides
7:49them with the same emotional response as
7:51they have for their
7:53family in fact strangers have an instant
7:56connection when they learn that they are
7:58part of the same culture
8:00culture and lastly culture help shapes
8:04personalities influenced by the Norms or
8:06rules laid out by our culture we act in
8:09accordance with
8:11them hence our culture defines people's
8:14expectations from us in the attempt to
8:17fulfill them we shape our behavior and
8:19personality to suit our
8:22culture our religion Traditions Customs
8:25all a part of our culture play a major
8:28role in shaping our
8:31personalities indeed the way we perceive
8:33a situation and react to it depends
8:35largely on what we have learned from the
8:37environment and the way we have been
8:39brought up