3SocStructure, Lesson 3: Culture

Culture's Influence on Social Structure

Babies are born into a culture.  Culture is the shared meaning between individuals about their way of life.  Culture surrounds us and therefore, we don't even notice it.  There is no right or wrong culture, just different meanings from one culture to the next.   

Culture Shock

Because we are so ingrained in culture, our reality is deeply constructed by culture.  So, when we experience a different culture, it can affect us emotionally.  When we are exposed to a culture we have not lived in, we can experience culture shock, a feeling of astonishment and disbelief when experiencing a new culture.   

Google Form for this lesson.

1.  What was an example of culture shock? From the movie? From your life?

Ethnocentrism

If we are not in shock about the cultural difference, sometimes we judge other cultures by our own standards. This is called ethnocentrism.  

2.  What is ethnocentrism?  What is an ethnocentric view of the movie?

Cultural Relativity
Instead of judging other cultures, sociologists seek cultural relativity or trying to understand a culture from that culture's own standards.  This will help us to understand people better and be more empirical and less judgemental.  

Below is a graphic image called the Iceberg of Culture, originally printed in a 1984 American Foreign Service Handbook (cited by sociologist Robin DiAngelo, 2016 and digitally designed by Dr. Robert Sweetland on his website for educators.)  

Cultural Universals and Human Nature

Although the first glance of a new culture might lead us to an emotional response like culture shock or ethnocentrism, when sociologists (and anthropologists) take a step back, they find many general aspects of culture are similar around the world.  These similar cultural traits are called cultural universals.  Many of the components of the iceberg above can generally be considered cultural universals even though the expression of those universals are different.  Because culture universals are ubiquitous among humans, they might be considered innate, or part of our human nature.  Many of these relate to the interaction between humans.  It is in our human nature to be nurtured.  We need others to survive so we are wired to connect with other people.

3.  Apply cultural universals and human nature to Babies; what are examples of cultural universals in the documentary?  How are cultural universals an example of human nature and psychology?

Human Nurture

Although cultural universals might be similar to humans around the world, the specific way we express these universals might be different.  These differences result in different influences on us based on our culture; the meanings that we share are different based on our culture.  For example, what does it mean to bath? To be clean?  To eat? All of these have different meanings based on your culture, so individuals are nurtured differently depending on their culture.

4.  Apply nurture and socialization to Babies.  What are examples of cultural differences in the documentary? 

Material Culture

What are material items that share meaning in the culture in the movie? 

Nonmaterial Culture - Norms

Norms are what a culture considers normal, especially the behaviors and roles that we expect from people in our same culture.  Even before they can talk, babies learn norms.  Norms can be simple, everyday expectations about life and behavior.

Language and shared meaning

Language is also an important component of culture.  Language itself is a cultural universal and part of human nature.  But the different meanings of language shared within each culture is an example of nurture.  People learn different meanings from their language.

CLICK HERE to answer a few questions about language.

What is the importance of language?

Language is important because it affects how we think. When we think about something, we are using language inside of our heads so if we use certain words or do not have certain words, it may affect how think about things especially how we categorize something.   We even think based on how words sound.  For example, takete and malunga.  Takete sounds harsh and therefore angular.  Malunga sounds softer and rounded.  But these are just made up words.  

Shape A                    Shape B

What is the Saphir-Whorf hypothesis?

The importance of language was first highlighted by researchers, Saphir and Whorf.  Their hypothesis and conclusion was that language shapes how people think, especially when categorizing and naming.  For example, in the color samples above, Americans typically group the chips by blue and green, but Tarahumara people do not have a word for blue and green, instead they have words that mean the color of water and the color of night.  Because each group of people have different words with different meanings, it shapes how they think.

The NY Times ran a story about how the idea of language affecting our thoughts. See that article here. 

Another example of language's effects on our thinking is here (see page 43 of this doc), a lesson from Carol Mukhopadhyay on classifying in other cultures.  For each of the following sets, choose the item that does not belong:

Set 1. Auto, turtle, basket, bird

Students generally select auto or basket using the culturally familiar categorizing device of machines vs. non-machines or and movement vs. non-movement. At least some non-western cultural groups, however, would see birds as most different because their culture emphasizes shape and birds are relatively angular rather than rounded in shape. Our culture tends to emphasize use or functionality. Thus correctness would be culture-dependent.

Set 2. Laundry, beer, clothing

Students generally, with great assurance, select beer as most different. Functionality places clothing and washing machines together. Yet, at least one culture views clothing as different because laundry and beer are both “foamy”. Visual appearance is most salient. US slang for beer (“suds”) also recognizes the attribute of foaminess.

Set 3. A chair, a spear, a couch 

Students again select the “wrong” answer—at least from the perspective of traditional West African cultures. US Americans tend to emphasize use, thus placing couch and chair together as types of sitting devices (i.e. “furniture”). Ashanti apparently would see the “couch” as the most different because both a chair and a spear can symbolize authority.

Evidence of different languages with genderized nouns shaping how people think about those things:

Lera Boroditsky, professor of cognitive science and cultural psychology has published research that concludes language affects how we think.  Her evidence is in the genderization of nouns in different cultures.  Here she is explaining her research at Ted.  Here is an explanation from NPR about Boroditsky's research and how language shapes our description of bridges.  This Psychology Today article explains more about the importance of genderizing nouns in language.  This NPR story highlights how language affects our thinking, especially for bilingual speakers.  

More evidence for the effect of language on thinking:

• The ASA's Society Pages shares research by sociologist Matt Wray highlighted on NPR's Code Switch.  Why would using the term "white trash" support white supremacy?
• This New Yorker article explains the research of professor Adam Alter on the hidden power of words and naming.
• Also, here is a study explaining that without language, numbers do not make sense.
• This episode of On Being from NPR is about Rabbi Heschel who insightfully explained "words create worlds."  Here is a link to a medium article about Heschel and words.  And this link to a passage about the importance of words from Heschel to William Blake. 
• David Treuer is an Ojibway translator who explains the power and importance of language on this episode of On Being.
• The episode Lost in Translation from NPR's Hidden Brain is a social science podcast from NPR and this episode explores how language shapes our thoughts.
• Also, see this post about politics and how the use of English frames every debate especially the debate over gun violence.
• Here is a list of untranslatable ideas about love from around the world.
• Here is a book that highlights untranslatable words from around the world.