Culture
The word “culture” derives from a French term, which in turn derives from the Latin “colere,” which means to tend to the earth and grow, or cultivation and nurture” (Cristina De Rossi)
In this sense culture is the man-made environment and the people living in a society actually grow their way of life over time. For example, Western culture, European culture, Indian culture, etc. Culture is “all that in human society which is socially rather than biologically transmitted” (Scott, 2014, p. 260).
Edward Taylor’s definition serves as the foundation for most sociological and antrhorpological ideas about culture. He defined, “that culture is the complex which includes knowledge, belief, morals, art, law, customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” (Tylor,1920, p. 1)
Culture is not static but constantly evolves in response to historical, sociopolitical, and economic changes. In today’s world, globalization has brought about a tremendous increase in the intermingling of cultures but has also raised concerns about cultural homogenization.
Types of Culture
1. Material Culture
Material culture refers to the physical objects that are a meaningful part of a culture. It includes anything from buildings and tools to clothes and art. The world of man-made things modifies the nature world to provide a material environent as the context in which social interaction takes place (Dant, 1999, p. 1).
Material culture is important because it helps us to understand how people lived in the past and present. By studying the objects that they used, we can learn about their customs, beliefs, and way of life.
The term ‘material culture’ emphasises how apparently inanimate things within the environment act on people, and are acted upon by people, for the purposes of carrying out social functions, regulating social relations and giving symbolic mean- ing to human activity. Objects range in scale and size from discrete items such as a pencil, key, coin or spoon, through to complex, network objects such as an airliner, motor vehicle, shopping mall or computer. Traditionally, however, the term material culture has referred to smaller objects that are portable (Woodward, 2007, p. 3).
What term is best to describe the ‘material’ component of material cul- ture studies? The term ‘material culture’ is often used in conjunction with ‘things’, ‘objects’, ‘artefacts’, ‘goods’, ‘commodities’ and, more recently, ‘actants’ (Woodward, 2007, p. 15).
For reference:
Dant, T. (1999). Material culture in the social world. London: McGraw-Hill Education.
Woodward, I. (2007). Understanding material culture. London: Sage.
2. Non-Material Culture
None-material culture is all the elements of culture that are not tangible. It is the opposite of material culture, which describes all of the cultural artifacts that are physical things. For examples, non-material culture include languages, values, beliefs, ideologies, gender identities, musical styles, pastimes and so on.
While non-material culture exists in the collective imagination of the cultural group, it can also be turned into material culture through the creation of artifacts, writing of books, and so on, in ways that record and store culture so that it may be preserved into the future.
Non-material culture refers to the abstract aspect ideas, norms, values, etc., of a particular culture.
Non-material culture is transmitted from one generation to another through socialization, and it is foundational to an individual’s sense of identity. Examples include religious beliefs, attitudes towards gender, institutions like family, etc.
3. High culture
High culture refers to cultural products & practices that are considered to be of the highest value, and are usually associated with the upper class of society.
The concept of ‘high culture’ was introduced by Matthew Arnold through his work Culture and Anarchy (2006). For him, ‘high culture’ was “the disinterested endeavor after man’s perfection”(p. 21), which is obtained by the effort to “knowing the best that has been thought and known in the world ” (p. xxii) and he defined ‘high culture’ as the “study of perfection” (p. 9). According to Open Education Sociology Dictionary defined high culture as cultural aspects (material and nonmaterial) considered superior and typically associated with and consumed by the elites of society: the well-educated or wealthy.
Thus, high culutre includes various forms of cultural expressions like literature, fine arts, and classical music, which are usually appreciated by a small number of educated people.
You can also refer to Herbert Gans from page 100-106.
Gans, H. (1999). Popular Culture and High Culture: An Analysis and Evaluation Of Taste. Basic Books.
Arnold, M. (2006). Culture and Anarchy (J. Garnett, Ed.). Oxford University Press, UK.
4. Low culture
Herbert Gans (1958, p. 115) argues that low culture “stress substance, form being totally subservient, and there is no explicit concern with abstract ideas or even with fictional forms of contemporary social problems and issues.”
Low culture, as opposed to high culture, is widespread and accessible to everyone. Low culture refers to the habits, tastes, hobbies, and interests of the masses. It is contrasted to high culture which is the culture of the upper-class elite.
Often, low culture and ‘lowbrow’ are derogatory terms., used for some varieties of popular culture and is viewed as the opposite of ‘high culture’. They are used to highlight the lack of sophistication and of the tastes of people outside of the elite classes. Some culture theorists opine that both 'high' and 'low' cultures are subcultures. In the post-Modern era, it often appears that the line of distinction between both has almost been erased. Examples include commercial television, blockbuster films, popular music, etc.
For reference:
Gans, H. (1999). Popular Culture and High Culture: An Analysis and Evaluation Of Taste. Basic Books.
5. Popular Culture
“Pop culture” is an abbreviation for “popular culture.” It is the cultural activities, practices, and beliefs of the masses (and often targeted at youths) within a society. Pop culture is often spread through mass media such as television, cinema, radio, and social media.
For examples, pop culture can be found in language, art, film, and particularly music. This can include Pop 40 music, Young Adult fiction like Harry Potter, and short-lived pop culture trends like flash mobs and clothing styles.
The term ‘popular culture’ is always defined, implicitly or explicitly, in contrast to other conceptual categories: folk culture, mass culture, high culture, dominant culture, working-class culture (Storey, 2015, p. 2). The term ‘popular’ as suggested by Williams (Storey, 2015, p. 5, as cited in Williams, 1985) has a four current meanings:
i. well liked by many people
ii. inferior kinds of work
iii. work deliberately setting out to win favour with the people
iv. culture actually made by the people for themselves
Popular culture was not identified by the people but by others, and it still carries two older senses: inferior kinds of work and work deliberately setting out to win favour; as well as the more modern sense of well-liked by many people, with which of course, in culture actually made by people for themselves is different from all these. It many cases, the earlier senses overlap (Williams, 1985 p. 237).
Popular culture refers to values, practices, and artistic products that are prevalent in a society at a time. thus , in modern times, popular culture relies heavily on mass media. It permeates the everyday lives of people and plays a key role in influencing attitudes. It includes films, sports, music, etc.
For reference:
Storey, J. (2015). Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction (7th ed.). Routledge.
6. Folk culture
George Revill defines it as “the products and practices of relatively homogeneous and isolated small-scale social groups living in rural locations” (2014). He adds that it is associated with “tradition, historical continuity, sense of place, and belonging”.
Unlike popular culture which is widely produced and consumed folk culture is rooted in a small community and is often transmitted orally. It includes mythology, farming practices, songs, etc.
Folk culture is resistant to change and is usually traditional and longstanding. It tends to be best preserved in tight-knit rural communities, but is very localized so it may be prevalent in one community but not in another one a few miles down the road.
Reference:
Storey, J. (2015). Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction (7th ed.). Routledge.
Williams, R. (1985). Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society. Oxford University Press, USA.
Revill, George (2014). Folk Culture and Geography. Oxford
Tylor, E. B. (1920). Primitive Culture Volume I (Vol. I). Dover Publications.
UNIT 1 MEANING AND TYPES OFCULTURE
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