Key Terms
Culture
The shared values, beliefs, norms, language, symbols, practices, and artifacts of a group. Society: the people who share
Material culture
Physical, tangible objects. A bus pass.
Cultural universals
Patterns or traits found in all human societies.
Examples include
Family units, funeral rites, celebrations of birth, language, personal names, humor.
Ethnocentrism
Judging another culture by the standards of your own. Defined by sociologist William Graham Sumner (1906).
Cultural relativism
Assessing a culture by its own standards Cultural universals: patterns found in all human societies (Murdock) Culture: s
Xenocentrism
The belief that another culture is superior to your own. The opposite extreme from ethnocentrism.
Xenophobia
Irrational fear or hatred of other cultures. Different from xenocentrism.
Cultural imperialism
The deliberate imposition of one culture's values onto another. European colonialism is the textbook example.
Culture shock
Disorientation and frustration when encountering an unfamiliar culture. Coined by anthropologist Kalervo Oberg (1960).
Values
Ideals and standards a culture holds in high regard. The foundation.
Formal norms
Written, established rules. Laws, employee manuals, entrance requirements.
Mores (pronounced mor-ays)
Norms tied to moral views. Often backed by law or strong social pressure.
Example
Plagiarism, homicide. Folkways: norms without moral weight.
Sanctions
Ways to authorize or disapprove of behavior. They enforce norms.