What makes culture

And these differences are making our world full of diversity. Here are some facts about culture and cultural values which will definitely interest you.

The US is a melting pot of cultures. The country is so loved world over because of its acceptance of people from various ethnicities and backgrounds with open arms into their land. The culture is the manifestation of the combined thought process, ideas, customs, rituals and social conduct of a particular community of people.

The knowledge, attitude, belief, goals, morals and values shared by society is considered as a culture altogether. If you look at it globally there are five major cultures that exist today: Indosphere, the Western culture, Islamic culture, Sinosphere, Arabic and Tibetan culture. The cultures which are the manifestations of some physical objects, spaces and resources created by people of that particular culture.

Homes, schools, mosques, churches, temples, factories, offices etc. The all elements of a culture which are intangible which cannot be touched, hold, felt or tasted are comes under these segments. The examples of it are morals, rules, values, languages, beliefs, arts, literature, music, social roles, customs, traditions and many more.

These examples describe the visible and invisible rules of conduct through which societies are structured, or what sociologists call norms. Norms define how to behave in accordance with what a society has defined as good, right, and important, and most members of the society adhere to them. Formal norms are established, written rules. They are behaviors worked out and agreed upon in order to suit and serve the most people.

Formal norms are the most specific and clearly stated of the various types of norms, and they are the most strictly enforced. But even formal norms are enforced to varying degrees and are reflected in cultural values.

For example, money is highly valued in the United States, so monetary crimes are punished. People safeguard valuable possessions and install antitheft devices to protect homes and cars. A less strictly enforced social norm is driving while intoxicated. And though there are laws to punish drunk driving, there are few systems in place to prevent the crime. These examples show a range of enforcement in formal norms. There are plenty of formal norms, but the list of informal norms —casual behaviors that are generally and widely conformed to—is longer.

People learn informal norms by observation, imitation, and general socialization. But although informal norms define personal interactions, they extend into other systems as well. In the United States, there are informal norms regarding behavior at fast food restaurants. Customers line up to order their food and leave when they are done. Informal norms dictate appropriate behaviors without the need of written rules.

He believed that members of society together create a social order Weber The participants are not aware an experiment is in progress. For example, if the experimenter is, say, a man in a business suit, and he skips down the sidewalk or hops on one foot, the passersby are likely to stare at him with surprised expressions on their faces.

Rather, the point is to deviate from a specific social norm in a small way, to subtly break some form of social etiquette, and see what happens. To conduct his ethnomethodology, Garfinkel deliberately imposed strange behaviors on unknowing people. Then he observed their responses. For example, he set up a simple game of tic-tac-toe. One player was asked beforehand to mark Xs and Os not in the boxes but on the lines dividing the spaces instead.

The other player, in the dark about the study, was flabbergasted and did not know how to continue. These cultural norms play an important role. They let us know how to behave around each other and how to feel comfortable in our community. There are many rules about speaking with strangers in public. For some breaches, the researcher directly engages with innocent bystanders.

In those cases, the bystanders are pressured to respond, and their discomfort illustrates how much we depend on social norms. Breaching experiments uncover and explore the many unwritten social rules we live by. Norms may be further classified as either mores or folkways.

Mores mor-ays are norms that embody the moral views and principles of a group. Violating them can have serious consequences. The strongest mores are legally protected with laws or other formal norms.

But more often, mores are judged and guarded by public sentiment an informal norm. People who violate mores are seen as shameful. They can even be shunned or banned from some groups. The mores of the U. The consequences for violating this norm are severe and usually result in expulsion. Unlike mores, folkways are norms without any moral underpinnings.

Rather, folkways direct appropriate behavior in the day-to-day practices and expressions of a culture. They indicate whether to shake hands or kiss on the cheek when greeting another person. They specify whether to wear a tie and blazer or a T-shirt and sandals to an event. In Canada, women can smile and say hello to men on the street. In regions in the southern United States, bumping into an acquaintance means stopping to chat.

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Nigeria alone has more than tribes , for example. This is because Northwest Africa has strong ties to Middle East, while Sub-Saharan Africa shares historical, physical and social characteristics that are very different from North Africa, according to the University of Colorado.

The harsh environment has been a large factor in the development of Sub-Saharan Africa culture, as there are a number of languages, cuisines, art and musical styles that have sprung up among the far-flung populations.

No matter what culture a people are a part of, one thing is for certain, it will change. It is essentially fluid and constantly in motion. While change is inevitable, the past should also be respected and preserved. Monuments, building and sites are covered by the group's protection, according to the international treaty, the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

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