Elements of Culture and Symbolic Culture – Culture (SOC)

00:00 Okay let’s talk about Culture.

00:02 Now, culture refers to a shared way of life including beliefs and practices that a social group shares.

00:10 So it is a nice broad statement and there can be several layers or types of culture.

00:16 The one I’m going to sort of refer to you today is that broader larger culture that your part of typically in the city or even in the country.

00:23 Now, elements that shape culture can include beliefs and practices.

00:28 So as a culture, this can roll into things like religion and ways to interact with those within your cultural circle.

00:38 Language is another really important one.

00:40 What are some of the rituals? What are some of the symbols that you used? These all are really direct shapes of what our culture is? What are the values that our culture has? What are the norms within this culture? Now, another feature of what shapes our culture is something called the symbology or the symbolic culture. And these are things that are sort of I want to say innate but aren’t something that are clearly mapped out.

01:06 And these are things that convey agreed-upon meaning and can communicate the values and norms of that culture.

01:12 So I mean either not well documented. You don’t pick up a book that explains all these symbolic culture of that specific culture that we’re talking about.

01:21 These are things that you being plugged in to that culture, you start to assimilate, pick up and you utilize yourself.

01:28 This can include things like rituals, gestures, signs, certain words.

01:32 If you travel, if you look at TV commercial in different countries or print ads or what people are saying on the street.

01:39 They might have words that don’t necessarily follow into a dictionary.

01:44 or the use of certain words or gestures.

01:46 You know nodding your head might mean something in one country or a culture that meet something else in another place.

01:52 A thumbs up using certain signs with your hands.

01:56 All of these things are very, very culture specific.