UNIT I

Chapter 9: Culture

Culture refers organized -persistent patterns of Habits, Customs, Attitudes Values which are transmitted from generation to generation

 Purpose is to give society by continuous process of learning and experience, patterns of behaviour which are found useful for a harmonious existence smooth functioning in all occupations and interactions thereby ensure individual and group survival.

 Culture becomes readymade frame of reference for every individual and society with regard to what is acceptable and what is unsocial or harmful or not permitted. Culture is changing from time to time depending on the past experiences outside and inside influence of the community.

 Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and any other capabilities acquired by man as a member of society.

Characteristics of culture
Acquired quality. Social not individual heritage of man. Idealistic. Fulfills some needs. Integrated system and possesses an order and system. Language is the chief vehicle of culture.

Functions of culture
Culture makes man a human being. Provides complete design for living. Teaches him what type of food he should take in what manner, how he should cover himself and behave with his fellow member.

 Culture provides solutions for complicated situationExample. Forming a queue when there is rush. Culture provides traditional interpretations to certain situations. Example .Cat crosses his ways postpone the journey. Culture keeps social relationships intact. Culture broadens vision of the individual. It gives a new vision to the individual by providing him a set of value for the cooperation of the individual. It provides him a concept of family, state, nation, class and make possible the co ordination and division of labour.

 Ogburn distinguishes between material and non-material culture. examples material culture- tools, utensils, machines, dwellings, radio, TV, tractor. Non material culture - family, religion, education, government, etc. When changes occur in material aspects, those in turn stimulate changes in the non material aspects. example automobile/radio/TV affected family life. Non material culture is often slow to respond to rapid inventions in material culture. When non material culture does not adjust itself readily to material changes it falls behind material culture and rest is a lag between the two. Lag between material and non material culture has been called cultural lag. Material culture changes more rapidly than non material culture. It may be due to the rigidity of the ideological system

Cultural integration
Different parts of culture must get together for society to function efficiently over a period. People tend to reject disharmonious elements and retain useful characteristics or patterns. Every new change in a culture must harmoniously fit into the rest of the culture which is known as cultural integration. If such integration does not take place there will be a disturbance in the cultural equilibrium. For example, abortion/ use of contraception are opposed but for reasons of health or socio economic conditions the practices are accepted in the community.

Enculturation
Enculturation is defined as the conscious or unconscious conditioning occurring within that learning process, whereby man as child and adult achieves competence in his culture. It is basically therefore synonymous with the more widely used term socialization.

Acculturation
Acculturation may be defined as that process of culture change in which more or less continuous contact between two or more culturally distinct groups results in one group taking over the elements of the culture of the other group or groups.

Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is the view of things according to which ones own group is the centre of everything and all others are scaled and rated with reference to it. It is commonly observed in any society that there is a tendency to consider their own practices as the most correct appropriate and desirable and to look at the practices of other societies with a sense of contempt or disregard.

UNIT I: Chapter 10: Social institutions

Social institutions are functional groups that get established in any society from time to time in keeping with the various activities that are required to be done for satisfying individual as well as common group needs. Every organization is dependent upon certain recognized and established set of rules, traditions and usages. These usages and rules may be given the name of institutions. They are the forms of procedure which are recognized and accepted by society and govern the relations between individuals and groups.

 A social institution is a structure of society that is organized to meet the needs of people through well organized procedures.

Characteristics
Every institution is organized with some specific objective or aim. Every institution has certain rules which must be compulsorily obeyed by individuals. Institutions are the means of controlling individuals. Institutions depend upon collective activities of members. Institution has definite procedures - are formed on basis of customs. Every institution enjoys the social sanction. This sanction is the result of the rights and powers given to the institution by the group or the society. If anyone tires to disregard that sanction or the rules and the regulations of the society, he is penalized.

Importance of institution
It is responsible to transference of ideals, knowledge, forms of modes of behaviour of the society from one generation to other generation. It helps an individual to occupy the right path. It controls the activities of the individual and does not allow them to go beyond the limit spheres. It controls the collective behaviour of the individuals

Family Of all human groups the family is the most important primary group. It is a small group consisting ordinarily of a father, mother and one or more children. The word family has been taken from the Roman word, famulus, meaning a servant.

 Family is a group of persons whose relations to one another are based upon consanguinity and who are therefore kin to one another. Family is a system of relationships existing between parents and children .

Characteristics
A marriage relationship. A family comes into existence when a man and a woman establish mating relation between them. This relation may be of a shorter duration or lifelong. When the marital relations break up, the family disintegrates. A form of marriage. Mating relationship is established through the institution of marriage. A system of nomenclature. Every family is known by a name and has its own system of reckoning descent. An economic provision. Every family needs an economic provision to satisfy economic needs. The head of the family carries on certain profession and earns money to maintain the family. A common habitation. A family requires a home or house hold for its living. Without a dwelling place the task of child bearing and child rearing cannot be adequately performed.

Classification of Family
Based on nature of residence - family can be classified as follows: 1. Patriarchal family in which the man is oriented towards his family and the wife comes to live in the husbands family. 2. Matriarchal family- here woman is oriented to the family and the husband after marriage joins her in her family.

 According to the marriage the family can be classified as monogamy, polygamy, polyandry.

 Depending on size, interrelationship and interdependence of various members of the family, three types are described: Nuclear family: Consisting of husband, wife and children. Extended family: -where the nuclear family has in addition closely related blood relation living as dependents. For example old parents, aunts, etc. Joint family- where more than one nuclear family is living together and sharing the household functions commonly.

Functions of family
1. Regulation of sexual behaviuor and reproduction.
2. Care and training of children 3. Co operation and division of labour 4. Primary group satisfaction. 5. Recreation 6. Religious 7. Economic

Marriage
Marriage is an institution which admits men and women to family life. It is a stable relationship in which a man and women are socially permitted to have children. Marriage is a more or less durable connection between male and female, lasting beyond the mere of act of propagation till after the birth of offspring. Relatively permanent bond between permissible mates.

Forms of Marriage
Polyandry: One wife many husbands. It is a form of marriage wherein one woman marries more than one man at a given time. Polygyny: One husband and many wives. Under this system one man has two or more wives at a time. Monogamy: One man marries one woman at a time.

Groups
Social group is a collection of human beings. Social groups are a collection of individuals two or more, interacting on each other, which have some common objects of attention and participate in similar activities. Social groups have been classified in various ways.

1.Voluntary group- a person has a choice on his own to be a member in any group 2. Involuntary group- a person has no choice- it is based on kinship- family.

 Based on contact the group can be classified as primary and secondary group 1. Primary group: there is face to face intimate relationship such as in the family. 2. Secondary group: a state, political party, the relationships are indirect, secondary or impersonal.

Characteristics of social groups:

The members of the group are interrelated with each other. The members of a group are united by a sense of unity. The members are having we feeling. The members of a group behave in a similar way for the pursuit of common interest. Every groups have own rules and norms which are supposed to follow.

Government
Government is machinery through which the State functions. It is the political organization of the state. A state without government is inconceivable, for the state being an abstract concept, wills and acts through the government. As long as there are diverse interests in society, some mechanism will be needed to bring there are none to possess authority and none who obey, there is anarchy and the state is at an end.

Religion
Though religion is a highly personal thing, yet it has a social aspect and social role to play. It has been a powerful agency in society and performed many important functions.

Definitions
Religion as we understand the term implies a relationship not merely between man and man but also between man and some higher power. Religion is attitude towards superhuman powers. Religion is a belief in powers superior to man which are believed to direct and control the course of nature and of human life.

Functions of religion It rationalizes and makes bearable individual suffering in the known world. It enhances self importance. It helps to knit the social values of a society into a cohesive whole. It shapes domestic, economic and political institutions.