SOCIO-CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY - concepts & examples
Elements of culture:
Values Ex: In Japan, people should take off their shoes before they enter a house
Norms Ex standing up when someone enters the room:
Symbols: Evileye
Mores: Speaking loudly to the elderly
Language: different dialects of English in USA, Australia, England
Taboos: Criticizing religions in Egypt
Folkways: Eating mulukheya with bread
Culture and personality
Cultural diversity
Conforming
Confronting and/or isolating
Reasons & losses
How & benefits
Cultural change
Types
Dynamics of cultural interaction
Relativism
Collectivism
Ethnocentrism
Individuality
the attitude that one's own group, ethnicity, or nationality is superior to others
for example, eating insects considered disgusting in some countries while it is normal in other countries
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Types of acculturation
Intergration
language, norms, values, customs, traditions, and symbols
symbols
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langauge
traditions
Seperation
aesthetic
Assimilation
Transmutation
Marginalization
taboos
emphasize means and goals of group and focus on the needs of the whole group for example in China
mores
the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute
attitudes
folkways
focuses on the well-being of individuals. Individualism is mainly practiced in North America and Western Europe
Refers to loss of identity
feel a sense of belonging
~Maintaining original culture and placing no importance on embracing the new culture
better job opportunities
protection from threats and bullying
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maintaining old culture while adapting to the new culture
Denying professional opportunities because of aspects of someone's identity
live in fear of losing identity ( assimilation)
Collecting aspects from both cultures to create a a new third one
to relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group
country loses diversity
Marginalized populations are groups and communities that experience discrimination and exclusion
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The experience of individuals that are living within two cultures but you integrate neither of them
Results to losing original culture
culture can influence the way we learn, behave and live
Resulting in maintaining old culture and rejecting new one
Culture teaches what to approach and what to avoid
(uncertainty avoidance)
Segregation
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Results to becoming bicultural
when people are isolated based on race, forced or voluntary, living in a residential area with people from their own race only.
individualist vs collectivist culture
If person grew up in a individualist culture the trait they will resemble is independence and self reliance compared to collectivist culture people are more out going and more dependent on each other
Indian instructors teaching English throughout the world
Example of collectivist culture = Philippians is a collectivist culture they value social harmony and maintaining smooth relationship
It results depression, sadness, anxiety and isolation
Examples of acculturation
South Americans learning to speak English to communicate with people in USA
Fashion industry adapting its clothes to Arab countries
Example of individualist culture= Americans view themselves as that every person is self sufficient individual
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3 ways people can relate to a culture: confront, complain and conform
Indian, Italian and Greek restaurants opening all over Egypt
How do they acculturate
LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE.
ADOPTING NEW CUSTOMS.
CHANGING DRESS AND APPEARANCE.
ADJUSTING TO NEW FOODS AND CUISINE.
MODIFYING BEHAVIOR TO CONFORM TO NEW SOCIAL NORMS.
MAKING FRIENDS WITH PEOPLE FROM THE NEW CULTURE.
Examples
Egyptians stopped doing large family gatherings and celebrating the birth of profit Mohamed which was in their culture.