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Sociology SOCL1016 MBBCH I Week 8
- Institution
- University Of The Witwatersrand (wits)
Week 8 of SOCL1016 MBBCH 1 Notes for University of Witwatersrand
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Sociology Week 8Culture → Culture consists of the values the members of a given group hold, the norms they
follow, and the material goods they create
Misconceptions regarding Culture
The following are wrong to presume:
To refer to somebody as someone who ‘lacks culture’, or ‘doesn’t have much culture’
(confusing culture with formal education)
The expression ‘It is not in my culture’ This notion presupposes a static notion of culture
and justification to maintain behaviour or to hold on to positions o power.
Certain groups or certain people are perceived to be too determined by their culture; 'being
too traditional, meaning pre-modern, uncivilised,
Other people are perceived ‘not to be determined by their culture, culture does not apply to
‘westerners’
Aspects of Culture
Culture has both visible and non-visible
aspects. Non-visible aspects need to be
uncovered in order to further
understand the relationship between
culture + health.
What is Culture
Culture is socially constructed
- Exist in collectives
Culture is learnt (through socialisation or transmission from one generation to the other)
- As you socialise children, they become ‘enculturated’ → they learn the culture of a
group in society
Culture is closely linked to identity
- Culture permeates your identity in terms of gender, age and class.
Culture distinguish humans from animals (symbols, language, and material artefacts)
- When studying the process of hominization/evolution, it is key to identify traces of
culture, e.g., artifacts but also whether they buried the dead.
Culture shapes our behaviour → it is linked to traditions, customs, and beliefs,
Culture is not an individual thing (culture is group based, takes place in social context)
, Culture is often taken for granted, often one does not question it ( but it can be questioned)
Culture is never static → is dynamic and is subject to change with times and interests in the
society
Culture varies from community to community and even within communities
Culture is a broad concept, within complex societies, the are many cultures and subcultures
Material artefacts and Material form the basis of culture
- Basis of understanding evolution of human beings
- The capacity to create meaning and symbols is a unique human capacity
Material artefacts are a reflection of culture
- Burials + funerals reflect existence of culture among hominids
Rituals increase feeling of belonging and further promote the morals and values of the group
Material culture can be influenced by new trends and fashion (amplifies the dynamic nature
of culture)
Traditional cultures
Traditional cultures/ traditions are carried over into new settings over time.
Urbanisation and migration often cause people to live in more than one culture
- The environment in which we are frame how we behave
- In a rural setting for culture is heavily followed, one would behave differently towards
in an urban setting where culture is different.
Western Medical System values
- Objectivity
- Science as triumph card
- Doctors are infallible, scientific (often male and white)
- White as symbolizing pulchritude – white represent a notion of hygiene and neutrality
- Doctors represent power and occupy a prestige position (in the medical structure and in
society)
- Value placed on technology
- Value system embedded in Western traditions of knowledge
Therefore, we can look at this system as the Western Medical Culture (which too varies
depending on place and environment)
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