To Tend To The Earth and Grow: Actively Fostering Growth

Culture: characteristics, elements and functions
The word "culture" derives from a French term, which in turn derives from the Latin
"colere," which means to tend to the earth and grow, or cultivation and nurture. "It
shares its etymology with a number of other words related to actively fostering
growth," De Rossi said.
Anthropologist Edward B. Taylor offered a
broad definition, stating that culture is
"that complex whole which includes
Culture means the total body of knowledge, belief, art, morals, law,
tradition borne by a society and custom, and any other capabilities and
transmitted from generation to habits acquired by man as a member of
generation. It thus refers to the society.
norms, values, standards by which
people act, and it includes the ways
distinctive in each society of ordering culture is...a set of mechanisms for survival,
the world and rendering it but it provides us also with a definition of
intelligible. reality. It is the matrix to which we are born,
it is the anvil upon which our persons and
destinies are forged. (Robert Murphy-
Culture and Social )
Characteristics of Culture that help distinguish societies, communities or even
countries.
Culture is learned. Culture is shared Culture is dynamic
Culture cannot be isolated. Culture is usually integrated.

Culture
Culture is essential Culture is transmitted across

generations.
Culture has a symbolic meaning Culture takes years to form.

Culture is made up of different components also termed as elements. These are mainly
the things that make up culture in a given society. They include:
Folkways
Laws Beliefs
Values Elements Language
Morals Norms
Traditions
Functions of Culture
.
Acts as a means of social control
It defines and prescribes the pattern of behavior
Helps in understanding and predicting the human behavior

To adjust/cope with environmental situation.
A set of ready-made definition of situation

Biological and socio-cultural demands are met e.g. food,
shelter, and reproduction.
Design for living.

Cultural Lag
the notion that culture takes time to catch up with technological innovations, and
that social problems and conflicts are caused by this lag.
The term was coined by sociologist William F. Ogburn in his

1922 work Social change with respect to culture and original
nature.
Cultural Lag Theory
a period of maladjustment occurs when the non-material
culture is struggling to adapt to new material conditions.

i. Material culture includes all of the physical objects that
people create and give meaning to.
ii. Non-material culture consists of thoughts and behaviour that

people learn as part of the culture they live in.
Cultural Lag theory resonates with the ideas
of Technological Determinism
technology has independent effects on society at large
Ogburn posited four stages of technical development: invention
accumulation
diffusion
adjustment
Invention -new forms of technology are created

(gain a certain level of knowledge and expertise in the particular area.)
Accumulation- the growth of technology (some inventions promote this process)
Diffusion- the spread of an idea from one cultural group to another
( combine to form new inventions)
Adjustment - the process by which the non-technical aspects of a culture respond to
invention (any retardation of this adjustment process causes cultural lag)
the tendency of material
culture to evolve and
change rapidly Distinction
Due to the opposing nature of these between material
two aspects of culture( adaptation and non-material
of new technology becomes rather culture (Ogburn-
non-material culture tends difficult)
) cultural lag ,1922)
to resist change and
remain fixed for a far
longer period of time
Civilization 1. Advanced Cities
Civilization is described as a process of A city is a large group of people who live
civilizing or say developing the state of together in a specific space. A city is
human society, to the extent that the usually a center for trade, and city
culture, industry, technology, government, dwellers create goods that can be traded
etc. reaches the maximum level. The term along with services for the city.
‘civilization’ is derived from a Latin
term ‘civis’ which indicates ‘someone who
resides in a town’.
2. Organized Central Government

A government with rules and way of voting
or control
3. Complex Religions
A set of spiritual beliefs, values, and
practices
4. Job Specialization
Specific jobs with requirements or
specialties
5. Social Classes
A broad group in society having common
economic, cultural, or political status/
Distinguished from other groups by such
things as wealth, property, and rights 6. Writing
To trace or form (characters, letters, words,
etc.) on the surface of some material, as with
a pen, pencil, or other instrument
7. Art and Architecture
The arts and artwork of a thing, place, time,

person, etc.; human creations intended to
express beauty and convey messages
Architecture: the buildings and style or

architecture of a thing, place, time, person,
etc.
8. Public Works
Structures , as roads, dams, or post offices,
paid for by government funds for public use
Civilization
Civilization is
is driving
driving force
force –culture
–culture is
is its
its steering
steering wheel
wheel
Culture is an end (values and goals) vs civilization is a means (tools and techniques)
Culture has no value in itself vs we can value the articles of civilization.

Civilization is always advancing vs culture.
Civilization is easily passed without much effort to the next generation vs culture.
Civilization may be borrowed without making any change vs culture.
Culture relates to the inner qualities of society while civilization relates to the outer
form of society
Culture is more stable than civilization
Variability of cultures may not be accompanied by variability of civilization at different

places vs Civilization may be similar in variable cultural areas.
Culture is a social fact, i.e., creation of the whole society while civilization, i.e., the
invention of any equipment may be by a single individual.

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Culture: characteristics, elements and functions

Culture is learned. Culture is shared Culture is dynamic

Culture cannot be isolated. Culture is usually integrated.

Culture is essential Culture is transmitted across

Culture has a symbolic meaning Culture takes years to form.

Values Elements Language

Acts as a means of social control

It defines and prescribes the pattern of behavior

Helps in understanding and predicting the human behavior

A set of ready-made definition of situation

Design for living.

The term was coined by sociologist William F. Ogburn in his

ii. Non-material culture consists of thoughts and behaviour that

Invention -new forms of technology are created

2. Organized Central Government

The arts and artwork of a thing, place, time,

Architecture: the buildings and style or

Culture has no value in itself vs we can value the articles of civilization.

Variability of cultures may not be accompanied by variability of civilization at different

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