Culture: 

Definition

1. E.B. Tylor’s Definition:
   • Culture is a “complex whole” that includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by individuals as members of society.
2. Modern Perspective:
   • Culture is the continually changing pattern of learned behavior, including attitudes, values, knowledge, and material objects, shared and transmitted among members of society.

Functions of Culture

1. Foundation for Social Living: Provides norms and designs for social behavior, ensuring harmony within a community.
2. Fulfills Needs: Addresses biological and socio-economic requirements such as reproduction, shelter, and social relationships.
3. Promotes Cooperation: Encourages coordination among individuals and groups, fostering collective action.
4. Guides Behavior: Offers predefined definitions of situations, aiding individuals in decision-making.
5. Organizes Life Activities: Acts as a map guiding daily life and activities.
6. Social Control: Ensures conformity through norms, folkways, customs, and laws.
7. Defines Behavioral Patterns: Prescribes acceptable ways of behavior based on societal standards.

Importance of Culture

1. Human Transformation: Shapes individuals into members of society through norms like respect for elders, cooperation, and mercy.
2. Behavioral Regulation: Maintains social order by dictating acceptable behaviors.
3. Creation of Social Structures: Constructs concepts such as family, state, and class, facilitating division of labor and societal organization.
4. Fosters Unity: Promotes a sense of belonging and cohesion within groups.
5. Enabler of Extension: Culture change forms the foundation of extension efforts aimed at altering behaviors.
6. Mechanism for Change: Changes through discovery, invention, diffusion, and borrowing from within or outside a society.

Structure of Culture

The structure of culture includes traits, complexes, and patterns.

Cultural Traits: The smallest unit of culture, representing single ideas or practices.

• Material Traits: Examples: Bangles, bindis, kurtas, rangoli, idli, dosa.
• Non-Material Traits: Examples: Namaste, touching elders’ feet, offering prayers.

Cultural Complexes: Combination of interconnected traits forming a cohesive cultural entity.

Examples:

• Diwali: Traits include lighting diyas, exchanging sweets, and performing rituals.
• Hindu Weddings: Rituals like Saptapadi, Mehndi, and Haldi form a complex.
• Onam Festival: Features Pookalam, grand meals, and boat races.

Cultural Patterns: Objective expressions of common practices or beliefs within a community.

Examples:

• Joint Family System: Multi-generational living in shared households.
• Festivals and Rituals: Celebrations like Pongal and Eid reflect community values.
• Arranged Marriages: Families play significant roles in partner selection.
• Food Habits: Practices like eating vegetarian meals on auspicious days.
• Religious Pilgrimages: Events like Kumbh Mela demonstrate shared religious devotion.

Detailed Examples of Cultural Components

Cultural Traits

• Material Traits: Traditional Indian attire like saris or dhotis, and food habits such as using banana leaves for serving.
• Non-Material Traits: Practices like folding hands in greeting or religious ceremonies.

Cultural Complexes

• Durga Puja: Integrates idol worship, Sindoor Khela, and community feasts.
• Hindu Weddings: Rituals such as Haldi and Saptapadi showcase interconnected traditions.

Cultural Patterns

• Religious Pilgrimages: Annual gatherings like the Kumbh Mela involve millions of devotees, reflecting unity.
• Joint Family System: Promotes resource-sharing and social harmony within extended families.

Significance of Culture in Modern Society

1. Identity Formation: Defines personal and group identities, fostering pride and a sense of belonging.
2. Adaptation to Change: Acts as a mechanism for both preserving tradition and accommodating innovation.
3. Facilitates Extension and Development: Encourages changes in societal norms and practices through education and interaction.

Socialization

• Definition (Chitambar J. B.):
  • Socialization is the process by which an individual is integrated into their social and cultural world.
• Purpose of Socialization:
  • Transforms individuals into social beings.
  • Every child is born into a social environment and is shaped by societal norms and values.
  • Societies use agencies and methods (family, peers, education, media) to make individuals effective members of society.
• Family as a Basic Unit:
  • The family serves as the primary agent of socialization, instilling early social norms and values.

Ethnocentrism

• Definition (Chitambar J. B.):
  • The belief that one’s own culture is superior to others and judging other cultures based on one’s cultural standards.
• Effects of Ethnocentrism:
  • Group Loyalty: Encourages commitment and solidarity within a group.
  • Conformity: Promotes adherence to group norms and standards.
  • Resistance to Change: Prevents adaptation and openness to new cultural influences.
  • Hindrance in Relations: Creates barriers in intercultural and international interactions.

Acculturation

• Definition:
  • Occurs when people from different cultures come into continuous contact, resulting in changes in cultural patterns for one or both groups.
• Examples of Acculturation:
  • Changes in food habits, clothing styles, speech, and values.

Cultural Inertia

• Refers to resistance to change, where individuals or groups are reluctant to adopt new cultural elements.

Cultural Lag

• The varying resistance to cultural change, where some aspects of culture persist longer than others.

Elements of Culture

1. Customs

• Socially accepted ways of acting and interacting.
• Examples in India:
  • Training the Young: Children touching elders’ feet as a sign of respect.
  • Supporting the Aged: Elderly parents living in joint families.
  • Dressing: Sarees for women, dhotis or kurta-pajama for men during festivals.
  • Worship Practices: Offering flowers, incense, and lamps during rituals.
  • Social Interactions: Offering tea/snacks to guests as a gesture of hospitality.
  • Religious Observances: Muslims performing Salah facing Mecca.

1. Norms

• Definition: Rules specifying appropriate and inappropriate behavior in society.
• Serve as a blueprint for behavior, setting limits for personal actions and social interactions.
• Individuals are either rewarded for following norms or punished for deviating from them.
• Norms help regulate social actions and interactions, maintaining order and stability in society.

Folkways

• Definition:

• • Folkways are expected social behaviors that are not rigidly enforced.
  • These are socially approved standards of behavior but do not have deep moral significance.
  • Breaking a folkway does not usually result in serious social penalties.

• Examples:

• • Removing shoes before entering a home
  • Greeting others with folded hands (Namaste)
  • Women touching the feet of elders/in-laws
  • Rajput men wearing a turban as a sign of respect and tradition
  • Eating food with the right hand
  • Offering tea to guests as a gesture of hospitality
  • Wearing traditional attire like sarees/dhotis during cultural events

Mores

• Definition:

• • Mores are customs and social behaviors that are essential to moral and ethical values.
  • Violation of mores can result in severe social sanctions, such as ostracism (exclusion from society or community).

• Examples of Mores:

• • Standing during the National Anthem
  • Honesty and integrity in personal and public life
  • Observing monogamy in marriage
  • Saluting the National Flag during important events
  • Respecting elders with appropriate titles like Ji or Sahib
  • Prioritizing women and children during emergencies

Taboo

• Definition:

• • A taboo is a prohibition against specific behaviors due to magical, supernatural, religious, or cultural reasons.
  • Often enforced through unwritten social norms and strong community beliefs.

• Examples of Taboos:

• • Eating beef in Hinduism (Reverence for cows)
  • Eating pork in Islam (Religious beliefs about purity)
  • Marriage within close relatives in Hindu communities
  • Consuming alcohol in many traditional Indian families
  • Touching religious books/items with feet
  • Inter-caste marriages in conservative sections of society
  • Discussing sexual health openly in conservative regions

Norms

• Definition:

• • Norms are officially written or codified rules of behavior and social expectations.
  • These are rational, practical, and often have legal or formal implications.

• Examples:

• • Legal norms: Driving under the influence of alcohol, murder
  • These norms are aimed at ensuring order, safety, and stability in society.

Beliefs

• Definition:

• • Beliefs are deep-rooted convictions handed down through generations.
  • Often based on faith or tradition rather than scientific proof.

• Nature:

• • They become the dogma or accepted truths in a community and guide behavior.

Rituals

• Definition:

• • Rituals are prescribed forms of behavior for specific occasions and interactions.
  • Often seen as customary ways of handling certain social or religious situations.

• Examples of Rituals:

• • Playing with crackers during Diwali
  • Celebrating Independence Day
  • Celebrating Republic Day

Ceremony

• Definition:

• • A more formal and dignified event within rituals.
  • Often associated with religious, social, or national importance.

• Purpose:

• • It aims to highlight significant events and maintain social and community bonds.

Community Development and Cultural Change

1. Understanding Local Culture: Extension workers must comprehend the cultural patterns of an area to introduce effective development programs.
2. Dynamic Culture: Culture is constantly evolving due to internal and external stimuli (e.g., modernization, migration).
3. Familiar Terms for Adoption: Development practices are more successful when they are aligned with existing cultural elements (e.g., improved ploughshare technology).
4. Areas Prone to Change: Change is more likely in aspects with existing social stress or lack of adjustment (e.g., areas affected by floods or fires).
5. Technological Change Acceptance: Changes in technology (e.g., introducing new seed varieties) are often more readily accepted than changes in deep-rooted cultural practices.