Culture and Society

4/11/2020

DR. ASBAH BINTI RAZALI

 Culture and Society
Society:
A group of people
who have learned to
live and work
together.

Man: Culture:
Learns culture and System of shared
learns how to behave values and beliefs
properly in the society
 What is Culture?
• Culture is the most important concept in the social
sciences. It includes the values, beliefs, behaviors, and
form a people’s way of life.

• Culture is defined as a system of shared values and beliefs

which gives us a sense of belonging or identity.

• Culture can be discussed in terms of ways in which people

pertaining to a group, society or organization behave and
communicate.
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 What is Culture cont…
• A way of life of a group of
people who share similar
beliefs and customs.

• It includes language, food,

celebrations, religion,
manners, art and how they
dress.

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 Characteristics of Culture
Culture has five basic characteristics: It is learned, shared, based on symbols,
integrated, and dynamic.
• Culture is learned. It is not biological. Much of learning culture is
unconscious. We learn culture from families, peers, institutions, and media.
• Culture is shared. Because we share culture with other members of our group,
we are able to act in socially appropriate ways as well as predict how others
will act.
• Culture is based on symbols. A symbol is something that stands for something
else. They only have meaning when people in a culture agree on their use.
Language, money and art are all symbols. Language is the most important
symbolic component of culture.
• Culture is integrated. All aspects of a culture are related to one another and to
truly understand a culture, one must learn about all of its parts, not only a few.
• Culture is dynamic. This simply means that cultures interact and change.
Because most cultures are in contact with other cultures, they exchange ideas
and symbols.

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 Culture
varies around the world

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 Malaysian Culture and Customs
There are three main people groups in Malaysia: Malays, Indians and
Chinese. The following is a brief description of these religions.
MALAY:-
1. The Malays, who account for over half the Malaysian population,
play a dominant role politically and are included in a grouping
identified as bumiputra. By definition of the Malaysian constitution,
all Malays are Muslims.
2. The Orang Asal, formed only 0.5 percent of the total population in
Malaysia but represented a majority in East Malaysia, Borneo. In
Sarawak and Sabah, most of the non-Muslim indigenous groups are
classified as Dayaks, and they constitute about 40 percent of the
population in the state.

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CHINESE

• The first Chinese primarily in and around Malacca, gradually

adopted elements of Malaysian culture and intermarried with the
Malaysian community and with this, a new ethnic group called
emerged, the Peranakan.

• These Chinese have adopted Malay traditions while maintaining

elements of Chinese culture such as their largely Buddhist
religion.  

• The more common Chinese varieties spoken in Peninsular

Malaysia are Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien dan Hakka.

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INDIAN

• The Indian community in Malaysia is the smallest of the three main

ethnic groups, accounting for about 10 percent of the country's
population.
• They speak a variety of South Asian languages. Tamils and Telugu
people make up over 85 percent of the people of Indian origin in the
country.
• Indian immigrants to Malaysia brought with them the Hindu and
Sikh cultures. This included temples and clothing. Hindu tradition
remains strong in the Indian community of Malaysia.
• A community of Indians who have adopted Malay cultural practices also
exists in Malacca. Though they remain Hindu, the Chities speak
Bahasa Malaysia and dress and act as Malays.

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 Culture
varies around the world

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 Culture
varies around the world

Buddhist Monks in Myanmar

English Punk Rocker 11
 Religion in Cultures

• Religion is an
organized system of
beliefs with specific
rituals and practices
that includes the super
natural.
• Religion can guide
The Al Quran –
people in ethics – the holy book of
standards of accepted Islam
behavior.
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Culture Traits – characteristics of a society that can
be material or non-material

“Material” “Non-material”
Culture Traits Culture Traits

•Clothes •Customs
•Buildings •Ceremonies
•Artwork •Language
•Machines •Religions
•Education
• Non-Material- The beliefs and ideas created
by the members in a certain society.

• Material- objects created by members of a

society. Includes the items a society finds of
value.

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Daily Life

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Daily Life (Sports)
Football Vs. Soccer

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ART

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 Multiple Cultural Worlds

• Most individuals are members of multiple cultural worlds. Culture

exists at several levels. We typically refer to smaller cultures within a
larger culture as subcultures.
• Subcultures are groups with distinct patterns of learned and shared
behavior within a larger culture. Subcultures exist in most state level
systems because those systems are pluralistic, more than one ethnic
group or culture.
• People have some type of connection to that subculture but must also
be able to operate effectively within the larger culture. Some of the
diversity we see across subcultures is based on class, race, ethnicity,
age, and gender.

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• Class: A social category based on people’s economic position in society. Class
societies are hierarchical, with one class having more access to resources than
others.

• Ethnic group: Refers to people who identify themselves as a distinct group

based on cultural such as common origins, language, customs and beliefs.

• Indigenous peoples: Are frequently called First Peoples, and often suffer from
discrimination.

• Gender: Refers to the cultural meanings assigned to the biological differences

between the sexes. Most societies only have masculine or feminine cultural
roles. In many cultures around the world, there is discrimination based on
gender and sexual orientation.

• Age: Most societies have obligations and responsibilities that are assigned
based on individuals reaching specific ages. Think of driving, drinking, and
voting.

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 Ethnocentrism, Enculturation and Ethnography
• Ethnocentrism is when one views their own culture as the best and only proper way to
behave and adapt. There are small amounts of ethnocentrism everywhere in the world.
• Ethnocentric attitude can lead to the following problems:-

1. Prejudice: Negative opinions about others people or groups based on perception, or

emotion.
2. Stereotyping: Believing that one member of a cultural group will display certain
behaviors or hold certain attitudes (usually negative).
3. Discrimination: Differential treatment based on race , class, sex, or other variables
rather than on individual merit.
4. Stigmatization: the attribution of negative characteristics or identify to one person or
group, causing the person or group to feel rejected and alienated from society.

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• Enculturation is the process of transmitting culture
through learning.

• Ethnography is the process of recording and describing a

culture of a specific people and its traits, patterns, and
principles of coherent integration.

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 WHAT IS SOCIETY?
• A group of people who have learned
to live and work together.

• A group of people who share a

common set of values and norms that
shapes and influences perception and
behavior.

• Society is the complex of organized

associations and institutions within
the community.
 Family in Society
Plays an important role:
1. Family helps us to know the right from
wrong, teaches us how to solve problems in
life, how to become an independent person
and care about others.
2. Children learn the social rules from their
parents. If parents speak rudely, children will
imitate their models. If parents have only TV
dinners, children will not know how to
behave at the table.
 The Law and the Punishments

• In society people should behave

according the laws. If anybody does
not, they are a danger to society and
they can be locked up or punished.
 The Status of Women
The most serious problems of women are:
– discrimination
– arranged marriages
– not very positive positions in workplace
and salary
– unemployment among women is higher
– a lot of female children don´t go to school
(e.g.India)
– abusing in families are more on women
– Less women politician, managers, etc.
 Types of Societies

Societies across the world change

based on environment, interaction,
and time.
 1. Hunting and Gathering
Societies
• Collect food daily by
– Hunting wild animals
– Collecting fruit and vegetables

• Everyone hunts and gathers

• Constantly move in search of

food
– Usually live in temporary
housing
 2. Agricultural Societies
• Animals pull plows to till fields
and farms
– Technology allows farming to
make large surplus of food
• Tractors

• Bartering does not take place

• Use money

• Large division of labor

 3. Industrial Societies
• Instead of focusing on food,
they focus on production of
goods

• Produce goods using machines

– Sell for much higher price.

• Causes urbanization
– Concentration of
population in urban areas
 4. Postindustrial Societies
• Economy focuses on providing
information and services.
– In US, 73% of workforce do
this.
• 2% work in agriculture
• 25% produce goods

• Place strong emphasis on science

and technology

• Society is stable
 Norms and values
Norm: behaviour that is considered normal in
any society.
• What is considered normal in your
culture?
Value: things that people have strong beliefs
about in society.
• What values does your culture have?
Which norms are being demonstrated here?
 What is Ethics and why do we need it?

• Is a study of moral rules,

norms and manners

• It analysys what is right

what is wrong

• It should give us real and

practical guide to our lives
 Etiquette

 Is known as a protocol that describes formal

rules and traditions of behaviour in a certain
society and culture.

 It includes the ways in which people

communicate with each other and respect
each other.

 It also describes how to behave in specific

situations.
 Manners/social rules are Important
DOs and DON'TS
DOS

• Do say "Excuse Me":

If someone is blocking your way and you would like them to
move, say excuse me and they will move out of your way.

• Do say "Please" and "Thank you":

It is very good manners to say "please" and "thank you". It is
considered rude if you don't. You will notice in England that
their say 'thank you' a lot.
• Do cover your Mouth:
When coughing always cover your
mouth with your hand.
• Do Shake Hands:
When you are first introduced to
someone, shake their right hand with
your own right hand.
• Do Smile:
A smiling face is a welcoming face.
• Do open doors for other people
Men and women both hold open the
door for each other. It depends on who
goes through the door first.
 DON´TS

• Do not speak with your mouth full of food

• Do not talk loudly in public
• Do not ask a lady her age
It is considered impolite to ask a lady her age

• Do not burb when you eat

You may feel better by burping loudly after eating or drinking, but
other people will not! If you can not stop a burp from bursting out,
then cover your mouth with your hand and say 'excuse me' afterwards.
• Do not ask personal or intimate questions
Please do not ask questions such as "How much money do you earn?"
"How much do you weigh?" or "Why aren't you married?".
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
WEST AND EAST

Individualistic VS Collaborative

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 West and East

Individualistic VS. Collaborative

• I am special • I am part of my family
• I am unique • I am part of my community
• I am me • I am part of my country
• I am an individual • The goodness of the whole is
• I am who I am more important than the
• I am responsible for my own individual
action • My actions directly impact my
family and my community
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 WestBetween
• The Difference and East
West and East
Independence
• Develop early independence
• Express yourself
• Responsible for self
• Live on one’s own
• One’s own goals take priority
– Motivated by own
• Tasks more important than
relationships
• Cognitive skills independent of
social skills
Interdependence
• Learn to depend on others
• Listen to authority
• Be responsible for others
• Personal goals secondary to
goals of the group
• Motivated by the norms of, and
duties imposed by, the group
• Relationships more important
than tasks
• Social and cognitive skills
integrated
 West
• The Difference and East
Between West and East

Power Distance
• Low Power Distance
• Persons must earn respect
• Collaborative classrooms
• Teachers facilitate learning
• Persons direct themselves
• High Power Distance
• Parents teach children to
obey
• Children respect parents &
those in authority
• Teachers take initiative in
class
• Students respect teachers
• Persons expect direction
 West and East
Social Relationships
West East
Informal, egalitarian Formal, hierarchical

-People most comfortable with - People most comfortable in

their social equals; the hierarchy in which they
importance of social rankings know their position and the
minimized. customs/rules for behavior in
the situation.
 Conclusion

• A society cannot exist apart from culture. A

Society is always made of persons and their
groupings. One must always keep in mind the
interdependence and the reciprocal relationship
between culture and society.

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 Reflection
• What have you learnt today?
• Do you feel more confident interacting with
other cultures?
• How do you think you will apply this in
your daily life?
Questions?

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THANK YOU

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