characteristics of culture

Case 6
▪ 古时候有个不学无术的人，好不容易用钱买了个县官，却 不会说“官话”，上任之后，照例要去拜访顶头上司—知 府，在闲聊中知府问：
▪ “贵县风土怎么样？” ▪ “并没有大风，更少尘土。” ▪ “百姓怎样?” ▪ “白杏只有两棵，红杏不少。” ▪ “我问的是黎庶！” ▪ “梨树很多吗，结的果实很小。” ▪ 知府动气了：“我不是问什么梨树，我是问你的小民！” ▪ 县官见知府生气，急忙站起来回答到：“卑职的小名叫狗
▪ This is a subculture existing in the dominant culture.
▪ (In the U.S.A. American culture is superior and the Asian-American culture is just a kind of subordinate culture.)
➢Culture Is Learned
parents
friends
▪ We learn culture from ______, ____
______________,_______,_______
___________________________.
other family members
and even strangers who are part of the culture
Hippies (嬉皮士) of the 1960s US
Case 5
▪ It was my first visit to Chongqing, southwest China. I felt uneasy when I asked the way to some place. In my hometown in the North, directions are given in terms of East, West, North and South. We may easily find the way when local people there tell you whether the place is in the direction of North or South; while in Chongqing the local people tell you the way in terms of direction on the right, or on the left, to which we Northerners are quite unfamiliar. And I guess people from Chongqing may meet the same problem as I had when they were in the North.
Discuss the characteristics of culture
Activity: ▪ Let’s try to summarize the characteristics
of culture according to its definition and metaphors.
The Characteristics of Culture
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4. Culture Is Integrated
▪ We sometimes break down and isolate various parts of culture and talk about them as if they are separate parts. However, in reality, culture functions as an integrated whole and it is systematic.
wk.baidu.com
2. Culture Is Dynamic
▪Activity: Exploring Ideas ▪Do you know any other events that have great influence on culture? Tell your partner how the following events changed culture. ▪1. China’s policy of reform and openingup ▪2. The United States’ entering WWII ▪3. The atomic bombing in Japan in WWII
Subgroup
Generally speaking, the subgroup members usually have the
characteristics of temporality and deviant（偏离的） label and
having wanna-be behaviors(目标行为) .
CULTURAL IDENTITY Cultural identity refers to one’s
sense of belonging to a particular culture or ethnic group. People consciously identify themselves with a group that has a shared system of symbols and meanings as well as norms for conduct.
cultures is not a static entity while it is difficult to be transformed completely.
Culture is consistently changing and involving under the impact of and as a result of contact with other cultures.
Subculture, Co-culture, and Subgroup
▪ Subculture (亚文化) and co-culture (共存文化) ▪ A subculture is a segment（部分）of society that
shares a distinctive pattern of mores, folkways, and values that differs from the pattern of the larger society. In a sense, a subculture can be thought of as a culture existing within a larger, dominant culture.
Today the tendency is to say
‘co-culture’ and sub-groups to avoid prejudice. “Sub” implies inferior（下级的，次要的） so “co” is used to indicate the idea of equality.
examples •proverb : love me love my dog •12 zodiac animals
12 zodiac animals
▪ 越南人有十二个生肖，与中国人的生肖基本相同。 只是中国有“兔”无“猫”，越南则有“猫”无 “兔”。
▪ 印度人有十二个生肖，与中国人的生肖基本相同。 只是中国有“虎”无“狮”，印度则有“狮”无 “虎”。
5. Culture Is Adaptive
▪ History abounds with examples of how cultures have changed because of laws, natural disasters, wars, or other calamities.
When we are exposed to a new culture, it is the similarities between cultures that surprise us as much as the differences.
从“主旋律”到“我型我秀”——中国服饰变化30年 (video) http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjAyMzA2MDQ=.html
Changes in certain aspects of cultures especially in the area of behavior and customs, can occur rapidly. Changes in the underlying values, e.g. in ways of looking at the world, tend to be much slower.
▪ 埃及人有十二个生肖，分别是：牡牛、山羊、猴 子、驴、蟹、蛇、犬、猫、鳄、红鹤、狮子、鹰。
▪ 希腊人有十二个生肖，与埃及人的生肖基本相同， 只是希腊人有“鼠”无“猫”，埃及人则有“猫” 无“鼠”。
▪ 墨西哥人有十二个生肖，有虎、兔、龙、猴、狗、 猪和其它六种墨西哥特有的动物组成十二生肖。
Additional concept: Cultural Identity
▪ The character Jian Ning in Gua Sha shows that culture is dynamic.
▪ The culture one person accepted can be replaced by another culture, because the cultural circumstance has changed for a long time.
DOMINANT CULTURE AND SUBCULTURE/CO-
CULTURE
▪Culture is subdivided into dominant culture, mainstream culture, and subculture(s), which coexist within each culture.
LEARNED
ADAPTIVE
CULTURE IS…
DYNAMIC
PERVASIVE
INTEGRATED
1. Culture Is Learned
Activity: Group Work Have you learned culture through some channels? Discuss with your group members and give examples of your own experiences of learning culture.
3. Culture Is Pervasive
▪ Like the air we breathe, culture penetrates into every aspect of our life and influences the way we think, the way we talk, and the way we behave.
李安导演的电影<推 手><饮食男女><喜 宴>就说明了在文化 冲击下,人们在中西/ 新旧文化中的徘徊和 坚守
Reasons for changes
▪ Technological invention ▪ Disasters(calamities): Pompeii in Italy ▪ Cultural contact ▪ Environmental factors
JACKY CHEN
▪ Jacky Chen, Chinese famous Kong Fu movie star, expresses his loyalty to Chinese culture by wearing Chinese traditional clothes and advocating Chinese culture.