Culture

• Cultuurwetenschappen
• HBO
• Studiejaar 4

CULTURE | May 2021

What do you think the photo in the previous slide represents?

What does culture mean?

"The customary beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group"

"The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization"

"the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic"

— Peggy O'Mara

d: the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations

2a: enlightenment and excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training

b: acquaintance with and taste in fine arts, humanities, and broad aspects of science as distinguished from vocational and technical skills

a person of culture

3: the act or process of cultivating living material (such as bacteria or viruses) in prepared nutrient media

also : a product of such cultivation

4: CULTIVATION, TILLAGE

We ought to blame the culture, not the soil.

— Alexander Pope

5: the act of developing the intellectual and moral faculties especially by education

6: expert care and training

beauty culture

What is the difference between multicultural, cross-cultural, and intercultural?

Multicultural refers to a society that contains several cultural or ethnic groups. People live alongside one another, but not necessarily with each other.

Cross-cultural deals with the comparison of different cultures. In cross-cultural communication, differences are understood and acknowledged. In cross-cultural societies, one culture is often considered “the norm” and all other cultures are compared or contrasted to the dominant culture.

Intercultural describes communities in which there is a deep understanding and respect for all cultures. Intercultural communication focuses on the mutual exchange of ideas and cultural norms and the development of deep relationships. In an intercultural society, no one is left unchanged because everyone learns from one another and grows together.

Knowledge check

Do you know how to use the proper form of the word "culture" in different contexts?

_____ appropriation is the controversial act of a majority culture borrowing from a minority culture.

1. culture
2. cultural
3. culturally
4. cultured

Many people consider Americans to be _____ insensitive.

1. cultural
2. culture
3. culturally
4. cultured

Vaccine hesitancy is deeply ingrained in some _____.

1. cultures
2. culturalism
3. culture
4. cultural

Some governments find it important to _____ immigrants as fast as possible.

1. culture
2. cultural
3. culturalism
4. culturalize

The _____ of immigrants is often referred to as acculturation.

1. culturalizing
2. culture
3. culturalization
4. culturation

Culturalization | NOUN (non-standard)

1) The process or fact of becoming cultured; refinement, intellectual cultivation.

2) The process of adapting to one's cultural environment; the acquisition of values and behavior compatible with the society of which one is a member.

Also: adaptation to or imposition of the culture of another nation or people; acculturation.

Comparing power distance

Hofstede’s Power Distance Index measures the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. It suggests that a society’s level of inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders.

USA, Germany and the Netherlands all rank similarly from a scientific standpoint but in my experience, there is a rather large difference among the countries.

What is a feminine culture vs. masculine culture?

A masculine culture indicates that society is driven by competition, achievement, and success. A more feminine culture means that the dominant values are caring: both for others and for yourself. Quality of life is a sign of success and standing out from the crowd is not admirable.

The Netherlands has a feminine culture where it’s okay to express yourself, to make mistakes, to be humble, to ask questions, and to experiment. The culture is less about status and more about being content. The USA tends toward a more masculine culture. 

Source: https://www.leadershipandchangemagazine.com/hofstede-culture-dimensions/ 

What do you think collectivist culture means? And how about individualist?

How likely are people in your culture to avoid uncertainty?

What is culture shock and
reverse culture shock?

Do you think there is truth to cultural stereotypes? "Where there is smoke, there is fire"

Yes

No

Sometimes

It depends