Culture, Socialisation and Social Institutions

Edward B. Tylor (1871): culture is "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society."

Characteristics: culture is learned, shared, transmitted from generation to generation, dynamic (changes), symbolic and adaptive.

Types:

• Material culture – physical objects: buildings, tools, clothes (ajrak, Sindhi topi), technology.
• Non-material culture – values, beliefs, norms, language, customs, traditions.

Components of non-material culture: values, beliefs, language and symbols, and norms:

• Folkways – everyday customs; mild disapproval if broken (greeting elders).
• Mores – strongly held norms with moral significance; violation causes strong reaction.
• Laws – formal norms enforced by the state.

Key concepts:

• Cultural lag (William F. Ogburn) – non-material culture changes more slowly than material culture (e.g. mobile phones spread faster than rules for responsible use).
• Ethnocentrism – judging other cultures by the standards of one's own.
• Cultural relativism – understanding a culture on its own terms.
• Enculturation – learning one's own culture; acculturation – adopting traits of another culture through contact.
• Cultural diversity in Sindh: Sindhi, Urdu, Balochi, Seraiki, Punjabi, Pashto and other communities; teachers should respect diversity and avoid stereotypes.

Socialisation is the lifelong process through which individuals learn the norms, values, language and roles of their society.

• Primary agencies – family (most important in early years), peer group.
• Secondary agencies – school, religious institutions, media, workplace.

Social groups:

• Primary group (term by Charles Horton Cooley) – small, intimate, face-to-face, long-lasting (family, close friends).
• Secondary group – large, formal, goal-oriented, impersonal (a school staff association, a political party).

A social institution is an established and organised system of norms and roles that meets basic needs of society.

• Family – reproduction, care, early socialisation, emotional support.
• Religion – beliefs, moral values, social cohesion.
• Education – transmitting knowledge and culture, skills, socialisation, selection.
• Economy – production and distribution of goods and services.
• Government / polity – order, law, defence, public services.

The school as a social institution: a miniature society (Dewey) with its own culture of rules, rituals (assembly, national anthem), roles and relationships. Functions: conservative (preserving culture), progressive/creative (reforming society), socialisation, integration, selection and allocation to future roles, and social mobility.

Social mobility – movement of individuals between social positions: vertical (up or down the social ladder) or horizontal (same level). Education is the most important channel of upward mobility.