How can we demonstrate that the different dimensions of culture comprise a whole ?
(a) Cognitive : This refers to how we learn to process what he hear or see, so as to give it meaning.
(b) Normative : This refers rules or conduct (not opening other peoples letters, performing rituals at deaths).
(c) Material : This includes any activity made possible by means of materials.
Material include tools or machine.
Example : For instance in material we can include internet chatting, using rise part to design, Kolam an floors.
Understanding of material culture, particularly are, is in complete without knowledge acquire from cognitive and normative areas.
It is true that our developing understanding of social process would draw upon all these areas. But we might find in a community where few have acquired cognitive skills of literacy, it infact becomes the norms for private letters to be readout by a third party.
Cognitive Aspects of Culture : The cognitive aspects of one’s own culture are horder to recognise that its material aspacts (which are tangible or visible or audible) and its normative aspects (which are explicity stated). cognition refers to understanding, how we make sense of all the information coming to us from our environment. In literate societies ideas are transcribed in books and documents and preserved in libraries, institutions or achives. But in non-literate societies legend or lose is committed to memory and transmitted orally.
Normative Aspects of Culture : The Normative dimension consists of folkways, Mores, customs, conventions and laws. These are values or rules that guide social behaviour in different contexts. We must often follow social norms because we are used to doing it, as a result of socialisation. All social norms are accompanied by sanctions that promote conformity.
While norms, are implicit rules, laws are explicit rules. Pierre Bourdien, the French sociologist has reminded us that when we try to understand another culture’s norms, we must remember that those certain implicit understandings. For example, if a person wants to show gratitude for something she/he has been given, she/he should not offer return gift too quickly, or it seems like an attempt to get of a debt, not a friendly gesture. A law is a formal sanction defined by government as a rule or principle that its citizens must follow. Laws are exploit. They are applicable to the whole society.
Material Aspects of Culture : The material aspects refers to tools, technologies, machines, buildings and modes of transformation, as well as instruments of production and communication. In Urban areas the wide spread use of mobile phones, music systems, cars and bases. ATMs (autmated teller machines), referigerators, computers in everyday life indicates the dependence on technology.Even in rural areas the use of transister radios or electric motor pumps for lifting water from below the surface for irrigation demonstrate the adoption of technological devices a for increasing productions.
Culture as a whole : Different dimension of culture comprise a whole. In the culture there can be many sub cultures, like that of the elite and working class youth,
Sub-cultures are marked by style, tase and associations.
Particular sub culture are identifiable by their speech dress cores, preference for particular type of music, manner in which it create with their group members.
Subcultural groups can also function as cohesive units which imports an identity to all group members.
