The Element of Culture

A cultural artifact, or cultural artefact (see American and British English spelling differences), is a term used in the social sciences, particularly anthropology, ethnology and sociology for anything created by humans which gives information about the culture of its creator and users.

Cultures differ widely in their norms, or standards and expectations for behaving. We already sawthat how people behave when drunk stems from society’s expectations of how they should behavewhen drunk. Norms of drunken behavior influence how we behave when we drink too much.

In English, the word chair means somethingwe sit on. In French, the word chaise means the same thing. As long as we agree how to interpretthese words, a shared language and thus society are possible. By the same token, differences inlanguages can make it quite difficult to communicate.

A symbol is an object, word, or action that stands for something else with no natural relationship that is culturally defined. Everything one does throughout their life is based and organized through cultural symbolism. Symbolism is when something represents abstract ideas or concepts.

A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed in a sequestered place and according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community.

A culture's values are its ideas about what is good, right, fair, and just. Sociologists disagree, however, on how to conceptualize values. Conflict theory focuses on how values differ between groups within a culture, while functionalism focuses on the shared values within a culture.