Syllabus Revision Program by Islami Jamiat Talba,

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Punjab University Law College,

Subject: Sociology (LLB Part-I)

Topic no: 3

CULTURE:

Introduction:
Culture is the way of thinking,the ways of acting and the material objects that
together form a people's way of life. Culture includes what we think,how we act
and we own.By way of simplicity,we consider culture as an interrelated unit of
its interdependent parts.This interdependence of composing elements makes a
web of interrelationship within itself to make the system of culture work as a
complex whole. Sociologists are keenly interested in the study of culture because
the study of human society is incomplete without it.

Definitions:
Edward Taylor:
" Culture is the complex whole which includes knowledge, belief,
art,morals,law,customs and habits and any capabilities acquired by man as a member of
society."
Linton:
"Culture is social heredity, which is transmitted from one generation to another with
the accumulation of individual experiences."
Herskovits:
"Man-made part of the environment."
John Beattee:
"Culture is the way of life which is transmitted from generation to generation."

Types:

There are various types of culture:

Material culture:
From material culture we understand material and physical objects or simply
man-made objects.These are tangible objects. It includes tools, ,bridges ,automobiles,
radio set, road. It is basically concerned with the external, mechanical and utilitarian
objects. It is referred to as civilization.
 Nonmaterial culture:
Nonmaterial culture includes non material objects. It doesn't have a physical
shape. It relates to abstract things. It is something internal and intrinsically valuable,
reflecting the inward nature of man.It includes the words people use or the language they
speak, the beliefs they hold values and virtues they cherish. It also includes our customs,
attitudes and outlook, in brief our ways of acting, feeling and thinking.
Real culture:
Real culture is that which can be observed in our social life. The culture on
which we act upon in our daily life is real culture. It is that part of culture which people
adopt in their social life. For example: if a person says that he is Muslim, will be when
followed all the principles of Islam is the real and when doesn't follow is not a real one.
Ideal culture:
The culture which is presented as a pattern or precedent to the people is called
ideal. It is the goal of society and never achieved fully because some parts remain out of
practice. This culture is explained in books, speeches and guidance.
High Culture:
The cultural pattern which distinguish a society’s elite. e.g: love of classical music,
attending art exhibitions, black coffee, enjoying ballet etc.
Popular Culture:
The cultural patterns which are widespread among a society's population. e.g: Urdu
language, wearing shalwar kameez.
Culture of Poverty:
The cultural patterns shared by the poor section of society. e.g: begging , loud and
abusing language of children.

Terminology of culture:
There are following terminologies or terms related to culture:
Cultural objects:
The term cultural object refers to any aspect of culture to which a person
objects (e.g a custom, an idea, a value) external to himself and not a part of his
personality. The concept has been frequently used in social action theory.
Cultural survival:
Cultural survival can be described as the ability of a culture to sustain its
identity despite outside influence. It refers to a cultural trait ,which is maintained
even though it no longer performs its original function in a given culture. Very often
some cultural traits are maintained for decorative purposes inspired by the fact that
the cultural traits originally coined for utilitarian functions.Cultural survival is often
referred to as cultural residues.
Cultural relativism:
The concept of cultural relativism States that cultures differ,so
that a cultural trait, act or idea has no meaning but its meaning only within its
cultural setting. It is a difficult task for an outside observer to understand local
 culture fully. So in simple terms culture is understood fully by the people who
practice them.
Cultural pluralism:
Cultural pluralism is the societal condition in which minority groups
within a society can maintain their distinctive cultural identities, values and
practices provided that they are consistent with the laws and values of the wider
society. A prominent example of cultural pluralism is the 20th century United
States.
Cultural Monism:
A view or perspective holding that multiculturalism operates against
social cohesion and that ethnic and other minorities should therefore be
encouraged to assimilate with the dominant culture. It attains cultural uniformity.
This is to eliminate the possibility of internal conflict between ethnic groups.
Cultural determination:
The term refers to the view that human personality and behavior are
determined primarily by cultural factors. Primarily culture can be explained on
its own level and cannot be explained or reduced to the study of the individuals.
Culture is above individuals. Culture shapes the thoughts and actions of the
individuals.

FEATURES OF CULTURE:
Universality: Culture is universal. There is no society without culture, As part of the
cultures there are many aspects that are found in almost all the societies. For
example the institutions like marriage and family, religion, education, polity,
economy, and sports are found all over the world. Societies have developed values,
norms, beliefs, and other patterns of behavior that govern the system of marriage
and family. One could find such a pattern all over the world and same is applicable
to religion, education, political behavior, economic behavior, and so on.

Variability: There is variability in the universals of culture. By looking at the

institutions of marriage and family, one could see so much of variation in it with in
Pakistan, notwithstanding the differences in other societies. The arranged marriage,
love marriage, exchange marriage, marriages by purchase, marriages within and
outside the kin network, are all variations that are found in Pakistan. Joint families,
nuclear families, patrilocal families, matrilocal families are some other aspects
reflecting the variability of family in Pakistani society.
Kingship, dictatorship, democracy, parliamentary form of democracy, presidential
form, adult franchise or selective voting rights, voter age are all variations in the
political systems followed by various nations. Similarly, one comes across variations
in the religions followed all over the world.
Learned: Culture is learned through the process of interaction with others. It is not
inherited through the biological process. We learn to talk, to walk, and to act as our
elders train us. Nature has given us the potential to talk but we speak variety of
languages, which are all created by human beings and there is so much of variation
within as well as outside Pakistan. Also human being have the capacity to learn a
variety of languages. Similarly other ways of life, which is culture, are learned.

Shared: Culture is not the property of one individual or of a group. It is Shared with
other members of society. You are sharing TV transmission with others, sharing a
classroom with others, sharing the road with others, and sharing the knowledge with
others. You are sharing culture with others because you are a social being. e.g:
Traffic signals

Transmitted:
Culture does not end with the death of a person or a group. During its lifetime that
individual or group tries to pass on its culture to the future generation. This is how
every new crop of babies does not start from a scratch rather they build on what
they have already received. That is how culture grows and that is how our culture
becomes richer and richer.

Changing.
Culture is continuously changing. The patterns of behavior transmitted by one
generation to another are continuously in the process of modification for catering to
the changing needs of time and demands of people. New technologies are
developed and are borrowed from other groups and societies. With the increase in
the contact between different societies, the cultures are changing very fast and may
be moving toward some kind of global culture.

Elements of Culture
Culture was defined earlier as the symbols, language, beliefs, values, and artifacts that are part of any
society. As this definition suggests, there are two basic components of culture: ideas and symbols on the
one hand and artifacts (material objects) on the other. The first type, called nonmaterial culture, includes
the values, beliefs, symbols, and language that define a society. The second type, called material culture,
includes all the society’s physical objects, such as its tools and technology, clothing, eating utensils, and
means of transportation. These elements of culture are discussed next.
Symbols
Culture is a system of symbols. Symbols are anything used to represent express and stand for an event
situation. Symbols direct to guide our behavior. It is used to show an event of past, present or future. For
example the heap of ash show that the something has been burnt or the wet street shows that it has rained.
Bowing head, whistling, winkling of eyes situation, all are the symbols, which express a specific object
idea about other. In every culture and society, there are some specific symbols that carry significant
meanings understood by all the members of the society.
BaithUllah is the symbol of God and we pray to it. American Shake their hand to answer for No. For
example, in Pakistan, raising an eyebrow is a symbol of enquiring about something or greeting the other
person. Similarly, waving a hand is a symbol that carries some special meanings in different contexts.
Either it means ‘goodbye’ or waving might mean saying ‘Hi! Nice to see you’ to a person at some distance.
Likewise, a police officer’s badge or rank is a symbol of authority. Moreover, cupping the ear is a universal
symbol in all cultures. It symbolizes ‘inaudibility or low sound’. In short, every culture has some unique
and shared symbols with specific meanings understood by all the members. Symbols are the short
expression for the identification of an object or situation.
Values
The most important element of a culture are its “values”.
Values are defined as a measure of goodness and desirability in a culture. In other words, values are the
standard to perceive what is good, just, and desirable in a society.
Anything getting importance in our daily life becomes our values. The origin of values is not biological but
it is social production while living in society the values develop. Values depend upon the culture. Culture
varies from society to society and thus values are different in every social situation. Values are what we
like and what we say will in our society values are the good idea and thinking of a person.
Some values are hereditary which we gain from our elders, books and parents. The culture is full of values
and can transmit from one generation to another. When a natural object get a meaning it becomes a value.
In sociology, we are most concerned with values that are involved in social relationships – moral and
religious values that have been to some extent institutionalized.
“Values are general standards, and may be regarded as higher-order norms”.
Values suggest how people should behave in a particular culture. For example, in Pakistan, people get up
from their seats to welcome a guest. Similarly, not serving guests drinks or food is against the values of
Pakistani culture.

Values vary from culture to culture. An act or behavior that is deemed good or appropriate in one culture
might be deemed inappropriate in another. For example, Arabic men greet each other by kissing on both
cheeks. In Pakistan or other countries, this is considered inappropriate. Likewise, in a few cultures, men can
hold hands while walking; while in other cultures, this sort of practice is uncommon and deemed
inappropriate.
People learn cultural values through observation and exposure to society. They imitate people and hardwire
cultural values. The cultural values are collectively shared by all the members of a particular society. Thus,
if a person leaves his culture and enters a new culture, he has to suffer from ‘culture shock’, unless he
adapts to that new culture.
Language
A group of words or ideas having common meaning and is shared to a social situation is called language.
Language is the entrance to a culture. Language is a set of socially sound pattern, words, and sentences
having specific meaning and terminology common to the same culture. you can learn effects of
ethnocentrism.
Language is a source of communication and to transmit message from one person to another. It is the
method to mold the behavior and experience of a person. Language differs from culture to culture and is
transmitted from one generation to another.
Language is like a vehicle through which we can carry out our complex social activities. Language is the
foundation of a culture and ticket to the entrance of a social life. Animal have not culture because they have
no specific language to transmit words to others. So, language is the key to open a social life of an
individual with some special characteristics.
It is through language that the culture is transmitted to generations. Any specific society or culture has a
single and common language understood by all its members.
Like culture and all its elements, language also evolves continuously with time. Every new experience and
thought leads to an addition of a new word or term in a language. For example, almost 20 years ago, there
were no terms like internet, uploading, downloading, blogging, etc. With the evolution of material culture,
language (nonmaterial culture) also evolved.
You can think of any culture and you will find its own specific language or dialect. In short, language is a
key to transmitting and developing culture.
Customs
Custom is defined as a ‘traditional and widely accepted way of behaving or doing something that is specific
to a particular society or culture’. It is also a regular, patterned behavior in a social system.
For example, in some countries, people bow to older people while greeting them. Similarly, shaking hands
or kissing while meeting someone is also a prevalent custom in some cultures. Customs foster social
harmony and unity.
Norms
Norms as elements of culture are the rules and the guidelines which specify the behavior of an individual.
Norms keep a person within the boundary of society and its culture. It gives us restriction about something
which to do and which not to do. It molds our behavior and gives as knowledge about wrong and right.
They are the group-shared standards of behavior. Norms impose restrictions on our behavior. They are
model practices. They determine control and guide our behavior. In other words, norms are the standard
behavior in a particular situation.
For example, it is a norm to stand in a queue while depositing fees in banks.
Folkways Norms
Folkways are the simple customary ways of the people. It is the normal and habitual action of people
within a culture. Folkways are the recognized or accepted ways of behavior. These are the behavior pattern
which a person use generally in his daily life
Folkways Norms are further divided into formal and informal norms.
1. Formal Norm
Formal Norms are established written rules. In other words, formal norms are agreed-upon behaviors that
are in the interest of the whole society. Laws in a country are formal norms. For example, it is a formal
norm or law in Pakistan not to drive when a person is under 18.

2. Informal Norms
Informal norms are casual behaviors that are widely conformed to. These are not imposed on people like
formal norms; rather, these are learned through general socialization.
B. Mores
Mores is a Latin word and the plural of mos which means customs or beliefs accordance with a group
customary expectation. It is the “must” behavior of a person. Mores refers to “what ought to be and what
ought not to be.” Mores are serious norms but are informed like folkways. They have a serious binding on
a group the violation of mores threats to social order. Punishment may be both formal and informal for the
violation of mores.
Belief
Beliefs in a certain culture are convictions that people hold to be true. In empirical terms, beliefs are neither
true nor false.Every sect within a culture having some beliefs for cultural refuge. These beliefs are
responsible fro the spiritual fulfillment of needs and wants. Muslims believe in Allah, Holly Prophet, The
Day of Judgment, recitation of Holly Quran, Hajj etc.
Sikh wear bangle in one hand, bear a long beard, keeping a dagger. Cross for Christians and a necklace or
a cotton thread around nick, the water of ganga and are sacred for Hindus.
For example, in a particular culture and society, people believe that wearing an amulet will protect them
from evil eyes. But, in other cultures, people might not hold this to be true. Similarly, in some cultures, if a
black cat crosses the path, people consider it a symbol of bad luck.
Thus, every culture has some specific widespread and collectively shared set of beliefs.
Sanctions
Sanctions are also an important element of culture. In simple words, sanctions are mechanisms of social
control. Basically, sanctions are a form of external control that reinforces norms in a society.Sanctions can
either be positive (reward) or negative (punishment). Further, sanctions can be formal or informal.
1.Formal Sanctions
Formal sanctions are the laws and rules that reward or punish a particular behavior. For example, violating
traffic rules will lead to a fine, and killing someone will lead to life imprisonment. Similarly, staying
disciplined and working hard in an organization will lead to promotion while being undisciplined or lazy
would end up being demoted or fired for good.
Hence, formal sanctions are severe consequences of an action. Members of a society stick to norms to be
able to avoid such sanctions.
 2.Informal Sanctions
Informal sanctions are responses to a particular behavior that is, though, not severe as formal sanctions, but
can encourage or discourage that particular behavior.
For example, we appreciate children getting good marks on tests. It encourages them to work harder next
time. We frown at the child when he spits on the floor. It discourages them from repeating the same action
again.Informal sanctions tend to reinforce conformity to social norms or values.

Relationship between Culture Crime and Law

Relation between Law and crime

Introduction
Social scientists define culture as a system of learned, shared ideas and behaviors. All cultural
systems include basic ideas of what constitutes proper or improper actions. But not all actions
interpreted to be incorrect or immoral by members of one culture may be thought of as such by
another group. It is, therefore, important from the perspective of a global criminology to consider
how the concept of crime is culturally constructed, that is, how ideas about what is right or wrong
vary cross-culturally.
Sociology of law controls the behavior, attitudes, and the actions of the individuals to balance their
social situation. Each society is controlled by the agents of social control like family, neighborhood,
religion, education, law, administration, force, and public opinion.
In Pakistan, money, land, sexual assault, illiteracy, honor killing, old enmity, and drug are the main
factors causing juvenile delinquency.
Pakistani families are mostly illiterate, they don’t know what they should do and what they should
not do. They don’t know what socialization is?
Mostly criminals are the product of poverty, wrong socialization of family and the negative
environmental circumstances.
To control poverty, Human resource management should make effective and fair and the
distribution of wealth should be equal, if we want equality we will have to follow the Islamic
principles of economics.
Philosophy of Law and Crime
The larger questions focus on whether a person is born with criminal instincts or if offenses are
linked to learnt behavior.
This philosophical questioning of the 19th century brought the evolution of the human brain into
greater focus and inspired biologists, physiologists and medical scientists in the 20th century.
Further exploration of the human mind in the new millennium has made it impossible for us not to
look beyond the crime itself and decode the thought process. Which brings us to sociology — an
inseparable part of criminology as one examines the role of society in shaping behaviors.
"Society often overlooks its own culpability."
In societal studies, social control is the domain of both the individual and the larger society. At the
level of the individual, family ties and belief in a basic value system help maintain a balanced
personality — which is reinforced if society shares a preference for values, disseminated through
schools, religious practices, social gatherings and, most importantly, the media.
Sociological theories imply that society ‘constructs’ criminality. Thus, while certain types of human
activity might be considered harmful to society, the latter may see criminal activity that injures the
individual, such as drug abuse, gambling etc, as ‘victimless crimes’, which are perceived as a loss of
individual self-control.
Social Factors for social crimes
While social factors like poverty and inequality trigger criminal actions such as street crime, tribal
traditions, clan systems and parochial prejudices are also breeding grounds for misdeeds. Unlawful
and unethical decisions made by panchayats and jirgas are examples.
Social Control
Pakistan has more potential to control crime and violence by the implementation of informal and
formal social control.
Formal Social Control
Formal social controls are those that are based on laws. They are enforced by all sorts of
government agencies such as the police, judicial courts and regulation agencies.
For Example : Examples of this type of social control are policing, judicial sanctions and
regulatory policies.
Informal Social Control
Informal social controls are those that are not based on law. These social controls are enforced by
societal units such as families, schools and workplaces.
For Example: Examples are rewards in the form of praise and compliments, and punishments in the
form of ridicule or gossip.
Relation between Law and Culture

Introduction
We often speak of law and culture in one breath. That may be so because both systems impose on
each person and organization required rules of behavior. Yet, law and culture are quite different,
though they relate to and affect each other. Therefore, it is desirable to examine their similarities and
differences and their relationship. While the structures of law and culture are more similar than we
might expect, their differences greatly affect the enforcement of the rules issued under each.

Framework
The law of a society is designed according to the framework. of its culture The cultural values,
sentiments, customs rituals, ceremonies and other customary ways pave way for the law According
to sociology, the laws also develop from mores and folkways, when they seek importance in society.
A law is a guardian of cultural values. The importance of value increases the importance of law.
According to Durkheim, the violator of law in a traditional society is punished heavily because in
such society crime creates strong social disorder. Its violation disorganizes the the criminal. It means
law is directly related to culture and is a whole social order that is why a strict punishment is awarded
on mirror of it. That is why Islamic laws create strong social solidarity and the criminals have been
recommended strong punishment in Muslim societies.
Enforcement of law
Most of our thoughts and knowledge, and many aspects of our lives and livelihood, in whatever form
they take, are subject to rules and their enforcement. Here we speak of rules that are directives of
behavior by humans, backed by enforcement of other humans.
Human genetics may play a role in the substance and enforcement of cultural and legal rules. Humans
cannot live alone. They depend on each other from birth to death. Throughout their lives, however,
they learn to cooperate and to offer their services to one another.
Constraining the exercise of humans’ power over each other has taken many forms. Primarily among
them are rules of law and rules of culture. Legal rules and their enforcement are generally imposed
by governments. For example, rules of law address the protection of children. Many years ago,
children were deemed to be the property of the parents.
Sanctions
Like legal rules, the rules of culture may be coercive, but their creation and enforcement differ from
those of laws. Culture may involve cooperation and inducing behavior by positive incentives such as
medals, honorable reputation, and rewards or economic incentives, rather than painful punishments.
Another incentive is cooperation, and its withdrawal. Cooperation may be crucial for certain human
interactions.

For example, a group of researchers cannot produce positive results when each of the group
members’ expertise is necessary to create the valuable objective, unless each expert can rely on the
expertise of the other.

Conclusion Paragraph

So we conclud that topic by following points.

Culture refers to the symbols, language, beliefs, values, and artifacts that are part of any society.The artifacts
and ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that are part of any society.Because culture influences people’s
beliefs and behaviors, culture is a key concept to the sociological perspective.
Many sociologists are wary of biological explanations of behavior, in part because these explanations
implicitly support the status quo and may be used to justify claims of biological inferiority.

Current cultures will fail if there are no mechanisms (at least even a movement towards inquiries)
aimed at seeking to find other ways to protect the groups. These deficient cultures may either conflict
with society’s current needs or fail to support the necessary needs of their people. If they do not or
cannot distinguish between fraudulent and exploitive needs, on the one hand, and true needs, on the
other, they will corrode and corrupt themselves internally—and are bound to die.
Let us raise the level of satisfaction in helping others who deserve it without expecting any benefits except
the positive results of our help and avoid wrapping our help with the expectation that the help benefits us.
We should try it. We might like it.
References:
Online learning sources like Google Scholar, Wikipedia
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