Intro to ideas about culture and indentity

1. Culture: An introduction
Greg Wells – University of Southampton

2. What is culture?
 Contested: over 157 definitions between 1920 and 1950 (Johnson, 2013)
 (1) ‘the total way of life of a people’; (2) ‘the social legacy the
individual acquires from his group’ (Kluckholn, cited in Johnson, 2013)
 “A whole way of life, material, intellectual and spiritual” (Williams, cited in Oswell, 2006)
 “The culture of the individual cannot be separated from that of the group” (Eliot, 1948)
 “The basic assumptions about how the world is and ought to be that a group of people
share that determines their thoughts, feelings, their overt behaviour” (Schein, 1996)

3. “I define culture as the collective mental programming of the people in an
environment. Culture is not a characteristic of individuals; it encompasses a
number of people who were conditioned by the same education and life
experience. When we speak of the culture of a group, a tribe, a geographical
region, a national minority, or a nation, culture refers to the collective
mental programming that these people have in common; the programming
that is different from that of other groups, tribes, regions, minorities or
majorities, or nations.” (Open University, 2015a)

4. Layers of culture
 The Outer Layer/Expilicit Culture: Clothes, Food, Language, Housing, Customs/Festivals,
 The Middle/Inner Layer: Norms and values a society holds and the basic assumptions
people hold

5. Exploring the Inner Layers: 6 Dimensions of
society
 Power Distance: Should inequalities by minimized
 Individualism: Is the individual or the society considered more important
 Masculine-Feminine: Relative importance of competition and success vs caring for others
and quality of life
 Uncertainty Avoidance: The extent to which a society feels threatened or comfortable
with uncertainty
 Long-term Orientation: Planning for the future and adapting to change vs maintaining
traditional ways
 Indulgence/Restraint: how much people try to control desires and impulses

6. Comparing the Inner Dimensions of
culture: China and the UK
Source: geert-hofstede.com

7. Activity – and another definition!
 According to Morrison (2002), national culture comprises several aspects, such as the
possession of a common language or dialect, shared religious or moral values, symbols
and rituals (e.g. flags and festivals), a shared history, patterns of family life and a
geographic homeland.
 Now spend a few minutes writing notes about your national culture using Morrison's
definition (above) and think of examples that define it.Now spend a few minutes writing
notes about your national culture using Morrison's definition (above) and think of examples
that define it

8. The Outer Layers of Culture – A view from
Pakistan
 http://www.slideshare.net/ranaumar334/pakistani-culture-national-and-regional-culture-
convergence-and-divergence?qid=6ed8110b-86fd-4753-b68d-
392018c6be58&v=qf1&b=&from_search=9 (to slide 52)

9. Discussion: China – the outer layer
 Education
 Music
 Sports
 Provincial
 Language
 Religion
 Festivals
 Clothing
 Food
 Life Events (birth, graduation, marriage, death)
 Laws/rules in society
 Characteristics of people

10. Identity: Activity
 Where would you sit?
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRteokw7m80

11. Identity: What is it?
 Fundamentally: answers the question WHO AM I?
 Identity involves:
 a link between the personal and the social;
 some active engagement by those who take up identities;
 being the same as some people and different from others
 a tension between how much control I have in constructing my identities and how much
control or constraint is exercised over me.
 (Open University, 2015b)

12. Identity
 “The term “social identity” refers specifically to those aspects of a person that are defined
in terms of his or her group memberships. Although most people are members of many
different groups, only some of those groups are meaningful in terms of how we define
ourselves. In these cases, our self-definition is shared with other people who also claim that
identity, for example, as a woman, as a Muslim, as a marathon runner, or as a Democrat”
(Deaux, 2001)

13. Types of Social Identity: Ethnicity and
religion
 ABC
 Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan)
 Christian (Anglican/Catholic/Evangelical)
 English (Northern, Southerner)
 Jewish (Zionist/non-Zionist)
 Muslim (Sunni, Shia, Sufi)
 White (British, European, Other)

14. Types of Social Identity: Political
 Anarchist
 Centrist
 Communist
 Conservative
 Environmentalist
 Fascist
 Socialist

15. Types of Social Identity: Vocations
 Athlete
 Artist
 Designer
 Economist
 Employee/Employer
 Medical Professional
 Military
 Student
 Teacher

16. Types of Social Identity: Relationships
 Colleague
 Family (Daughter, Sister, Cousin, Mother, Wife)
 Friend
 Partner
 Student
 Teenager

17. Types of Social Identity: Stigmatized?
 Alcoholic
 Disabled
 Drug Addict
 Gang Member
 Goth
 Homeless person
 Homosexual
 Fat
 Person with AIDS
 Muslim
 Nazi

18. Types of Identities: Other
 Animal Lover/Pet owner
 Gardener
 Gamer
 Gender
 Income: high, middle, low income. New wealth vs old wealth?
 Introvert/Extrovert
 Sexual Orientation
 Social Class: Upper, middle, lower, business. Others in your country?
 Sportsperson (footballer, runner, snooker player – not always professional)

19. References
 Eliot, .T.S. (1948) Notes towards the definition of culture. London: Faber and Faber
 Deaux, K. (2001) Social Identity. Encylopedia of Women and Gender Vol 1& 2. City University of New Youk
 Johnson, M (2013) Evaluating Culture: Chapter 3: What is culture? What does it do? What should it do?. Palgrave: London
 Morrison, J. (2002) The International Business Environment, Basingstoke, Palgrave.Morrison, J. (2002) The International Business Environment,
Basingstoke, Palgrave.
 Oswell, D (2006)Culture and Society: An Introduction to Cultural Studies. London: Sage
 Open University (2015a) Business Organisations and their Environments: Culture [Online]. http://www.open.edu/openlearn/money-
management/management/business-studies/business-organisations-and-their-environments-culture/content-section-4.1
 Open Univertisy (2015b) Identity in Question [Online] http://www.open.edu/openlearn/society/politics-policy-people/sociology/identity-
question/content-section-1.1.1
 Schein, E (1996). Three Cultures of Management: The Key to Organizational Learning. MIT Sloan: Management Review.
http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/three-cultures-of-management-the-key-to-organizational-learning/
 Willians, R (1958) Culture and Society, 1780-1950. London: Chatto and Windus