What term describes people who live in a specific geographic territory interact with one another and share many elements of a common culture?

Culture has certain values, custom, beliefs and social behaviour, whereas society encompasses people who share mutual beliefs, values and way of living. This article attempts to shed light on the differences between society and culture in a detailed manner.

Content: Culture Vs Society

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Conclusion

Comparison Chart

Definition of Culture

The term culture refers to a system of beliefs, customs, knowledge, behaviour, religion, practices, etc., which is commonly shared by a group of people. It is described as the people’s way to live such as their learned behaviour, values, morals, art, law, symbols, lifestyle which they accept completely without any second thought in mind. In general, culture is handed down through the generations, by communication, teaching and imitation. It is considered as the social heritage of the organised group.

Culture is a pattern of responses (thinking, feeling, behaving) developed by the Society for solving problems arising due to the interaction of the group members and the environment.

Definition of Society

We define the term ‘society’ as a group of people who share a common lifestyle, territory, behaviour pattern and organisation. It refers to an ordered community, engaged in a continuous social interaction with the members.

In simple terms, society implies the bunch of people who organise themselves and lives together in a particular geographical area and come in contact with each other. The members of the society share common attributes like values, traditions and customs. They also share similar cultures and religion. Each and every member is important to the society, as its existence depends on the members only.

The difference between culture and society can be drawn clearly on the following grounds:

1. Culture refers to the set of beliefs, practices, learned behaviour and moral values that are passed on, from one generation to another. Society means an interdependent group of people who live together in a particular region and are associated to one another.
2. Culture is something that helps us to differentiate one society from the other. On the other hand, society is a community of people, residing in a specific area, sharing common culture over time.
3. Culture unites the social structure, whereas society constructs it.
4. Culture provides guidelines to people on how to live. Conversely, society is a structure that provides the way people organise themselves.
5. Culture comprise of beliefs, values and practices of a group. In contrast, society comprises of individuals who share common beliefs, practices, customs, etc.
6. Culture is reflected in the fashion, lifestyle, tastes & preferences, music, art,  etc. As opposed to society, which is reflected in an economy.

Conclusion

As a way to greet people in different countries, the different cultural trait is followed. For instance, in the United States people used to shake hands when they meet someone, in India people join their hands, in Japan and China people bow down from the waist, in Belgium kiss on one cheek is a way to greet someone irrespective of the gender. This is how culture of one society differs from that of another. So it is true to say that different societies have different cultures.

According to sociologists, a society is a group of people with common territory, interaction, and culture. Social groups consist of two or more people who interact and identify with one another.

• Territory: Most countries have formal boundaries and territory that the world recognizes as theirs. However, a society’s boundaries don’t have to be geopolitical borders, such as the one between the United States and Canada. Instead, members of a society, as well as nonmembers, must recognize particular land as belonging to that society.

  Example: The society of the Yanomamo has fluid but definable land boundaries. Located in a South American rain forest, Yanamamo territory extends along the border of Brazil and Venezuela. While outsiders would have a hard time determining where Yanomamo land begins and ends, the Yanomamo and their neighbors have no trouble discerning which land is theirs and which is not.

• Interaction: Members of a society must come in contact with one another. If a group of people within a country has no regular contact with another group, those groups cannot be considered part of the same society. Geographic distance and language barriers can separate societies within a country.

  Example: Although Islam was practiced in both parts of the country, the residents of East Pakistan spoke Bengali, while the residents of West Pakistan spoke Urdu. Geographic distance, language differences, and other factors proved insurmountable. In 1971, the nation split into two countries, with West Pakistan assuming the name Pakistan and East Pakistan becoming Bangladesh. Within each newly formed society, people had a common culture, history, and language, and distance was no longer a factor.

• Culture: People of the same society share aspects of their culture, such as language or beliefs. Culture refers to the language, values, beliefs, behavior, and material objects that constitute a people’s way of life. It is a defining element of society.

  Example: Some features of American culture are the English language, a democratic system of government, cuisine (such as hamburgers and corn on the cob), and a belief in individualism and freedom.

Pluralism

The United States is a society composed of many groups of people, some of whom originally belonged to other societies. Sociologists consider the United States a pluralistic society, meaning it is built of many groups. As societies modernize, they attract people from countries where there may be economic hardship, political unrest, or religious persecution. Since the industrialized countries of the West were the first to modernize, these countries tend to be more pluralistic than countries in other parts of the world.

Many people came to the United States between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries. Fleeing poverty and religious persecution, these immigrants arrived in waves from Europe and Asia and helped create the pluralism that makes the United States unique.

Assimilation

Some practices that are common in other societies will inevitably offend or contradict the values and beliefs of the new society. Groups seeking to become part of a pluralistic society often have to give up many of their original traditions in order to fit in—a process known as assimilation.

Example: When people arrive in the United States from other countries, they most likely speak a foreign language. As they live here, they generally learn at least some English, and many become fluent. Their children are most likely bilingual, speaking English as well as the language of their parents. By the third generation, the language originally spoken by their grandparents is often lost.

In pluralistic societies, groups do not have to give up all of their former beliefs and practices. Many groups within a pluralistic society retain their ethnic traditions.

Example: Although Chinese immigrants started arriving in the United States 150 years ago, Chinese-American communities still follow some traditions, such as celebrating the Lunar New Year.

Equality

In a truly pluralistic society, no one group is officially considered more influential than another. In keeping with this belief, the United States does not, for example, put a legal quota on how many Italian Americans can vote in national elections, how many African Americans may run for public office, or how many Vietnamese Americans can live on a certain street. However, powerful informal mechanisms, such as prejudice and discrimination, work to keep many groups out of the political process or out of certain neighborhoods.

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