What is the difference between Material and Non-material culture?
While we may not think of them this way, societies have
material and non-material cultures just like individuals do. In fact, these two
aspects of culture are inextricably linked; after all, the societies that make
up a culture are made up of individual people. Material culture refers to the
physical artifacts created by societies and their members; non-material culture
refers to any ideas, beliefs, or customs that aren’t physical objects. The
following guide discusses what each type of culture consists of, how they
differ from one another, and why it’s important to understand both when
studying sociology. (more...)
An Introduction to Material
Culture.
If you’re reading an anthropology textbook, your professor
probably told you to forget everything you learned in school about material
culture. Anthropology has a long history of not distinguishing between
artifacts and ideas; early ethnographers focused primarily on tangible objects,
largely because they were easy to measure. Unfortunately, that led to
misunderstandings of non-material cultures like religion and laws (you can’t
exactly place a dollar value on freedom). Today, anthropologists recognize that
most cultural activities involve both non-material ideas and material
artifacts. For example, take music: Your favorite tune could be considered part
of your personal experience or your individual material culture if it evokes
strong memories for you.
An Introduction to
Non-Material Culture.
In sociology, non-material culture or symbolic culture is a
system of shared beliefs, meanings, values, and norms which people use to
communicate with each other in a specific context. The term can refer to
symbolic belief systems such as religion, mythology, philosophy or art.
According to sociologist Daniel M. Hausman Symbolic systems are made up of
symbols--words (or images) that stand for something else. Such symbols are used
to create meaning for ourselves and for others. They are transmitted through
language and speech acts. Societies develop structures to pass these ideas from
one generation to another.
Examples of Objects in Our
Daily Life.
When we hear music on our radio, when we watch a game of
football on television, when we engage in polite conversation at a dinner
party... these are all examples of non-material culture. It’s important to
remember that they are not tangible things, like chairs or books or computers.
Instead, they exist only in our heads. They do have real value and impact – but
their importance is measured differently than material items. For example,
books can be bought and sold; music cannot. An individual man can own a book;
no one owns Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. These objects mean different things to
different people depending on their context, who they live with, where they
live and how they were brought up. They also give us different feelings and
reactions depending on what else is going on around us. Music might make you
feel happy because you’re with friends while watching your favorite team win a
game might make you feel disappointed because you lost money betting
against them!
Examples of Ideas in Our Daily Life.
Ideas are central to non-material culture. Consider that you
can bring up a friend's name at any time and discuss them, even though they
aren't physically present. By contrast, it would be quite difficult to share
music material with someone in Japan who doesn't speak your language. In order
for them to hear your favorite song or see your favorite piece of art, they
must have their own personal experience with it. However, both ideas and
artifacts affect our daily lives in important ways. For example, many of us
listen to music every day—if not every hour—to help us feel happy or energetic.
Likewise, parents might read books aloud to young children as part of
socialization efforts. These activities simultaneously involve artifacts (e.g.,
audio equipment) and ideas (e.g., stories), but one aspect often outweighs
another depending on context: when we're alone, we tend to focus more on
intangible things; when we're around others, tangible things play a larger role
because we need those objects more than our individual thoughts during those
moments.
Conclusion.