What is culture ?

I.  Macro culture.

•       E.B.Taylor says that culture «  that complex whole which includes, knowledge, belief, art, morals, law custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society » couture then consists of commonly accepted and expected ideas, attitudes, values, and habits of individuals which they learn in connection with social living (Young and Mack, p 38).
•   “A culture is a system of behaviour shared by the members of society; a society is a group of people who share a common culture. A society is made up of people who are interacting on the basis of shared beliefs, customs, values, and activities. The common patterns which govern their interaction make up the culture of the society”. (Paul and Hunt. 1967,p 52).
•  “From before he is born until after he is dead, man is a prisoner of his culture. His culture direct and confines his behaviour, places his goals, and measures his rewards. His culture gets into his mind and shutters his vision so that he sees what he is supposed to see, dreams what he is expected to dream, and hungers for what he is trained to hunger(Paul and Hunt.1964,p 77).
•  Ralph Linton states that “ the culture of a society is the way of life of its members, the collection of ideas and habits which they learn, share and transmit from generation to generation”( Haralambos and Holborn.1991: p 3)
•   “To a large degree culture determines how members of society think and feel. It directs their actions and defines their outlook on life. Members of society usually take their culture for granted. It has become so much a part of them that they are often unaware of its existence” (Haralambos and Holborn.1991.p 3).
•  “Very human society has its own particular culture, or sociocultural system, which overlaps to some extent with other systems. Variation among sociocultural systems is attributable to physical habits and resources; to the range of possibilities inherent in various areas activity, such as language, rituals and customs, and the manufacture and use of tools; and to degree of social development, the attitudes, values, ideas, and beliefs of the individual are greatly influenced by the culture in which he lives, and an individual may, of course, live in or  travel among several different cultures”(Britannica.p:784.VL 13).

•  “ the history of anthropology and its moral concerns have encouraged comprehensive view of culture as equivalent to the entire social heritage, that is, all the knowledge, beliefs, customs, arrangements, and skills that are available to the members of society”(Broom and Selznick: 1977.p 56).
•  “Without a shared culture, members of society would be unable to communicate and cooperate, and confusion and disorder would result. Culture has two essential qualities: firstly, it is learned. Secondly, it is shared. Without it there would be no human society”(Haralambos and Holborn.1990.p 3).

II.Subculture

• “A subculture is a pattern that is in significant respects distinctive but that has important continuities with a lost or dominant culture. In other words, a subculture contains some of the dominant cultural values, but also contains values, perspectives, or life styles peculiar to itself. Every group has some patterns of its own, but if the patterns do not affect the total life of the members, they do not comprise a subculture. A subculture has a general influence on attitudes and life styles and tends to give the person a descramble identity” (Broom and Selznick: 1977.p 74).
• “…all complex societies have, not a single, uniform culture, but a core of universals plus an assortment of subcultures”(Paul and Hunt.1964.p 64)
•  “…in large industrial societies, there are groups of persons who share the total culture but also have a set of behaviours peculiar to the group…such shared learned behaviours which are common to a specific group or category are called subculture specialities lead to subcultures”( Young and Mack . 49).