According to Malinowski: “culture is the handiwork of man and the medium through which he achieves his ends”
Characteristics of culture are:
Culture is learnt: Culture is often understood as learned ways of behaviors. Culture is not an inborn tendency. It is acquired or learnt. It includes those learned patterns for thinking, feeling and acting that are transmitted from one generation to the next. Therefore what is learned through socialization and are acquired in group life are what is called culture.
Culture is Social: Culture is not the property of any individual. It is the social heritage of man. It is a way of group life. It originates in and develops through social interaction. It consists of a number of behavior patterns that are common to a group of people. It is the inclusive of all expectation of the members of the groups. Thus culture is a social products shared by most of the members of the group.
Culture is Shared: Culture is a social property. It belongs to the group. The elements of culture such as customs beliefs, idea, folkways, mores, and language are all belonged to the people of a group. These are commonly shared by the members of a group. So culture is the product of groups life. Culture cannot be hidden and used by one individual. According to Robert Bierstadt. “Culture is something adopted, used believed, practiced or possessed by more than one person”.
Culture is Transmissive: Culture is the total social heritage. It is linked with the past. The past continues because it lives in culture. Culture is something that can be transmitted from one generation to the next. Culture is passed through language. Language is the chief vehicles of culture. Culture is also passed from one generation to another through traditions and customs. It is a product of human experience.
Culture is Relative: All societies are not uniform. Hence all cultures are also not uniform. They varying and differ from time to time and place to place. There may be common elements such as customs, mores, folkways, art forms, dietary habits, value systems, institutions etc, that may be seen everywhere Culture is also related to time. It varies from time to time. History of every society is the history of change in culture from time to time.
Culture is Dynamic: Culture is not a static phenomenon. It is a Dynamic entity. Changes in society imply changes in its culture. Culture simply means a way of life. It is nothing but a total “design for living”. Factors like inventions, problems, plans and policies etc. have a drastic effect on culture. As society changes a new way of life in evolved and adopted to adjust with the changing circumstances. Every factor during changes in society will also bring changes in the culture. Thus, culture is dynamic.
Culture is Gratifying: Culture is the pilot of every human activity. Culture provides the necessary environment for the satisfaction of human wants . It shows the way for getting the work done. Culture determines and guides the activities of men.
Culture is continuous and cumulative: Culture is an growing phenomenon. It includes the glory of the past and the achievements of present. Eg: Bullock carts, train, Aeroplanes etc., achievements. It is always cumulative.
Culture is Ideal in Nature: It is not merely material and non material culture. One cannot confine the culture as objects which satisfy different goals of life. The members of society provide psychological meanings to their own cultural traits. They attach the sentiments to their cultural elements. In this regard Herbert Spencer considers’culture is neither organic, nor inorganic but it is super organic. It is commonly witnessed that people never tolerate any condemnation of their culture.
