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  • Nigerian Cultural Patterns and Historical Origin

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    Sanya Ajibola
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    This document discusses various aspects of culture, including: 1) Explicit culture refers to observable behaviors and practices of a society like dancing, food, dress. Implicit culture are unstated beliefs, values and assumptions that underlie a society's behaviors. 2) Societies develop norms or standards for appropriate behavior. Values reflect what is desirable in a culture. Mores are strongly held norms backed by social sanctions. Folkways are less obligatory norms governing etiquette. 3) Cultural relativism is the view that all cultures are meaningful and adequate for the groups practicing them. No single culture is superior. 4) Contact with unfamiliar cultures can cause culture shock as people struggle to understand unfamiliar behaviors and

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    This document discusses various aspects of culture, including: 1) Explicit culture refers to observable behaviors and practices of a society like dancing, food, dress. Implicit culture are unstated beliefs, values and assumptions that underlie a society's behaviors. 2) Societies develop norms or standards for appropriate behavior. Values reflect what is desirable in a culture. Mores are strongly held norms backed by social sanctions. Folkways are less obligatory norms governing etiquette. 3) Cultural relativism is the view that all cultures are meaningful and adequate for the groups practicing them. No single culture is superior. 4) Contact with unfamiliar cultures can cause culture shock as people struggle to understand unfamiliar behaviors and

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    1K views9 pages

    Nigerian Cultural Patterns and Historical Origin

    Uploaded by

    Sanya Ajibola
    This document discusses various aspects of culture, including: 1) Explicit culture refers to observable behaviors and practices of a society like dancing, food, dress. Implicit culture are unstated beliefs, values and assumptions that underlie a society's behaviors. 2) Societies develop norms or standards for appropriate behavior. Values reflect what is desirable in a culture. Mores are strongly held norms backed by social sanctions. Folkways are less obligatory norms governing etiquette. 3) Cultural relativism is the view that all cultures are meaningful and adequate for the groups practicing them. No single culture is superior. 4) Contact with unfamiliar cultures can cause culture shock as people struggle to understand unfamiliar behaviors and

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    of 9

    AN PISSIGNnmT

    Presented in Partial Fulfilment of *he


    Requirements for the Comse SS 306

    Digitally signed by Ifeanyi Jonas


    Ifeanyi Jonas Ezema
    DN: CN = Ifeanyi Jonas Ezema, C
    = NG, O = University of Nigeria,
    Ezema OU = University Library
    Reason: I have reviewed this
    document
    Date: 2008.12.16 16:10:56 -12'00'
    1
    CIKIW~JFLE: 3XFLICIT AND IiMF!LICT
    Culture has been diefined b y vUiotm authors .
    -4ccordiag to Broom and Selznut (1963) cultws isa
    man's entim social h e r i k g e - all kno~sledgeb e l i e f ,
    zustoms and shilla acquired aa a member of soc3ety,
    FOP Lancaia (1977) cultu~eis the complex set of
    learned and shared b e l i e f s , customs, okills, habits,
    traditions and knowledge common t o the members sf a
    society. Sir Edward Bmnekt Tylor a l s o defined culture
    as athat complex whole %nolubesknowledge, uelisf,
    at,norala, law, cu&om and any o t h e s capa~ilizhs
    and habi$s acgui?_redby win as a mombor of society,
    Cultwe can bc explicit: 'men you t a l k of
    explicit; r=u2-:m e , 3bc.sl) m e typical behavisur p a t t e r m d
    of a socisty which include, how pyeogle o . p~ o u p dances,
    how they a&, hhc t y p e of food they cat, mods of
    &essing, narriage patt;ersa ctc, 31390 a m prac.bbal
    aspect of cuihture.
    1uglici-t c u h t m e i s t h e urr3eslined mgul.at o r y
    b o l i z f a , values, .norms and premises of a people,
    Xmplicit 'is not seen bat perceived, 1";s the
    crux o? t h e regulmitdes in a people's explicit
    ctlltwe0
    2
    Catsgorias of fdt3ml patterns 0i cultme - Every
    society aevelops a series o f ideal cuX3srral patterns
    which represent what most members of the society
    .t;o ~e correct bbshavisur i n a particular a i t u a t i o a ,
    8Uch i d e a l p a t t e m s m e often called norrs, Yoxms a m there-
    fore 9 w l s s n which upecifj appropriate and inappropriate
    bshav-iaurs in any society, It is mually share& by
    ovesy member of the aociety even 'clmagh it: may not
    alwdys a p e e with actual bshaviour.
    EL) a These a r e d3ep seated oe.nt&ent that
    are shared by members of a aocioty and that dictates
    tho actiona or behaviours of its mombos values cire
    also beliefs above what i s desirable or good and what
    is undesirable or bad. Yalues r e f l e c t t h o orilture
    of a society and a r e widely shareB by manbcrs of
    bhc g o u p that poases the same culture, 3 an
    individual accepts a value for aimself, i t
    m a y become a goal for h i m . In our ETigercian
    society for i n s t a i n ~ dwe valw f&ly life, 0x3
    people, children, honesty, hard working e%c.
    2
    Categories of fdaarl patterns of cultme - Every
    society 3evelops a s e ~ i e sof ideal c u l t a r a l patterns
    which represent what most members of t h e society
    t o oe corssc% bbobviorur i n a particular si.t;uatioa,
    Such i d e a l pattems a r e often called nomi:%, Tomts a m there-
    foxe nrulesn which s p e c i f j appropriate and inappropriate
    bshav-Lours i n any society, 3t is usually sham& by
    eve?rry member of the society even t h a g h i t rnay not
    alwdys agree with actual bahaviour,
    a) Valux: These a r e d9sy m a t e d sentmeat that
    are shared by mernbers of a society and that d i c t a t e s
    tho actions o r hohaviours of i Q a mombor values a r e
    also beliefs above w h a t i s deairaole or good and what
    is undesirable oi? bad. Yaluss r e f l e c t t!?se c u l t u r e
    of a society and are widely ahwed by monbers of
    the b.n;roup%hat poases the same cultureo It an
    individual accepts a value f o r himself, it
    may bscomo a goal for h i m . I n our Higeacian
    society f o r instained we value family l i f e , 013
    people, childmm, homsty, hsra working etc.
    More These are the i d e a l pattern of cu'l-?xz?e or
    b)
    -4
    noms that ars most important t o a society and a r e
    tended to b e obeyed without qusstisa and have harsh
    sanctions if they are violated. If a eompulaory
    --- -
    culture. Moves theref ore any ei@f icant iap1ic:ntion
    .--I

    or though social sanction& ?he laws of a country


    are mores and those who break %hem are faced with the
    t b a a t of legal punishment, fhamplos include taking
    som@body8s l i f e , eatins human f l e a , rape, etc,
    Xores are often traditional no.ms tha* are a part of
    $he c'ilstoms of a society. Mores m e most o f t e n
    translated i n t o -it ben l a w .

    o) Zolwa~m These are nonn~lSealing with what we should


    -es!iG
    80 rather than what we must do, Fol3rwa;ls m e less
    obligatory than lnores and sanction f o r violation
    are milder i n degree, Oomformity to lol;rwcrys is not
    considered v i t a l t o the welime of "h,a groupdAleo
    means qf enfoming c o n f o m i t g ia not dearly
    defined. JBcanrples of S o l h a p including wearing
    su;i-t wi%h .tie and shoes, eating rice on sundap,

    four alders e t c .
    4
    RBUTIVI'PY
    O U I ; T ~

    !?!'hie is the position that *he values and standards


    ob various culturas 4iffer and &ese.me respect.
    (Xottak, 1991). 1% implies that we must study a l l
    e u l t u ~ ewith undemhnding that $hey mo adequate t o mee%
    t h e n o d s of tha people who live by their rules, In any
    s o c i e t y peogls tend to see t h e i s system of behirv-iour as
    good or msmal w h i l e t h a t of other people is seen as i n f a r i o r ,
    -himid and unacceptaole, It is mrthg of no% that no
    c a f i t u r e i.s more import;ant than another cult'me, According
    t o Boas (1966) d l c.alture a r e good. 1% a c-di-urewere
    t n l y "inadequaton it woxld not enable 5.5s people t o
    sumrive, and i->would disappear. It therefom means t h a t
    dl cultures are useful t o the peopls who practices then
    f o r they emanate both as the pooplo*s problem and also a
    key t o the people s advancement,

    CULTURE SHOCK
    T h i s refem to the psychcdogical effects on an
    individual, 02 contack with a d i f f e r a n t culture, The
    onstarding featmess of ahock include an h a b i l i t y t o
    make sancd of the behaviour sf others o r t o predict
    what w i l l say o r do, It is obvious t o point out that the
    f i r s t European to have oncountered the sluying sf t d r m
    among tsadieional African m u s t have suffered enormous
    5
    c u l t u r a l shock. As noted by Oke (1984:s) when
    the Europeans first arrived in Nigeria, individual
    Nigerians who had contact w i t h then: sxperiomott
    various degrees of c u l t u r e shock. In tho modem
    world, individual8 and group have also experience
    culture shock =d p o u p have a l s o excsrionoe culture
    shock when they have corns in coni;act -with agotner
    culture diff ereat from their own, c ~ l t m eshock
    is not restricted t o inter-cultural co-?.tacfi.
    Sometimes it happen within tho same society when
    1

    peq&ns of diverse i n t m x ; t s , subgroups or d i f f e ~ ~ t l ' k


    s o c i a l class are in contact b y ckange, Ro:oever, j.b

    i s gassir~.leto outgrow culture shock aithin a


    short time.

    rnHNOCENTRISPd
    T h i s describes a type of' preju3ioe that says
    simply, m y c;x2t..xets way are r i g h t a d othes cultures'
    ways i f they a r e not; lib mine am wrongo 'Iherofore
    a person who juages other cult?mes solekg in term
    o f h i s o r her wan cul-;ure is ethnocentric. For
    instance, an etLhaoccntric p e m o n in N i g e r i a will
    mqad the Eskimo's aexual hospitaliQ c u l t l ~ eas
    totallg lacking in laoral f i b c ~o r % . ~
    people
    t who
    6
    e a t millipede and babarians,
    Ethocsntrism preverts urs from appriating the richos
    of bthsr people's cultures because every other culture
    is seen as i n f e r i o r to oms. It i s prevents someone
    from having a creat-ive insight into h i s own c u l t m e
    bscause it is t o E n aheady.6

    3IJLTT?RaL DIJFFUSIOH
    T h i s i s simply moans coming i n content with other
    culture~s. Contack with other cultural groups can aleo
    influence t h o c u l t u r e of: a group* It 9s ou3tmal
    Siffursion the process by which cultma1 e1e~nent;s%re
    borrowed from another society and hcorcoyrated into
    the calture of: the recipient group. I n Nigeria, for
    instance, our contact with European c u l t m e have affected
    OUT nods of a e s s i n g , mesas of transportation, the food
    1

    we e a t , nods of greating, our religion eta. Nsukka


    people f o r instance eat a l o t of p a i n s prabably because
    of t h e i r being i n clove with t h e Mor%herfiera. & society
    m y deaide t o adopt the cult-=a1 elemeats from the
    dominant society $ncother t o a u m i v s i n t h e i s change
    wof ad whish is called accultlu-ration.
    These are t h e vmious ethnic group with t h e i r
    c u l t u r a l cliff erencou gliding w i t h one p a r t i c u l a r
    3 ~ 1 ue.
    6
    Por example i n Yigeria football is the most
    m a j o r r,illt;u.re t n a t integrate t l . ~
    e n t i m nation to=qether.
    .Then Nigeria a r c playzhg f o o t b a l l with another
    country, a l l the e t h n i c tj'roup tha* made of N i g e r i a will
    Join hand togc2her pray let Nigeria win and f,;P eventually
    the win everybody will be happy wb olinding the
    e t h i z s ~ u opr cult'iwal gronp yam areo
    ,Another eultura in-bcpation is English Language wide
    i s a compulsory language in X i p r 5 a ,
    Currency: N a i r a is Nigeria curreacg which is anoths~
    culture t h x t i a t s p a t s ? I i peria together, In t i m of
    t j u f i n ~arrd o e l L L a g ;.k m l naira
    ~ t h a t i s the aedium of
    exchange with ethnic, Srouy and wothcr,

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