Analyzing Cultural Systems Through a Sociologist Perspective

Introduction

In today’s society that we live in, we are so lucky and fortunate with how accepting we are towards other cultures, beliefs, and races. Whereas in the 1960’s, White was considered the dominant culture, and if you were anything else, you were considered an outsider and labeled the lowest of people in society’s pyramid. In this short essay we will be exploring a Sociologist view and perspective on the definition of culture as well getting to know about Egyptian culture learning everything from their customs, values beliefs etc., and how it compares to the Canadian cultural features.

Culture in the Eye of a Sociologist

What do sociologists mean by culture and why is it important? There are many definitions of culture. In general, sociologists agree that culture consist of values, systems of languages and communication, beliefs, and practices, material samples, that a group of people as a community share in common. To sociologist, culture is considered a pivotal role in our social lives as a whole. It is what binds us together. It is essential for creating relationships, determining how we perceives and explain the world and our position in it, and being able to maintain our social order. Culture is also considered as the benchmark, rules, laws and morals that administrate society. Sociologists however, also view culture in two ways, material culture and non-material culture. “Material culture emerges from and is shaped by the non-material aspects of culture. In other words, what we value, believe, and know, and what we do together in everyday life, influences the things that we make. But it is not a one-way relationship between material and non-material culture.” Now you may be wondering why culture is so important to Sociologist? The answer is right here, and it’s the fact that it plays such an import part in the creation of social order.

Egyptian Culture

The Egyptian culture dates back to for almost six thousand years, so it has been around for quite some time. Like way before our parents’ parents, parents, parents were born. So with that being said, we will be touching on the ancient Egyptian culture first. Fun fact, did you know that the Egyptian women were treated fairly to men in terms of work? “Egyptian women enjoyed a great deal of legal and financial independence. They could buy and sell property, serve on juries, make wills and even enter into legal contracts. Egyptian women did not typically work outside the home, but those who did usually received equal pay for doing the same jobs as men”. How interesting is that, considering how in our modern times equal pay between men and women have been the talk of protests for years. Now when it comes to their culture and how they adapted themselves, the ancient Egyptians loved their jewel’s and gold and would always figure out a way to incorporate them into their outfits. The men would typically wear this quilt, skirt type thing that wraps around their waist and would typically have a thing belt shape that wide hanging in the middle. Typically, if you were of wealth, the fabric used to make the belt would’ve been made to reflect gold and would often have jewels sowed into them. And the skirt would always be white, which signifies cleanliness and wealth, of course! Their outfits would then be followed by a have moon shaped necklace that’s wide and long enough to sit on their shoulders. And just like the belt they wore around their waist, it too incorporates the gold accents with the white. Lastly, it would then be followed by a head piece , and it would carry out the same concepts as the beat and neck piece. Women on the hand, wore almost the same thing but yet different styles. They would wear a long white flow dress, with the same belt around their waist, however it would be less wide and lot longer which symbolizes a slim figure, and they would have the same necklace and it too be just a little smaller in width compared to the men. The one and only different is the head piece. Women would typically wear a gold band that would typically sit on top of their foreheads. Now doing so with their outfits, would separate them from groups and making it easier for them to distinguish themselves out for those who were less wealthy then them.

Now if we were to compare it to today’s Egyptian culture, most people could agree that’s a little bit the same yet very different. Men don’t wear skirts anymore, but they do wear something called a “galabaya” pronounced like “ga-la-bay-ya”. It’s like a dress but with long sleeves and is typically worn in white, however it does come in different colours. One thing is, they don’t have the neck pieces, head piece and belt that follows. However, the dress would normally a carry a string type of design in the front that hung down passed the neckline, and the headpiece would be a scarf like material that hands down or is either wrapped in a certain style to signify a certain group that he may belong too. Women on the other hand are very different. In the Egyptian culture nowadays, it’s important for a woman to hold herself and represent herself to the public in a respectful way. Typically, women would wear something called an Abaya, pronounces “a-bay-ya”. This can come in many different colours and styles and a various collection of design that followed with a head scarf that covers their hair. However, they may have not been as flashy as the ancient Egyptians were with clothing, but those who wore more of neutral look and seen out together were the ones seen at the top of the pyramid.

Now clothing is not the only thing that plays a big role in the Egyptian culture. Family is probably number one. Typically, each house hold holds a big family, and that family usually lives in something called compounds to ensure that everyone is together. Not everyone practices this, but family is always important and if that weren’t the case then almost every night, every family would get together to host a dinner and just celebrate their health together. Food is second, it dates back centers and recipes are still being passed around. Everything and almost everything is made of spices, and lots of greens and natural produce.

Las but not least, one thing that also plays a big role in Egyptian culture is greetings. When greeting someone, you shake hands or give a hug and kiss cheek to cheek on both sides twice or once. It can even be three times in row. This just shows a sign of respect and proper adequate towards the person you are meeting.

In Comparison to Canadian Culture

When we compare Egyptian culture to Canadian culture, it is without a doubt very different to each other. For one, hospitality. Yes, Canadians takes respect seriously, as do almost everyone else on this planet. However, one major difference is when you have guests over at your house. In an Egyptian household, when hosting dinners, at first everything revolves around the guest and ensuring that they are welcomed and comfy and you’ll always have that one table in the middle of the sitting area filled with drinks and snacks sprawled out. And when it comes to dinner time, it is typically the men that are served first then followed by the women then children. For Canadians, some not all, have no guide line that people follow and or rules. It’s more of a welcome, converse, then whoever is ready to get food they can do so. Another major difference is clothing. The Gallabiyah’s and Abayas play a big role in Egyptian culture as it brings them out from the crowed and it was carried on from centuries ago, whereas the Canadians don’t really have outfits that bring out their culture. One thing however they do almost share in common is food, one likes grease and poutine type foods whereas the other is more into greens and healthy, natural produce. They both also have foods that represent their country. So that’s a bonus!. And lastly, Greetings. I would say are fairly similar. As we Canadian’s, we are known for a kindness, so when it comes to meeting someone they to either shake hands and or hug. The only teeny bit of difference is the kiss on cheek, but at the end of the day both carry respect on their image together.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Sociologist perspective on culture is fairly on point yet very interesting at the same time. Culture is based off of systems of beliefs, customs, behaviours, languages and values which all make up a community that stands out from others. For example, with how we compared the Egyptian culture with the Canadian culture on how they greet their guests or their clothing for example. However, no matter what, we are so fortunate to live in such a society that is so accepting towards other cultures. Hopefully, as the years go by, we become even more accepting.

Works Cited

1. Andrews, E. (2012, November 12). 11 Things You May Not Know About Ancient Egypt.
2. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/11-things-you-may-not-know-about-ancient-egypt
3. Cole, N. L. (2018, November 24). Defining Culture and Why It Matters to Sociologists.
4. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/culture-definition-4135409
5. Traditions and Cultures of Egypt. (2019, January 14). Retrieved from https://www.globalizationpartners.com/2017/01/17/traditions-and-cultures-of-egypt/