Some important terminologies

Custom

• It refers primarily to practices that have been repeated by a multitude of generations, practices that tend to be followed simply because they have been followed in the past. Custom is generally confused with habit.

Custom	Habit
Social phenomenon	Individual phenomenon
Socially recognized	Socially unrecognized
Normative	Not normative
Has great social significances	Is of more personal importance
Maintain social order	Facilitate personal activity
Are inherited	Are built
Has external sanction	Has no external sanction

 

Folkways

• It is a set of norms governing commonly accepted practices, customs, and habits that make up the fabric of everyday life. g. Good Manners.
• Persons who do not follow folkways may subject to criticism or to be considered strange, but would not necessarily penalize. E.g.; entering home only after removal of shoes, lady touching the feet of her mother-in-law, greeting others with folded hands.

 

Mores

• Mores are socially acceptable ways of behaviour that do involve moral standards, violation may result in severe social action such as exclusion from the society; e.g., murder.
• The mores are the customs or patterns of behaviour, which are regarded by members of social system as vital and essential to the welfare of the group.

 

Mores	Folkways
Are socially accepted ways of behaviour that involve moral standards	Are customary ways of behaving in society
Rigidly enforced and if not followed gets penalty from the society	Person who doesn’t conform may be subjected to criticism or be considered strange but not necessarily penalized.
Patterns of behaviour which are considered essential by the society	Expected form of behaviour but not rigidly enforced
If violated, the society may be disturbed or divided.	If violated, will not have severe effect on society
Eg: Monogamy, Honesty, etc.	Eg: Good manners, greeting others, etc.

 

Taboo

• Taboo refers to anything (food, place, activity) which is prohibited and forbidden.
• The observance of a taboo has the social sequence of binding a social group together behind common rituals and sentiments.
• The taboo is a symbol of group membership. E.g.; Total abstinence of eating beef in a Hindu village (eating beef in Hindu religion) and eating pork in Muslim religion.

 

Mores	Taboo
Refers to positive action	Refers to negative action
Customs regarded by the members of the society as vital or essential	Are the customs which are forbidden
Things ought to be done	Things ought not to be done
Eg: Monogamy, honesty, etc.	Eg: Eating of beef in hindu religion, etc.

 

 

 

Rituals

• Rituals are typically the practical aspects of a religious system and they express sacred values rather than seek to achieve some utilitarian end. For e.g.; playing with crackers on Dipawali.

 

Tradition

• Tradition refers to any human practice, belief, in-situation or artifact which is handed down from generation to the next.
• While the content of tradition is highly variable, it typically refers to some element of culture regarded as part of the common inheritance of a social group.

There are various origins and fields of tradition; they can refer to;

• the forms of artistic heritage of a particular culture.
• beliefs or customs instituted by societies and governments, such as national anthems and holidays
• beliefs or customs maintained by religious institution that share history, customs, culture,
• For e.g.; thanking God before eating, school tradition of wearing Nepal caps on Wednesdays.

 

Role of Cultural Concepts in Agricultural Extension

• Learning the customs, folkways, mores, taboos, etc. of a group of people will help one to predict what they will do in a given situation. Without such predictability expectations of what the other would do in a given situation the result would be a chaos in society.