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material culture

Definition of Material Culture

(noun) The physical objects or “things” that belong to, represent, or were created by a group of people within a particular culture.

Examples of Material Culture

  • clothing
  • sculpture
  • tools
  • toys

Material Culture Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: ma·te·ri·al cul·ture

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /muh-tIR-ee-uhl kUHl-chuhr/
  • British English – /muh-tIUH-riuhl kUHl-chuh/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /məˈtɪriəl ˈkʌlʧər/
  • British English – /məˈtɪərɪəl ˈkʌlʧə/

Usage Notes

Related Quotation

  • “At the most basic level, material culture is important because it is our buffer against the environment. For example, we create shelter to protect ourselves from the weather and give ourselves privacy” (Kendall 2006:45–46).

Additional Information

Related Terms


Reference

Kendall, Diana. 2006. Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials. 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Works Consulted

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Brym, Robert J., and John Lie. 2007. Sociology: Your Compass for a New World. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Delaney, Tim, and Tim Madigan. 2015. The Sociology of Sports: An Introduction. 2nd ed. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.

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Cite the Definition of Material Culture

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “material culture.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 19, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/material-culture/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

material culture. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/material-culture/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “material culture.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/material-culture/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“material culture.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/material-culture/>.