Culture In Burmese Society

Culture in Burmese Society

Culture – whether it is the way people think, act, or the material things that they use – can reveal many things about themselves and the society they live in (Little et al, 2014). In Burmese society, the material and non-material culture reflect the changes and continuity of Burmese life as the country undergoes political and social changes. A few objects can provide insights into different aspects of Burmese culture, i.e. its norms and values.

In Sociology, culture refers to the ideas, attitudes, and beliefs of people as well as the tangible material objects that they use (Little et al, 2014). The former, referred to as nonmaterial culture, may include beliefs such as listening to one’s elders will always bring

Most people consider domestic news media to be more trustworthy and watching the 8 o’clock news is important to know about local and international affairs; in fact, two-thirds of city dwellers “get news from television at least weekly” (“Burmese Media Use 2012”, n.d.). Alongside, television, daily newspapers are also considered trusted sources, and many people suscribe to a newspaper daily – even if they don’t read them.

A shrine and a traditional balm points out the importance of religion and tradition in Myanmar. Every house has a shrine that is kept clean and orderly, which reflects the Burmese belief that religiosity leads to good karma and good fate. Underlying this is the value that religiosity is good. The ubiquitous balm, used for everythiing from injuries to toothaches, reflects the Burmese belief that traditional practices are more suitable for Burmese problems than Western practices. They also indicate more valued status of traditional practices in contrsat to moder

Most people have their graduation photos hanged on the wall, alongside family portraits and couple portraits. These photos are used to teach young children about their families, or reminisce about lost ones. They indicate the Burmese belief that memories of the family should be present in the form of hanging their portraits and photos, or keeping their belongings.

To conclude, the Burmese people place a great importance in tradition, religion, community, and authority. The ten objects describe above reflect the various interrelated values and beliefs about society. As society changes, the role of the objects listed above may change as well while some may completely disappear and new objects will appear to serve new functional and symbolic roles. However, the material culture of a society will always continue to reflect the values and beliefs of that society.