Often, we suggest that cultural relativism is the opposite of ethnocentrism. Cultural relativity defers judgement in favor of objectivity and understanding of someone else's way of life. It is a suspension of judgement in favor of understanding. Both of these concepts are very important for us in the United States. We need to employ cultural relativity whether we are looking at another culture or at a subculture within our own society.
Culture is the totality of learned, socially transmitted behavior.
A fairly large number of people are said to constitute a society when they live in the same territory, are relatively independent of people outside their area and participate in a common culture. Anthropologist George Murdock compiled a list of cultural universals, including athletic sports, cooking, funeral ceremonies, medicine and sexual restrictions. The cultural practices listed by Murdock may be universal, but the manner in which they are expressed varies from culture to culture. Material culture refers to the physical or technological aspects of our daily lives including food items, houses, factories and raw materials. Nonmaterial culture refers to ways of using material objects and to customs, beliefs, philosophies, governments and patterns of communication.