What are the elements of culture? All cultures share five basic elements. Material culture is what people make (food, clothing, tools, and the like) and the things they use to make it. The next...

What are the elements of culture? All cultures share five basic elements. Material culture is what people make (food, clothing, tools, and the like) and the things they use to make it. The next universal element is symbols, or things that represent something else and have a shared social meaning. Language is how we think and communicate with others and the way we create a sense of self; it both reflects how we see the world and shapes how we see it. The last universal element is rituals, which are routinized behaviors that express belonging to a culture.