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CULTURE
AMNA AFZAAL
What Is Culture
CULTURE
E. B. Tylor, the first professional anthropologist, proposed a definition of culture that includes all human experience:
“culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities
and habits acquired by man as a member of society”
Social animals (human beings) learn from other members of their group on the basis of
“human capacity to learn", in other words unique ability of human species is “learning”
We do not inherit our culture through our genes in the way we inherit our physical
characteristics(like sex, color, height). Instead, we obtain our culture through the process of
enculturation
Enculturation is the process of social interaction through which people learn
and acquire their culture
Animals also may learn from experiences; for example, they avoid fire after discovering that
it hurts
For instance, Wolves learn hunting strategies from other pack members
Such social learning is particularly important among monkeys and apes as well
Our cultural learning depends on the “human capacity to use symbols”, (signs that have no
natural connection to the things). People gradually internalize the established/defined
system of meanings and symbols to express their feelings throughout the lives
Human acquire their culture both consciously (through formal learning) and unconsciously
(through informal interaction)
Culture is taught directly, as when parents tell their children to say “thank
you” when someone gives them something or does them a favor
Culture is transmitted through observation. Children pay attention to the
things that go on around them. They modify their behavior not just because
other people tell them to do it, but as a result of their own observations or
growing awareness of what their culture considers right and wrong
Culture is absorbed unconsciously For example, North Americans acquire their
culture’s notion of standing apart while talking to each other, they are not
being told directly to maintain a certain distance but through a gradual
process of observation and experience they have learnt it. On the flip side, no
one tells Latins to stand closer together, but they learn it as part of their
cultural tradition
Anthropologists also accept “a doctrine” (principle, rule) “the psychic unity of
man” It means that although all individuals differ in their emotional and
intellectual capacities, but have equivalent capacities for culture’ learning
The main attribute of the culture is, It is not individuals’ oriented rather than groups’ oriented. In other words,
culture is based on shared meanings that are to some extend “Public”. In this way, such shared beliefs, values,
memories, expectations link all the people who grow up in the same culture
Today’s parents were yesterday’s children as they grew up, they absorbed certain values and beliefs and then
transmitted it to the next generations. Thus, People become the agents of enculturation for their children, just as
their parents were for them
Although a culture constantly changes but certain fundamental beliefs, values, worldviews and child-rearing
practices endure (exist, sustain, stand)
Example of Enduring Shared Enculturation: As children, when we didn’t finish a meal, our parents may have
reminded us of starving children in some foreign country, just as our grandparents might have done a
generation earlier
American culture places the idea of Individual, American are fond of saying that everyone is unique and special
in some way. However in American culture, individualism itself is a distinctive shared value
Despite the American notion that people should “make up their own minds” and “have a right to their opinion”,
people share their views and beliefs with others (we mostly agree and feel comfortable with people who are
socially, economically and culturally similar to ourselves). This is one reason why humans tend to socialize with
each other
Culture Is Symbolic
According to Leslie White culture is originated, when our ancestors acquired the
ability to use symbols, to bestow meaning on a thing or event, and to grasp such
meanings
A symbol stands for something else within a particular language or culture. There is
no obvious or natural connection between the symbol and what it symbolizes
Holy water is a potent (strong/powerful) symbol in Roman Catholicism. The
association between a symbol (water) and what is symbolized (holiness) is arbitrary
(ordinary/ illogical). Water is not intrinsically holier than milk, blood, or other natural
liquids nor holy water is chemically different from ordinary water
Holy water is a symbol within Roman Catholicism, as it has particular meaning for
Catholics. They share such common belief on the basis of their learning or transmit
it across the generations
A symbol is something verbal or nonverbal, Symbols are usually linguistic (verbal)
while there are also nonverbal symbols, such as flags that stand for countries’
freedom
For hundreds and thousands of years, humans have shared “Abilities”. These abilities are to
learn, to think symbolically, to manipulate language, to use tools or other cultural products in
organizing their lives or in coping with their environments
Every contemporary human population has the ability to use symbols for maintaining the
culture. Our nearest relatives (chimpanzees and gorilla) have rudimentary (basic/simple)
cultural abilities. However, no other animal has possessed such cultural abilities; to learn, to
communicate, to store, to process, and use information—to that extent as Homo has
Culture Is Integrated
Cultures are not haphazard (chaotic) collections of customs and beliefs. Integration
means “organization of traits” into one another to make a complex whole(society).
The institutions, values, norms, roles, status all are organized together in a culture
A heap of bricks is not a house, The pieces of wood are not called a table, The
parts of watch can not called a watch until they are fitted into one another
All the institutions and groups of people are organized together/ interrelated to form
a unified social system in society ( the different parts of the culture are fitted
together to make function as a whole)
In family: the role of father, mother and their children are specified and they
perform their roles according to their social status in a culture. Such system of
relationship among the members is called family integration
Similarly all social systems, like education, family(marriage, kinship), religion,
political and recreation are culturally integrated
In a Culture, all parts are fitted in such a way that one depends upon
the other and withdrawal on one part will dysfunction the whole
culture. Like If one part of the system changes (e.g. the economy),
other parts change as well. (e.g. family, marriage, political, education)
For example, during the 1950s, most American’ women planned
domestic careers as homemakers and mothers. Work competes with
marriage and family’ responsibilities and reduces the time available to
invest in child care and family