Culture can be defined as:
a shared, learned, symbolic system of values, beliefs and attitudes that shapes and influences perception and behavior — an abstract “mental blueprint” or “mental code.”
Must be studied “indirectly” by studying behavior, customs, material culture (artifacts, tools, technology), language, etc.
1) Learned. Process of learning one’s culture is called
enculturation.
2) Shared by the members of a society. No “culture of one.”
3) Patterned. People in a society live and think in ways that form definite patterns.
4) Mutually constructed through a constant process of social interaction.
5) Symbolic. Culture, language and thought are based on symbols and symbolic meanings.
6) Arbitrary. Not based on “natural laws” external to humans, but created by humans according to the “whims” of the society. Example: standards of beauty.
7) Internalized. Habitual. Taken-for-granted. Perceived as “natural.”
IMPORTANT– THIS IS YOUR ASSIGNED READING FOR THIS UNIT:
Culture – Ferraro Ch. 2 and a link to the University of California at Palomar website where you should read the following: 1. What is Culture?; 2. Characteristics of Culture; and 3. Methods of Learning About Culture.
terms and concepts to know:
adaptive nature of culture
arbitrary nature of culture
civilization
cultural diffusion
cultural universals:
–nine common areas
–Murdock’s 70 cultural universals
culture shock
enculturation
eschatology
ethnocentrism
innovations
learning vs. instinct
monochronic culture vs. polychronic culture
organic analogy or functional approach to culture study
photographic approach to culture study
pluralistic societies
small-scale society
subculture
symbols
the three components of culture:
–material objects (everything people have)
–ideas, values, attitudes (everything people think)
–behavior patterns (everything people do)
What you should be able to discuss:
The way that the components of culture work together to shape a culture’s worldview
The purpose and role of subcultures in a dominant culture
Why societal norms are never adhered to strictly
How cultures change
These analogies:
–culture is like grammar
–culture is like a game
–culture is like an iceberg
I like these questions:
Why do anthropologists study culture? What are some of the potential pitfalls in studying someone else’s culture?
What is your favorite description of culture?
Have you ever had an experience where you realized you had crossed into someone else’s culture? What was it that let you know this was the case?
Why is there often a disconnect between what a culture believes about itself and what actually occurs in a society?