WHAT IS CULTURE?WHAT IS CULTURE?

CULTURECULTURE

is a key concept in is a key concept in anthropology. The term is anthropology. The term is now widely adopted by other now widely adopted by other social sciences and social sciences and humanities. Despite its humanities. Despite its common usage in everyday common usage in everyday reference the term “culture” reference the term “culture” as employed in anthropology as employed in anthropology does have a more specific does have a more specific meaning.meaning.

CULTURECULTURE

has been defined in has been defined in various ways but most various ways but most anthropologists would anthropologists would agree on the following agree on the following definition:definition:

CULTURE is the customary CULTURE is the customary behavior, beliefs, values and behavior, beliefs, values and ideals that are passed on through ideals that are passed on through the generations among members the generations among members of a social group. Culture can be of a social group. Culture can be thought of as the total life way of thought of as the total life way of a group encompassing its symbolic a group encompassing its symbolic beliefs.beliefs.

The key ideas within the The key ideas within the concept of culture are:concept of culture are:

1) that culture is 1) that culture is sharedshared among a group.among a group.

2) that culture is 2) that culture is learned by by members of a social group members of a social group not genetically inherited. not genetically inherited. The process of learning The process of learning one’s culture is termed one’s culture is termed ““enculturationenculturation”.”.

3) that culture is 3) that culture is integratedintegrated, i.e. change in , i.e. change in one aspect of a culture can one aspect of a culture can bring change to other parts.bring change to other parts.

4) that culture is 4) that culture is adaptiveadaptive, , its ways changing in response its ways changing in response to new circumstances and to new circumstances and new influences. Within any new influences. Within any culture there is more or less culture there is more or less room for diversity and room for diversity and dissention.dissention.

In anthropology we are In anthropology we are interested in studying cultural interested in studying cultural behavior and beliefs, i.e. we behavior and beliefs, i.e. we are interested in what people are interested in what people do and why they do it; what do and why they do it; what people say and why they say people say and why they say it.it.

What we are NOT interested What we are NOT interested in doing is judging other in doing is judging other people’s culture by our own people’s culture by our own cultural standards. cultural standards.

To judge others’ culture by To judge others’ culture by our own standards would be our own standards would be termed “termed “ethnocentricethnocentric”. ”.

We define ethnocentrism as We define ethnocentrism as the tendency to view one’s the tendency to view one’s own culture as superior and own culture as superior and apply one’s own cultural apply one’s own cultural values in judging the behavior values in judging the behavior and beliefs of people from and beliefs of people from other cultures.other cultures.