The Idea of Culture What is Culture?

What are we without culture? Almost everything is learned Facial expressions, how we eat, how we bathe, how we communicate, how we interact with people, how we move

Defining Culture 1. Cultures are learned through enculturation 2. Cultures involve symbols 3. Cultures are logical patterns 4. Cultures are shared by members of a group 5. Cultures help us adapt 6. Cultures are subject to change

Defining Culture Many definitions Anthropologists varying opinions on fundamental aspects of culture Symbols and practices Common history Personality Adapt to environment Physical and economic experience Mental template Myths and customs Genetic coding

1. Cultures are learned We learn how to do things in socially acceptable ways We have a long childhood Social birth – the point at which one is considered a human being and member of society

2. Cultures involve symbols We use symbols to organize our world Lets you know what is important Cognitive anthropology – study of a culture’s system of organization Structural anthropology – studies patterns or universals in organization systems What do sports symbolize?

3. Cultures are logical patterns Cultures are composed of parts that make sense to each other Subsistence system provides food Kinship and political systems determine distribution of food Religion provides motivation for the distribution system Functionalists look for such connections

3. Cultures are logical patterns Ecological functionalists say such patterns are in place for environmental reasons Despite famine, Indian Hindu taboo on eating beef prevails Cows are more valuable as sources of fertilizer and draft animals for farming

3. Cultures are logical patterns? But all aspects of culture don’t always work together smoothly Neo-evolutionists study social change and see conflict between parts of a culture as key source of change

4. Cultures are shared by members of a group Norms – ideas members of a culture share about the way things should be done Values – shared ideas about what is true and right that guide a society

4. Cultures are shared by members of a group Norms and values are hard to pin down Actions don’t always agree How many people have to agree? Subculture – groups within a society that share norms and values different from those of the dominant culture

5. Cultures help us adapt People develop knowledge and technology that allow then to get energy from the environment and make life secure This knowledge is passed on Plasticity – the ability to change behavior in response to demands Example: Karen house, museum

5. Cultures help us adapt Disadvantage – when misinformation creeps in to cultural practices Example: Brawndo in Idiocracy

6. Cultures are subject to change All cultures change Small increments of drastic bursts Internal or external influence Innovation – new object, thought, or behavior eg. Firing clay into pottery Diffusion – when innovations move from one culture to another through trade, travel, warfare

6. Cultures are subject to change Innovation and diffusion still struggle for acceptance The same thing found in a different culture may have different meaning Transculturation – cultural traits are transformed as they are adopted