STUDYING SHARED WAYS OF LIVING Cultural Anthropology

What is Culture? Culture consists of the abstract ideas, values and perceptions of the world that inform and are reflected in people’s behavior. Culture is shared by members of a society and leads to behaviors that are recognizable to that society. Culture is learned, not biologically inherited. Cultures are made of different components that act as an integrated whole. MANY definitions exist.

How has culture shaped this image?

Cultural reading now Read the word doc Listen, note any observations of this culture

Characteristics of Culture Culture is Learned  A form of ‘social heredity’.  Members of a culture are taught appropriate ways of finding food, sleep, shelter, companionship, sexual gratification, etc.  Other examples…, animal world…, culture vs. instinct. Culture is Shared  Allows actions of individuals to be intelligible to other members of their society.  Allows for predictions of how others may behave and to react accordingly.  Culture is not the same as Society (although they must coexist). Ex: American Society vs. a subway ride.

Characteristics of Culture II Certain biological characteristics come under the framework of culture.  Gender – are there more than 2 genders?  (Native Americans often have 3 or more genders)  Age – adulthood varies among cultures as do roles assigned to children  Adulthood is less a product of age (18 in U.S., 12 in others) but with completion of cultural rituals/rites of passage.

Characteristics of Culture III Subcultures – exist as part of a larger culture while maintaining a more inclusive set of values and behaviors.  Often based on ethnic divisions.  Ethnic characteristics include shared ancestry/origin, language, customs and traditional beliefs.  Ex: Amish: White Europeans in ‘race’, same as dominant strata of American society At the same time, exist as independent subgroup.

Pluralistic Societies Subgroups lead to pluralistic (multiethnic) societies. Arose with advent of centralized states (~5000ya) which allowed for political dominion over multiple cultural groups. Challenge is how to unite groups while preserving differences. Can lead to significant cultural misunderstandings  Pony story – Salt Lake City, man buys pony, owner asks intended purpose. Man replies “It’s for my son’s birthday”. Proceeds to club it to death with a 2x4 and pack it in his pickup truck. Police arrive at man’s home to find pony roasting in a luau pit. Man states (Tongan islander) “We don’t ride horses, we eat them”.

A pluralistic society

Symbolic nature of Culture Much of culture is symbolic. Symbols are arbitrary shapes/patterns until provided a specific meaning. Symbols acquire and maintain meaning when agreed upon by cultural group.  Examples: flags, money, hand gestures, religious iconography Most important symbolic aspect of culture is language.

Integration of Culture

Example of Cultural Integration Kapauku people of New Guinea  Infrastructure – plant cultivation, pig breeding, hunting and fishing  Social structure – polygyny is acceptable and highly desired  Superstructure - status within society (and how it is presented to the world) measured in pigs and ingenuity. How are these factors related to one another?

Example explained More pigs = more status Pigs require farming of sweet potatoes. Farming is work of women. To raise many pigs, many women are needed. Each wife requires an expensive bride price to be paid. Wives also need to be compensated for care of pigs. Polygyny requires surplus females  Warfare is common.  Only men may be killed in combat.

Culture changes Culture is adaptable  Can accommodate changes in people, surroundings and circumstances  If it is too rigid – fails to provide members with means for long-term survival under changing conditions.  If too fluid – members lose sense of shared identity.  Ex: Amish – maintain identity but allow for small carefully considered changes to continue to survive in N. American society.

Culture and Adaptation Culture changes in response to external factors.  Ex from changing population density:  Small groups can dispose of garbage and human wastes in multiple ways with no ill effects.  Large groups must modify their patterns to avoid serious health risks. Culture also changes due to changing perceptions.  Increased mobility has led to…  Internet has led to expectation of readily available information.  High speed mobile networks have led to the expectation of instantaneous communication.

Evaluating Culture Ethnocentrism Cultural Relativism Can one judge another culture?