1. What is Cultural Anthropology?
Tuesday February 26th, 2013
What is Cultural Anthropology?
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What is culture?
Debate about the factors that influence human behavior, attitudes and other aspects of culture. At one time it was believed that inherited characteristics directed human behavior (and thus culture)- people in different cultures behaved in ways that were inherited from their parents.
However anthropologists began to believe that culture was not an inherited, biological entity, but culture emerged as people learnt to adapt to their environment in order to survive.
Anthropologists now define culture as all the learned behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, values and ideals of a particular society.
What is culture?
How do cultural anthropologists study culture?

2. Learning Goals
We will understand what culture and cultural anthropology is
We will understand how culture varies over time and between places and societies
We will understand how culture represents an important social force that contributes to an individuals personal and social development

3. Learning Goals Cont.
We will understand how cultural anthropologists investigate culture and we will discuss any limitations or disadvantages inherent in their methods
We will how cultural anthropologists aim to challenge ethnocentric views of “the other”

4. What is Culture?
Culture is a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, and behaviors.
Culture can be seen in physical objects and human activities, but much of culture is unseen.
Study of the seen aspects of culture can lead to understanding of the unseen aspects of culture.
For example; the food people eat reveals much about a culture.
To an anthropologist, culture means any information about behavior that is transmitted from one person to another and that enables people to live together successfully.

5. Characteristics of Culture
Material aspects: physical objects humans create and give meaning to – clothes, food, cars, wheels, schools, books, and everything else we physically have and use
Non-material aspects: thoughts, behaviors, values, ideas about the world, language, rules, customs, skills, myths, family patterns and political systems
Attitudes- “knowledge about your ancestors makes you a better person”
Behaviors- not eating with your fingers, or only eating with your fingers, depending on culture
Non- material aspects can be understood easier as two further categories of attitudes that are acceptable (for example, “people of all races are equal”, “knowledge about your ancestors makes you a better person”

6. What is Canadian Culture?
Read out perspectives of Canadians and non-Canadians regarding Canadian culture, do you agree, disagree? Why or why not?

8. What is YOUR Culture? Food Beliefs Family Traditions Miss Thompson
Wedding traditions
Death traditions – buried, cremated, funeral, wake, have urns around the house
Birth traditions- celebrate each year your exit from the womb – cake, balloons, presents

9. How do Cultural Anthropologists Study Culture?
What are some of the challenges cultural anthropologists may encounter?
What are some possible limitations to cultural anthropologists method of study?
Much like Jane Goodal, who was a physical anthropologist, cultural anthropologists will immerse themselves in the culture they are studying and will participate in society and take detailed notes. Margaret Mead was one of the most famous early anthropologists. A cultural anthropologist, she began her career studying the cultures of the Pacific islands. Although many consider her to be the most famous anthropologist who ever lived, later researchers accused her of using sloppy methods: relying to heavily on personal stories and too little on gathering objective statistics, they argued
Unfamiliar conditions, diet and hygiene
– objectivity difficult when immersed in culture, participants may act in different ways because of observers, observer may influence the way the people behave- reciprocal influence,
When a culture has defined gender roles, where one gender is not welcome (for example a bridal shower, the existence of a male anthropologist may change the behavior of the women or the anthropologist may not be allowed to be present during certain activities and may miss out on important traditions within a culture)

10. Indonesian Baby Smokes 40 Cigarettes a Day
On a piece of paper, write your initial reactions to the video
What assumptions have you made?
What key factors make this a social science issue? (Why would a social scientist (anthropologist in particular) be interested in this issue?
Assumed the mother is MIA, father is not a responsible, caring parent
What makes this a social science issue? – Tension- cigarettes are bad for you, health implications however health and longevity may be Western ideals.

11. Concepts:
Ethnocentrism: a) An underlying belief and assumption that one’s ethnic group or culture is morally superior and is the standard on which other cultures should be measured b) The tendency to view and judge other cultures through your own culture’s perspective
Cultural relativism: cultural norms and values derive their meaning from particular social contexts a) Ethical and moral standards are relative to what a specific society/culture believes to be good/bad or right/wrong b) Because there is no single, universal standard of morality, no one ethnic group can claim to be superior

12. Applying the Concepts of Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism to the Issue:
Key Factors and Tensions:
Journalistic ethics – how did this become a story and seen by over 18 million via You Tube, and whose point of view is defining the issue? –why are we so fascinated by it
Little information is given about who the reporter is, and from where he comes from- what social context is framing the “LENS” in which the reporter interprets this story
Lack of understanding of the ideology, expectations/norms, and techniques of socialization that frame the cultural context [ of the boy] but strong sense of moral judgment underlying the story
Unknown WHO the reporter is, where he comes from, what social context is framing the LENS in which HE interprets this story

13. Key Factors and Tensions Continued:
Health and investment in the future are held extremely highly in Northern/ Western cultures such as in the U. K. (from where the video came) and Canada
To what extent are we imposing that value onto a specific cultural context?
Why would a parent not value long term health?
To what extent is this story more an example of ethnocentrism than of a strong and critical analysis of a social problem?

14. Anthropology: Identifying Factors and Tensions in the Issue
The tension inherent to applying universal values to specific local contexts (especially to cultures considered 'Other’)
Human Rights, Child Rights? Universally accepted?
The danger of making a situation worse when trying to 'solve' a problem without acknowledging and reflecting on key assumptions

15. Cultural Relativism: a moral predicament
While relativism suggests we respect and not judge others by our own standards, often there is a moral dilemma involved
Relativistic Fallacy : The mistake that is impossible to make moral judgments about the beliefs and behaviours of members of other cultures

16. Major Goal of Cultural Anthropology
To combat ethnocentrism
To challenge relativistic fallacy

17. Do Cultures Have Common Characteristics?
Culture is learned
Culture is shared
Culture defines nature
Culture shapes how we perceive and understand the world
Culture has patterns

18. Learning Goals
We will understand what culture and cultural anthropology is
We will understand how culture varies over time and between places and societies
We will understand how culture represents an important social force that contributes to an individuals personal and social development
We will understand how cultural anthropologists investigate culture and we will discuss any limitations or disadvantages inherent in their methods
We will how cultural anthropologists aim to challenge ethnocentric views of “the other”