1. THE CONCEPT OF CULTURE

2. Culture
Set of learned behaviours and ideas that are characteristic of a particular society or other social group
Edward Tylor introduced the concept of culture as an explanation of the differences among human societies
“that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities acquired by man as a member of society."
Includes beliefs, values, ideals, and attitudes….and also unspoken rules or ideas behind our behavior. That shape ang guide perception of reality.

3. Material Culture Products of customary behaviour
Houses, tools, musical instruments

7. Society
Group of people who occupy a particular territory and speak a common language not understood by neighbouring people
Societies do not always correspond with country borders
Example: Some African countries’ borders reflect their colonial history moreso than the distribution of different cultural groups. Although many kinds of groups can have a culture, anthropologists are mostly concerned with culture at the societal level.

8. Subculture Commonly shared customs of a smaller group within a society
the Amish live much as many other Americans did before the Industrial Revolution, in rural areas typically without electricity or most modern conveniences that many of us take for granted. They wear simple clothing and believe that too great a focus on individuality distracts from the devotion to God; likewise, technology interferes with this devotion as well as family connections. On reason the Amish tend to live in separate communities is that they view the outside world as a threat to their religion and culture.

9. Defining Features of Culture
Culture is commonly shared
Culture is socially learned
If only one person does something, it represent his or her personal habit, not a pattern of culture. For something to be cultural, it must be commonly shared by a group or population. Even if it is not shared by 100% of the population, but is still a common view, it is cultural. There is always individual variation. Must also be socially learned. Enculturation is the process by which a child learns his or her culture. Culture is learned through both direct instruction and through observation (both conscious and unconscious). experience and participation Human infants are genetically predisposed to rapidly learn language and other cultural traits.  Any normal baby can be placed into any family on earth and grow up to learn their culture and accept it as his or her own.  Since culture is non-instinctive, we are not genetically programmed to learn a particular one.

10. Language Spoken, symbolic communication
Symbol - something verbal or nonverbal that comes to stand for something else
Makes it very easy to transmit information

11. Ethnocentrism
Belief that your culture’s own behaviours and attitudes are the correct ones and that people who do not share them are immoral or inferior
Judgement of other cultures by the standards of your own culture
Has both positive and negative consequences
Positive side: it creates social solidarity within the group
Negative: can lead to harmful discrimination against people whose ways differ from ours
Things that hinder study of culture….ethnocentrism Not only does it make it difficult for you to understand other cultures, but also to understand your own, because if you think youre way is the right way, then you don’t bother to ask why we do things the way we do
not only does it impede crosscultural understanding. It might even led to outright harfm discrinimation and prejudice. at first enthrnocentrism seems like a bad thing, but it does servea purpose: if this is how everyone in a social group feel,s it contributes to their social solardariy and theur loyalty to each other. However, very harmful when cultures class and no effort ism ade to put aside ethnocentric views.

13. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures By Anne Fadiman

14. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures By Anne Fadiman
Clash between Hmong refugee family from Laos and American doctors at small California hospital
Six year old Lia’s diagnosis:
Family and Tvix neeb: Quag dab peg “The Spirit catches you and you fall down”
American Doctors: Epilepsy

16. Cultural Relativism
A society’s customs and beliefs should be described objectively and understood in the context of that society’s problems and opportunities
At first, this seems like the solution to ethnocentrism and a bridge to understanding other people. And it indeed is very useful for understanding other cultures.

17. Dancing with a Ghost: Exploring Indian Reality By Rupert Ross
“We are not seeing, despite what we seem to be seeing….”
Rupert Ross is not an anthropologist but a Canadian lawyer who works with the Cree and Ojibway people of northwestern Ontario to make the Canadian court system more responsive to the needs of their communities. He began to write this book after growing confused and perplexed by the actions, reactions,and explanations of Native Americanvictms and witnesses that he interacted with

18. Dancing with a Ghost: Exploring Indian Reality By Rupert Ross
Rupert Ross - Canadian lawyer who works with the Cree and Ojibway people in Canadian court system
Rather than assume their behavior stems from principles similar to our own and judging it poorly for not conforming, we must realize its different because it stems from different principles.
He stresses that rather than assuming their behavior stems from principles similar to our own, and judging it badly because it does not conform to our typical beheavior, we must realize its different because it sems from different principles. They did things that made it seem like they just didn’t care.

19. Dancing with a Ghost: Exploring Indian Reality By Rupert Ross
Example: Non-interference – will not interfere in any way with the rights, privileges and activities of another person
Includes confrontation or criticism about behavior
Described by anthropologist Rosalie Wax in 1952
Might explain reluctance of witnesses to participate in confronting accused in court
This and the other “rules” outlined inthebook are not necessarily viewed assuch consciousely by ‘Native peoples of northeast Ontario. However, social scientist, including anthropologist as well as a psychologist, recongized this particular pattern for explaining the behavior of the population. It involves telling people what not to do including not offering advice. It extends to refraining from confronting people, oreven simply commenting on behavior in such a wayasto suggest they should behave diffferently is rude. It basically prihibits criticism. Informed by an elder that their traditional wayof resolving conflkicts, each party would be individually counselled to help rid him or her of hisorher badfeelings. Unlike iour cour ssytem, which is ideally supposed to dofact fidnging and discoverthetrurh to curb harmful activity, although it remainesto besaidwhether itactuallydoes, theirs was aimed at restoring peace and harmony not justto sicety at large butthoser specific individuals. To sit inacourt room in front of the accusedand others and cofnront the person,critcism them and chastise their behavior, goes against one of the values that shapestheir clulture.

20. Cultural Relativism & Human Rights
Idea of universal human rights challenges cultural relativism
Is there a moral/ethical code that is superior to any country, culture, or religion?
Cultural relativism does not preclude an anthropologist from respecting human rights
However, how does this apply when it comes to universal human rights?
Some argue that since cultures vary and each culture has its own unique moral system, we cannot make judgments about 'right' and 'wrong' in comparing one culture to another. Thus, one cannot reject any form of culturally acceptable homicide—for example, infanticide, senilicide, or 'honor' killing of women in Mediterranean and Middle East societies for alleged sexual misconduct—on moral grounds because cultural acceptance or condemnation are equally valid. Historically, anthropology as a discipline declined to participate in the international dialogues that produced conventions regarding human rights, mainly due to philosophical constraints stemming from cultural relativism. the Executive Board of the American Anthropological Association decided in 1947 not to participate in the discussions that produced the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), used subsequently as a foundation for opposition to authoritarian and politically repressive regimes. Since then some anthropologists have been active in cultural survival and human rights of threatened groups.
But anthropologists have spoken out against reprehensible practices such as genocide. They have testified in U.S. courts against government rules that impinge on the religious traditions or sacred lands of Native Americans. But there are other human rights issues, from domestic abuse to female circumcision to culturally based forms of homicide, about which anthropologists have remained silent. Thus, anthropologists have not built up accumulated experience in the area of human rights informed by cultural relativist considerations (1995:B1-2).
weak relativism…. See book

21. Describing a Culture: Individual Variation with a Culture
In any culture exists a range of permissible behaviour patterns
Anthropologists identify socially acceptable limits of variation
Anthropologists must identify socially acceptable limits of variation. Most of the time, there are limits that can be indentified. Observe people and eventually detect a pattern despite variation.
Range of Permissible Behavior Patterns

22. Describing a Culture: Cultural Constraints
Norms: standards or rules about acceptable behaviour
Cultural constraints
Direct
Indirect
Look up terms

23. Describing Culture: Ideal vs Actual Cultural Patterns
Culture’s ideals about how people in a particular situation should feel and behave
Enforced by cultural constraints
But sometimes people act outside ideals
Ideal may reflect the way society used to be, or may simply represent what people would like to see
(Mentioned 1st day) Everybody is equal before the LAW picture of two men

24. Describing Culture: Discovering Cultural Patterns
Direct observation and interviews
Random samples
Range of Permissible Behavior Patterns

25. Assumptions about Culture: Culture is general adaptive (nonbiological means of adaptation)
Certain behaviors may increase chances of survival in a particular society
Adaptive means it enhances survival and therefore reproductive success- so are likely to persist
Specific to a given society’s particular environment
Different societies might develop different adaptations to the same kind of environment
Hunter gatherers
Also maladapative traits, neutrally traits No one rght way to be.

26. Assumptions about Culture: Culture is mostly integrated
Culture as a system: changes in one aspect will likely generate changes in other aspects
Elements of culture are not random assortment, but are mostly adjusted or consistent with one another
Example from the book is how women in our society have transitioned from staying in the home as priamry child casre giver and domestic work to working outside the home. It’s changed other things too…

27. Assumptions about Culture: Culture is always changing
Changes over time
Internal causes include change of social or natural environment
External causes include influence of other cultures (diffusion)
Hunter gatherers
Diffusiion is change from outside, picking up traits from other groups

28. Assumptions about Culture: Culture is always changing
Hunter gatherers