The Importance of Culture
Culture is the accumulated behaviors, ideas and beliefs of a group of people. It includes social habits and customs, arts and crafts, language, religion, cuisine, music, clothing and more. It can be a force for oppression and domination but it can also be a force for creativity, resistance and liberation. It is a deeply important aspect of human life and society.
Cultural is a term that is often used by archeologists and anthropologists but it also has applications in sociology, psychology, history and more. The study of a particular culture can reveal a great deal about that culture and how it relates to other cultures.
Sociology of culture focuses on how cultures manifest themselves in society and it also considers the ways in which cultures influence one another. For example, the sociologist Georg Simmel believed that culture was formed through interaction with external forms that are objectified and given meaning through the linguistic process. The linguist Max Weber believed that language and the articulation of meanings were a key component of culture.
The word culture derives from the Latin verb colere, meaning to cultivate or take care of. It refers to a system of behavior and symbols that a group accepts, generally without thinking about it, and passes down from generation to generation. It is a way of life that differs from culture to culture and can affect how people think, act, and relate to one another.
When studying culture, it is important to distinguish between non-material and material culture. Non-material culture is the beliefs, values, morals and other things that a people hold to be important in their lives and in the formation of their culture. It is these beliefs and values that are important to the anthropologist when studying culture.
On the other hand, material culture is the physical evidence of a people’s cultural beliefs and practices in their everyday objects and surroundings. This can be found in archaeological and anthropological studies but also is very important for the businessperson when planning a market for an international company.
A marketing company must take into consideration the different aspects of a particular culture when designing its strategies. For example, the use of certain colors in a marketing campaign might be inappropriate in some cultures. It would be necessary to understand how a culture perceives the colors and what they mean in that culture in order to develop an effective strategy for a successful marketing campaign.
Some cultures are more prone to cultural appropriation than others. For instance, the British Museum is currently defending itself against the Greek government’s request to return the Parthenon marbles. The Greeks argue that the artifacts were stolen by a colonial power and that they should be returned to their rightful home. This issue illustrates how culture impacts people’s behaviors and what it can do to people when it is abused or taken advantage of. The impact of the culture on people’s behavior can be broad, deep and complex.
Culture is the accumulated behaviors, ideas and beliefs of a group of people. It includes social habits and customs, arts and crafts, language, religion, cuisine, music, clothing and more. It can be a force for oppression and domination but it can also be a force for creativity, resistance and liberation. It is a deeply important aspect of human life and society. Cultural is a term that is often used by archeologists and anthropologists but it also has applications in sociology, psychology, history and more. The study of a particular culture can reveal a great deal about that culture and how it relates to other cultures. Sociology of culture focuses on how cultures manifest themselves in society and it also considers the ways in which cultures influence one another. For example, the sociologist Georg Simmel believed that culture was formed through interaction with external forms that are objectified and given meaning through the linguistic process. The linguist Max Weber believed that language and the articulation of meanings were a key component of culture. The word culture derives from the Latin verb colere, meaning to cultivate or take care of. It refers to a system of behavior and symbols that a group accepts, generally without thinking about it, and passes down from generation to generation. It is a way of life that differs from culture to culture and can affect how people think, act, and relate to one another. When studying culture, it is important to distinguish between non-material and material culture. Non-material culture is the beliefs, values, morals and other things that a people hold to be important in their lives and in the formation of their culture. It is these beliefs and values that are important to the anthropologist when studying culture. On the other hand, material culture is the physical evidence of a people’s cultural beliefs and practices in their everyday objects and surroundings. This can be found in archaeological and anthropological studies but also is very important for the businessperson when planning a market for an international company. A marketing company must take into consideration the different aspects of a particular culture when designing its strategies. For example, the use of certain colors in a marketing campaign might be inappropriate in some cultures. It would be necessary to understand how a culture perceives the colors and what they mean in that culture in order to develop an effective strategy for a successful marketing campaign. Some cultures are more prone to cultural appropriation than others. For instance, the British Museum is currently defending itself against the Greek government’s request to return the Parthenon marbles. The Greeks argue that the artifacts were stolen by a colonial power and that they should be returned to their rightful home. This issue illustrates how culture impacts people’s behaviors and what it can do to people when it is abused or taken advantage of. The impact of the culture on people’s behavior can be broad, deep and complex.