What Is Cultural?
A broad and sometimes vague term, cultural is anything that people do or believe in that identifies them as part of a particular group, society or period in history. It includes the values, beliefs, systems of communication and information, art, law, education, language and other aspects of a social organization that define a culture. It differs from both the underlying biological structure of a community and its economic systems, but it informs them and is continuously informed by them as well.
While the word can have many different meanings, for anthropologists and sociologists it is most generally used to mean all learned human behavior patterns that are transmitted through nongenetic means. In this sense, the pioneer English anthropologist Edward Tylor introduced the concept in 1871. In medicine, the term also refers to the growth of microorganisms or other cells in a nutrient medium.
It is generally thought that culture provides the framework through which a community develops its identity and character and that it serves to control its destiny and ensure its continuity over time. It also determines how successful a society is in surviving the natural environment, whether it is through hunting and gathering, agricultural or technological advancements. For example, it has been established that some cultures are more successful in surviving diseases or providing food for their members than others through traditional means of survival.
Anthropologists and sociologists also use the term to describe the whole set of cultural activities and the various artefacts a society produces. In the past, historians have also incorporated the term into their studies of historical events and movements, e.g., a historian of the Reformation might view it as a clash of cultures based on the religious tenets and the resulting battle for power between confessional factions.
In some cases, the term is used to denote a high culture associated with a social elite and a low culture of working class citizens, but it can be applied to any aspect of a society. The term has also been used to describe the differences in culture between different ethnic groups or age brackets, but it can also apply to individual characteristics like a preference for certain types of music, literature and clothing.
As the number of human species continues to grow and spread around the world, it becomes increasingly important to understand how culture influences all aspects of the human experience. For example, the study of how a culture developed in one area can shed light on the reasons why a similar cultural development occurred elsewhere, and this knowledge may lead to more efficient ways of managing resources or mitigating the effects of disasters or disease. This is especially true of the interaction between indigenous and colonial societies. The relationship between cultural artefacts and their place in museums and other public institutions is a complex issue, with the need to preserve cultural heritage often in conflict with the need to share it freely.
A broad and sometimes vague term, cultural is anything that people do or believe in that identifies them as part of a particular group, society or period in history. It includes the values, beliefs, systems of communication and information, art, law, education, language and other aspects of a social organization that define a culture. It differs from both the underlying biological structure of a community and its economic systems, but it informs them and is continuously informed by them as well. While the word can have many different meanings, for anthropologists and sociologists it is most generally used to mean all learned human behavior patterns that are transmitted through nongenetic means. In this sense, the pioneer English anthropologist Edward Tylor introduced the concept in 1871. In medicine, the term also refers to the growth of microorganisms or other cells in a nutrient medium. It is generally thought that culture provides the framework through which a community develops its identity and character and that it serves to control its destiny and ensure its continuity over time. It also determines how successful a society is in surviving the natural environment, whether it is through hunting and gathering, agricultural or technological advancements. For example, it has been established that some cultures are more successful in surviving diseases or providing food for their members than others through traditional means of survival. Anthropologists and sociologists also use the term to describe the whole set of cultural activities and the various artefacts a society produces. In the past, historians have also incorporated the term into their studies of historical events and movements, e.g., a historian of the Reformation might view it as a clash of cultures based on the religious tenets and the resulting battle for power between confessional factions. In some cases, the term is used to denote a high culture associated with a social elite and a low culture of working class citizens, but it can be applied to any aspect of a society. The term has also been used to describe the differences in culture between different ethnic groups or age brackets, but it can also apply to individual characteristics like a preference for certain types of music, literature and clothing. As the number of human species continues to grow and spread around the world, it becomes increasingly important to understand how culture influences all aspects of the human experience. For example, the study of how a culture developed in one area can shed light on the reasons why a similar cultural development occurred elsewhere, and this knowledge may lead to more efficient ways of managing resources or mitigating the effects of disasters or disease. This is especially true of the interaction between indigenous and colonial societies. The relationship between cultural artefacts and their place in museums and other public institutions is a complex issue, with the need to preserve cultural heritage often in conflict with the need to share it freely.