What Is Culture?
A wide-ranging term, culture encompasses the arts, beliefs and institutions of human societies. It can also refer to a particular group of people such as an ethnicity or region of the world. The word comes from the Latin “cultura” meaning ‘to cultivate’ and has a long history of usage, going back to references to tending to crops and even to spiritual growth. Today, it is used to describe all the ways that a society organizes itself around its values and attitudes.
The modern technical definition of culture was developed by nineteenth-century British anthropologist Edward Tylor. It includes the socially transmitted patterns of behavior, arts and ideas in a group or community and all its other products. It is distinguished from genetically transmitted traits such as physical appearance, which are common to all members of a species and can be passed on through generations.
One of the most important aspects of culture are its values. Values can be expressed through art, music, and writing and are the guiding principles that drive people in a culture. They often reflect a society’s ideals, and can range from ethical and moral codes of conduct to social and familial traditions. Values can also be a reflection of a society’s economic system and the broader sociopolitical environment.
Another facet of culture is material culture, which consists of the objects that a society makes and uses. These include the buildings, technological gadgets and clothing, as well as film, music and literature. Material culture can be seen in the way that a city develops into districts with unique shops and restaurants that cater to a specific ethnicity, such as Chinatown in the United States. It can also be seen in the use of distinct architectural styles on a national level, such as the neoclassical style of homes in American colonies in Africa built by freed slaves.
Non-material culture is less tangible but no less vital. This includes the norms, laws and customs that govern a society. It is the set of rules that dictates how members of a society interact with each other. These rules can be derived from religion, law or family, or may be created by the community itself through custom and tradition. They can also be informed by the experiences and beliefs of a society’s ancestors, for example in how the rules are established and enforced.
A key aspect of culture is that it is dynamic. It changes in response to external forces and internal pressures, as well as in response to changing demographics. The resulting change can be rapid, as is the case with new technologies and trends in popular culture such as television shows or fashion. It can also be gradual, as in the case of deeper societal values such as individualism or a belief in freedom. Regardless of the speed of change, all parts of culture are interrelated and form an intricate whole. This is why it is so hard to define the boundaries of a culture.
A wide-ranging term, culture encompasses the arts, beliefs and institutions of human societies. It can also refer to a particular group of people such as an ethnicity or region of the world. The word comes from the Latin “cultura” meaning ‘to cultivate’ and has a long history of usage, going back to references to tending to crops and even to spiritual growth. Today, it is used to describe all the ways that a society organizes itself around its values and attitudes. The modern technical definition of culture was developed by nineteenth-century British anthropologist Edward Tylor. It includes the socially transmitted patterns of behavior, arts and ideas in a group or community and all its other products. It is distinguished from genetically transmitted traits such as physical appearance, which are common to all members of a species and can be passed on through generations. One of the most important aspects of culture are its values. Values can be expressed through art, music, and writing and are the guiding principles that drive people in a culture. They often reflect a society’s ideals, and can range from ethical and moral codes of conduct to social and familial traditions. Values can also be a reflection of a society’s economic system and the broader sociopolitical environment. Another facet of culture is material culture, which consists of the objects that a society makes and uses. These include the buildings, technological gadgets and clothing, as well as film, music and literature. Material culture can be seen in the way that a city develops into districts with unique shops and restaurants that cater to a specific ethnicity, such as Chinatown in the United States. It can also be seen in the use of distinct architectural styles on a national level, such as the neoclassical style of homes in American colonies in Africa built by freed slaves. Non-material culture is less tangible but no less vital. This includes the norms, laws and customs that govern a society. It is the set of rules that dictates how members of a society interact with each other. These rules can be derived from religion, law or family, or may be created by the community itself through custom and tradition. They can also be informed by the experiences and beliefs of a society’s ancestors, for example in how the rules are established and enforced. A key aspect of culture is that it is dynamic. It changes in response to external forces and internal pressures, as well as in response to changing demographics. The resulting change can be rapid, as is the case with new technologies and trends in popular culture such as television shows or fashion. It can also be gradual, as in the case of deeper societal values such as individualism or a belief in freedom. Regardless of the speed of change, all parts of culture are interrelated and form an intricate whole. This is why it is so hard to define the boundaries of a culture.