What is Culture?
Culture is a priceless part of human life, something that cannot be assigned monetary value or explained with cold logic. It consists of shared language, ideas, beliefs, pastimes, customs and traditions that make it possible for people to identify with others who have similar traits and values. In this sense, it differs from race, ethnicity and religion, though it may overlap with them in some instances. It is also sometimes used to distinguish members of self-organizing groups from other human beings.
The term is a slippery concept, and definitions vary widely. Some anthropologists and sociologists use it to refer to the particular behaviours of a particular group, such as Hasidic Jewish culture or Italian culture, while others, like the historian Rein Raud, apply it more broadly to all socially constructed aspects of life that are distinctive to humans, including the tools they use (such as stone axes), the way they organize themselves into a community, the ways they work together, and the values they hold. He also includes cultural memory as an essential component of culture.
A resurgence of interest in cultural history has developed, which seeks to examine the meaning and significance of past culture in its broadest possible sense. It seeks to re-link the study of culture with a tradition of historical study, and explores a wide range of topics, from parades in 19th-century America to 16th-century Spanish texts, from English medical writing to the visual practices implied by Italian Renaissance frescoes. It draws on a variety of theoretical touchstones, including Jurgen Habermas’s formulation of the public sphere and Clifford Geertz’s notion of a “thick description” of cultures.
An important theme in the debate over culture is whether it can be defined and described, and if so, how. Some anthropologists and sociologists take a fundamentalist view, which treats certain key characteristics as the definition of a culture, and assumes that all its members share those traits. This is rejected by many historians.
Cultures are means to an end – security and continuity of existence – and some cultures do a better job of this than others. For example, some cultures provide a more secure food supply than others through agriculture, and other cultural features, such as the veneration of the dead or the practice of a specific sport, help to prevent the spread of disease. Some cultures are also more effective at coping with disasters. This is reflected in the mortality rates of different societies.
Culture is a priceless part of human life, something that cannot be assigned monetary value or explained with cold logic. It consists of shared language, ideas, beliefs, pastimes, customs and traditions that make it possible for people to identify with others who have similar traits and values. In this sense, it differs from race, ethnicity and religion, though it may overlap with them in some instances. It is also sometimes used to distinguish members of self-organizing groups from other human beings. The term is a slippery concept, and definitions vary widely. Some anthropologists and sociologists use it to refer to the particular behaviours of a particular group, such as Hasidic Jewish culture or Italian culture, while others, like the historian Rein Raud, apply it more broadly to all socially constructed aspects of life that are distinctive to humans, including the tools they use (such as stone axes), the way they organize themselves into a community, the ways they work together, and the values they hold. He also includes cultural memory as an essential component of culture. A resurgence of interest in cultural history has developed, which seeks to examine the meaning and significance of past culture in its broadest possible sense. It seeks to re-link the study of culture with a tradition of historical study, and explores a wide range of topics, from parades in 19th-century America to 16th-century Spanish texts, from English medical writing to the visual practices implied by Italian Renaissance frescoes. It draws on a variety of theoretical touchstones, including Jurgen Habermas’s formulation of the public sphere and Clifford Geertz’s notion of a “thick description” of cultures. An important theme in the debate over culture is whether it can be defined and described, and if so, how. Some anthropologists and sociologists take a fundamentalist view, which treats certain key characteristics as the definition of a culture, and assumes that all its members share those traits. This is rejected by many historians. Cultures are means to an end – security and continuity of existence – and some cultures do a better job of this than others. For example, some cultures provide a more secure food supply than others through agriculture, and other cultural features, such as the veneration of the dead or the practice of a specific sport, help to prevent the spread of disease. Some cultures are also more effective at coping with disasters. This is reflected in the mortality rates of different societies.