What Is Culture?
Culture refers to a group’s beliefs, values, traditions and social norms. It can also include things like language, cuisine and music. It’s also considered to be a mental construct that shapes how people think and feel. Many cultures have developed over the course of history and are still being shaped today. In fact, one could argue that the human race is a collection of cultures.
Essentially, when it comes to the human mind and body, culture is everything that makes you who you are. It’s a collection of mental and physical traits that help you to navigate the world around you and connect with other people. It also influences what you believe and want in life. It’s important to note that not all cultures are the same and that there is no one set of traditions that is superior to another. A belief that your own culture is superior to others’ is called ethnocentrism and can lead to violence and even genocide.
People who study culture often look at how it relates to the past. In particular, cultural historians seek to understand how past events shaped the beliefs and values of those who lived in a certain time period. They also analyze the way in which cultural artifacts – such as paintings, monuments and music – shape our perception of the past.
A complex interpretive process shapes the meanings that things have for people and the way in which they relate to each other. This is known as the ‘circuits of culture’ (du Gay et al, 1997). These five interconnected processes include representation, identification, production, consumption and regulation.
While many things can influence an individual’s sense of culture, the most important factor is how a person’s core values are shaped. These are broadly held tendencies to prefer certain states of affairs over others (good-evil, right-wrong, natural-unnatural). In turn, these values can influence a person’s actions in various ways.
Whether a person’s values are influenced by culture or not, they will likely find themselves immersed in culture on a daily basis. This is because most of the world’s cultures are constantly influencing each other. Moreover, most of the world’s cultural artifacts have been taken from other cultures at some point in the past and now reside in museums across the globe.
Museums are often criticized for not returning these cultural artifacts to their original owners, as they are seen as the epitome of Western culture. However, it is also important to remember that the cultures of indigenous peoples were also shaped by the colonialism that occurred in their areas.
Culture refers to a group’s beliefs, values, traditions and social norms. It can also include things like language, cuisine and music. It’s also considered to be a mental construct that shapes how people think and feel. Many cultures have developed over the course of history and are still being shaped today. In fact, one could argue that the human race is a collection of cultures. Essentially, when it comes to the human mind and body, culture is everything that makes you who you are. It’s a collection of mental and physical traits that help you to navigate the world around you and connect with other people. It also influences what you believe and want in life. It’s important to note that not all cultures are the same and that there is no one set of traditions that is superior to another. A belief that your own culture is superior to others’ is called ethnocentrism and can lead to violence and even genocide. People who study culture often look at how it relates to the past. In particular, cultural historians seek to understand how past events shaped the beliefs and values of those who lived in a certain time period. They also analyze the way in which cultural artifacts – such as paintings, monuments and music – shape our perception of the past. A complex interpretive process shapes the meanings that things have for people and the way in which they relate to each other. This is known as the ‘circuits of culture’ (du Gay et al, 1997). These five interconnected processes include representation, identification, production, consumption and regulation. While many things can influence an individual’s sense of culture, the most important factor is how a person’s core values are shaped. These are broadly held tendencies to prefer certain states of affairs over others (good-evil, right-wrong, natural-unnatural). In turn, these values can influence a person’s actions in various ways. Whether a person’s values are influenced by culture or not, they will likely find themselves immersed in culture on a daily basis. This is because most of the world’s cultures are constantly influencing each other. Moreover, most of the world’s cultural artifacts have been taken from other cultures at some point in the past and now reside in museums across the globe. Museums are often criticized for not returning these cultural artifacts to their original owners, as they are seen as the epitome of Western culture. However, it is also important to remember that the cultures of indigenous peoples were also shaped by the colonialism that occurred in their areas.