THE SELF FROM

THE
ANTHROPOLOGIC
AL PERSPECTIVE
The Self Embedded in Culture
OBJECTIVES
After reading all the slides, you must have:
 explored the self from the perspectives of Anthropology;
 examined the cultural influences in shaping one’s self
 analyzed how these influences are manifested in real life situations.
from an FB Timeline Photo
INTRODUCTION
 Cultural Anthropology is the study of human culture and
society.
 It is the study of people – their origin, their development,
and contemporary variations, wherever and whenever those
have been found (Ferraro 2008).
 Culture on the other hand refers to the major way in which
human beings adapt to their environments and give meaning
to their lives.
 It includes human behaviour and ideas that are learned
rather than genetically transmitted, as well as the material
objects produced by a group of people (Nanda and Warren
2007).
 Anthropologist Clifford
Geertz in “The Impact of
the Concept of Culture
on the Concept of Man”
states that “. . . culture
provides the link between
what men are
intrinsically capable of
becoming and what they
actually, one by one, in
fact become.”
 This leads us to the
importance of culture in
understanding who we
are as human beings.
 Man acquires his knowledge, beliefs, morals, customs, and other
habits and capacities from his interactions with others in the
society where he belongs.
 We learn our cultural practices and traditions by listening,
talking, and interacting with other people.
 As a child we learn appropriate behaviour by observing and
copying the behaviour of adults.
 We express our feelings and make judgements of what is right
or what is wrong based on our interpretation of adults
behaviour.
 This serves to guide our own behaviour and perceptions
throughout life.
 Thus, our shared beliefs, values, memories, and expectations
bind us together who grow up in the same culture.
In Our World Now…
Television influences the language, traditions,
beliefs, knowledge and even personalities.
 Art ...
or just too much?
Rhian Ramos wears
nothing but a scarf
on magazine cover,
05 March 2013
Changes in the
various areas of
human relations
and lifestyles.
Clifford Geertz
1926 - 2006

“Culture is also not

a force or causal
agent in the world,
but a context in
which people live
out their lives.”
1.How do you feel about the
slides?

2. What
is the main
message
to YOU?