CULTURE

WHAT IS CULTURE?

 Culture can best be defined in what attributes we

acquire through being a part of a particular
society
 The process through which we learn culture is
enculturation
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPXoKV-Mo-
E
 CULTURE

 Culture is learned
 Daily interactions throughout our
life both consciously and
unconsciously helps us process
cultural traditions
 Traditions learned can be verbal or
non-verbal
 Cultural learning is equal for all
people in a society regardless of
individual personalities or capacities
 CULTURE

 Culture is Symbolic
 A symbol is something verbal (linguistic) or nonverbal,
within a particular language or culture, that comes to
stand for something else
 Nonverbal symbols can communicate different
meanings for different cultures
CULTURE

 Culture is Shared
 You can’t have an individual culture, i.e. there is
no culture of “Mr. Fox”
 Culture is shared with other people
 We feel more comfortable around people who
share our cultures
CULTURE

 Culture can help express our biology

 Example: We have the biological need to eat food. So
how do Hondurans eat throughout the day?
CULTURE

 Culture is integrated into social systems

 If societal systems change, it will most likely change
culture
 For example: How would the culture of Honduras
change if the economy decreased and poverty
increased?
 Any aspect of a culture that does not change with
societal changes is a core value
CULTURE

 Culture is Adaptive
 Humans can adapt their culture to their needs or their environment
 Example: In order to meet a cultural need of communication,
communication technology was invented and has evolved over time

 Culture is Maladaptive
 Some adaptions could be harmful in the long run.
 Example: Adaption to technology could cause an increase in
pollution.
CULTURE AND INDIVIDUALITY

 Culture is Contested
 Individual human beings always make up the cultural
system and are constrained by the rules of that system
 But humans aren’t robots who simply follow orders set
by the system, we can decided not to obey the system
 Because of that, there is a constant struggle within
societies to determine whose ideas will prevail
 UNIVERSALITY

 Universal Culture-
Anything biological,
psychological, social, or
cultural that exists in
every culture

 Examples?
 GENERALITY

 General Culture- A cultural

pattern or trait that exists in
some, but not all societies

 Examples?
PARTICULARITY

 Particular Culture- Cultural patterns or traditions

that are not widespread, but are confined to a
single place, culture, or society
 The goal of your research paper is identifying the
particularities of your chosen societies as it relates
to your topic
INTERNATIONAL CULTURE

 National culture- The beliefs, learned behavior

patterns, values, and institutions that are shared by
citizens of the same nation
 International culture- the term for cultural
traditions that extend beyond and across national
boundaries.
 Examples of a Honduran cultural aspects that are
both national and international?
SUBCULTURES

 Subcultures- Different cultural traditions associated

with subgroups in the same complex society
 Cultures also can be smaller than nations
 Although people who live in the same country partake in
a national cultural tradition, all nations also contain
diversity
 Examples in Honduras?
 ETHNOCENTRISM

 Ethnocentrism is the tendency to view

one’s own culture as superior and to use
one’s own standards and values in
judging outsiders
 However, in Anthropology we have to
appreciate diversity and respect that
something you may find disgusting is
something normal elsewhere
 During this class, I challenge you to
challenge your own personal
Ethnocentrism
CULTURE AND HUMAN RIGHTS

 Cultural Relativism- Idea that behavior should be

evaluated not by outside standards but in the context of
the culture in which it occurs
 Human rights- Rights based on justice and morality
beyond and superior to particular countries, cultures,
and religions
 Examples of cultural practices around the world that
might be culturally relative, but are against human
rights?
CULTURAL CHANGES

 Diffusion- Borrowing traits from other cultures

Direct Diffusion

Culture Practices
Culture
A B
CULTURAL CHANGES

 Diffusion- Borrowing traits from other cultures

Forced Diffusion

Culture Practices
Culture
A B
CULTURAL CHANGES

 Diffusion- Borrowing traits from other cultures

Indirect Diffusion

Culture Practices
Culture Practices

Culture C
A B
 CULTURAL CHANGES

 Acculturation- the exchange of

cultural features that results when
groups have continuous firsthand
contact
 Examples?
 Independent invention- the process
by which humans innovate, creatively
finding solutions to problems
 Examples?
 GLOBALIZATION

 Globalization- The accelerating

interdependence of nations in
the world system today
 Globalization has helped spread
information and culture more
quickly than ever before
 Through what ways are you
more connected to the world
than your parents are?