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Culture and Applying Anthropology Unit 1

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CULTURE

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Outline of Culture Topics What is Culture? Cultures Evolutionary Basis Universality, Generality, and Particularity Culture and the Individual: Agency and Practice Mechanism of Cultural Change Globalization

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What is Culture? An easy, quick definition: systems of human behavior and thought It obeys natural laws so can be studied scientifically Culture is acquired based on the society you grew up in Enculturation Culture is: Learned Symbolic Shared Nature All Encompassing Integrated Can be Adaptive and Maladaptive

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Culture is Learned Children absorb cultural traditions Humans use symbols to learn Programs of culture are absorbed through enculturation Conscious and unconscious learning and interaction Observation All humans have culture Psychic unity of man Individuals differ in emotional and intellectual capabilities and tendencies, all human populations have equivalent capacities for culture

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Culture is Symbolic Symbol: something verbal or nonverbal, within a particular language or culture, that comes to stand for something else No obvious connection between symbol and what it symbolizes Symbols are usually linguistic Nonverbal symbols: Flags Arches Holy Water

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Culture is Shared Culture is an attribute of individuals as members of groups Culture is shared beliefs Certain fundamental beliefs, values, worldviews, and child- rearing practices endure We feel more comfortable with people who are socially, economically, and culturally similar to us

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Culture and Nature Take biological urges and teaches us to express them in particular ways You have to eat, but culture teaches you when, where, and how Culture affects the ways we perceive nature, human nature, and the natural: Prevent and cure disease Cloning Natural Natural disasters challenge us

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Culture is All-Encompassing Culture is not just refinement, taste, sophistication, education, and appreciation of the fine arts Cultural forces affect people every day in their lives North American culture: TV Fast food restaurants Sports Games Rock star just as important as symphony conductor as cultural manifestation

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Culture is Integrated Cultures are integrated, patterned systems One part changes, other parts change as well Integrated by sets of values, ideas, symbols, and judgments Train individual members to share certain personality traits Core values: key, basic, or central values that integrate a culture

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Culture Can Be Adaptive and Maladaptive We adapt biologically and culturally Cultural adaptive kits contain customary activities and tools Whats good for the individual may not be good for the whole group Maladaptive threatening the groups continued existence Cars let us go places quicker Chemical emissions increase air pollution which can contribute to global warming

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STOP! Review Time What are the elements of culture? How is culture learned? Are we born with our culture?

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Cultures Evolutionary Basis Capacity for culture extends back 2.6 million years to early toolmakers Many human traits reflect our ancestors lived in trees Opposable thumbs We can pick things up and use tools Eyes placed forward and look directly ahead Color and depth perception Identify food sources, mutual grooming Manual dexterity and depth perception Pick up small objects and study them Ration or brain size to body exceeds other mammals Brains outer layer is relative larger One offspring that needs lot of care Humans are social animals

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Universality, Generality, and Particularity Certain biological, psychological, social, and cultural features are universal (found in every culture) Other are generalities (common to several but not all human groups) Others are particularities (unique to certain cultural traditions)

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Universality Most are biologically that distinguish us from other species Long period of infant dependency Year-round sexuality Complex brain that enables use of symbols, languages, and tools Social universals Life in groups Some kind of family Culture organizes on social life Depends on social interactions for expression and continuation Incest taboo Exogamy (marriage outside ones group)

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Generality Societies can share same beliefs and customs because of borrowing Domination (colonial rule) when customs and procedures are imposed on one culture can also cause generality Independent innovation of same cultural trait Farming Examples: Nuclear family Parents and children

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Particularity Trait of a culture that is not widespread Cultural borrowing traits once limited are more widespread Useful traits that dont clash with current culture get borrowed Examples: Food dishes Particularities are becoming rarer in some ways but also becoming more obvious Borrowed cultural traits are modified Marriage, parenthood, death, puberty, birth all celebrated differently

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Culture and the Individual: Agency and Practice Culture provides rules for actions but individuals dont always follow them blindly Culture is contested Ideal culture what people say they should do and they say they do Real culture actual behavior

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Culture and the Individual: Agency and Practice Culture is public and individual Culture is being continually created and reworked in the present We have agency to form and change cultural identity

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Levels of Culture National culture cultural features shared by citizens of the same nation International culture cultural traditions that extend beyond national boundaries Subculture different cultural traditions associated with subgroups in the same nation

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Levels of Culture Cultural traits can spread through borrowing or diffusion from one group to another Borrowing, colonialism, migration, and multinational organizations, many cultural traits are known internationally Roman Catholic Church World Cup

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Levels of Culture Level of Culture Sports Example Food Example InternationalSoccer, basketball Pizza NationalMonster- truck rallies Apple pie SubcultureBocceBig Joe Pork Barbeque (S. Carolina Subcultures occur within a larger nations US and Canada have subcultures based on region, ethnicity, language, class, and religion Northerners and Southerners in the US

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Ethnocentrism, Cultural Relativism, and Human Rights Ethnocentrism tendency to view ones own culture as superior and to use ones own standards and values in judging outsiders What is alien to us, may be normal elsewhere Cultural relativism idea that to know another culture requires full understanding of its members beliefs and motivations What motivates the culture? Then, what, if anything should be done about certain activities Human rights rights based on justice and morality beyond and superior to particular countries, cultures, and religions

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Ethnocentrism, Cultural Relativism, and Human Rights Cultural rights rights vested in religious and ethnic minorities and indigenous societies A groups ability to raise its children in the ways of its forbearers, continues its language, etc IRP (Intellectual property rights an indigenous groups collective knowledge and applications) as an attempt to conserve each societys cultural base Group decides who may know and use their knowledge and applications

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Mechanisms of Cultural Change How and why do cultures change? Diffusion Borrowing of traits between cultures Direct: when two nations trade, intermarry, or wage war on each other Indirect: when items from group A to group C via group B without A and C having any contact Most diffusion today through mass media and the internet

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Mechanisms of Cultural Change Acculturation Exchange of cultural features that results when groups have continuous firsthand contact Cultures of either group or both may be changed Parts of culture change but each group remains distinct Blend foods, music, dance, clothing, tools, technology, or languages Pidgin mixed languages the develops to ease communication between members of societies

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Mechanisms of Cultural Change Independent invention Process by which humans innovate, creatively finding solutions to problems People in different societies change in different societies in similar ways with similar problems Agriculture Creates economic revolutions that have social and cultural repercussions

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Globalization Globalization accelerating interdependence of nations in the world system today International commerce, travel and tourism, transnational migration, various high-tech information flows The world is much smaller than it used to be

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APPLYING ANTHROPOLOGY

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Applied/Practical Anthropology Use anthropology to solve contemporary problems Many work for international development agencies World Bank, EPA, etc