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Delve into the anthropological concept of culture, its distinctions, and examples of cultural differences, highlighting human worlds and ways of understanding culture.
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High culture v human culture • High culture associated with arts and activities of the elites. • The anthropological concept characterizes culture as that which distinguishes humans from other animals. • The task of anthropology is to find out what culture is.
An Example of Cultural Difference • Jin & Cortazzi, Cultural Orientation and Academic Language Use. • Expectations of Chinese and British Students • Chinese students, following a Confucianist tradition expect their teachers to be parental and to tell students what to do. • British teachers, following a western tradition wanted to encourage independence in their students.
Chinese students were critical of their British teachers because they failed to do their duties. • British teachers were critical of the Chinese students because they failed to show self-reliance. • Note that the same (similar) institution functions differently in these two societies.
Different Human Worlds 1. We live in a physical world • Therefore we obey the laws of physics.
2.We live in a biological world. • Therefore we also obey the laws of life. • Note differences between physical and biological world. • Physics: predictions, laws, constants. • Biology: adaptation, selection, evolution, reproduction, history, time, coevolution.
3. We live in a social world. • This world is not limited to humans. Most animals have a social component. • Biology and "Sociology" differ. • Sociology: self, society, relationship, domination, cooperation, communication. • The Social world is integrated with the biological world • The biological world is redefined by it.
4. We live in a world of shared meaning • This includes language and understanding. • This world is (almost) exclusively human • And involves considerable variation among human groups or societies. • We must operate in this context as well. • The world of meaning includes: • meaning, symbolism, ideology, understanding (intersubjectivity), consent, advice, decrees, laws, interpretation
Ways of Understanding of Culture • Materialist: • Means by which humans exist in the material world. (obtain food, clothing, shelter) (Biological World) • Social Organization • Ways in which individuals organize and make decisions. social relationships: dominance, roles, love. (Social World) • Idealist • Means of shared understanding events of the world, both other humans and things. • Culture as an intersubjective world. (Symbolic World = Language)
Which view is correct? • All views are correct, though most anthropologists now accept that these approaches are interrelated.
Points about Culture • Culture as a verb (Brian Street) • Culture as static or an on-going production and reproduction. • What does culture do? • The coercive aspects of culture.
Culture versus Institution • Traditional view of culture as bounded, shared by all. • Culture...is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. Tylor 1871:i (Primitive Culture)
Institution (P. Bourdieu) • Society is a collection of institutions having the following properties. • Field of play, • Goals, • Role assignments and practices and discourse • Legitimations • Structural versus Pragmatic Orientation
Examples of Institutions • Education • The System of Laws • Mariage • Greetings • Institutions can be part of other institutions (greetings can be part of friendship, education, …) • The institution is an important tool for examining discourse.
Structural versus Pragmatic Orientation • Along the same lines as langue v. parole • Structural perspective: • A description of institutional organizations • Pragmatic (praxis) orientation (parole) • From the subject’s point of view. • Institutions seen as resources • Locus for change.
