Introduction to Anthropology

Cultural Diversity (Lec 3 finals)

 • Refers to the manifold ways in which the cultures of groups and societies find expression.
These expressions are passed on within and among groups and societies.

How does Cultural Diversity is made manifest?

Cultural diversity is made manifest via

cultural heritage of Modes of artistic

humanity is expressed, creation, production,
augmented and dissemination,
transmitted through the distribution and
variety of cultural enjoyment
expressions,
whatever the means and
technologies used.

Multicultural Countries

• Counties with a lot of cultural diversity like Holland or the US

Monocultural Countries

• countries with no cultural diversity like Japan

Language Diversity across the United States

Social Class & Cultural Diversity

• High culture

• Cultural patterns that distinguish a society’s elite.

• Popular culture

• Cultural patterns that are widespread among society’s population.

• Subculture

• Cultural patterns that set apart some segment of society’s population.

• Counterculture

• Cultural patterns that strongly oppose those widely accepted within a society.

Cultural Diversity & cultural integration

A culture is always changing , if we like it or not. In most cases

when one aspect of a culture changes, it also inflicts changes
in other segments of a culture. These close relationships
among various elements of a cultural system together are
called the principle of cultural integration.

Cultural Integration

The close R/S. among the various elements within a cultural

system. Example: Computers and changes in our language.

 Women in the workforce.

 Later first marriages.
 Change in family patterns.
Culture Meaning

 A process of merging one into another.

Mass Consumer Culture

 Sports, fashion, music ,religion

Factors affecting cultural integration

• TNCs,Transnational Corporations

• Global Media Networks

• Cultural Imperialism

• Actions of Governments

Effects of Cultural Integration

• Homogenized Landscapes.

• Economic Dominance and dependence.

• Threats to cultural diversity and sovereignty.

 • Shrinking Time/Space).

Integration Forms

There are three forms of integration:

1: Adoption

2: Adaption

3: Diffusion

Cultural Lag

Some parts of a culture change faster than others, and this disrupts a cultural system. This fact is
called a cultural lag by Ogburn (1964).

• Example: Medical procedures and ethics

Invention Discovery Diffusion

Recognizing and The spread of
understanding objects or
Process of more fully traits form
creating new something that one society
cultural has already to another
elements. existed a long
time.

Causes for Inflicts in Cultural Change

Multiculturalism

• An educational program recognizing the cultural diversity of the United States and
promoting the equality of all cultural traditions.

• Eurocentrism 

the dominance of European (especially English)cultural patterns.

• Afrocentrism 

emphasizing and promoting African cultural patterns

A Global Culture
Global Economy

The flow of goods.

Global Communication

The flow of information.

Global Migration

The flow of people.

Theoretical Analysis of Culture

Three macro theoretical approaches are further explained:

• Structural-functional

• Social-conflict and Feminist theories

• Sociobiology theory

Structural-Functional theory

• Thinks of culture as a system of behavior by which members of societies cooperate to meet

their needs.

• Cultural patterns are rooted in the values and beliefs that are very important to a culture
and tend to by fairly stable.

Social-conflict and Feminist

• Inequality and Culture

• Thinks of culture as a system that benefits some people and disadvantages others.

• The foundation of cultural conflict is according to Marx the economic production, feminist
find that cultural conflict comes from gender issues.

Sociobiology

• Evolution and Culture

• Thinks of culture as a system of behavior that is partly shaped by human biology.

• Cultural patterns come from biological evolution.

Applying Theory: Culture

Culture and Human Freedom

• Culture as constraint

– We only know our world in terms of our culture.

• Culture as freedom

– Culture is changing and offers a variety of opportunities.

– Social scientists share the goal of learning more about cultural diversity.