Does this picture offend you?

If so, then you may be guilty of

Ethnocentrism!
People who are ethnocentric apply
their own values in judging the
behavior and beliefs of other people
raised in other cultures.
Ethnocentrism contributes to social
solidarity and a sense of value and
community.
However, it also fuels conflict.
 What is Culture?
Superstructure: A culture’s worldview,
including morals and values, oftentimes
grounded in religion

Social structure: The rule-governed

relationships—with all their rights and
obligations—that hold members of a society
together. This includes households, families,
associations, and power relations, including
politics.
Infrastructure: The economic
foundation of a society,
including its subsistence
practices and the tools and
other material equipment used The Barrel Model
to make a living. of Culture
What is Culture?
 The beliefs and behaviors of a society
 Culture consists of abstract ideas, values, and
perceptions of the world that inform and are
reflected in people’s behavior
 Culture is the lens through which we view our world, it
“invents” our reality

Iceberg example…
Culture is like an
Iceberg…
Cultural Appreciation
Values

Customs
Aspects of
culture
Symbols

Language
Culture is Learned
 Rather than inherited biologically
 Enculturation: The transmission of culture from one generation to the
next
 Mammals in general display cultural behavior (I.e. we all have the urge
to eat/sleep, but when we do/with whom/in what order is determined
by our social relationships). With humans, our social rules are more
varied and complex.
 Ex: Social animals…Lions, dogs, chimpanzees…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VCJ1ybkjnA (Chimp Culture)
If animals display cultural behavior as do we, should we also view
animals through an Anthropological perspective? Sub disciplines of
Primate Behavior and Animal Communication deal with this question.
 Culture is learned
How do we learn our culture?

Enculteration
Culture is learned behavior
Each child goes
through a process of
enculturation when
they grow up in a
culture.
Children learn by
observing the
behaviors of people in
their surroundings,
including the
recognition of
symbols specific to
that culture.
Culture is shared

Culture is an attribute not of

individuals per se but of individuals as
members of groups.
Culture is transmitted by society.
Enculturation unifies people by
providing us with common
experiences.
Culture is shared
Culture is Shared
 By members of a society and produces behavior that is
intelligible (able to be understood) to other members of
that society
 Society vs. Culture
 Society: An organized group or groups of interdependent people
who generally share a common territory, language, and culture and
who act together for collective survival and well-being.
 There can be no culture without a society, there are no known human
societies that do not exhibit culture.
 Cultural Anthropologists focus on the Cultural aspect of society. The
study of society itself is Sociology (very closely related discipline to
Cultural Anthro).
Culture is unconscious
Should everyone use Culture is Relative
a deodorant?
USA 89%
French Canada 81%
English Canada 77%
United Kingdom 71%
Italy 69%
France 59%
Australia 25%

Such findings signal that Canadian values, ideas, and attitudes

should not be relied upon when planning marketing forays into
foreign consumer markets
 Culture is Integrated

Economics
Kinship

Religion law
Medicine
Culture is Symbolic
Culture is symbolic
Symbols can either
be verbal
(linguistic) or
nonverbal (object,
written symbol).
Culture and Nature: Differences in
How we meet the call
Culture defines what
people eat, how food
is prepared, and when
and how food is eaten.
Waste elimination is
culturally prescribed.
Sexual activities are
also dictated by
culture (with who, how,
where, and when).
 Culture is Dynamic

1896 1918 1924 1935 1955

1964 1970 1986 1995 2007

Cultures are dynamic: rules are
made to be broken
Humans are creative animals and
always do not strictly follow the
dictates of their culture.
There is individual interpretation of
each aspect of culture that is in part
due to family and personal history.
Real vs. Ideal culture.
Culture is all-encompassing and
integrated
Culture envelopes each of us, and
touches every aspect of our lives.
Culture is systematic and integrated
(it is not a random phenomenon).
Cultures teach us to share certain
core values that helps shape the
personality of the individuals within a
culture.
Culture can be both adaptive and
maladaptive
Modern technology
has provided for the
adaptation of humans
to every part of the
globe, as ancient
technologies provided
successful to
environments on a
smaller scale.
Short-term vs. long-
term adaptive
strategies.
Levels of culture

National: learned behavioral patterns,

beliefs, values, and institutions shared
by the citizens of a nation.
International: cultural traditions that
expand beyond cultural boundaries.
Subculture: different traditions
practiced by groups set within a larger
culture. Frequently regionally based.
Ethnocentrism, Cultural Relativism,
and Human Rights
The “human rights”
movement suggests
that there is a realm of
justice and morality
that supercedes the
practices of many
cultures.
Examples: female
genital mutilation in
the Middle East; male
circumcision at birth in
the United States.
Universality, Generality, and
Particularity
Universal: found in all cultures.
Examples: Exogamy and incest
taboo.
Generality: found in many cultures, but
not all. Example: nuclear family.
Particularities: found only in some
cultures. Example: head hunting.
What makes cultures change?

Diffusion: borrowing of traits

between cultures.
Acculturation: exchange of cultural
features that results from long-term
exposure between cultures.
Independent invention: Developing
to solution to problems by individual
cultures. Example: agriculture.
One World Culture? Globalization
in the 21st Century
Cultures are increasingly coming in
contact as a result of improved trade
relations, better communication, and
easier travel.
Multinational corporations and
business “outsourcing” to the Third
World are becoming more
commonplace.