CULTURE

It is abstract in nature. We can prepare the construct offer it.

Culture is total way of life, which includes, norms, habit, customs, behavior law etc.

Malinowski (1930)

Culture is a response to human needs. He considers culture as instrumental reality for the satisfaction of biological and derived needs. (Functional view).

He says that culture is a complex whole. From his definition, it must be fulfilling some function whereas there is creation element in the culture which is not functional.

Compositional view:

BIDNEY

He says culture is a product of agro facts artifacts and mentifacts.

Agrofacts: - are all those relating to agriculture.

Artifacts – are those related to industry are those, which are product mentifacts of mind. It includes language, religion belief etc.

Agrofacts/Artifacts: Material aspects of culture (concrete)

Mentifacts – 3 non-material aspect (abstract)

B.B. Taylor

Culture is a complex knowledge, which includes knowledge, beliefs capabilities and habits by man as a member of society.

Merett

He considers culture as communicable intelligence. Any things which are communicable become part of culture.

Klucknonn

Culture is a way of thinking feeling and acting. It is an individualist definition. Also some positivism perspective.

Herskovits

Culture as man made part of environment. It’s man’s relation to nature.

Gillin & Gillion

Culture is not an activity but it is patternic. He talks of patterns exist in the society.

Ruth Benedict (Anthropologist Cultural pattern) : Culture in terms of pattern.

MACIVER & PAGE)

Culture as styles, values, emotional attachments and intellectual adventures. It is the expression of our nature in the modes of living and thinking in everyday intercourse.

1. Culture is acquired. It is not biological transmitted but acquired with the process of socialization.

Herskovits – Enculturation

Bourdieu – Cultural Reproduction

2. Culture is communicative

3.  Culture is social creation. Gets created in society. Dukheim says culture is sui-generous.G, Spencer says culture is super organic. Melinewski  - Culture is a reality sui-generous. View of Karl Marx: He gives the concept of do dominant culture. He said what we accept is dominant culture. (Upper class culture).

4. Culture is functional. Certain element of culture can be dysfunctional.

5. Culture is a dynamic concept. It keeps on changing.

6. Culture is abstract as well as concrete when culture consist only non material is abstract, but if material as aspect includes it becomes concrete.

Linton – Culture 7 culture construct what we see is one thing and what we write is another.

Culture – Real Culture:

- culture construct if all variations diversities present in culture.

- ideal construction of feature which are generally accepted i.e. Hindu Religion ideal types.

Ethos & Eidos (Kroeber):

- Ethos are the internal or core aspect of the culture, abstract in nature.

- Eidos are the formal appearances of culture, it is concrete.

i.e. respecting elders  – Ethos

Touching the feet           - Eidos

Ethos are philosophical in nature.

Linton :  1. Cultural universals

                2. Cultural specialties

                3. Cultural alternatives

1. These are such elements which are present in all culture i.e. family, socialization, dressing long etc.

2. Which are particular in some culture only i.e. touching the feet, festivals.

3. Within a particular culture there are alternative element which serve the same purpose i.e. ways if dressings respecting the elders etc.

Cultural Lag (Ogblarn)

Culture constitute of two element. Material culture & Non material culture.

Material Culture changes faster than the non material culture. Non material culture lags behind the material culture i.e. after liberation, change in material culture, but non material aspect have not been changed.

1. Cultural traits ]          

2. Cultural complex        ]           (Herskovits)

3. Cultural Pattern          ]

1. These traits are the smaller to unite of culture, which cannot be further reduced.

2. Large cluster of traits organised around a purpose i.e. worshiping.

3. Certain traits and complexes become related to each other in a functional whole i.e. religion is a cultural pattern.

(Cultural relativism and ethnocentrism)

Gumploviz

Cultural relativism is a perspective in which a particular culture, a trait a complex or a pattern is studied and interpreted from the point of view of that culture only.

Each culture is to be studied independent and not in comparison with   other culture and not in comparison with other culture.

Ethnocentrism is a perspective in which culture, trait, etc. are studied or interpreted in terms of one’s own culture i.e. cross religious.

Ethnocentrism is the opposite of culture relativism.

Egocentrism:

When other culture is considered as superior with respect to own culture.

Indian culture : Cultural Relativist:

Cultural relativism can be inappropriate if certain cultures are in terms of evils.

Some comparisons to be included to remove the irregularities of the culture.

Sub Culture & Contra Culture (Yinger)

Sub cultures are cultural uniformity within a particular culture. Each culture consist of no. of sub cultures and same may be completely in itself.

Contra – When particular sub culture is in opposition to generally accepted culture (dominant culture) becomes contra culture (Yinger)

e.g. Hyppi culture, Anand Morgies (Culture)

-           Cultural Themes (M. Oplev)

-           Cultural Foucs  (Herskovits)

-           Culture of Poverty (Oscar Lewis)

-           Autonomous, Half culture (Robert Redfield)

-           Used for Tribal Culture

-           Cultural climax (Kroeber)

-           Style of Life (Redfield)

-           Explicit & Implicit dement of culture (klukhomn)

-           Cultural capital (Bourdieu)

-           Cycle of deprivation (Kieth Joseph)

-           Cultural premise (Klukhdmn)

-           Cultural Taxonomy (steward)  

Evolutionary  schools:

Studied in terms of stages from to another.

A. Comte: He studied in terms of three stages.

a. Metaphysical: Stress on spiritualism

b. Theological: On scriptures (written)

c. Positive: On Science – This works the decrease in the religion stress.

Aerbert Spencer – He discussed in two stages:

a) Military: People used to fight with each other. Simple culture

b) Industrial: Complex culture, it revolves around the economic activities.

2. Diffusionist

Diffusionist School: They derive that now the culture come into existent.

Diffusion: is a geographical concept. It means that the movement of particular element thru space from one place to another.

a) British Diffusionist school (Egyptiologist)

Smith, Perry & Rivers.

These says the culture has diffused in Egypt. It was totally based on Archeological evidence.

b) German Diffusion: Also known as culture circle school.

- Graebner (Main) – He believes in multiple centers throughout the world and every centre is having its own circle

of influence.

c) American diffusionism :

Evenge Boaz: a Clark wiceler & Kroeber:

Thisi is also known as Cultural Area School. They said there are no holistic centre of culture but there are areas specializing in particular traits. They also believe that they multiple sources at these areas.

3. Culture Personality School:

Whether culture shapes the personality or personality shapes the culture

a) Ruth Benedict (Patterns of culture 1934)

In this book she studied the culture of two important tribes

Zuni Indians located in South Western Coast of United States &

Kawkintel tribes located in South Western coast of United States, but she different culture and defines two types of culture as

Apollonian: is characterized by individuality hostility and self orientation in totality these denotes hostile people i.e. kawakiutes .

So she said Culture is personality writ large.

b) Margret Mead: She stidoed Bali Tribe of Indonesia & Samoa tribe of New Guiea coming to age of somoa”.

“Sex and temperament in 3 primitive societies

In these she concluded pernolatory is culture write large.

4. National Character School

Kasrdiner – These says that every culture has its own character or common sets of traits, which is reflected in individual.

Term Related:

1. Diffusion

2. Acculturation

3. Assimilation

4. Integration

1) It is a movement of cultural trait from one area to another. Movement is occurred with the help of some agent i.e. tourist, visitors. But essentially it is a geographical concept. It may or may not change the culture.

2) It is a process whereby a group acquires the cultural characteristic of other turn direct contract and interaction.

In this, both the culture may change. There are mutual exchange of change. It is sociological concept (evolves change in culture. In this inanity of each culture is preserved.

It can also be seen at the level of individual (known as process of social learning, Cinton, Redfield & Herskovibs studied these acculturation.

Change may occur in one subordinate culture in primitive society. But now change will be in both the culture.

3. It is a process whereby a particular culture gets assimilated in some other culture or different cultural get assimilated to form a new culture. This happens when

a. Subordinate is smaller than the dominant culture.

b. When two & more small culture assimilated in one. Meeting point culture (America) Fair Child – Assimilation is a process of denationalization and revationalisation.

c.  Individual identity of culture is lost. Generally it is used in the case of Tribes. It is a sociological concept. It involves change i.e. global culture change.

4. In this the subordinate culture accept the main symbols of dominant culture and able to prescribe its identity. It’s a concept referring to co-existence of culture without assimilation.

Indian society are based on this concept. Integration exist at the level of state policy. Imp. For multicultural societies (Multiculturalism).

Difference between culture & civilization

Alfred Weber – Culture includes non-materials & civilization accepts material aspect.

“Culture is what we are & civilization is what w have”.

Merton – delineate between local & cosmopolitan.

Few Statements about Culture

 Culture is Super organic - Herbert Spencer Kroeber.

Culture as Personality writ large - Roth Benedict

Personality Culture writ large – M. Mead

Culture is a reality suigeneris – MalinowskiCulture is a abstraction from behaviour - Kroeber and KIVCKHONN