Introduction to culture studies 1 Nature Culture

Nature

  • Nature predates humanity and can exist independently of it.

  • Defined as the physical and material universe.

Scale of Natural Sciences

  • Cosmo Relativist Physics

  • Macro/Bio Classical Physics

  • Micro Quantum Physics

Humans Are Part of Nature

  • Humans exist within nature and are inherently social beings, akin to great apes.

  • Continuous evolution of science, philosophy, religion, and morality since ancient times.

  • Humans grapple with their understanding of nature and their rights and obligations within it.

Natural Sciences

  • Auguste Comte (1798-1857): Positivism emphasizes observation of nature as the source of true knowledge.

  • Charles Darwin (1809-1882): On the Origin of Species (1859), The Descent of Man (1871); proposed natural selection as the mechanism of evolution.

Advances in Science

  • Development of quantum theory and theory of relativity in the 20th century.

  • Traditional matter recognized primarily on macro/bio levels; interactions of organisms with the environment are complex.

  • Brain perception leads to understanding objective reality versus subjective perception.

Human Social Life

  • Humans engage in complex social structures and relationships.

What is Culture?

  • Edward B. Tyler (1832-1917) defined culture as a complex whole: knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, law, customs—capabilities acquired as members of society.

  • Referenced in Primitive Culture (1871).

Definitions of Culture (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

  1. Customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a group.

  2. Set of shared attitudes, values, goals in organizations.

  3. Enlightenment and aesthetic training distinction from vocational skills.

  4. The act of cultivating living material in nutrient media.

Culture is All-Encompassing

  • Encompasses art, music, sport, ritual, religion, tool usage, cooking, clothing, political organization, social institutions, philosophy, literature.

Perspectives on Culture

  • Melville J. Herskovits: Culture as the man-made environment (1948).

  • Margaret Mead: Shared, learned behavior of a society (1953).

  • Clifford James Geertz: Historically transmitted patterns of meaning (1973).

Culture vs Civilisation

  • Culture is inherent and can grow independently of civilization, enriching existence (e.g., philosophy, morality, art). What are we.

  • Civilization is dependent on culture, providing infrastructure and easing life. What we posses.

Human Actions and Needs

  • Actions driven by needs and purposes:

  • Aristippus of Cyrene: Focused on pleasure (hedonism).

  • Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill: Developed Utilitarianism, evaluating actions by their usefulness.

Psychological Perspectives

  • Sigmund Freud: Explored unconscious drives and instincts.

  • Alfred Adler: Introduced the concept of inferiority complex.

  • William McDougall: Focused on inborn psychophysical dispositions.

  • John B. Watson: Behaviorism emphasized stimulus and response.

Humanist Psychology

  • Focus on studying mentally healthy, mature individuals.

  • Abraham Maslow (1908-1970): Studied healthy people. Proposed the hierarchy of needs, emphasizing personal growth and self-fulfillment.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

  1. Physiological Needs: Food, air, shelter, sleep.

  2. Safety Needs: Security and health.

  3. Love/Belonging: Relationships and social connections.

  4. Esteem Needs: Respect, self-esteem, recognition, status.

  5. Self-Actualization: Realization of one's potential and personal growth.

Learning Culture

  • Culture is not innate, it is learned through social interactions (enculturation)

  • Situational Learning: Based on individual experiences.

  • Observational Learning: Learning from others, consciously or unconsciously.

  • Cultural Learning: Symbolically thinking about cultural information.

Cultural Transmission

  • Memes: minimal units of cultural information

  • Cultural traits are spread similarly to biological traits like viruses (cultural epidemiology)

Biases in cultural transmission:

  • content bias (sth attractive)

  • context bias (imitating majority)

  • prestige bias

Importance of Learning from Each Other

  • Essential for the continuation of cultural knowledge and skills. Humans can pass learned knowledge, animals cannot.

Characteristics of Culture

  • SHARED: Refers to group member identity.

  • INTEGRATED: Culture is a whole.

  • PATTERNED: Interrelations among beliefs, values, and customs.

  • ETHNOCENTRIC: Tendency to view one's culture as superior, contrasted with cultural relativism.

  • SELECTIVE: Represents a limited array of human behaviors.

Cultural relativism- trying not to judge

Cultural Rules

  • Ideal Culture: Aspirational norms and values.

  • Real Culture: Actual behaviors and practices, often reflecting contradictions.

Culture is Dynamic

  • Constantly evolving as societies adapt and seek improvement.

  • Change viewed positively in Western cultures, but can have varied impacts on social dynamics.

  • Two types of change: voluntary (informal) and directed (planned).

Acculturation vs Enculturation

  • Acculturation: Adopting new cultural traits.

  • Enculturation: Learning and internalizing one's own culture.