What is culture?

1. summary

-introduction

Each person has their own biological characters(nature), but what determines people who they are is nurture, which is made by culture. Culture includes objects, symbols, behavior, norms, values, beliefs, and it is changeable.

-The change of meaning of culture

At first, stance that a person who is civilized is who is cultured showed a preponderence. This view is influenced by imperialism which dominated then powerful nations. At that time, people who enjoy so-called 'high' culture (e.g. classical music) and who engage in those cultural works were thought to be cultured.
After then, the meaning of 'cultured' was changed. It didn't indicate people who are civilized anymore, every society has their own culture, so every human being is cultured. Culture is not what should be ranked.
So now, culture is thought to be what is learned by what the peopled are surrounded. Culture is not what formed by blood, it is formed by study. Culture is not built biologically but is what people acquire.

-Several terms that we have know

1. -subcultures : It is a term that refers some cultures that are subordinated to total culture. It is formed by small groups which are part of big society.

   -countercultures : They are one of subcultures which takes antisocial charater.

2. -ethnocentrism : It is the view of people who thinks their own culture is the best.

    -cultural relativism : People who believe cultural relativism thinks no one can determine what is superior and what is inferior between cultures. And in this view, people should understand other cultures with other cultures' view.

-Cultural change

It is a diagram of Griswold's theory about cultural chagne. It is kind of circular. They influence each other, and culture changes continuously.

2. What I learned

I thought cultural relativism is a view that simply thinks there are no superiority between cultures. But I learned that it also believes that the concepts and values of a culture can not be fully understood in other languages, they should be understood through the culture's own words. And the following example of the article which talks about Spanish word 'tranquil' was very interesting.

3. Questions

I want to know more about Griswold. His name was mentioned in the article pretty much times, I think. I guess he was very important scholar who studied culture in sociological way, so I want to learn what exactly his achievements are.