Culture

Culture is a big idea that helps us understand how people live together in groups. It includes the way people behave, the rules they follow, and the traditions they share. Culture is found in every human society, and it helps people know how to act, what to wear, and how to talk in different situations.

People learn culture from others around them, like family and friends, through processes called enculturation and socialization. This is why cultures can be very different from one place to another. For example, in some cultures, being brave in difficult times is very important, while in others, loyalty and duty to the group are highly valued.

Culture can change over time, shaped by both forces that push for new ideas and those that prefer old ways. When different cultures meet, they can also influence each other. Groups like UNESCO work to protect important cultural traditions and places so that they can be enjoyed by everyone.

Description

Culture is a big idea about how people live together. It includes all the ways people behave, share ideas, and make things. Everyone has culture. This includes things like art, music, dance, special events, and beliefs. It also includes how people build homes, make tools, and cook food.

Culture also means the special ways groups of people live and show who they are. This can be through clothes, traditions, and shared values. Culture helps us understand how people live together and share their world.

Etymology

The word culture is very old. The Roman writer Cicero talked about "cultivation of the soul," like growing a plant. Later, people used "culture" to mean how we grow and learn together.

Today, culture means the way groups of people live. This includes their customs, beliefs, arts, laws, and habits. Culture makes each group special and helps people feel connected, even though life can be short. People can share ideas using symbols, which helps build rich cultures.

Change

Many things can change culture, like growth, development, and new ideas. Modernization means adopting new beliefs and ways, such as using science and industry. Cultures can also change when new inventions help people.

Cultures change from influences both inside and outside. Inside a culture, forces can push for change or resist it. Social conflicts and new technologies can shift how people live and think, creating new ways. For example, movements for fairness have changed how societies treat different groups. Outside influences, like contact between different societies, can also change culture. When societies share ideas or compete, cultures can borrow from each other or blend together. This can lead to new practices and understandings.

Early modern discourses

German Romanticism

Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) talked about how people can grow by thinking for themselves. He believed that people sometimes don’t think for themselves because they are scared. He encouraged people to be brave and think wisely.

Other thinkers, like Johann Gottfried Herder (1744–1803), said that human creativity is just as important as thinking clearly. He thought that groups of people share experiences that give them a common identity.

During a time called the Romantic era, German thinkers began to see culture as a way of seeing the world, or “worldview.” They believed each group sees the world in its own special way. Later, Adolf Bastian (1826–1905) suggested that all people share basic ideas, but each culture changes these ideas in its own way. His student, Franz Boas (1858–1942), brought these ideas to the United States.

English Romanticism

In the 1800s, writers like Matthew Arnold (1822–1888) used the word “culture” to mean the best ideas and artworks from around the world. They connected culture to art, music, and fancy meals, linking it to city life.

Anthropologist Edward Tylor (1832–1917) used these ideas to describe how religions change over time.

Anthropology

Main article: American anthropology

Anthropologists study culture, which is an important part of human life. In the 20th century, American anthropology looked at culture as how people share and understand experiences in special ways. American anthropology has four main areas: biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, cultural anthropology, and archaeology. These areas help us learn about how people live together.

The idea of Kulturbrille, or 'culture glasses', was created by anthropologist Franz Boas. It means the way each person sees their own culture. Sometimes, these 'glasses' can hide things that others might see easily.

Sociology

Main article: Sociology of culture

The sociology of culture studies how culture is part of society. For sociologist Georg Simmel (1858–1918), culture was how people grow through things made over time. In sociology, culture means the ways people think, act, and the things they create that shape their lives. Culture has two types: non-material culture and material culture. Non-material culture is about ideas such as values, beliefs, rules, and language. Material culture is about physical things like buildings and objects people make.

Cultural sociology started in Weimar Germany (1918–1933), where sociologists like Alfred Weber used the term Kultursoziologie. It later grew in English-speaking countries during the 1960s, adding new ways to study society. Today, culture is an important idea in many areas of sociology, including scientific areas like social stratification and social network analysis.

Early researchers and development of cultural sociology

The study of culture in sociology grew from the mix of sociology and anthropology. Early researchers used special methods to describe many different cultures around the world. This history still affects how we study culture today, including the methods we use and the topics we focus on, like popular culture, political control, and social class.

Cultural studies

Main article: Cultural studies

In the United Kingdom, scholars began studying culture in new ways. They looked at how things like art, music, food, and sports are connected to people's daily lives. They saw how these activities often show patterns linked to different social groups.

Cultural studies mainly looks at popular culture, which includes items and activities made for many people to enjoy. Researchers study how these things have meaning in society. They look at how people use and understand these cultural items, whether they are watching television or sharing meals with friends. In this field, culture is not just about special art but also about everyday actions and objects that have special meanings for people.

The study of culture brings together ideas from many areas like communication, sociology, and art history to understand how culture shapes our world. This helps us see how culture affects ideas about ethnicity and gender in society.

Psychology

See also: Social psychology, Cultural psychology, and Cross-cultural psychology

Since the 1990s, scientists have studied how culture shapes our thoughts and feelings. They wonder if our minds work the same in every culture. For example, people in some cultures hide happy feelings more than others. Culture can change how we show and feel emotions.

Researchers also study how culture affects personality and how people react to new places. Some cultures welcome different groups more than others. The way we think can change based on our culture. For instance, using tools like an abacus can help people learn special ways to solve problems. People from different cultures might feel very different about the same event.

Psychologists think culture is very important for understanding how our minds work. Some experts believe that teen struggles might not just be from a growing brain. They suggest that lifestyle and experiences also play a big role.

Protection of culture

There are many international agreements and national laws that help protect cultural heritage and cultural diversity. Organizations like UNESCO and its partners, such as Blue Shield International, work together to protect culture around the world. Important agreements like the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions focus on keeping culture safe. Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that everyone has the right to take part in cultural life.

In recent years, protecting culture has become a big priority for national and international groups. The United Nations and UNESCO support cultural preservation and diversity through declarations and treaties. The goal is to save humanity's cultural heritage. Tourism can also affect culture, sometimes harming places or changing societies.