Definitions of Culture Based on Baldwin et al., 2006.

Definitions of CultureDefinitions of Culture

Based on Baldwin et al., 2006Based on Baldwin et al., 2006

Reviewing Time CapsuleReviewing Time Capsule

http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/culture.htm

A “Typical” DefinitionA “Typical” Definition

Culture: “The deposit of knowledge, Culture: “The deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through course of generations through individual and group striving” individual and group striving” (Samovar & Porter, 2003, p. 8)(Samovar & Porter, 2003, p. 8)

New View(s) of CultureNew View(s) of Culture

StructureStructure: : pattern, way of life, system of pattern, way of life, system of somethingsomething• Beliefs, attitudes, thoughtsBeliefs, attitudes, thoughts• SymbolsSymbols• ““Laundry list”: artifacts, concepts, behaviorsLaundry list”: artifacts, concepts, behaviors

FunctionFunction: : purpose, in order to, endpurpose, in order to, end ProcessProcess: : dynamic, ongoingdynamic, ongoing CriticalCritical: : power relations, etc.power relations, etc. And othersAnd others……

Structural DefinitionStructural Definition

““An historically transmitted pattern An historically transmitted pattern of meaning embodied in symbols, a of meaning embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms” expressed in symbolic forms” (Geertz, 1973, p. 89)(Geertz, 1973, p. 89)

““The term The term cultureculture usually is reserved usually is reserved to refer to the systems of knowledge to refer to the systems of knowledge used by relatively large numbers of used by relatively large numbers of people” [i.e., national groups] people” [i.e., national groups] (Gudykunst & Kim, 2003, p. 17)(Gudykunst & Kim, 2003, p. 17)

Functional DefinitionFunctional Definition

““Culture, apart from its primary Culture, apart from its primary function of active adaptation to the function of active adaptation to the environment, has another, environment, has another, derivative, but no less important, derivative, but no less important, function as an exact material and function as an exact material and spiritual environment which mediates spiritual environment which mediates and reflects the human collecties and and reflects the human collecties and among them.” (Tokarev, 1973, pp. among them.” (Tokarev, 1973, pp. 167-168)167-168)

Process DefinitionProcess Definition

““Culture is to be studied not so much Culture is to be studied not so much as a system of kinship, or a collection as a system of kinship, or a collection of artifacts, or as a corpus of myths, of artifacts, or as a corpus of myths, but as sense-making, as a reality but as sense-making, as a reality constructed and displayed by those constructed and displayed by those whose existence is embedded in a whose existence is embedded in a particular set of webs [of meaning].” particular set of webs [of meaning].” (Pacanowsky & O’Donnell-Trujillo, (Pacanowsky & O’Donnell-Trujillo, 1982, p. 123)1982, p. 123)

““Power” (Critical) DefinitionPower” (Critical) Definition

““Culture functions as an ideology Culture functions as an ideology that produces or is based upon a that produces or is based upon a type of false consciousness and type of false consciousness and works to oppress a group of people; works to oppress a group of people; and there is generally an imperative and there is generally an imperative for change that is accomplished, to for change that is accomplished, to one degree or another, through the one degree or another, through the formation of a critical and/or class formation of a critical and/or class consciousness.” (Allen, 1998, p. 100)consciousness.” (Allen, 1998, p. 100)

Postmodern DefinitionPostmodern Definition

““Culture, and our views of ‘it,’ are Culture, and our views of ‘it,’ are produced historically, and re actively produced historically, and re actively contested. There is no whole picture contested. There is no whole picture that can be ‘filled in,’ since the that can be ‘filled in,’ since the perception and filling of a gap lead to perception and filling of a gap lead to the awareness of other gaps. . . the awareness of other gaps. . . Culture is contested, temporal, and Culture is contested, temporal, and emergent” (Clifford, 1986, pp. 18-19)emergent” (Clifford, 1986, pp. 18-19)

Other DefinitionsOther Definitions

Culture as Culture as productproduct: “: “material material cultureculture” or “” or “popular culturepopular culture” versus ” versus ““high” culturehigh” culture or “ or “folk” culturefolk” culture

Culture as Culture as refinementrefinement: moral or : moral or intellectual development, human intellectual development, human attainment of “perfection” attainment of “perfection”

Culture as Culture as groupgroup: the people who : the people who shareshare whatever culture is. whatever culture is.

Your turn!Your turn!

Culture “begins with the way that Culture “begins with the way that [religious beliefs, communal rituals, [religious beliefs, communal rituals, or shared traditions] are produced or shared traditions] are produced through systems of meaning, through systems of meaning, through structures of power….It is through structures of power….It is impossible to think of culture as a impossible to think of culture as a finite and self-sufficient body of finite and self-sufficient body of contents, customs, and traditions” contents, customs, and traditions” (Donald & Rattansi, 1992, p. 4)(Donald & Rattansi, 1992, p. 4)

““Culture is the moral and social Culture is the moral and social passion for doing good. It is the study passion for doing good. It is the study and pursuit of perfection, and this and pursuit of perfection, and this perfection is the growth and perfection is the growth and predominance of humanity proper, predominance of humanity proper, as distinguished from our animality” as distinguished from our animality” (Harrison, 1971, p. 270).(Harrison, 1971, p. 270).

““Culture is simply a way of talking Culture is simply a way of talking about collective identities” (Kuper, about collective identities” (Kuper, 1999, p. 3)1999, p. 3)

““Culture is synonymous with Culture is synonymous with civilization, and therefore only the civilization, and therefore only the civilized have culture. . . Culture, as a civilized have culture. . . Culture, as a guidance system, leads us to notice guidance system, leads us to notice important differences between important differences between humans and other phenomena that humans and other phenomena that get directed” (Freilich, 1989, pp. 3, get directed” (Freilich, 1989, pp. 3, 10)10)

““Culture is . . . clearly derived from Culture is . . . clearly derived from what people do. . . It is this complex what people do. . . It is this complex of ongoing activity that establishes of ongoing activity that establishes and portrays structure of and portrays structure of organization” (Blumer, 1969, pp. 6-7)organization” (Blumer, 1969, pp. 6-7)

““The culture of everyday life is a The culture of everyday life is a culture of concrete practices which culture of concrete practices which embody and perform differences. embody and perform differences. These embodied differences are a These embodied differences are a site of struggle between the site of struggle between the measured individuals that constitute measured individuals that constitute social discipline, and the popularity-social discipline, and the popularity-produced differences that fill and produced differences that fill and extend the spaces and power of the extend the spaces and power of the people” (Fiske, 1992, p. 162)people” (Fiske, 1992, p. 162)

““The culture of a people consists not The culture of a people consists not only of its concrete creations—tools, only of its concrete creations—tools, buildings, and so on are its “material buildings, and so on are its “material culture”—but of all the culture”—but of all the patterns of patterns of interactioninteraction, all the formal and , all the formal and informal rules of behavior which have informal rules of behavior which have become traditional in the relations become traditional in the relations between social groups” (Martin, between social groups” (Martin, 1970, p. 15)1970, p. 15)

““The term culture is multi-discursive; The term culture is multi-discursive; it can be mobilized in a number of it can be mobilized in a number of different discourses. This means you different discourses. This means you cannot import a fixed definition into cannot import a fixed definition into any and every context and expect it any and every context and expect it to make sense.” (O’Sullivan et al., to make sense.” (O’Sullivan et al., 1983, p. 57)1983, p. 57)

Other Important TermsOther Important Terms

““Race”Race” EthnicityEthnicity Subculture/Co-cultureSubculture/Co-culture GroupGroup (in-group, out-group) (in-group, out-group)

• ““wannabes”wannabes”• Who defines?Who defines?

Terms in the Study of ICCTerms in the Study of ICC

““Cultural” communicationCultural” communication ““Cross-cultural” communicationCross-cultural” communication ““Intercultural” communicationIntercultural” communication International communicationInternational communication

• MediaMedia• DevelopmentDevelopment