CULTURE
Meaning of Culture
‘Culture’ is one of the most important concepts in Social Science. It is commonly used in Psychology, Political Science and Economics. It is the main concept in Anthropology and a fundamental one in Sociology. The study of human society immediately and necessarily leads us to the study of its culture. The study of society or any aspect of it becomes incomplete without a proper understanding of the culture of that society. Culture and society go together. They are inseparable.
Culture is a unique possession of man. It is one of the distinguishing traits of human society. Culture does not exist at the sub-human level. Only man is born and brought up in a cultural environment. Other animals live in a natural environment. A man is a social being and a cultural being also. As every man is born into a society, it is same as saying that every man is born into culture.
The term ‘culture’ is given a wide variety of meanings and interpretations. Culture is a very broad term that includes in itself all our walks of life, our modes of behaviour, our philosophies and ethics, our morals and manners, our customs and traditions, our religious, political, economic and other types of activities. Culture includes all that man has acquired in his individual and social life. In the words of MacIver and Page, culture is the “realm of styles, of values, of emotional attachment, of intellectual adventures”. It is the entire ‘social heritage’ which the individual receives from the group. In Sociology ‘culture’ does not mean personal refinement.
The Sociological meaning of the word is quite different. But common men often speak of culture as synonymous with education. Accordingly, they apply the term ‘cultured’ to an educated person or group and ‘uncultured’ to one lacking on or devoid of education. Historians use the word ‘culture’ in yet another way to refer to the so-called ‘higher’ achievements of group life or of a period of history. But Sociologists never use the term ‘culture’ to mean the so-called ‘higher’ achievements of group life-art, religion, philosophy, etc. They use culture to mean ‘all’ the achievements of group life. So, we can say culture is the treasury of knowledge, it defines situations, it defines attitudes, values and goals, it decides our career and provides behaviour patterns and after all culture moulds one’s personality.
It is true that the individual is exposed to and moulded by the culture of the group into which he is born. Still, no individual is completely culturally determined. Every individual is unique in any culture. The uniqueness may be based on individual differences in ability, aptitude, and learning. The impact of culture on the individual is not always identical in every case. Various biological and social factors bring about the uniqueness of the individuals in any culture.
Culture is a unique possession of man. The distinctive human way of life that we call culture did not have a single definite beginning in time. This is obvious because men never suddenly appeared simultaneously on all parts of the earth at a single time. Culture is often understood as anything that is created and cultivated by man. Man’s culture in a way has begun with man’s capacity to use and to create or produce tools and techniques.
Definition of Culture
1. Edward. B. Tylor has defined that “culture is the complex which includes knowledge, belief, morals, art, law, customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.”
2. Malinowski has defined culture as the ‘cumulative creation of man.’ He also regards culture as the handwork of man and the medium through which he achieves his ends.
3. Mazumdar defined that “culture is the sum total of human achievements material as well as non-material, capable of transmission by tradition and communication vertically as well as horizontally.”
4. C. North is of the opinion that culture “consists in the instruments constituted by man to assist him in satisfying his wants.”
5. Robert Bierstedt is of the opinion that “culture is the complex whole that consists of all the ways we think and do and everything we have as members of society.”
Characteristics of Culture
1. Culture is a complex whole: All the elements and traits of culture are to be understood in relation to one another. All of them, in this respect, constitute a whole called culture and is complex in nature.
2. Culture is learned: The culture of mankind is not instinctive, or innate, or transmitted biologically. It is composed of habits, i.e., learned tendencies to react, acquired by each individual through his own life experiences after birth.
3. Culture is inculcated: All animals are capable of learning but man alone seems to be capable, to a large extent, of passing on his acquired habits and behaviour to his offspring. A dog can be trained to learn many tricks, but it cannot pass them on to its puppies. However, man is capable of transmitting all his learning and habits to his offspring.
4. Culture is social: Habits of cultural order are not only inculcated and transmitted over time; they are all social, i.e., shared by all human beings living together in the society. The habits shared together by the members of the society constitute their culture.
5. Culture is commercial: The habits that constitute a culture of a group form the ideal norms or patterns of behaviour.
6. Culture is gratifying: Culture always, and necessarily, satisfies biological needs and secondary needs derived from it. It also helps in gratifying human interaction with the external world of nature and fellowmen.
7. Culture is adaptive: Culture changes. The process of change appears to be an adaptive one, comparable to evolution in the organic realm but is of a different order. Over a period of time culture adjusts to the geographical environment and to the biological and socio-psychological demands of the human organism. It adjusts through borrowing and organization.
8. Culture is integrative: In the process of adaptation, all the elements of culture tend to form a consistent and integrated whole. Some anthropologists consider that culture is actually an integrated system that has most of its elements in perfect equilibrium with one another.
9. Language as a vehicle of culture: All elements of culture are transmitted from one generation to another through language in verbal or written form. Without language, man cannot transmit the culture from one period of time to another and from one place to another.
10. Culture is cumulative: Any knowledge, or skill or any other form of culture is acquired by one generation from the preceding one. The acquired culture is added or modified and in a cumulative form transmitted to the next generation. This helps a man in acquiring knowledge, skills and other aspects of culture from the remote past and hand them over to future generations.
Our culture should be upheld as our heritage. Nothing and no one should be allowed to attack or destroy our cultural traditions. It is always wise to remember that our cultures define our existence and make us who we are. It should be passed on generation after generation like it has been done until now. Our cultural background should never fade into oblivion and we have to make sure of that. A world without diverse cultural will not be as colourful as it is now.
Reference:
NIOS: Culture: an Introduction ~ Link
What Is Culture? What Does It Do? What Should It Do? ~ Link
Sociological concepts of culture and identity ~ Link
The Concept of Culture ~ Link
IGNOU: UNIT 1 Concept Of Society and Culture ~ Link
What is Culture? ~ Link
Tylor, E. B. (1920). Primitive Culture Volume I (Vol. I). Dover Publications.
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