Mirror for Man: Understanding the Definition of Culture
In Clyde Kluckhohn's passage, adapted from his book, Mirror for Man, we are given an illumination of anthropology on the concept of culture. He explains that culture is not only derived by "the way we are brought up," but also personal past experiences and the biological properties of the people concerned. As humans we have learned to adapt to our own personal surroundings and have conditioned ourselves and our life styles to revolve around such surroundings by the most comfortable means possible.
As Kluckhohn describes, the technical term of culture has a broader meaning to the anthropologist than the "humble cooking pot", and the "people of culture." He implies that the anthropologist needs to be concerned with all aspects and biological conditions involved that have shaped a society. Humans can be easily understood just by studying their surroundings, and as Kluckhohn has stated, "they can also be easily predicted by knowing a people's design for living."
Kluckhohn describes, that as Americans, we strive for our own personal individuality and appearance; but yet as Americans, or for that matter any nationality, we still basically follow the same given patterns throughout the day. We have conditioned ourselves to such an extent, that our personal routines are done unconsciously. As a society, though, we reflect that given pattern, and when comparing it to another society, we are able to see how the cultures are individual and unique from one another. Such uniqueness is what Kluckhohn is refering to; the American plural wives belief of Siberia compared to the single wife in America, the cultural training and mannerism of the Chinese, and the eating mannerisms of a wife in Arizona. Basically, all of these cultures live under the same laws of nature, and are equiped with the same biological tools. Their uniqueness arises from the individual conditions that their surroundings offer, and their means by which of adapting to them.
Having lived in London last year, for my junior year, I am able to relate to the viewpoints of Kluckhohn; as I traveled to many places dripping with their own uniqueness and culture. In London, I experienced the afternoon tea break and although not conforming to it, the societies acceptance of bathing only a few times a week. In Holland, I depended on bicycles as my main source of transportation for miles around, and viewed the old windmills and thatched roofs that are so typical in the country.
Poverty is not just an issue reserved for third world countries. Instead, poverty is a multifaceted issue that even the most developed nations must battle
...en have lived in poverty in 1997- more than in any year since 1966 to 1990” (Sherman and Sandfort). This article focuses on the importance of ending poverty on all levels. To be able to do this, it would take the cooperation of people from every level of the system. Government policies would need to be made or stepped up to represent the people and give back what they constantly take away. Each state can take similar steps to reassure persons in their own regions they will be well taken care of. However, the last level is where the average person can begin to get involved-your own community. Each community involves a number of people who are responsible for studying and documenting data concerning poverty which provides assistance to different leaders in the community and will enable leaders in the community to reach out to more people that are affected by poverty.
Nationalism is being patriotic towards one’s own country. It took place in the nineteenth century to those people who shared a language, history and culture. Nationalism led to creation of new powers, which are Italy and Germany. As these countries became united and stronger, they created war against other countries.
As a defining aspect of what it means to be human, culture is a central concept in anthropology, encompassing the range of phenomena that are transmitted through social learning in human societies. It is also used to denote the complex networks of practices and accumulated knowledge and ideas that are transmitted through social interaction and exist in specific human groups or cultures.
Everyone knows what the word poverty means. It means poor, unable to buy the necessities to survive in today's world. We do not realize how easy it is for a person to fall into poverty: A lost job, a sudden illness, a death in the family or the endless cycle of being born into poverty and not knowing how to overcome it. There are so many children in poverty and a family's structure can effect the outcome. Most of the people who are at the poverty level need some type of help to overcome the obstacles. There are mane issues that deal with poverty and many things that can be done to stop it.
Culture often means an appreciation of the finer things in life; however, culture brings members of a society together. We have a sense of belonging because we share similar beliefs, values, and attitudes about what’s right and wrong. As a result, culture changes as people adapt to their surroundings. According to Bishop Donald, “let it begin with me and my children and grandchildren” (211). Among other things, culture influences what you eat; how you were raised and will raise your own children? If, when, and whom you will marry; how you make and spend money. Truth is culture is adaptive and always changing over time because
Poverty is a social issue that has be a problem for humanity since the beginning of time. Poverty has been a consistent and ongoing problem throughout history all over the world (Rasheed, 2013). No matter what the society is like or the median salary inside that society there have always been people who are homeless and starving (Rasheed, 2013). Despite the United States being a modern, developed country we still struggle with poverty and unemployment (Rasheed, 2013). Every day there are people struggling to find food, clothing and shelter. This problem in society has various effects on different government institutions (Rasheed, 2013). The federal government measures poverty by the numbers (Rasheed, 2013). “In 2007, the federal “poverty line” was set at $16,530 for a family of three and $21,203 for a family of four (USCB) (Rasheed, 2013).” If a family makes less money a year than they can live on they are officially classified as poor (Rasheed, 2013). “According to the Census Bureau, about 12.3 percent of all Americans were living in poverty in 2006 (Rasheed, 2013).” That means there are 36 million people at or below poverty level in the United States (Rasheed, 2013).
In his essay, “What is Culture?”, Kluckhohn explains the differences and similarities amongst world’s peoples. To support his explanation of the differences and similarities he provides the concept of culture. It is difficult to give this concept a precise definition because the word “culture” is a broad term. Kluckhohn allows the reader to understand the concept of culture by providing examples of cultural differences along with some anthropological evidence to support his views.
Cultures are infinitely complex. Culture, as Spradley (1979) defines it, is "the acquired knowledge that people use to interpret experiences and generate social behavior" (p. 5). Spradley's emphasizes that culture involves the use of knowledge. While some aspects of culture can be neatly arranged into categories and quantified with numbers and statistics, much of culture is encoded in schema, or ways of thinking (Levinson & Ember, 1996, p. 418). In order to accurately understand a culture, one must apply the correct schema and make inferences which parallel those made my natives. Spradley suggests that culture is not merely a cognitive map of beliefs and behaviors that can be objectively charted; rather, it is a set of map-making skills through which cultural behaviors, customs, language, and artifacts must be plotted (p. 7). This definition of culture offers insight into ...
The word culture is often used to emphasize the most unique aspects of a people's customs and beliefs. Thus, to refer to the culture of a people or group is to call attention to all the things that make that group different or distinctive from others. When anthropologists compare different cultures they do not mean that one culture is better or worse than another culture.
Nationalism is self identification with one’s country. Nationalism is similar to religion in that it gives a person their self worth and sense of community. One source describe nationalism as as a bond and “awareness shared by a group” who feel “attached to not only the land, but also the culture, language, and history the people share (Brown). Nationalism is accompanied by loyalty and devotion of the people to a nation. Nationalist find great gratification in their history and traditions. With this sometimes comes the feeling that their nation is special and set apart from other nations, creating an atmosphere of superiority. Furthermore, through out history, the idea of nationalism has been the driving force behind those wanting to overthrow governments that are thought to be oppressive
There are many reasons that can cause poverty. One of those reasons is lack of education. Most workplaces will not accept uneducated people, because they think it would be of no use to keep them. The uneducated people do not have enough opportunities to demonstrate their ability in work or any other place. Another reason is because of poor attitude. Tho...
Global poverty is a problem with deep roots. The problem lies behind simple financial status, it extends across many dimensions. Each of the theories provide a different perspective on the issue of poverty.
Culture is the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects and behavior. It includes the ideas, value, customs and artifacts of a group of people (Schaefer, 2002). Culture is a pattern of human activities and the symbols that give these activities significance. It is what people eat, how they dress, beliefs they hold and activities they engage in. It is the totality of the way of life evolved by a people in their attempts to meet the challenges of living in their environment, which gives order and meaning to their social, political, economic, aesthetic and religious norms and modes of organization thus distinguishing people from their neighbors.
For an extensive period of time, sociologists and anthropologists have attempted to define culture. It is well known, that such concept is one with various, intrinsic definitions and subject to multiple interpretations, therefore being extremely laborious to define; laborious, to the extent that: “Despite a century of efforts to define culture adequately, there was in the early 1990s no agreement among anthropologists regarding its nature.” (Apte (1994: 2001), as cited in Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics). Nonetheless, the classical definition states that: “Culture… is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.” (Sir Edward