Cultural Construction Of Culture Essay

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

Therefore, the current political time presents a gateway, in order to better the country and society, overall. In order to recreate the countries’ glorious past, the reconstruction of several destructed monuments, such as the Buddhist statues in 2011 has begun. Preventive measures have already been taken; First and foremost with the help from UNESCO, several programs have been implemented, with the sole purpose of facilitating the development of a cultural policy, which will help in the preservation of cultural heritage, on the long term, and at a large scale (Afghanistan´s cultural campaign: Safeguarding Campaign, n.d.). By emphasizing such policies, we would witness the unification of a long divided nation, under one common identity. Initiatives, for example, as the “Bibliotheca Afghanica” in Switzerland, should be advertised, and encouraged to replicate. This idea was highly successful, for it kept safe much of the countries´ treasures safe and away from pillage (How can Afghani culture be preserved, n.d.). Another heavyweight factor is the opportunity, which cultural tourism presents. Primarily, it is a utensil in the sociocultural empowerment. Studies suggest, that heritage travelers are the most active, both in terms of visiting and spending. This influx of masses, will not only revitalize commerce, but also provide new sources of income, whilst improving infrastructures and developing a sustainable economy. However this can only be achieved by investing, financially, in the recovery of patrimony at a physical and mental level (Benefits of Cultural Heritage Tourism