Introduction to Culture
Introduced| English |
|---|
| culture/ˈkʌltʃə/ |
| material culture/məˈtɪərɪəl ˈkʌltʃə/ |
| nonmaterial culture/ˌnɒnməˈtɪərɪəl ˈkʌltʃə/ |
| cultural trait/ˈkʌltʃərəl treɪt/ |
| cultural relativism/ˈkʌltʃərəl ˈrelətɪvɪzəm/ |
What is culture?
- Culture 文化 is the shared beliefs, values, practices, and objects of a group.
- It is learned and passed down, not inherited in your genes.
- Geographers study how culture varies across space.
Culture is inherited through your genes.
Culture is learned and passed down through society, not carried in genes.
Material and nonmaterial
- Material culture 物质文化 is the things people make and use — food, clothing, tools, buildings.
- Nonmaterial culture 非物质文化 is the ideas — language, religion, values, rules.
- Both together make up a group's whole way of life.
Material or nonmaterial culture?
Sort each item as material culture (objects) or nonmaterial culture (ideas).
A spoken language is an example of ____ culture.
Language is an idea, not an object → nonmaterial culture.
Select all examples of material culture.
Food, tools, and buildings are objects; beliefs are nonmaterial.
Traits and relativism
- A cultural trait 文化特征 is a single element of culture, like using chopsticks.
- Linked traits form a cultural complex.
- Cultural relativism 文化相对论 judges a culture by its own standards, not your own.
A single element of culture, like using chopsticks, is a cultural ____.
A cultural trait is one element; linked traits form a cultural complex.
Match each term to its meaning.
Material = objects; nonmaterial = ideas; relativism = its own standards.
Culture is learned, not biological. Never explain a group's culture by their genes or "nature" — that is the discredited thinking behind racism. Culture is passed on through family, school, and society, and it can change.
Using chopsticks is a single cultural trait. Eating with a knife and fork is another. Neither is "better" — judging each by its own culture's standards is cultural relativism. The tools are material culture; the table manners around them are nonmaterial.
Culture is the learned, shared way of life of a group. It splits into material (objects) and nonmaterial (ideas) culture. A cultural trait is one element; cultural relativism judges a culture by its own standards.