Culture's role in anthropological understanding and research
This work in writing is comprised by three different essays with three statements of theses including: (1) The concept of culture assists anthropologists in their understanding and study of people and societies; (2) The traditional pastoral Culture is more likely to engage in trade with other members of society than is the traditional foraging culture; and (3) The giving of gifts among those in the Dobe or !Kung culture is driven by need, therefore, gift-giving in the Dobe culture is based on that which the receiver is in need of and the gift given will be of the nature that fulfills the need of the receiver.
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Cultural Studies
Concept of Culture and How it Assists Anthropologists in Their Study and Understanding of People and Societies
The concept of culture assists anthropologists in their understanding and study of people and societies.
The word culture is derived from the Latin word 'cultura' that is derived from the verb 'colo' that means, "to tend, to cultivate, and to till." (Sage Publishers, n.d., p.10) The expression of the word would be a reference to the "cultivation of the human character." (Sage Publishers, n.d., p.10)
Culture
Culture, to the cultural anthropologist is stated to be "neither secure, nor a residual. It is a social phenomenon that manifests itself quite clearly." (Sage Publishers, n.d., p.10) White (2007) states that by culture, what is mean is "an extrasomatic, temporal continuum of things and events dependent upon symboling." (p. 3 cited in Sage Publishers, n.d., p.10) Kluckhohn (1951) is cited as stating as follows:
Culture consists in patterned ways of thinking, feeling and reacting, acquired and transmitted mainly by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional (i.e. historically derived and selected) ideas and especially their attached values. (p. 86, no. 5)
Hofstede (2001) states that culture is "shared mental software, the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another." (Sage Publishers, n.d., p.11) It is important to define a culture's boundaries and contents in order to avoid confusion. The concept of culture includes such as behaviors, beliefs, morals, ethics, and is inclusive of the various areas of that cultures religious, economic, political, and societal systems all of which have their own symbolism and historical basis for such beliefs and behaviors.
Summary and Conclusion
The information reviewed in this study has demonstrated that the concept of culture is based on the culture's specific systems of belief, commerce, spirituality, and political aspects as well as the symbolism that is historically and traditionally embedded in that culture. The understanding of a specific culture by the anthropologist is key in their ability to understand that culture and in their study of that culture. Only by understanding how a culture derived their belief and behavior system can the anthropologist can a solid understanding of the culture.
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