Notion of Culture in Anthropology

Culture in Anthropology:

Culture is basically defined as values, attitudes, and behaviors that are shared by a group of individuals. However, this definition of this has been a complex and relatively difficult task for anthropologists since the commencement of discipline in the late 19th Century. Culture originates from interactions and behaviors of people who eventually develop common attitudes, values, and behaviors. In essence, as people live and interact with one another, their learning skills and attitudes are in turn transmitted as knowledge and beliefs that are shared among them, which results in cultural beliefs and practices.

Despite the simple, basic definition of culture, anthropologists have struggled to describe and specify the concept since the discipline was established in the late 19th Century. There are various anthropologists who have attempted to define and specify the culture including Edward Tylor whose definition incorporates various significant features that are currently included in most definitions of culture. Tylor described culture as a complex whole that incorporates law, beliefs, custom, knowledge, art and other abilities or habits acquired by an individual as part of a society. Tylor's definition has acted as the foundation of the notion of culture in anthropology since anthropologists have refined and expanded on this definition (Bonvillain, p.20).

The anthropological notion of culture has two distinct perspectives that include statements regarding human behavior and activities carried out across families, communities, and groups. These differing perspectives also incorporate statements regarding individual's selectively shared values, knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes. One of these perspectives considers culture as a set of beliefs and practices that are evaluated and abstracted from the real life experiences of individuals. The second perspective is where culture is described as different degrees, participation, and share in social life by a specific identifiable group of individuals.

Therefore, the notion of culture in anthropology refers to the systems of meaning generated and interpreted by members of society. These systems of meaning are brought by exposure to cultural symbols, enculturation, and the attainment of shared cultural concepts. These factors play a crucial role in how individuals think about themselves, their lives, other individuals, and the whole world. During this process, people develop naturalized concepts, which are ideas thought to be vital and in existence in nature. The naturalized concepts become so embedded to an extent that they are regarded as true and treated as natural and commonsense (Bonvillain, p.31). The society also plays a critical role in the formation of naturalized concepts through challenging the fundamental organizing concepts and depending on societal norms.

Culture is a vital aspect of archeology given that this discipline focuses on scientific study of past cultures and the lifestyles of people based on remains. Professionals in the field of archeology conduct the scientific study through examining objects and artifacts that have been created, utilized or transformed by humans. The objects and artifacts are derived from aesthetical and functional material culture items that are evident in different cultural groups.