DEFINITION OF CULTURE PDF

DEFINITION OF CULTURE By: Dollente and Dolotanora Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages noun 1. the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. 2. the customs, arts...

DEFINITION OF CULTURE By: Dollente and Dolotanora Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages noun 1. the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. 2. the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group. also : the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time. GENERAL DEFINITION OF CULTURE The term "culture" originates from a French word, which itself comes from the Latin "colere," meaning to cultivate or nurture the earth, as explained by Arthur Asa Berger. De Rossi added that it shares its roots with several other words associated with promoting growth. Culture encompasses the collective knowledge, beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviors that are developed, shared, and transmitted by a group of people over generations. It includes both tangible and intangible elements like material objects, social roles, and religious beliefs, all of which shape and are shaped by human interaction. In essence, culture is the learned and socially transmitted behavior patterns that define the way of life for a group, influencing and conditioning how individuals within the group act and interact. MANIFESTATIONS OF CULTURE Cultural differences express themselves in various ways and at different levels of depth. Symbols are the most surface-level expressions of culture, while values represent its deepest aspects, with heroes and rituals falling in between. Symbols, which include words, gestures, images, or objects, hold specific meanings that are understood only by those within a particular culture. These symbols can easily evolve, with new ones emerging and old ones fading away. Often, symbols from one culture are adopted by others, which is why they are considered the outermost layer of culture. Heroes, whether from the past or present, real or fictional, are individuals who embody qualities that a culture admires. They serve as role models, influencing behavior within the culture.  Rituals are collective actions that might not be necessary for achieving specific goals but are viewed as socially important. They are often performed for their own sake, such as greeting customs, showing respect, or participating in religious and social ceremonies. At the heart of a culture are its values, which are general preferences for certain states of affairs over others (such as good versus evil or right versus wrong). These values are often held unconsciously by individuals, making them difficult to discuss or directly observe. They can only be understood by observing how people behave in different situations. Symbols, heroes, and rituals are the visible, tangible elements of cultural practices, but their true significance is intangible and can only be fully understood by those within the culture. Figure 1. Manifestation of Culture at Different Levels of Dept  What is Culture? The Definition of Culture from World Experts Just what is culture? Buildings, food, dance, festivals, folk art, language, and textiles are all examples of culture that all groups share. The following is a collection of definitions of culture from professionals from around the world who have worked in the field of culture for a long time. These experts come from a wide range of cultural fields, such as anthropology, the visual arts, crafts, education, literature, gardening, social entrepreneurship, museum management, and journalism. There is more than one correct way to explain culture because it is both shared and unique. The idea of culture is that it is a group of people's views, behaviors, ideas, philosophies, and practices that they all follow. Communities are made up of different types of people, but they all share a set of activities and beliefs that make up their culture. The knowledge and points of view of these cultural leaders give a complete and accurate answer to the question "What is culture?" Rosy Greenlees, World Crafts Council (( Rosy Greenlees, OBE, was the Executive Director of the World Crafts Council from 2006 to 2022. The World Crafts Council was established as a non-profit membership organization with the goal of fostering global interest in crafts and fostering international trade among artisans. )) One can convey a definition of culture in several different ways. Perhaps our customs, our methods of life, how we express ourselves, the clothes we wear, and so on define our culture as a statement of our humanity and as a society. The objects we create, which reflect our values, our ways of seeing the world which clearly include things like ceramics and paintings and music and all of those kinds of things, represent a perhaps little more narrowly defined aspect of culture. For me, then, culture is a means of expression both personally and as a community. It matters greatly for a clear-cut reason. It is a statement of human being nature. existence creative people, we should communicate our uniqueness and our existence and humanity. It is quite fundamental to what it is to be human. It also counts, in my opinion, since it helps one to comprehend other people, unite people, and acknowledge both similarities and differences. That is absolutely vital in the modern world especially.  Amitava Bhattacharya, Banglanatak.com (( Amitava Bhattacharya is the founder of Banglanatak.com. Banglanatak.com based in Kolkata, India specialises in cultural development. )) By training, I am an engineer; ten years of employment in Silicon Valley in software have made me returned to Calcutta and have engaged in cultural development for over twenty years. My response to the definition of culture will thus be rather pragmatic and work-oriented. From what I understand, culture is a skill possessed by societies that could evolve into businesses. Those businesses may create resources that communities could distribute for their expansion. Since it defines a community, culture is absolutely vital. We all are dying without culture. It genuinely gives people, communities, towns, nations, and the earth life. Thus, cultivation of culture is quite vital. It helps you to interact with the world with your culture as well as to learn about different cultures, so defining your identity. Mary Hawkes-Greene, Burren College of Art (( Mary Hawkes-Greene is the President of the Burren College of Art, Co. Clare, Ireland.)) The notion of culture should ideally be rather a communal set of ideas, values, and standards defining our behavior and what is essential to us. I guess the explicit and the unsaid sort of tacit rules that tie us as a community. Our identity is derived from our culture; we are tied together by being on the globe but within that our particular culture relates to the areas, the places, and the civilizations we inhabit. That is what distinguishes us and gives the planet the fascinating character it has. Especially in this era of homogeneity and globalization, it is imperative that we recognize our own culture as well as the others that add to the great fabric of life. Anado-Mclauchlin, Assemblage Artist (( Anado-Mclauchlin (deceased 2021) was a renowned Assemblage Artist and former owner of the art gallery at the Chapel of Jimmy Ray, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.)) To me, culture is the result and core of living among other sentient entities. What emerges is always a mystery; yogurt has a culture; ants have a culture; and humans has a culture. But if you're talking about human culture, to me it's always defined in distinct geographical areas and states of mind. People living with one another thereby produce this byproduct. Culture is important since it is the threads woven among one another to form a living tapestry. This is exactly what life is about. I consider the human civilization to be just a wonderful event for which I am very glad to participate. George Patterson, Tofino Botanical Garden (( George Patterson is the Founder of Tofino Botanical Garden, Vancouver Island, B.C.)) Many people forget that culture is essentially an agricultural term since the Latin root "colere" has to do with farming, tending to the ground, and that very early on started to be used as a metaphor for developing the soul, and the mind. Broadly though, culture is all we do as social groupings and individuals. All the words, including horticulture and viniculture, have to do with tending to and cultivating. Everything we are defines our culture. We wouldn't exist without cultural background. Therefore, it is quite important that, as human beings we participate in and create our culture. We might subsist without culture, but our lives would be so poor when compared to what we presently lead. Thus, truly without culture, we are not human beings. Debra Kerr, Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art (( Debra Kerr is the CEO of Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, Chicago, U.S.)) Culture is the human creative product defined here. One can also split that into the creative output of particular societies. Though I believe it matters now more than ever, culture has always been important. People are feeling disconnected from events, from one another, from communities, and I believe that one should be able to draw on either their own cultural background or the background of their communities or devise strategies to handle the demands of the modern society. In times when often we are chatting with each other and not with each other, experiencing culture, experiencing creativity, is a means for us to relieve tension, become more compassionate, and help us to understand each other better. Peter Robinson, Bradshaw Foundation (( Peter Robinson is the Editor of the non-profit organization learning source the Bradshaw Foundation, U.K. )) From a rock art standpoint, I would want to define culture. "The metaphor of a surface and a deep structure holds for all known rock art in the world," Ekkehart Malotki and Ellen Dissanayake wrote in their new book "Early Rock Art of the American West." Thus, just as we speak the language of the group we are born into, superficially rock art may vary greatly in style, technique, and motif depending on the cultural group a certain marker is born into. Underneath, in their fundamental structure, however, they are controlled by universal characteristics of our nature as human beings—natural underlying principles and powers. Thus, similar artists and civilizations have created their own arts but did not invent the inclination to participate in the art itself as cultures have developed their own languages but did not invent the tendency. Stated differently, everyone of us is a cultural creature with common strong experiences. Emphasizing the rock art viewpoint, Jean Clottes, a renowned French rock art expert, suggests that given the strong relationship between spirituality and art, "Homo spiritualis artifax" would be a more fitting appellation than "Homo sapiens" (smart). People are naturally inclined to a certain culture. It is not a new trend; it begins exactly at the beginning. Personally, I see this on many different levels. Generally speaking, culture relates to cooperation and connection; social ideals and it also ties to identity. But, if culture is an identity, then we are all aware of the possibility of conflicts among civilizations. On the other hand, if we view human civilization favorably, it gives us the opportunity to address all the major concerns—including inequality, poverty, pollution, and climate change. One of the major problems that is sometimes disregarded is our artistic world legacy, which consists in rock art and its appreciation and preservation. Regarding rock art, there never are cultural conflicts. Nobody disputes whose rock art is better or whose says more. Rock art, sometimes known as "art," is essentially a mirror of the events occurring in that specific area at that specific moment. It is not a cleansed or independent entity. For instance, the painted cave like Chauvet can only properly be appreciated in this specific environment or context. Therefore, it is in a scene whose features are shaped by the beliefs and way of life of paleolithic people. That is then the definition of culture. That is why it is crucial. Dr. Ulrike Al-Khamis, Aga Khan Museum (( Dr. Ulrike Al-Khamis is the CEO of the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, Canada. )) One definition of culture is the fourth basic and existential thing humans live by. After food and shelter and water, culture is what defines us as humans; if we use it wisely it can even help us to become compassionate. One uses culture as a tool. Of course, it has many many dimensions. Many distinct layered forms of culture reflect everything about us as well as everything about the people in our vicinity. We can reach out and establish a discussion between us and others via the cultural media. Culture helps us to overcome our differences and find the connections that bind us and are vital for our understanding if we are to have harmonic communities and society. Phoebe Lasoi Salau, Artist (( Phoebe Lasoi Salau is a Maasai Bead Artisan from Kenya. )) To me, culture is a social behavior or a norm of particular people or particular groups from a given society. My definition of culture will differ from that of any other person. You have elements that define our civilizations, which are either basic or straightforward and really vital. For instance, the first thing a Maasai person thinks of is cattle when you simply meet them. Maasai believe they are the only people entitled to possess cattle anywhere in the globe. And whatever we do revolves on livestock, feeding. Maasai hold that we arrive from heaven bearing our animals. There is also a trade between ladies and cattle since it occurs even when a woman is getting married. You donate cattle to the girl's family when the women get married, and in return you acquire a lady. It is therefore spiritual as well as financial. Because we invest in cattle, a Maasai without cattle is poor. Cliff Murphy, Smithsonian's Center for Folklife (( Cliff Murphy is the Director of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Washington, D.C. )) I will quote Clifford Geertz, an anthropological. Once, he defined culture as similar webs of significance spun by humans to give their existence purpose. In the realm of anthropology, that picture is rather popular. That statement only holds true, in my opinion; if you examine a spider web, it is really neat and one spider is clearly creating the web. From what I understand, we have a pretty wide perspective of what is going all throughout the nation and observe many webs and many spiders. These are the activities that, taken together, give our life collective significance. Deliberate action results in culture; chaos results from this; so, I find it more natural to define culture as like a beaver dam. Drawing on locally available resources, beavers purposefully create the construction. They preserve it for a long period as they really need it. It generates a large pond and an entire ecosystem surrounding the river, damming it. Then, at some time, they abandon the dam and construct a new one, which results in the dam breaking and the pond disappearing. This results in a completely other ecology that has to adapt and change. Everybody is therefore creating fresh works from past materials. Culture, I would argue, is what connects us to our past, to our present, to our future, and to other people. Whether it's a real neighborhood or a less physically oriented one, the things that define our neighborhood define us. Although culture helps us to connect, ironically it also helps us to define our own uniqueness in appropriate terms. There is a wonderful conflict; everything has yin and yang. Dawit Gabremichael Habte, Author (( Dawit Gabremichael Habte is an Eritrean-American IT executive and memoirist and a former refugee. )) Though the definition of culture in general terms is the way of life of a group of people and the way they interact with each other and the way they do things, I believe we lose a deeper knowledge of culture if we leave it there just as a generic phrase. Deeper still, I see culture as the means of communication, the tool used to transmit those tangible and non-tangible entities, knowledge, and secrets a society uses to pass on from one generation to the next. For instance, we describe arts, music, cultural institutions, and social institutions as part of a culture but concurrently those institutions, those relics, are also employed to convey or pass the secrets, the knowledge, the how-to, of a society from one generation to another. Stated otherwise, culture serves as a means of communication, interaction, connection amongst many many generations, and those physical and non-tangible objects are also quite important part and parcel of it. Simply said, culture is important for continuity; it is also important for passing on strongly felt knowledge and secrets from generation to generation. Culture is important since it is our means of survival, continuity, and connection—that which we cannot otherwise achieve without using the social construction we refer to. Georgia Haddad Nicolau Instituto Procomum (( Georgia Haddad Nicolau is the Co-Founder and Director of Instituto Procomum, a non-profit dedicated to social transformation in Sao Paulo, Brazil. )) Culture is all we create and everything that helps us to exist outside of our biological body. That implies all we believe, all our beliefs, spirituality, the foods we eat, the way we communicate, our language, the way we walk, the way we use our hand while we are speaking, and the way nations arrange themselves. For me, everything is culturally based. If you delve into the academic understanding of it, you will notice a lot of various ways in sociology, or anthropology; but, I like the rather wide definition of culture the things that are not biological, are not natural, but rather what makes each of us unique and the experiences unique. For me, culture is the essence of mankind in the sense that it gives us names and initially defines us as human beings. It's something that ties us as well. Not appreciating culture is what brings some sad events—including some of the ones we are currently living through—about here. I will provide you an example—a truly objective one. Eliminating the Ministry of Culture of Brazil was one of the first symbolic acts taken by the present Brazilian President. In the sense that culture is humanity, this is quite symbolic; it helps us to have empathy for one another, see things together, use our creativity, and apply our ideas to be able to change and evolve. Ignoring this leads to barbarianism—that is, the portents of death. Culture is life itself, then defined. It's absolutely necessary for me. How would someone not understand the value of culture? Know it important even those who claim culture has no value. They would not be so afraid of it otherwise. Michael Mason, President Lincoln's Cottage (( Michael Atwood Mason is the CEO of President Lincoln's Cottage, Washington, D.C. U.S.)) This subject of "What is culture" scares me as culture is such a broad term with very challenging definition. Most basically, it's our perspective on and behavior toward things. And I really consider it in daily terms as the linked network of meanings and actions we all participate in as we share a home. Our behavior in the world reflects our view of the world as well. It also guides our response and serves as a filter for our perspective on what we are observing. What makes it so interesting, to me, is that it connects everything from the most personal to the most communal facets of our life. Many times, I ask folks to share with me their name's origin story. Nearly everyone knows about how their parents choose their name. That is really intimate. And it's a continual; for most of your life, at least for most of us, it follows you about. And occasionally that is really, quite personal. Just to provide an example from my family, my mother's name is somewhat odd and she was named after a rather close friend of hers. Other times, it reaches a really large collective set of references. Nicholas is the name of my son, inspired from St. Nicholas. Therefore, there is a great spectrum of interpretations even in that very local, very intimate environment. At the other extreme, we have events like the Fourth of July or the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which are national celebrations bringing together thousands and thousands, sometimes even millions of people to engage in something quite collective, so reminding us who we are and our relationship to this larger imagined community. Since it links the most personal and the most communal aspects of our life, I believe culture counts. It has to do with our perspective on the planet and our choices of behavior upon it. Over much of my work, that question has been central. Usually for the better, how are people changing their lives with culture? People have really obvious choices for adopting particular types of o References: Culture definition. (n.d.). https://people.tamu.edu/~i-choudhury/culture.html Meg. (2024). What is culture? the definition of culture from world experts. People are Culture. https://www.peopleareculture.com/what-is-culture-definition-of-culture/