What is culture? (Kültür nedir? - İngilizce içerik)

What is culture?

   “Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.[1]” This is the simple definition of culture but culture is so sophisticated that no one can simplify it.

   In 1952, the American anthropologists, Kroeber and Kluckhohn, critically reviewed concepts and definitions of culture, and compiled a list of 164 different definitions. Apte (1994: 2001), writing in the ten volumes Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, summarized the problem as follows: ‘Despite a century of efforts to define culture adequately, there was in the early 1990s no agreement among anthropologists regarding its nature.’ [2] So let’s look at the long definition of culture but not that long.

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.[3]


  • · the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another.[4]


  • · the set of attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors shared by a group of people, but different for each individual, communicated from one generation to the next.[5]


Culture has many layers. The most common layer model of culture is Hofstede`s Cultural Onion. It is made of three layers around a core; the core stands for the values of a certain culture, which is not moving a lot. It mostly remains the same. Even if something seems to be outdated, it still can subconsciously play a role in the present. That includes individuals as well as groups. [6]

  • · The first layer around the core is described as rituals. A ritual can be the way of personal hygiene (most Asians shower in the evening, Europeans in the morning). German people like to shake hands often, Malay tenderly touch the fingertips and then point it to the heart. Those rituals are changing slowly. [6]


  • · The second layer around the core is the „heroes“. A hero can be a fictive person, but has influence on the culture. A nice example is Dracula (written by Bram Stoker, published 1897). Since this book was published, many people in Western world developed a fear about Vampires, even if it never existed in their culture before. It also can be national heroes, photo-models or scientists – all people, who play a role-model in that society.[6]


  • · The third layer is about the symbols. Nowadays most symbols appear as brands like BMW, Apple or Louis Vuitton. Those symbols usually move according to the momentary fashion. [6]


  • · All three layers can be trained and learned through practices except for the core: the inner cultural values (Good vs. Bad, dirty vs. clean, ugly vs. beautiful, unnatural vs. natural, abnormal vs. normal, paradoxical vs. logical, irrational vs. rational). [6]


[6]
Gerard (Geert) Hendrik Hofstede (born 3 October 1928) created the model of the „Cultural Onion“

Culture is the only thing that we left behind after the physical existence is destroyed. It will continue to exist even if we die. Yes it will change through time but it will live until the last human being alive dies.

There are many separate societies that emerged around the globe differed markedly from each other, and many of these differences persist to this day. As well as the more obvious cultural differences that exist between people, such as language, dress and traditions, there are also significant variations in the way societies organize themselves, in their shared conception of morality, and in the ways they interact with their environment. [7]

It is important to recognize that people from different cultures have are different in a variety of ways, including;

  • · different ways of looking at things,
  • · different ways of dressing,
  • · different ways of expressing personality/goodness,
  • · different type of body language.[8]



Sources
[1] https://www.livescience.com/21478-what-is-culture-definition-of-culture.html
[2]https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/globalpad/openhouse/interculturalskills/global_pad_-_what_is_culture.pdf
[3] Tyler (British anthropologist) 1870:1; cited by Avruch 1998: 6
[4] Hofstede 1994: 5
[5] Matsumoto 1996: 16
[6] https://laofutze.wordpress.com/tag/layers-of-culture-hofstede/
[7] Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, Article 1
[8] http://www.analytictech.com/mb021/cultural.htm

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