Social Anthropology:::Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Anthropology : Culture and Social

Culture Defination ↓:
#Tylor
=Culture stands for beliefs, ideas, customs, laws , morals, arts and other capabilities and skils acquired by man as a member of society. [implies Culture is a social heritage]

# Malinowski
=Culture stands for a total way of life which secures for an individual the satisfaction of his biopsychic drives and the fulfilment of other wants and cravings and, ultimately, invests him with freedom.

# Bidney:
=Culture is a product of agrofacts(Products of cultibations) + Artifactys(products of industry) + Socifacts(social organisation) + Mentifacts(Language, religion, arts and so on).

# Marett
=Culture is a communicable inteligence .

# Redfield
Culture is a sum total of conventional meanings embodied in artifacts, social structure and symbols.

# Ruth Benedicts (Aesthetic viewpoint)
=Culture is not so much to be conveived in terms of the content of social life as in terms of its formal ordering and organisation.

# Redcliff-Brown
=Culture is a cultivation, the process of handing down and acquiring traditions, as a result of which society is perpetuated.

Attributes of Culture↓ :

1)Ethos & Edios:
=@Kroeber
==Edios ---formal appearance…..cognitive aspect
==Ethos----disposition of a culture….Emotional aspect

2)Explicit & Implicit Element:
=Explicit=sensory observation…like through eyes and ears are Explicit items of culture.
=Implicit=motivation, impluses etc that human may not be consious about are implicit items of culture.

3)Culture Determinism:
=converse of what Tylor said (Culture is a social heritage as we get it as a  member of society)………..Cultre determinism says “Its culture which shapes the society”……….one of the main proponant of this phillosophy was “Leslie White”(@Ecologlical Anthropology) ……………White also propunded E*T=C ….hence Energy and Tech changes society.

4)Culture vis a vis  the individual:

a)Person with conforming Personality:
=according to Linton…to such person culture plays the role of guide……without culture as a guide “Conforming personality person” would not survive…………hence Culture liberate him from biological determininsm….but at a price.
Price= Surrendering complete independence of freedom. As to benefit from society you need to keep social intrest above yours.

b)Person with non conforming personality:
=such person a usually called “Mystic” , “The creative minority” etc……….they are the one who protects the society from cultural stagnation. Ex- M.K Gandhi.
=These type of person does not affects culture negatively but constructively.

5)Culture and Civilisation:
=Culture=internal=moral+sprititual +mental attainment of man.
=Civilisation=external= Tech advancement like industries etc

6)Cultural traits and cultural complex:
=Traits=prayer, rituals etc
=Complex=it is different from social institution , it is outcome of interaction of diff institution and is made from diff cultural traits. Like Hajj, political party etc.