SA 150 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Jean Baudrillard, Eurocentrism, Ethnocentrism

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Sociology and Anthropology
• Course: SA 150
• Professor: Lindsey Freeman

Document Summary

When we try to define culture, there is often a struggle between culture as a standard of excellence (or what is sometimes called high culture ) way of life. Culture is a system involving behaviour, beliefs, knowledge practices, values and materials such as buildings, tools and sacred items: culture is often contested. There is no total agreement as to what constitutes a culture even by those who belong to a group. Cited culture is ordinary : this means we all have culture, it is not only for the elite. One of the points of contestation is authenticity: in principle, authenticity carries ideas of being true to a particular culture, culture is dynamic. No standard definition to either due to an ever-changing culture. Dominant culture: the culture that through its political and economic power is able to impose its values, language and ways of behaving and interpreting behaviour on a given society.