ANT 220 Chapter 2: Chapter Two
31 Jan 2019
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~ chapter two: why is the concept of culture important. How do anthropologists define culture: the cultural path is cleared for the next generation by the previous one. From birth, children learn about their culture so they can carry is on. Socialization and enculturation are both terms for this cultural shaping. These can be traced through time and vary across space. Everything from language to table manners to funeral ceremonies are examples of symbols: symbol: something that stands for something else. on culture as an integral part of our evolutionary heritage. Culture, history, and human agency: our biocultural heritage has produced a species that uses culture to surmount human limitation. We make our own history but not under conditions we choose. Different dimensions of cultural activity (economics, politics, religion) are knotted together in complex ways: humans who grow up in isolation don"t behave in ways we recognize as human.
