Tuesday February 26th, 2013
What is Cultural
Anthropology?
What is culture?
How do cultural anthropologists study culture?
Learning Goals
1. We will understand what culture and
cultural anthropology is
2. We will understand how culture varies over
time and between places and societies
3. We will understand how culture represents
an important social force that contributes to
an individuals personal and social
development
Learning Goals Cont.
1. We will understand how cultural
anthropologists investigate culture and we
will discuss any limitations or disadvantages
inherent in their methods
2. We will how cultural anthropologists aim to
challenge ethnocentric views of “the other”
What is Culture?
 Culture is a system of shared beliefs, values,
customs, and behaviors.
 Culture can be seen in physical objects and
human activities, but much of culture is unseen.
 Study of the seen aspects of culture can lead to
understanding of the unseen aspects of culture.
 For example; the food people eat reveals much
about a culture.
 http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519_1373664,00.html
Characteristics of Culture
 Material aspects: physical objects humans create and
give meaning to – clothes, food, cars, wheels, schools,
books, and everything else we physically have and use
 Non-material aspects: thoughts, behaviors, values,
ideas about the world, language, rules, customs, skills,
myths, family patterns and political systems
 Attitudes- “knowledge about your ancestors makes you a
better person”
 Behaviors- not eating with your fingers, or only eating with
your fingers, depending on culture
What is Canadian Culture?
What is YOUR Culture?
Food
Miss
Thompson
Beliefs
Family
Traditions
How do Cultural Anthropologists
Study Culture?
 What are some of the challenges cultural
anthropologists may encounter?
 What are some possible limitations to cultural
anthropologists method of study?
Indonesian Baby Smokes
40 Cigarettes a Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4c_wI6kQyE
 On a piece of paper, write your initial reactions to
the video
 What assumptions have you made?
 What key factors make this a social science issue?
(Why would a social scientist (anthropologist in
particular) be interested in this issue?
Concepts:
 Ethnocentrism:
a) An underlying belief and assumption that one’s
ethnic group or culture is morally superior and is the
standard on which other cultures should be measured
b) The tendency to view and judge other cultures
through your own culture’s perspective
 Cultural relativism: cultural norms and values derive
their meaning from particular social contexts
a) Ethical and moral standards are relative to what a
specific society/culture believes to be good/bad or
right/wrong
b) Because there is no single, universal standard of
morality, no one ethnic group can claim to be superior
Applying the Concepts of Ethnocentrism
and Cultural Relativism to the Issue:
Key Factors and Tensions:
 Journalistic ethics – how did this become a story and seen by
over 18 million via You Tube, and whose point of view is
defining the issue? –why are we so fascinated by it
 Little information is given about who the reporter is, and
from where he comes from- what social context is framing
the “LENS” in which the reporter interprets this story
• Lack of understanding of the ideology, expectations/norms,
and techniques of socialization that frame the cultural
context [ of the boy] but strong sense of moral judgment
underlying the story
 Key Factors and Tensions Continued:
 Health and investment in the future are held
extremely highly in Northern/ Western cultures
such as in the U. K. (from where the video came)
and Canada
 To what extent are we imposing that value onto
a specific cultural context?
 Why would a parent not value long term
health?
 To what extent is this story more an example of
ethnocentrism than of a strong and critical
analysis of a social problem?
Anthropology: Identifying Factors and
Tensions in the Issue
 The tension inherent to applying universal values
to specific local contexts (especially to cultures
considered 'Other’)
 Human Rights, Child Rights? Universally
accepted?
 The danger of making a situation worse when
trying to 'solve' a problem without acknowledging
and reflecting on key assumptions
Cultural Relativism: a
moral predicament
 While relativism suggests we respect
and not judge others by our own
standards, often there is a moral
dilemma involved
 Relativistic Fallacy : The mistake that is
impossible to make moral judgments
about the beliefs and behaviours of
members of other cultures
Major Goal of Cultural
Anthropology
 To combat ethnocentrism
 To challenge relativistic fallacy
Do Cultures Have
Common Characteristics?
 Culture is learned
 Culture is shared
 Culture defines nature
 Culture shapes how we perceive and understand
the world
 Culture has patterns
Learning Goals
1. We will understand what culture and cultural
anthropology is
2. We will understand how culture varies over time and
between places and societies
3. We will understand how culture represents an important
social force that contributes to an individuals personal
and social development
4. We will understand how cultural anthropologists
investigate culture and we will discuss any limitations or
disadvantages inherent in their methods
5. We will how cultural anthropologists aim to challenge
ethnocentric views of “the other”