Summary:
Culture is what defines the difference between humans and animals. Through studying different cultures we learn more about our own culture. Yet to become fluent in a culture, a person cannot simply study it; he/she must interact with the culture and experience it firsthand.
Culture, is defined by Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, as " the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon man's capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations." People learn about culture through interaction rather than through the memorization of a text. To become fluent in any one culture you have to experience it and become involved. There are many ways that a culture can be shared among people without them being fluent in it such as through: food, customs, clothing, language, beliefs, and behaviors. With the increase of technology and new discoveries about the world developing daily it makes it impossible for cultures to remain stagnant; therefore, they must learn how to adapt in order to survive. Some people argue that complete cultural fluency in more than one culture is impossible. However, culture is a learned behavior therefore people should be able to learn and become fluent in more than one.
Culture is distinctly human and is transmitted through learning traditions and customs that govern behavior. Cultural anthropologist study human society and culture through describing, analyzing, interpreting and explaining social and cultural similarities and differences. To study and interpret cultural diversity they engage in two activities which are ethnography and ethnology. Ethnography is based on fieldwork while ethnology is based on cross-cultural comparisons of the information collected through ethnography.
The studies done on culture can be shared in two ways: first through theoretical or academic anthropology and second through practical or applied anthropology. An example of academic anthropology, which teaches us about culture, is a textbook such as the book written by Kottak. An example of applied anthropology, which helps to solve practical problems, is the study done on medical anthropology. Various societies and ethnic groups recognize different illnesses, symptoms, and causes. Each group develops different treatments and health care strategies, which can be passed on and applied in different cultures.
Cultures can't always stay the same; therefore, they undergo a process called adaptation. The process of adaptation refers to an organism coping with the environmental forces and stressors. Animals use biological means of adaptation, but humans are unique in also having a means of cultural adaptation. As cultural anthropologist study human history the importance of adaptation has been revealed. Humans have formulated ways of coping with the range of environments they have occupied in time and space. An example of the adaptation is the coping with the spread of industrial production, which has strongly affected human life. Each economic revolution has social and cultural consequences.
Complete cultural fluency in more than one culture is possible, however it is a long process. A person can become fluent in two languages through memorization and practice, however the process to become fluent in two cultures in much more intricate. The only way a person can become culturally fluent is to be exposed and involved in the cultural for a prolonged amount of time. A person must put aside their own culture and be able to experience what people do, what people know, and the things people make and use, in order to become apart of that culture. It is when each of these are learned and shared by members of the same group that we call them cultural behaviors, cultural knowledge, and cultural artifacts.
An example of a person becoming fluent in another culture is provided in the story Lessons From the Field, in which college students set out to do field work. They are expected to let go of all biases and all expectation of what is normal that they accumulated from their own culture. They begin as outsiders observing and documenting the new culture they have been thrown into. Soon the students became more involved in the community by eating their food, helping with chores around the house, learning their language, learning their religion, learning how to use their tools, and living in their homes.
The students formed close bonds with their host families along with the neighbors. They heard stories from the elders and learned about many aspects of the town. They were able to put aside all the ways they were use to doing things to adopt the new ways presented by the specific community. An example is the way they raised and slaughtered animals rather than buying them packaged at a store. Although a year may not be enough time to become fluent in a culture, the stories of the students living abroad prove that a person can learn and become part of more than one culture.
Culture is what defines the difference between humans and animals. We grow up in a culture which influences who we are and how we live. Through studying different cultures we learn more about our own culture, ourselves, our strengths, and weaknesses. Yet to become fluent a person cannot simply study a culture, rather they must be on an interactive level and experience the culture first hand.
This is the complete article, containing 817 words
(approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page).
