Understanding The Formation, Transmission, And Transformation Of Cultural Meaning Within Societies Essay

Culture is one of the most relevant elements that can define not only a society but also a country’s cumulative beliefs and system. Often noted as the origins of a country, culture is definitive in the sense that it harbors all the elements that can provide justification on the traditions and norms set by the society for its members. More often than not, the society members follow norms in order to create a harmonious community, and the beliefs and the traditions serve as the poles or grounding rules for each member to follow. Culture is very dynamic in the way that it can change over a variety of foreign influences but what is permanent about it is that original elements about it often lingers with the influences, therefore making it multi-faceted and broad. More importantly, culture serves as an individual and unique trait each society has, and therefore sets it apart from other countries and other societies.

While our parents offer themselves to help us grow as civilized human beings, one of the most important things they do is present to us our culture. As a small child, my parents introduced me to the world, and what a wonderful place it can or can’t be. Different traditions were taught to me throughout my years and these developed into the fundamental ideas for my lifestyle and culture. The idea of culture that we all share is extremely complex, so it is hard to define any parts of it without the use of symbolism. In order to define my culture, I selected three objects to represent me and my culture in a broad spectrum. However odd these objects may seem, I chose an aluminum ring, a computer and a Christmas stocking. These particular items

Since the inception of human civilization there have been countless cultures and societies which have helped shape the current world today as we know it. The modern human race dates back more than 200,000 years and in that time frame many cultures have risen to great virtue and success only to deteriorate or cease to exist altogether. First before examining one of these cultures we must know what culture truly means. The Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Culture Center defines culture as a “dynamic social system,” containing the beliefs, behaviors, values and norms of a “specific organization, group, society or other collectivity” learned, shared, internalized, and changeable by all members of the society (Watson, 2010). In

Culture is a strong determinant of people's views of the very nature and meaning of

This interpretation must make meaning from the culture in the same way that natives draw meaning. According to Spradley (1979), the structural components of cultural meaning come from what people say, what they do, and what artifacts they use (p. 9). In anthropological field work, he or she attempts to observe and document these cultural aspects. In addition, and more importantly, the anthropologist must then, as accurately as possible, make inferences which parallel those of the natives.

A symbolic object is a powerful tool that helps communicate meaning. Symbolic objects are created and reused by us humans to help give value to our world. Creating culture and a sense of meaning for humans, a symbolic object is nothing without culture. In other words, culture is a sense of values created through history. This is important because symbolic objects can be used to explain untouched issues settlers of this land created with Indigenous people. Indigenous people are people whom originated from a land, such as Native Americans, that settlers from another country devalue. In the film “Smoke Signals” by Chris Eyre, he expresses how difficult it is being an Indigenous person in the 21st century. In this paper, I will explain how a

This paper is an analysis of the single cultural artifact that best represents the culture in which I live in today. The paper will provide a detailed analysis of the artifact and how it relates to the values and beliefs of the culture. Additionally, it will address the deep cultural roots of the artifact, the historical roots of the artifact, what allowed it to come into being and who was affected by its development. This information will come as someone trained from the humanities.

The Cultural environment is a set of beliefs, practices, customs, and behaviors which are familiar to people in a specific population. There are essential components of culture which include language and symbols. Symbols show the meaning and actions of events while the word conveys the values and beliefs of religion which allows the members of the society to pass on the cultural expectations of other generations. The following factors affect the culture of immigrants to a new population where they settle (Oberg, 1960).

What truly makes a culture is the meaning created out of their experiences or constructs, their own concept of reality through the use of shared cultural symbols. All cultures have their own ceremony or myths where to a stranger it seems unbelievable or odd. A culture's unique combination of cultural symbols and their meanings creates meaning for the individual, which in turn prompts that individual to react in culturally specific ways to symbolic behavior and communication. These beliefs are what a makes

Several factors affect the formation of one’s culture, Palispis, E. (2007) quoted Sir Edward Tylor, “Culture… refers to that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as member of society.” (Palispis, E., 2007) In this context culture is something we acquire from the people we have lived with since we were born, it is not something a person can learn overnight nor can be disposed effortlessly.

Culture is the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects, and behavior. It includes ideas, values, and artifacts of groups of people (Schaefer, 2006). Understanding culture can be tricky, ever ask “why do people act the way they do?”, “what made me do that”, “what was I thinking?” Physical abilities, educational background, and social background of how I was raised are important aspects of my life. The environment in which I was raised is very important aspect of my life.

Michael Halloran (2004) proposes that culture as a diverse and complex system of shared and interrelated knowledge, practices and signifiers of a society, provides structure and significance to groups within that society which subsequently impact the individual’s experience of their personal, social, physical and metaphysical worlds (p.5). Halloran (2004) theorizes that cultural maintenance is key to increasing the health and well-being of Aboriginal Australians whereby he suggests that culture provides collectively validated ways to think of and value oneself, further arguing that culture helps to suppress fundamental human existential anxieties about social isolation produced by our mortality awareness. Emile Durkheim (Marks, 1974) identifies anomie as being without law or norms, similarly, D.J Spencer (2000)

Throughout historic culture, we can identify several changes in philosophical thought. Through the emergence of romanticism, we see a realization that, through passion, the paths of the hero and saint can be merged. In the agony and ecstasy of Michelangelo, it is obvious how the paths of hero and saint can be merged in the form of art, to attempt to reconcile the tension between them. In the enlightenment patterns of cultural mutation, we begin to realize that the way we converge the two paths depends on the historical context in which we view them. And finally, as a response to his cultural climate, Kierkegaard’s portrayal of Abraham shows how the hero-saint

There is a myriad of varying definitions for the word ‘culture.’ Instead of defining culture in general terms, it is often defined by how it is related to the environment; and consequently, how it is affected. Culture provides direction, and reason. Throughout history, people have remained stalwart and true to their roots and traditions. However, it has become evident that, with the changing environment, many traditional practices have had to adapt. Climate change is a key component causing this adaptation. Through reflecting upon environmental relativism, and cultural aspects, such as subsistence patterns, economic systems, and religion and world view, it can be concluded that the natural environment influences culture by causing

A manifesto according to dictionary.com is “a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives, as one issued by a government, sovereign, or organization. ("The Definition of Manifesto.")” Humanities manifesto would be “To broaden the knowledge of the arts, music, and literature of Western culture to the youth.” There are 6 main objectives. The first objective is to be able to demonstrate an understanding on major works in art, music, and Western literature (James Larner, Marcia Eppich-Harris, Annie Loechle, James Johnston, and Jeffrey Nelson.). Through this first objective the youth will be able to have a deeper understanding on the present as a product of the past. The second objective is to recognize and then be able to describe major cultural and intellectual movements of the periods being covered in humanities. Then to be able to synthesize them with the art, music, and Western literature (James Larner, Marcia Eppich-Harris, Annie Loechle, James Johnston, and Jeffrey Nelson.). Through the second movement the youth will have the chance to have intellectual conversations with different cultures and to adults. The third objective is to have the youth understand the present as it mediates through the past; vise versa (James Larner, Marcia Eppich-Harris, Annie Loechle, James Johnston, and Jeffrey Nelson.). This objectives purpose is to let the youth appreciate where we are now as a