A Guide to Cultural History
The term culture refers to the totality of a people’s ways of life, thought and expression. It also includes a specific set of values and beliefs. It is the opposite of instinctual behavior, which is largely determined by a biological reaction to an environment. In the human species, however, man can consciously modify the behavior he is born with by creating a cultural environment that will shape his own behavior and provide him with an overtly meaningful identity.
For sociologist Georg Simmel, culture is the social system that creates and gives meaning to the world of human activities, as well as the corresponding material objects of life. The idea is that the evolution of man away from a primitive animal state, through the development of a culture of a society that is more than the mere sum of the individual experiences and pleasures of its members, results in the formation of civilizations – societies that are able to manage the affairs of their communities and of their individuals.
It is a difficult task to find common ground between the 19th-century conception of cultural history, with its emphasis on the individual’s psychological origins and his progress toward civilization, and contemporary interpretations of this concept of historical research. Historians in the Annales school of intellectual history, for example, experimented with broader definitions of culture by becoming interested in such factors as the impact of consumption on man and by incorporating methodologies from sociology and anthropology into their work. The work of Huizinga, in particular, represented a bridge between old and new conceptions of cultural history.
Although the various approaches to the study of culture are based on different assumptions and employ different methods, all seek to recognize the process by which the inventive capacity of individuals or societies is invested with meanings that render such inventions intelligible to them. This acknowledgement applies as much to artistic and intellectual creations as to the ordinary practices by which a society lives and thinks.
The website offers a collection of ebooks on the topic of cultural history from the beginning of written history to the present day. The site is a useful resource for educators and students who wish to explore the subject of culture in its many dimensions. The site is easy to navigate and presents the subject in an approachable way. The site is free to use and does not require registration.
It is an impressive and exhaustive list of books covering almost every conceivable aspect of world cultures. The ebooks are well researched and curated, providing quality content that is difficult to find elsewhere. The website provides a great tool for educators and researchers, with the ability to search by time period or theme. The site is not intended for intensive research, but more for general reading and teaching. It is an excellent resource to help introduce the concept of world culture to the classroom. The collection of resources is continually expanding and the site’s wiki format allows for further expansion and editing in the future.
The term culture refers to the totality of a people’s ways of life, thought and expression. It also includes a specific set of values and beliefs. It is the opposite of instinctual behavior, which is largely determined by a biological reaction to an environment. In the human species, however, man can consciously modify the behavior he is born with by creating a cultural environment that will shape his own behavior and provide him with an overtly meaningful identity. For sociologist Georg Simmel, culture is the social system that creates and gives meaning to the world of human activities, as well as the corresponding material objects of life. The idea is that the evolution of man away from a primitive animal state, through the development of a culture of a society that is more than the mere sum of the individual experiences and pleasures of its members, results in the formation of civilizations – societies that are able to manage the affairs of their communities and of their individuals. It is a difficult task to find common ground between the 19th-century conception of cultural history, with its emphasis on the individual’s psychological origins and his progress toward civilization, and contemporary interpretations of this concept of historical research. Historians in the Annales school of intellectual history, for example, experimented with broader definitions of culture by becoming interested in such factors as the impact of consumption on man and by incorporating methodologies from sociology and anthropology into their work. The work of Huizinga, in particular, represented a bridge between old and new conceptions of cultural history. Although the various approaches to the study of culture are based on different assumptions and employ different methods, all seek to recognize the process by which the inventive capacity of individuals or societies is invested with meanings that render such inventions intelligible to them. This acknowledgement applies as much to artistic and intellectual creations as to the ordinary practices by which a society lives and thinks. The website offers a collection of ebooks on the topic of cultural history from the beginning of written history to the present day. The site is a useful resource for educators and students who wish to explore the subject of culture in its many dimensions. The site is easy to navigate and presents the subject in an approachable way. The site is free to use and does not require registration. It is an impressive and exhaustive list of books covering almost every conceivable aspect of world cultures. The ebooks are well researched and curated, providing quality content that is difficult to find elsewhere. The website provides a great tool for educators and researchers, with the ability to search by time period or theme. The site is not intended for intensive research, but more for general reading and teaching. It is an excellent resource to help introduce the concept of world culture to the classroom. The collection of resources is continually expanding and the site’s wiki format allows for further expansion and editing in the future.