What Is a Cultural Historian?
A cultural historian is a scholar who investigates a society’s beliefs, values and assumptions as expressed through its art and culture. A broad field, cultural history includes everything from a primitive tribe’s cave paintings and stone tools to the most sophisticated civilization’s elaborate manuscripts and buildings. It also considers the rituals, myths, prejudices and assumptions of ordinary people, from magical beliefs and gender roles to racial hierarchies.
According to sociologists, a culture is an integrated system of non-material aspects, like values and beliefs, and material things, such as technology and objects that can be seen and touched. These elements are distinct from both the social structure and economic aspects of a society, but they are connected to them, continuously informing and being informed by each other. A society’s culture can form its identity, define what is acceptable and unacceptable, and influence a person’s choices and actions.
Sociologists have a long history of studying culture. Early thinkers like Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx focused on its role in forming and perpetuating society’s social structures and power dynamics. Today, scholars focus on how culture shapes people and how it is shaped by them.
Scholars divide cultural history into two main categories: non-material culture and material culture. Non-material culture refers to a group’s values, beliefs, and communication systems. These are the non-physical parts of a culture, and they are considered to be essential to that group’s identity. They are the part of a culture that is passed down through generations and is learned by observation, imitation, and communication. It is this part of a culture that distinguishes it from other cultures and societies.
Material culture consists of all the physical evidence that a group of people leave behind, from the most simple cave paintings to the most intricate tapestries and monuments. This part of a culture is important to archeological and anthropological research, but it also provides valuable insights into the ways that groups of people lived their lives.
While many historians in the past prioritized the study of ruptures in history, such as big battles or dynastic shifts, the ‘new cultural history’ has emerged to a large extent out of the second wave of feminism and the rise of women’s studies, with a focus on continuities and examining the ways that meaning is created through the use of symbols and language. Philosophers such as Michel Foucault have influenced this approach to history, which has also been pushed forward by the development of ‘gender studies’ and ‘racial studies’.
There are many online resources for studying cultural history, including virtual museums that allow students to browse artworks and reenact ancient rituals. The online resource Cultural History is a good place to start, as it features a collection of scholarly articles and ebooks on various topics in cultural history. This site is easy to navigate and has a good search function that allows students to find specific pieces of information. It is also free to access.
A cultural historian is a scholar who investigates a society’s beliefs, values and assumptions as expressed through its art and culture. A broad field, cultural history includes everything from a primitive tribe’s cave paintings and stone tools to the most sophisticated civilization’s elaborate manuscripts and buildings. It also considers the rituals, myths, prejudices and assumptions of ordinary people, from magical beliefs and gender roles to racial hierarchies. According to sociologists, a culture is an integrated system of non-material aspects, like values and beliefs, and material things, such as technology and objects that can be seen and touched. These elements are distinct from both the social structure and economic aspects of a society, but they are connected to them, continuously informing and being informed by each other. A society’s culture can form its identity, define what is acceptable and unacceptable, and influence a person’s choices and actions. Sociologists have a long history of studying culture. Early thinkers like Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx focused on its role in forming and perpetuating society’s social structures and power dynamics. Today, scholars focus on how culture shapes people and how it is shaped by them. Scholars divide cultural history into two main categories: non-material culture and material culture. Non-material culture refers to a group’s values, beliefs, and communication systems. These are the non-physical parts of a culture, and they are considered to be essential to that group’s identity. They are the part of a culture that is passed down through generations and is learned by observation, imitation, and communication. It is this part of a culture that distinguishes it from other cultures and societies. Material culture consists of all the physical evidence that a group of people leave behind, from the most simple cave paintings to the most intricate tapestries and monuments. This part of a culture is important to archeological and anthropological research, but it also provides valuable insights into the ways that groups of people lived their lives. While many historians in the past prioritized the study of ruptures in history, such as big battles or dynastic shifts, the ‘new cultural history’ has emerged to a large extent out of the second wave of feminism and the rise of women’s studies, with a focus on continuities and examining the ways that meaning is created through the use of symbols and language. Philosophers such as Michel Foucault have influenced this approach to history, which has also been pushed forward by the development of ‘gender studies’ and ‘racial studies’. There are many online resources for studying cultural history, including virtual museums that allow students to browse artworks and reenact ancient rituals. The online resource Cultural History is a good place to start, as it features a collection of scholarly articles and ebooks on various topics in cultural history. This site is easy to navigate and has a good search function that allows students to find specific pieces of information. It is also free to access.