What Is Culture?
Culture is all of the ponderable and intangible means that human beings have developed to promote the security and continuity of life. It includes beliefs, values, traditions, attitudes, and behaviors that shape the way humans think and act. It also includes art forms that are formally categorized as high culture, such as music, fine arts (painting and sculpture), dance, opera and theater, and artistically crafted films. High culture was once the domain of the elite classes, but nowadays these arts are accessible to anyone with a computer or a movie ticket.
People are born with a culture that reflects their parents and the environment in which they were raised. But culture is not fixed and it evolves over time. New cultural traits are continually introduced by the influx of immigrants and the spread of ideas by communication networks, such as television, the Internet, and books. Some cultures are more effective than others in promoting the survival of their members. Agriculture, for example, is a more effective culture than hunting and gathering; it increases the productivity of human labor and reduces death rates.
Historians used to study culture in a narrow sense, with Germans concentrating on the canon of high art, and Jacob Burckhardt stressing the importance of individual genius and the “spirit of a time” (Zeitgeist). But since the mid-20th century, there has been a growth in interest in studying all aspects of culture. This expansion has been fueled by the need to understand other cultures, particularly those that differ from our own.
It has long been customary for ethnologists to speak of the culture of a particular society, as in Seneca culture, Eskimo culture, and North American Plains culture, as well as for historians to use general terms like popular culture, American culture, and European culture. The latter term, however, has often been a way of classifying societies as civilized or uncivilized; this contrast was advocated by philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Besides studying specific cultural events, practices, and beliefs, historians of culture also investigate the evolution of these traits over time. The process of acculturation, whereby some cultural traits are replaced by other traits, is a major topic in this area of study. The emergence of the Beatles and the resulting musical and fashion changes exemplify the speed with which culture can change.
Many historians specialize in cultural history, which is a recent development that is part of the wider social turn in historical studies that came after the more traditional political and economic histories. Scholars in this field look at the diversity of past cultures and explore topics that would have been considered peripheral or ridiculous by previous generations. This broad category of study can include gender studies, more focused race studies, and a variety of other smaller, less-general subjects such as travel writing, food history, and environmental history.
Culture is all of the ponderable and intangible means that human beings have developed to promote the security and continuity of life. It includes beliefs, values, traditions, attitudes, and behaviors that shape the way humans think and act. It also includes art forms that are formally categorized as high culture, such as music, fine arts (painting and sculpture), dance, opera and theater, and artistically crafted films. High culture was once the domain of the elite classes, but nowadays these arts are accessible to anyone with a computer or a movie ticket. People are born with a culture that reflects their parents and the environment in which they were raised. But culture is not fixed and it evolves over time. New cultural traits are continually introduced by the influx of immigrants and the spread of ideas by communication networks, such as television, the Internet, and books. Some cultures are more effective than others in promoting the survival of their members. Agriculture, for example, is a more effective culture than hunting and gathering; it increases the productivity of human labor and reduces death rates. Historians used to study culture in a narrow sense, with Germans concentrating on the canon of high art, and Jacob Burckhardt stressing the importance of individual genius and the “spirit of a time” (Zeitgeist). But since the mid-20th century, there has been a growth in interest in studying all aspects of culture. This expansion has been fueled by the need to understand other cultures, particularly those that differ from our own. It has long been customary for ethnologists to speak of the culture of a particular society, as in Seneca culture, Eskimo culture, and North American Plains culture, as well as for historians to use general terms like popular culture, American culture, and European culture. The latter term, however, has often been a way of classifying societies as civilized or uncivilized; this contrast was advocated by philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Besides studying specific cultural events, practices, and beliefs, historians of culture also investigate the evolution of these traits over time. The process of acculturation, whereby some cultural traits are replaced by other traits, is a major topic in this area of study. The emergence of the Beatles and the resulting musical and fashion changes exemplify the speed with which culture can change. Many historians specialize in cultural history, which is a recent development that is part of the wider social turn in historical studies that came after the more traditional political and economic histories. Scholars in this field look at the diversity of past cultures and explore topics that would have been considered peripheral or ridiculous by previous generations. This broad category of study can include gender studies, more focused race studies, and a variety of other smaller, less-general subjects such as travel writing, food history, and environmental history.