clifford geertz the interpretation of cultures summary

Understanding culture involves overcoming ethnocentrism.Culture is integrated with daily experience.Cultures are dynamic, always adapting and changing.Across these theories, we identify seven basic elements that anthropologists agree are critical to any theory of culture: Since Tylor’s time, anthropologists have developed many theories of culture (see Table 2.1).Tylor defined culture as “the complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities acquired by man as a member of society” (1871, p. Tylor (1832–1917) was a founding figure of cultural anthropology. Despite hundreds of subtly different definitions of “culture” in the anthropological literature, this situation does not hobble anthropology.Culture is anthropology’s central concept, and most definitions share certain common features.How do social institutions express culture?.If culture is always changing, why does it feel so stable?.This chapter focuses on the question of how the concept of culture helps explain the differences and similarities in people’s ways of life.These perspectives and actions are rooted in shared meanings and the ways people act in social groups. Anthropologists use the term “culture” as a concept that refers to the perspectives and actions that a group of people consider natural and self-evident.

Native American sports mascots remain a controversial issue, both sides holding taken-for-granted positions on what an appropriate tradition is.

Clifford geertz the interpretation of cultures summary