PowerPoint presentation for cultural anthropology

2. Culture: key concept
 central to the anthropological perspective
 universal human functions:
eating, drinking, sleeping, etc.
 Basic “natural” demands of human life are met in
different ways because of culturally defined variations

3. Food: what /how people eat

5. Culture defined:
• learned behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, values, & ideals generally
shared by members of a group (Ember & Ember, 2002)
• “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals,
law, customs & many other capabilities & habits acquired by
man as a member of society” (Sir Edward Tylor, 1871)

6. Values/attitude

7. Economy, Religion

8. Assumptions of CULTURE
• Culture is learned
• Culture is shared
• Culture is adaptive
• Culture is symbolic
• Culture is dynamic
• Culture is integrated

9. Culture is learned

10. Culture is commonly shared

11. Culture is commonly shared

12. Culture is adaptive

13. Culture is
symbolic

14. Culture is symbolic

16. Culture is dynamic

17. Culture is integrated
Many domains of human life are all linked with each other.

18. Domains of human life
a. economy
b. reproduction
c. life cycle: birth, puberty,
marriage, parenthood, death
d. health & sickness
e. kinship relationships
f. household organizations
g. groups, political systems, conflict,
conflict-resolution
h. religious beliefs/practices
i. language & communication
j. expressive culture (art, music, dance)

19. ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
• Holistic
• Cross-cultural
• Cultural Relativistic

20. HOLISM
 An approach that studies many aspects of human
experience as an integrated whole;
 Description of a group encompasses: physical
environment, history, family, language,
social/economic/political systems, religion, art,
etc.

21. CROSS-CULTURAL
• Comparative dimension
• Compare & contrast
• To make generalizations about
what it means to be human

22. Male & Female Tasks

23. CULTURAL RELATIVISM
(Opposite view) Ethnocentrism:
judging other cultures by the standards of one’s own
culture than by the standards of that particular culture.
• has fueled centuries of efforts at changing “other”
people in the world
• Rudyard Kipling: “the white man’s burden”

24. Cultural Relativism: the idea that each culture must be
understood in terms of the values & beliefs of that culture.
• A culture should not be judged by the standards of
another culture.
• Assumption: no culture is better than the other.

25. Interpretations of cultural relativism
a) Absolute cultural relativism
b)Critical cultural relativism

26. a) Absolute cultural relativism
• the view that no one has the right to question any
behavior or idea anywhere.
Consider: genocide (Holocaust), FMG, slavery
• Question: Can anyone feel truly comfortable with such
a position?

27. b) Critical cultural relativism
• an alternative view that questions certain cultural practices
& ideas. E.g. Aryan supremacy; cultural imperialism
• recognizes oppressors & victims, and struggles over
practices & values within particular cases
• seeks to critique group behavior & values from human
rights standpoint.