clifford geertz the interpretation of cultures summary

The instructor announces, “I’ve decided that you’re all a bunch of failures and I’m flunking the entire class.” Then, as the class erupts in protest, the instructor calmly blinks one eye, leaving the other eye open.įigure 3.4 Would you take this woman seriously? In American culture, winking, related to the normal biological function of blinking, takes on special meaning in social interactions. Now imagine that same scenario with one very slight difference. A student comes to class one day, and the instructor says, “I’ve decided that you’re all a bunch of failures and I’m flunking the entire class.” Imagine then that the instructor simply stands there after that announcement, blinking calmly as the class erupts in protest. That’s a lot to include in one concept! If all of that is culture, then what about human experience and activity is not culture?Ĭonsider this scenario. Nineteenth-century British anthropologist Edward Burnett Tylor defined culture as “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” (1873, 1:1). In the last section, we referred to culture as a combination of materials, technologies, social relationships, everyday practices, deeply held values, and shared ideas. Explain how biological processes can be shaped by culture.Describe deliberate and nondeliberate ways that people acquire culture.Distinguish natural behavior from cultural behavior.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Clifford geertz the interpretation of cultures summary