Anthropology Optional (Culture and Civilization) by Sourabh Mishra

Model Answer

Question #1. Define Culture. Explain the characteristics of culture with examples. 10 marks (150 words)

Characteristics of culture:

1. Learned Behavior (Franz Boas): Culture is acquired through socialization and education within a society rather than being inherited biologically.

Example: Language acquisition, where individuals learn the spoken language of their community.

2. Symbolic Communication (Clifford Geertz): Culture relies on symbols (language, gestures, signs) to convey meaning and facilitate communication.

Example: The use of national flags to represent and communicate the identity of a nation.

3. Shared Beliefs and Values (Ruth Benedict): Cultural groups have common beliefs, values, and norms that influence their behavior and worldview.

Example: The value of individualism or collectivism in shaping social interactions within a community.

4. Socially Patterned (Bronis?aw Malinowski): Culture exhibits regular patterns in behavior, rituals, and social organization.

Example: Marriage ceremonies, which often follow specific rituals and patterns in different cultures.

5. Adaptive (Marvin Harris): Culture enables societies to adapt to their environments and meet their needs.

Example: The Inuit's use of igloos, which provide effective shelter in their harsh Arctic environment.

6. Dynamic and Changing (Margaret Mead): Culture is not static and evolves over time due to interactions, influences, and historical developments.

Example: The evolution of fashion trends in clothing and appearance over different generations.

7. Influences Perception (Edward Sapir): Culture shapes how individuals perceive and interpret the world around them.

Example: The varying attitudes toward time, with some cultures placing a greater emphasis on punctuality than others.

8. Transmitted across Generations (Edward Burnett Tylor): Culture is passed from one generation to another through social learning and communication.

Example: Cultural traditions, such as traditional holiday celebrations or religious ceremonies.

9. Subjective and Objective (Clifford Geertz): Culture includes both objective aspects (material artifacts) and subjective elements (beliefs and symbols).

Example: Material artifacts like religious symbols and structures (subjective) and tools or utensils used in daily life (objective).

10. Integrated and Interrelated (Alfred Kroeber): Different cultural elements are interconnected and influence each other, creating a coherent whole.

Example: The way religious beliefs influence moral values and ethical practices within a society.

11. Exclusivity (Leslie White): Cultural traits are specific to particular cultural groups and may not be shared universally.

Example: Traditional clothing styles unique to specific ethnic or regional groups.

12. Prescriptive and Proscriptive (Clyde Kluckhohn): Culture includes rules and norms that prescribe certain behaviors and proscribe others.

Example: Taboos against specific foods or actions, such as not eating pork in certain religious cultures.

13. Dynamic Social System (Bronis?aw Malinowski): Culture is an integral part of the social structure and influences social relationships and interactions.

Example: The caste system in India, which is deeply rooted in cultural norms and beliefs, affecting social mobility.

14. Historically Accumulated (Lewis Henry Morgan): Culture builds upon itself over time, incorporating past knowledge and experiences.

Example: Technological advancements that build on earlier inventions and discoveries.

15. Subject to Change and Variation (Marshall Sahlins): Cultures can vary significantly across different societies and are open to modification and adaptation.

Example: Variations in marriage customs and rituals between different cultural groups.

These characteristics illustrate the diverse and complex nature of culture, as well as its significance in shaping human societies and their behaviors. The anthropologists mentioned have contributed significantly to our understanding of culture's various dimensions.

Question #2. What is culture lag? Differentiate between culture and civilization. 15 marks (250 words)

Cultural lag is a concept developed by William Ogburn to describe the phenomenon where cultural elements within a society change at different rates, resulting in a temporal gap or "lag" between technological or material innovations and the corresponding changes in norms, values, and social institutions. In other words, it refers to the delayed adjustment of culture to new technological advancements or changes in the material aspects of society.

According to Maclver and Page, the important points of differences between culture and civilization
may be described as follows:

1. Civilization has a precise standard of measurement, but not culture.

• Civilization can be quantitatively measured through the level of technological developments- transport, machinery, buildings etc.

2. Civilization is always advancing, but not culture.

• The technologies- machines, transportation, communication etc. progresses day after day but we cannot say with certainty whether the past literature, thoughts, ideas were superior or inferior than of today.

3. Civilization is passed on without effort, but not culture.

• Modern technologies like mobile phones, and other technological devices can be easily transferred from one place to the other but the transmission of culture lies on different principles and is time consuming.

4. The works of civilization can be improved by any body, but that is not possible in the case of culture.

• An Air conditioner or a mobile phone can be repaired by any technician. Or some improvements can be done by simple engineers.
  But, the products of culture, such as paintings, arts etc. will lose its meaning even on imitation by other painters.

5. Civilization is external and mechanical, while culture is internal and organic.

• Civilization encompasses the buildings, monuments, technological gadgets etc. whereas culture is related to internal thoughts, feelings, emotions etc.

6. Civilization is borrowed without change or loss, but not culture.

• Thus, Maclver and Page have emphasized upon the developed material objects of culture as symbolizing civilization. According to them, civilization includes all those things by means of which some other objective is attained, such as type-writers, press, lathe, motor, etc. In civilization are included both, basic technology, which means the authority of man over natural phenomena, as well as social technology or model, which controls man’s behaviour. On the other hand, culture comprehends such elements as religion, art, philosophy, literature, music etc., which bring satisfaction and pleasure to man. Culture is expression of our nature in our modes of living, thinking, everyday life, art, literature, recreation and enjoyment.