Culture encompasses key aspects of a society or social group, including language, education, religion, government and the identity and personality of the people who belong to it. It is reflected in both the physical elements of a society, such as food, clothing, music, dance and architecture, as well as in non-physical elements, such as customs, traditions, beliefs and values. It is often referred to as the “flavor” that distinguishes one society from another.
It has been a long-standing goal of scholars to show that cultural differences matter and to identify cultural correlates of behavior and development. In this Spotlight Series, however, our six authors go a step further in advancing our understanding and investigations of culture in novel and substantive ways.
The etymology of the word culture — from the verb to till the soil — provides an opportunity to view it as a process, not just an entity. Marie Suizzo, for example, draws on the etymology to explore how “cultivating” a sense of culture involves carving, categorizing and communicating about pathways to action and development. She applies this framework to research on Parisian mothers’ childrearing goals and to data on low-income Mexican American and African American parents’ discussions of their children’s school achievement in order to illuminate how these processes work to shape the cultural contexts of human actions and behaviors.
Similarly, Jahoda argues that studying the concept of culture should not be approached as if it were a fixed and discrete object of study. Instead, he suggests that cultural history is a tool that can be used to reinterpret a variety of historical moments and long-term processes, such as the Reformation or colonialism.
In addition, it is important to recognize that cultural differences are not static — they change over time. This change is a result of both internal forces, such as the shifting priorities of individuals and groups, and external forces, such as societal changes and advances in technology.
In the 1980s, as a result of these changes and increased access to Vygotsky’s ideas, a growing number of developmental psychologists began seriously to embrace the notion that culture matters for learning and development. Nevertheless, the concept of culture is still a hotly debated and often misunderstood topic. These papers add to our knowledge of how and why culture matters by exploring a range of conceptual approaches to examining cultural impacts on behaviors and development. This research can help us to better understand the world we live in and support a global society that promotes cross-cultural understanding and respect. By leveraging the power of cultural expressions, we can build bridges between different cultures, foster empathy, and drive social change. Ultimately, the value of this type of research is that it provides a foundation upon which to explore the richness of humanity across the globe. By doing so, we can ensure that the diversity of our cultures is preserved and cherished for generations to come.