Culture is an important part of a person’s life. It influences their views, values, humor, hopes, loyalties and fears. It also influences their way of doing things and the traditions they hold dear. Without culture people cannot connect with one another. The lack of connection leads to misunderstandings, fear, intolerance, prejudice and chaos. It also leads to a lack of prosperity, peace and cooperation in the world.
The word “culture” has different meanings for people with diverse backgrounds. It can mean an appreciation of good literature, music, art and food. It can also refer to a specific religion or belief system and the customs, traditions and beliefs that distinguish it. For anthropologists, who study human behavior, the term culture is used to refer to the entire range of learned behaviors that make up a society or group of people. It was first used in this sense by pioneer English anthropologist Edward Tylor in his book, Primitive Culture, published in 1871.
In general, the concept of culture consists of a set of learned behaviors that a society or group of people use to distinguish themselves from other societies or groups of people. These learned behaviors include art, language, religion, beliefs, values and norms, laws, customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by a society or group of people.
It takes time to learn and understand a culture. Some aspects of a culture are easily seen such as the clothing, language and traditions that mark a particular society as being Italian, Samoan or Japanese. Others are not so visible such as assumptions, beliefs and world views. In order to fully appreciate a culture, it is often helpful to talk with locals including the program staff on-site (if applicable).
A key aspect of a culture is its history. It may also include the legacy of its ancestors and the ways in which it has evolved over time to meet the needs and challenges of the society or group that creates it.
While some cultures are more successful than others in making life secure and enduring, they all function to provide the means for survival and to achieve an enjoyable quality of life for their members. The most successful cultures tend to be those that provide better means for coping with disease, famine, cold and heat, or other environmental hazards than do less-successful ones.
While some anthropologists have believed that the basic features of human culture may have been passed from one generation to the next by biological hereditary means, the evidence in favor of this hypothesis is weak. A more plausible explanation is that cultural traits are contagious, and that they spread when they offer an advantage or pleasure to their recipients. Examples of this are the widespread diffusion of tobacco, corn, coffee and other crop plants and of certain musical instruments, tools, techniques, folktales and ornaments. In addition, there is strong evidence that a culture can change over time. This is referred to as “evolutionary drift.”