Short notes
The Nature of Culture
The Nature Of Culture
Definition
It is a historically created design for living.
The Concept
Definition
Q.6(b) “The agenda of biological anthropology became more scientific from the middle of the twentieth century.” Justify. (15 Marks)
Example / case study
- In human evolution, bipedalism evolved before a larger brain.
- 1️⃣ Boundaries between modules are hard to define, as body traits are interconnected and influence one another.
- 3️⃣ Cope’s Rule(T: Like rope want to be larger)
- States that living species tend to evolve toward larger body size over time.
Thinkers
- Feature | Clifford Geertz | Victor Turner
Characteristics Of Culture
Definition
It is a historically created design for living.
Civilization
Definition
Culture refers to the intangible aspects of life such as values, beliefs, norms, and ways of thinking.
Thinkers
- Singh: Future of caste is not decay but adaptation → caste changes form but continues to exist.
- André Béteille: In South India, old jajmani ties are gone, but caste associations thrive in urban Chennai and Bengaluru.
Ethnocentrism Vis-A-Vis Cultural Relativism
Definition
It is a historically created design for living.
Example / case study
- Sati should be understood only within its cultural-historical context (as per this view).
- Cultural relativism is valid only up to a certain extent.
- Encourages personal achievement and self-reliance.
Concept Of Culture
Definition
It is a historically created design for living.
Culture Vis-À-Vis Civilization
Definition
It is a historically created design for living.
Ethnocentrism
Definition
Ethnicity is a process/relationship, not just a static category.
Thinkers
- The Religious Stage: Frazer posited that religion was born from magical failure. When magic failed to produce desired results, humans shifted from trying to control nature to a state of submissiveness, attempting to please supernatural powers through prayer and sacrifice.
- The Scientific Stage: This represents the final transition to empirical observation, objective cause-and-effect patterns, and structural rationality, which Frazer viewed as the pinnacle of human thought.: Critical Drawbacks of Frazer’s Theory.
- Conjectural History: Like other classical evolutionists, Frazer was an “armchair ethnologist,” relying on speculative deductions rather than systematic, empirical fieldwork.
- The Static Fallacy: Frazer incorrectly treated contemporary tribal groups as “living fossils” or static survivals of the past, ignoring their own unique historical developments.
- Anthony Giddens argues that high modernity creates ontological insecurity—a deep-seated uncertainty about identity and existence. Religion remains essential because it provides an ultimate cognitive orientation and meaning across what Clifford Geertz called the three critical thresholds: reason, suffering, and evil. Geertz defined religion as a system of symbols that establishes powerful and long-lasting moods and motivations, which remain vital in the face of modern risks.: Rise of Neo-Tribes and Moral Gurus.
Cultural Relativism
Definition
Use field studies and empirical data.
Example / case study
- Sati should be understood only within its cultural-historical context (as per this view).
- Cultural relativism is valid only up to a certain extent.
Thinkers
- Development-induced displacement (by B.K. Roy Burman) highlighting Eco, Health, Political marginalisation.
- E.A. Hoebel — Anthropology is the study of man and his works.
- A.R. Radcliffe-Brown(Veranda Anthro) T: Red- Brown munda came India and gave gyan social order and cohesion maintain karta
- Baffin Island → Study of Eskimo (Inuit) → Early fieldwork of Franz Boas (1883–84).
- Bronislaw Malinowski – Trobriand Islands
Ethnocentrism Vis-À-Vis Cultural Relativism
Definition
Colonialism and imperial expansion exposed anthropologists to diverse societies, but early studies were biased.
Example / case study
- Sati should be understood only within its cultural-historical context (as per this view).
- Cultural relativism is valid only up to a certain extent.
- Encourages personal achievement and self-reliance.
Enculturation
Definition
Traphagan studied sports in Japanese society and found that sports are an important means of socialization. Japanese children participate in school sports not only for physical fitness but also to learn discipline, teamwork, responsibility, perseverance and respect.
Example / case study
- Armed uprisings and revolutionary movements against colonial rule.
- It refers to the process of socialising a child into one’s own culture.
- The child is considered to begin life as a blank slate, and culture is gradually internalised.
- Enculturation continues throughout life (lifelong cultural learning).
Culture Is Learned, Shared And Symbolic
Definition
It is a historically created design for living.
Upsc Peg
Definition
Culture is the man-made part of the environment