Lecture 4: Culture and the Human Condition (2010)

1. SC2218: Anthropology and the Human Condition Lecture 4: Culture, cultures, and the Human Condition Eric C. Thompson Semester 1, 2010/2011

28. What is the difference between: Society and Culture Social and Cultural ?

31. How Social Systems & Cultural Systems Work A Comparison of Cities as Social Systems to Countries as Cultural Systems

32. Example 1: The Social Dynamics of Cities (Urban Systems)

33. A B C D E F G H I Imagine a Society of independent farmers. Each farmer makes her/his own tools for farming (hoes) and grows and consumes her/his own crops.

34. A B C D E F G H I Suppose, for whatever reason, B is good at making hoes. (For purposes of this example, it doesn’t really matter why.)

35. A B C D E F G H I Let’s Trade! So, C says to B, “tell you what, I don’t like making hoes. If you make hoes for me, I’ll give you my extra grain ( agricultural surplus ).”

36. A B C D E F G H I B makes extra hoes for C. C gives extra grain to B in exchange for the hoes. Hoes Grain

37. A B C D E F G H I B is spending time making the hoes, so doesn’t have as much time for farming. But that’s ok because B is getting surplus food from C. Hoes Grain

38. A B C D E F G H I Hmmm… Hmmm… A and F see this, and think, “That’s a pretty good idea, B makes really good hoes, and I don’t really like making hoes.” Hoes Grain

39. A B C D E F G H I Grain Hoes Hoes Grain So A and F start trading with B, exchanging agricultural surplus (grain) for hoes as well. Hoes Grain

40. A B C D E F G H I Grain Hoes Hoes Grain B quits farming altogether, and specializes in hoe production. Hoes Grain

41. A B C D E F G H I Grain Hoes Hoes Grain G and H see this, and think, “I really don’t like farming. I want to get into this hoe business.” Hoes Grain

42. A B C D E F G H I Grain Hoes Hoes Grain In order to get involved in the hoe business, they move to where the action is. Hoes Grain

43. A B C D E F G H I Grain Hoes Hoes Grain There are several reasons for this, all of which have to do with the dynamics of exchange. Hoes Grain

44. A B C D E F G H I Grain Hoes Hoes Grain One is that B happens to be centrally located, which facilitates trade with many customers. H and G can take advantage of that location. Hoes Grain

45. A B C D E F G H I Grain Hoes Hoes Grain Also, B, G, and H can all reside close to each other; it does not take a lot of space to produce hoes (in contrast to agriculture). Hoes Grain

46. A B C D E F G H I Grain Hoes Hoes Grain Hoes Grain Grain Grain Hoes Hoes Grain Hoes In extremely simplified form, this is a classic example of how urban systems arise.

48. Example 2: The Cultural Dynamics of Countries (“Territorial Nation-States”)

49. Say we have an island, or continent, with people living on it.

50. A few of the people on the island are particularly prominent, wealthy, or otherwise powerful.

51. In order to avoid conflict amongst themselves, they get together and decide to specify which territory each of them will control. You stay on your side, I’ll stay on mine, ok? Ok! Sure

52. Together, they draw a map of the island with borders so that they all know where one territory ends and the other begins. I thought YOU were bringing that! Oops! Any one have paper and a pen?

53. Map of ISLANDIA West Islandia East Islandia Lower Islandia

54. Next, the people who drew the borders and the map have to let everyone else know about this.

55. So, they make copies of the map they’ve drawn and pass them around for everyone to see.

56. To make sure that everyone knows to which territory they belong, passports (identity cards, birth certificates) are issued to each person. Pass W Pass W Pass W Pass W Pass W Pass W Pass W Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass L Pass L Pass L Pass L

57. In very simplified form, this is how the system of countries (territorial nation-states) came into existence and how it operates. Pass W Pass W Pass W Pass W Pass W Pass W Pass W Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass L Pass L Pass L Pass L

58. Borders Maps, Place Names Pass W Pass L Pass E Passports, Identity Cards, Birth Certificates Countries are produced through cultural processes. Borders, maps, place names, identity cards, etc. are all ways to symbolically represent the existence of countries. They are images . Countries are ideas.

59. Countries exist because people imagine them to exist; because people are able to share and communicate these ideas. This is a cultural process and countries are cultural constructs. Pass W Pass W Pass W Pass W Pass W Pass W Pass W Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass E Pass L Pass L Pass L Pass L

60. Countries (unlike urban systems) do not exist in the absence of such representations.

61. Social & Cultural Systems The Comparison of Cities as Social Systems and Countries as Cultural Systems illustrates the distinction between the two. But neither exists without the other. We always live our lives in social systems (of relationship and exchange) and cultural systems (of beliefs and ideas).

62. We will refer back to these theoretical frameworks as we examine specific cultural systems in the coming weeks; Such as… *Families and Kinship *Gender & Sexuality *Economic Organization & Exchange *Ethnicity, Race, Nationalism…

63. Culture: Processes of Being, Becoming, and Interacting All human beings have a capacity for “Culture”* Our lives are an ongoing process of learning and changing through symbolic interaction with others.

67. “ It’s a mistake to name a process after a product . . . You can still go fishing if you never catch a fish” - From the Film “Sight Unseen” It is important to remember that: “ Culture” as a general capacity for conceptualizing and process of symbolic interaction & interpretation Is distinct from… “ cultures” as a patterned outcome (product) of processes of “Culture”