Online Lesson

BME637 : The Class : Introduction : Culture : Online Lesson

Online Lesson: Culture from an Anthropological Perspective

The Anthropological View of Culture

The concept of culture has been somewhat of a problem for many social scientists. Today, there is still much disagreement as to how culture should be defined. It makes common sense that anthropologists might have a clear handle on the definition of culture. However, the argument continues.

E.B. Tylor (1871) provided one of the earliest definitions"
Culture…is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society." (Kroeber and Kluckhohn, 1963, p. 81).

John H. Bodley provides an anthropological perspective on culture which includes an historical overview (from Cultural Anthropology: Tribes, States, and the Global System, 1994). Read this perspective now:

Anthropological Perspective on Culture

Click here see review culture as defined by various social scientists. Do you see what these definitions have in common?

Definition of Culture

More definitions of culture
More definitions

.

Views of Culture

Etic and Emic
Let us explore a two views of culture that are particularly useful to us as educators. One is called the "ETIC" view and other the "EMIC" view.

Briefly, Etic is the "outsider's" view of a cultural event or situation, while the Emic is the "insider's" view of that same event or situation. Etic is a view from the perspective of one who is NOT a member of the culture being studied. Emic is a view from the perspective of one who is a member of the culture being studied. The qualitative study of cultural and social phenomena including classrooms and schools requires both emic and etic insights in order to arrive at a more complete description and understanding of what is being studied. These are very important tools particularly for studying the activities of the classroom. If one were to only observe and document the activities of the classroom teacher (etic view), weak or incomplete inferences and descriptions may result. For example, if one observes that the teacher interacts more often with a particular student than with others, we can determine a variety of inferences as to why she/he does this. Some of these weak inferences and interpretations could be that the student is at risk and needs extra help, that the student may not understand English very well, that the student is gifted and requires extra attention, that the student is receiving preferential treatment, etc. With just an etic view we cannot be sure why the teacher does this. However, coupled with an emic view, i.e., an interview with the teacher on the activities observed would reveal that the teacher didn't realize that she/he was doing this, or that it was because that the student had learning disabilities and required more attention. On the other hand, what teachers say they do may not be what they actually do in the classroom. So quite often etic and emic views provide for a fresh and comparative understanding of the phenomena under study and provides new insights to both insiders and outsiders.

For a more detailed definition of etic and emic insights, see the Kenneth Pike site, and for another example of their use, view this video from the Community Nursing web course.

VIDEO: Nursing Participatory Paradigm

Synchronic and Diachronic Views of Culture
Other views of culture include the fixed or synchronic view and the dynamic or diachronic view of culture.

The synchronic view refers to a description of a culture at a particular point in time. It allows for the studying of the structure, function and meaning of a culture.

The Diachronic view allows for the understanding of a culture through its historical development over time. With this view one can compare the different influences that may change a culture. It views culture as a dynamic process.

Aspects of Culture
There are four major aspects of culture that merit mentioning.

The first two are Explicit Culture and Implicit Culture and the second pair is the Ideal Culture and the Real Culture.

Explicit culture refers to the observable elements of a people's culture. It is recognized in items such as style of dress, speech, use of tools, type of house, and concrete behavior. It also refers to that which people are conscious of, which is known and visible.

Implicit culture refers to the hidden or unconscious elements of a people's culture. It is recognized in areas such as values, attitudes, fears, religious, and spiritual beliefs. Implicitness refers to that which is beneath the surface or taken for granted.

An explicit cultural perspective in the classroom may show that the students are engaged in reading because they are holding and looking at an open book in an attentive and quiet manner. An implicit cultural perspective could reveal that some of these same students are merely posing in the "expected reading posture" and that they may not be reading at all!

Ideal culture is what people believe they do, or ought to do. It is expressed in proverbs, stories, myths, jokes, rituals and conversations. In education, the ideal is expressed in teachers' philosophies of education! "This is what I do with my students."

Real Culture is the way people actually behave and not how we think they behave. It is expressed in acts of deviation, failure, or in complaints. In the classroom, it is what teachers actually do and NOT what they say they do.

Once you have finished you should:

Go on to Assignment 2: Etic and Emic in the Classroom
or
Go back to What is Culture? Part 1

E-mail Dr. Carrasco at Roberto.Carrasco@nau.edu