Hi

stor
ical
l
ytr
ansmi
tt
edmeanssomet
hingi
spassedf
rom onegener
ati
ont
oanot
hergener
ati
on.

Geertz'
sdefi
nit
ionemphasizesthatcult
urei
snotjustasetofcust omsortradit
ionsbutar ich
tapestr
yofsymbols,meanings,beli
efs,
andpract
icesthatdefi
newhowear e,howwei nteract
withother
s,andhowwemakesenseofourexi st
ence.Iti
sthroughcult
urethathumans
navigat
ethecomplexit
iesofli
fe,communicat
ewi theachother,andper
petuatetheirshared
heri
tage.

RoydeAndradedef
inescul
tur
easal ear
nedsystem ofmeaning,
communi
cat
edt
hrough
l
anguageandsymbols.Thi
ssyst
em servest
hreekeyfunct
ions:

-Repr
esent
ati
onal:
Cultur
epr
ovi
desashar
edunder
standi
ngoft
hewor
ld,
hel
pingusi
nter
pret
event
sandexperi
ences.

-Di
rect
ive:Cul
tur
eset
snor
msandex
pect
ati
onsf
orbehav
ior
,gui
dinghowwei
nter
actwi
thi
na
communi t
y.

-Ef
fect
ive:
Cul
tur
ehasr
eal
-wor
ldconsequences,
shapi
ngourdeci
sionsandact
ions.

Beyondthesefunct i
ons,cul
tur
ealsoconstruct
sapar ti
cularsenseofreal
it
y.I
tshapeshow
i
ndivi
dualsperceiv
et heworldandthei
rplacewithi
nit.Thissharedsenseofreal
it
yisbasedon
col
l
ectiveint
erpretati
onsandbeli
efs,whi
char erei
nforcedthroughcul
turalpr
act
icesand
nar
rati
ves.

I
nessence,deAndr
adeemphasizest
hatcul
tur
eguidesourint
eract
ions,bel
ief
s,andcol
l
ect
ive
i
dent
it
y,shapi
ngourunder
standi
ngoftheworl
dandinf
luenci
ngouractions.

Lesl
i
ewhi
ter
ecogni
zescul
tur
easext
rasomat
ic:

-Ext
rasomat
ic:meanscul
tur
eissomethi
ngoutsi
deofourbi
ologi
calmakeup.I
t'
snot
somethi
ngwe'r
ebor
nwith,
butrat
hersomethi
ngwelear
nandacquirethr
oughsocial
int
eract
ion.

-Nongenet
ic:Cul
tureisnotdet
ermi
nedbyourgenes.I
t'
snotsomet
hingwei
nher
itf
rom our
par
entsli
keeyecolor.

-Nonbodi
ly:Cul
tureisnotti
edtoourphysi
calbodi
es.I
texist
sint
her eal
m ofideas,
sy mbol
s,
andpract
ices.Whil
eourbodiesmightusetool
sorwearclothi
ng,
thesethingsarepartof
cul
tur
e,notourbodiesthemsel
ves.

-Tempor alConti
nuum:t hismeansthatcul
tureislikeari
ver,
alwaysflowingandchanging.I
t'
s
notstati
c,butconstant
lyev ol
vi
ngoverti
me.Thet hingsweconsider"cul
tur
e"todayare
dif
ferentfr
om whatpeopl econsi
der
edcultureinthepast,andthey'
lll
i
kelybediff
erentagai
nin
thefuture.
Whitt
enandHunt erdef inescultur
east hesharedbehav ior
sandmeani ngsthatpeopl eadopt
wit
hintheirsocial
gr oups.Theseshar edbehav i
or s,
suchasgr eeti
ngs,ri
tual
s,andbel iefs,create
asenseofuni t
ywithinthegr oup.Cult
ureisnotsomet hi
ngi ndivi
dualsdevel
opont heirown; i
tis
l
earnedt hroughobser v
ingandengagi ngwi thothersint
hecommuni t
y.Bypartici
patingi nthese
cul
turalpracti
ces,i
ndividualsformtheiridenti
ty,shapethei
rwor l
dview,andinteractwi t
hot hers
basedont heseshar ednor msandv al
ues.

War dGoodenough'
sdefi
nit
ionofcul tur
eisallaboutwhatyouneedtoknowandbel iev
etobea
functi
oningmemberofasoci ety
.I t
'snotaboutgrandideasorabst
ractconcept
s,butaboutt
he
practi
calknowl
edgeandbeliefsthathelpyoufiti
nandbehav ei
nawayt hat'
sconsider
ed
acceptable.

I
magineyou'
removingt
oanewcount
ry.You'
l
lneedt
olear
nal
otoft
hingst
ofi
tint
hesoci
ety
oft
hatcount
rysuchas:

-Howt
ogr
eetpeopl
e:i
ffoy
oushakehandswi
tht
hem,
boworj
ustgr
eetwi
thwor
ds?

-Howt
obehav
einpubl
i
c:i
fther
ear
ecer
tai
ntopi
csy
oushoul
dn'
ttal
kabout
?

-What
'sconsi
der
edpol
i
te:Doy
ouhav
etoeatwi
thy
ourhandsoruseut
ensi
l
s?Andmanymor
e.

Allofthesethingsar
epartofthe"cul
ture"oft
hatsoci
ety.Goodenoughsay st
hatcul
tureis
basicall
ywhaty ouneedtoknowtobeaccept edandfuncti
onwellwit
hinthatgr
oup.I
t'sabout
thepractical
knowledgeandbeli
efsthathelpyounavi
gateever
ydayli
fe.

So,Goodenough'
sdefi
nit
ionisaboutthepr acti
cal
,ev
erydayaspect
sofcult
ure.It
'saboutt
he
unwri
tt
enr ul
esandexpectat
ionsthathel
psoci eti
esrunsmoothl
y.It'
saboutwhatyouneedto
knowtofitinandbesuccessful
inapar t
icularcommunity
.