CULTURE

A. Definition of Culture Culture is the characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. Culture is something that a person learns from his family and surroundings, and is not ingrained in him from birth. Culture is a complex tool which every individual has to learn to survive in a society. Sometimes, other societies and people seem to be a little odd because they have a different culture from ours. Some opinions about culture, there are: 1. “Culture: learned and shared human patterns or models for living; day- to-day living patterns. These patterns and models pervade all aspects of human social interaction. Culture is mankind's primary adaptive mechanism”. – L. Damen. 2. "By culture we mean all those historically created designs for living, explicit and implicit, rational, irrational, and non rational, which exist at any given time as potential guides for the behavior of men". – C. Kluckhohn and W. H. Kelly. 3. “A culture is a configuration of learned behaviors and results of behavior whose component elements are shared and transmitted by the members of a particular society”. – R. Linton. There are some kinds of culture, such as: a) Western culture The term Western culture has come to define the culture of European countries as well as those such as the United States that have been heavily influenced by European immigration. Western culture has its roots in the Classical Period of the Greco-Roman era and the rise of Christianity in the fourteenth century. Other drivers of the Western culture include Latin, Celtic, Germanic and Hellenic ethnic and linguistic groups. Today, the influences of Western culture can be seen in almost every country in the world. b) Eastern culture Eastern culture generally refers to the societal norms of countries in Far East Asia (including China, Japan, Vietnam, North Korea and South Korea) and the Indian subcontinent. Like the West, Eastern culture was heavily influenced by religion during its early development. In general, in Eastern culture there is less of a distinction between secular society and religious philosophy than there is in the West. c) Latin culture Many of the Spanish-speaking nations are considered part of the Latin culture, while the geographic region is widespread. Latin America is typically defined as those parts of the Central America, South America and Mexico where Spanish or Portuguese are the dominant languages. While Spain and Portugal are on the European continent, they are considered the key influencers of what is known as Latin culture, which denotes people using languages derived from Latin, also known as Romance languages. d) Middle Eastern culture The countries of the Middle East have some but not all things in common, including a strong belief in Islam and religion is a very strong pillar of this society. The Arabic language is also common throughout the region; however, the wide variety of dialect can sometimes make communication difficult. e) African culture The continent of Africa is essential two cultures—North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. The continent is comprised of a number of tribes, ethnic and social groups. Northwest Africa in particular has strong ties to European and Southwestern Asia. The area also has a heavy Islamic influence and is a major player in the Arab world. The harsh environment has been a large factor in the development of Sub-Saharan Africa culture, as there are a number of languages, cuisines, art and musical styles that have sprung up among the far-flung populations. B. The Difference(s) between Culture and Civilization Culture consists of a set of values, normative principles, and ideas that are unique. While civilization refers to the practical and intellectual knowledge, as well as a set of technical means used to control nature. Culture is as something that is becoming, while civilization is as something that is already done. The examples of culture include food and beverages, clothing, and other things that still have a tendency to grow in the future. While the example of a civilization is Borobudur, the Pyramids, the Great Wall of China, as well as many other monumental things that have been completed and no further development continued. C. What is Interaction? In his book, Drs. Soetomo sees that interaction is a reciprocal relationship between one person to another. Name: Yuli Octavia Class / NPM: 4SA02 / 15609745