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1: What is Culture?

  • Page ID
    39119
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    Here are some questions and some tasks to guide you in your reading of the chapter. If you can address everything on this list, you will be off to a good start.

    1. What is the origin of the English word, “culture?”
    2. How has the meaning of the word changed over time? Trace its evolution from the 18th to the 21st century.
    3. Contrast Sir Edward Tylor’s 19th century view of culture with that of Franz Boas at the beginning of the 20th century. How are they similar? How are they different?
    4. What is the significance of Kroeber and Kluckhohn’s classic work published in 1952?
    5. List the seven themes that seem to capture the scholarly literature on culture. Which theme(s) do you find most compelling?


    This page titled 1: What is Culture? is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Nolan Weil (Rebus Community) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.

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