AnthropologyLesson 1 of 1 in the course Culture Concept Theory: Theories of Cultural Change

Four Paradoxes of Culture: Continuity, Mobility, Contestation, and Variation

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

This lesson introduces culture as something people inherit and reproduce, but also continually change. It explains four mechanisms through which cultural change occurs.

Culture is transmitted across generations through learning, everyday practice, and shared institutions. This transmission gives a society recognizable patterns over time. Yet cultural reproduction is never a perfect copy. Younger people may learn practices differently, reject some teachings, or adapt them to new circumstances. Travel, trade, experimentation, and changing tastes also introduce alternatives.

All flashcards

How can culture be both continuous and changing?
People transmit cultural practices across generations, but reinterpret, adapt, or reject them.
Cultural mobility
The movement of cultural elements across boundaries through people, objects, and ideas.
Guanxi
A system of social relationships built through reciprocal gifts or favors and used to develop trust and access opportunities.
Cultural appropriation
Inappropriate or exploitative use of elements from another culture.
How can culture be shared yet variable?
People participate in common cultural life but interpret and experience it differently.

Quiz questions

  1. What is cultural reproduction?Answer: The transmission and renewal of cultural knowledge, practices, and values across generations.
  2. Which term describes the movement of a cultural element from one society to another?Answer: Diffusion
  3. What does guanxi refer to in Chinese social life?Answer: Relationships and networks developed through reciprocal gifts and favors.
  4. What is cultural appropriation?Answer: Inappropriate or exploitative use of elements from another culture.
  5. Which statement best describes culture as consensual but contested?Answer: Shared expectations help people coordinate, while norms can still be debated or resisted.

Based on Introduction to Anthropology by Jennifer Hasty, David G. Lewis, Marjorie M. Snipes (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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