Culture: a rough and ready definition

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Culture a rough and ready definition
Culture whatever we acquire through social
learning, social transmission.
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A few properties of culture 1. It is
abstract/immaterial -- a learnable form that
produces perceptible objects in the world (like
dance steps or sounds or clothes or gestures). 2.
It moves through space and time by passing from
individual to individual, group to group. 3. It
tends to undergo some change in the course of its
transmission.
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Categorization schemes (including race) are part
of culture they are learnable forms --
employing words like white, black, etc.
they travel through space and time they undergo
change in the course of their journey EXAMPLE
U.S. census questions
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Questions from the 1930 Census
Place of Abode 1. Street, avenue, road, etc. 2.
House number (in cities or towns) 3. Number of
dwelling house in order of visitation 4. Number
of family in order of visitation Name 5. Name
of each person whose place of abode on April 1,
1930, was in this family. Relation 6.
Relationship of this person to the head of the
family. Home Data 7. Home owned or rented. 8.
Value of home, if owned, or monthly rental, if
rented. 9. Radio set. 10. Does this family live
on a farm? Personal Description 11. Sex. 12.
Color or race White (W), Negro (Neg), Mexican
(Mex), Indian (In), Chinese (Ch), Japanese (Jp),
Filipino (Fil), Hindu (Hin), Korean (Kor), other
races spelled out in full. 13. Age at last
birthday.
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Questions from the 1890 Census
HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD Full name (SURNAME, first
middle) Date born (month-day-year)
Relationship (Head, Wife, S-Son, D-Daughter,
etc) Sex Race (WWhite, CColored, IIndian,
AAsian) Age in 1890 Place born
(town-county-state or country) SPOUSE Full name
(SURNAME, first middle. Include maiden name if
known.) Date born (month-day-year)
Relationship (Head, Wife, S-Son, D-Daughter,
etc) Sex Race (WWhite, CColored, IIndian,
AAsian) Age in 1890 Place born
(town-county-state or country)
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Questions from the 1790 Census
Name of Head of Household Number of free white
males 16 over Number of free white males under
16 Number of free white females (age not
specified) Number of all other free persons
Number of slaves

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Social function of the categorization scheme
Censuses provide information for
administrators as to how to manage a population
(for example, taxation). Social groupings
(race, ethnicity, gender, caste, etc.) represent
culturally recognized groupings within the
society. The cultural recognized groupings
are potential political interest groups.


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