Clyde Kluckholm essays

Clyde Kluckholm essays 1. What is the main point and/or argument in the article? "Culture consists of the values (abstract ideals) the members of a given group hold, the norms (definite principles or rules people are expected to observe) they follow, and the material goods they create." -Introduction to Society Anthony Giddens and Mitchell Duneier. This is how culture is defined in our text. In my words culture is the transmission of behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, values, institutions, and tangible goods among groups of people in a society. Now according to Clyde Kluckholm in his article he argues that peoples culture is what makes up a society. He says that the way we get by life is constructed by one's culture. "Culture is like a map- with it you can navigate a society; without it you will be barley human" says Kluckholm. So his main point is that culture is the reason why we exist today. It is how we get by life. It is a concept which controls the way of life for us humans. 2. What theoretical and/or methodological framework does the article use, and what is the evidence for this? In this article Kluckholm proves his theory by comparing and contrasting different parts of the world to each other. Such as the women in Siberia compared to the women here in America; women in America would find the idea of plural wives absurd, however in Siberia they find it absurd if a women is selfish and is not willing to share her man. And throughout the article he gives other examples from other parts of the world. Later in the article Kluckholm demonstrates his theory by explaining and painting a picture of how a society inherits culture. He states that once an individual is "culturalized" he or she feels a sense of belonging, and is obligated to follow the culture passed down to him or her. Kluckholm also displays his agreement with Ruth Benedict's definition to the concept culture; "Culture is that which binds men together." ...