What is Culture

Culture is a very fluid and intangible concept. However, it is vital to understand what culture encompasses in order to really understand cultural competence. So let’s delve into what culture means.

To start, here are a few definitions of culture for you to read over.

Culture is our way of life. It includes our values, beliefs, attitudes, customs, languages and traditions. Through our culture, we develop a sense of belonging, personal and cognitive growth and the ability to relate and empathise with each other.

Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.

Culture is the shared knowledge and schemes created by a set of people for perceiving, interpreting, expressing, and responding to the social realities around them.

Watch the following video by Eva Haug for a dynamic definition of culture:

So, in simple terms, culture is everthing that makes up a person’s entire way of life.

What are some things that make up culture?

Here is a list of some things many cultures have:

1. Social organisation: when a culture organises its members into smaller groups. For example, families, faith-based groups, occupations, interest groups, social classes, royals, commoners, chiefs, villagers.
2. Customs and traditions: these are the rules and behaviours (written and unwritten)
3. Language: important for communication and passing on traditions and beliefs
4. Government: People form governments to protect their rights and provide for their common needs
5. Economic systems: means by which countries and governments distribute resources and trade goods and services.
6. Arts & literature: teach us about a culture’s values and promote cultural pride and unity
7. Spirituality: whether spirituality is a part of a person’s worldview is usually a conscious decision. How spirituality is practiced is generally through one of the world’s major religions such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism or even groups of non-believers such as Secular, Atheist or Agnostic.

Summary

Culture is the commonalities that a particular group of people share, including beliefs, values, and attitudes and usually encompassing elements such as language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.