TAM Group C keyword diagram

WAR Group B keyword diagram

WAR Group A Keyword Bucket

Warwick Group 3 Response to Helsinki Group A: “Culture”

Thanks for the amusing video – here’s another image to analyse: Spitting is forbidden for Native Americans! We think the humorous interplay of the cultural symbols on display here is very interesting. What do you think??

As a question of whether such behaviour in the video is indeed “cultural”, it seems as if there is a difference, in English at least, between the words “cultural” and “cultured”. To be cultured implies an adherence to a socially-acceptable set of values and morals, whereas the word cultural merely denotes something to do with a culture in general.

In this case, the spitting can therefore be considered cultural, even if this is not cultured. The act itself confirms a disobedience towards the prevailing behavioural standards accepted by most of society, so is inherently cultural, even if it is cultural deviancy.

Within certain subcultures, though, spitting is considered acceptable, such as on the football or baseball field. For other groups, particularly adolescents, spitting in public can be viewed as a marker of cultural identity, symbolizing a rejection of normative values and giving a communal sense of belonging within a subcultural group at odds with the dominant culture.

However, the act of spitting as a culturally-embedded performance varies from culture to culture. According to the following report (http://www.renmenbi.com/spitting-culture), spitting is an everyday and accepted occurrence in China. This brings us onto the broader transcultural questions of manners and etiquette.


As much as the spitting video makes fun of social convention, etiquette to too great a degree can seem stuffy and similarly comical:

With so many differences between acceptable behaviours, we wonder if there are many behaviours which are transculturally acceptable? Would there be any benefit to a standardized worldwide etiquette? It may stop some intercultural misunderstandings, but would it also be symptomatic of cultural imperialism?

Warwick Group 3 - Keywords (Stu and Michelle)

COSMOPOLITAN: adj. 1): having worldwide rather than limited or provincial scope or bearing 2) having wide international sophistication : worldly 3) composed of persons, constituents, or elements from all or many parts of the world

cosmopolitan adj 1 belonging to or representative of all parts of the world. 2 free of national prejudices; international in experience and outlook. 3 sophisticated. 4 composed of people from all different parts of the world. noun someone of this type; a citizen of the world.
ETYMOLOGY: 17c: from cosmo- + Greek polites citizen.

- Chambers Online

cosmopolitan

adjective USUALLY APPROVING
containing or having experience of people and things from many different parts of the world

COSMOPOLITAN magazine – what image is this trying to portray? Exotic? Sophisticated? Stylish? Why particularly a women’s point of view?

Cosmopolitan Cocktail – Martini Glass, Pink, Sex and the City

Challenge: There is a huge logical leap between a definition such as “from all parts of the world” and one such as “sophisticated”. This leads to a confusing tension in definition between the multicultural and the hierarchical, as these two radically different meanings are often conflated into one vague general term. Similarly, there are problems with colloquial usages (eg. the magazine and cocktail above), which further distance people from any original meaning.

Demographic

Noun. A particular sector of a populace.

- OED.

demography noun, technical the scientific study of population statistics, including births, deaths, etc. demographer noun someone who studies demography or the statistics of populations. demographic adj.
ETYMOLOGY: 19c: from Greek demos people + -graphy.

- Chambers Online

demographic

Main Entry:

demographic

Function:

noun

Date:

circa 1966

1 plural : the statistical characteristics of human populations (as age or income) used especially to identify markets

2: a market or segment of the population identified by demographics

As an indicator used to define a sector of society, a demographic constitutes a particular grouping of (usually) people, segregated on grounds of age, wealth, ethnicity, profession, or many other characteristics. It is often used as a marketing tool, so companies can effectively market their products to particular target groups, but is also an issue in politics and the art world, as (for example) a theatre group decides to put on plays aimed at a particular type of theatergoer.

Challenge: There are several problems with this definition though, as the criteria used for differentiating demographics can be concrete (eg. those on salaries of £50,000 or more), or far more value-based (eg. people with liberal tendencies). This leads to indeterminacy, but also to a stereotyped view of society as a whole, as certain discrete personal tendencies can become the prime social stratification for commercial groups.

Corral de comedias (noun):

House, courtyard or theatre where plays were first performed on a permanent space in Spain, in the late 16^th century. Travelling companies of theatre began to settle and perform their plays permanently in these spaces.

Challenge: It’s a type of staging space very similar to the Elizabethan stage, so it is not exclusive to the Spanish tradition. So, to what extent it is a local concept or else a way of conceiving the theatrical space that transcended local borders.