Cultural Differences In Anthropology

By looking at culture in anthropology there are many factors that make up how specific culture is recognized. A main quote that I agree with is “Anthropology is only in the broadest way what the textbook and the instructor say it is. Intimately, it is what students make it mean to them.” (Kutsche, 1998). This quote is saying that someone can read about another person’s culture in a textbook but the way it is perceived will help determine someone’s finial thoughts on a particular subject of study. I believe one must go into a specific field of study to fully gain perspective of ones culture. By recognizing other cultures it will help you recognize your cultural expressions that are evident in your own life. This is usually defined as a holistic …show more content…
The first is the family first approach we have. My family and I are Italian. In saying this both my mother and fathers side of their families are very big. This means there are a lot of relatives, cousins, aunts/uncles, nieces and nephews, and grandparents. As long as I can remember my family and my extended family have talked about the importance of a loving family where issues are dealt with within. My grandparents on both sides always preached the importance of being committed to loved ones. This means that when there is an issue within the family it is important to solve that issue within the family without divorce or separation. This is something that has been passed down for generations and always been preached in my household. It is amazing to see how effective this is because no one in my entire family has ever married and than got a divorce. This has created a cultural bond among my family like none other. It is something I am very proud of. This ties directly into my next example of cultural expression. This example is one that has been a passed down practice for many years in my family. This is my religion of Roman Catholic. My great grandparents from Italy, my grandparents, and parents have keep this religion successfully passed down from generation to generation. With this being said I believe that this practice is something I have been able to …show more content…
Ever since I was a little kid every Sunday my mom and my aunts make sauce and pasta. My whole family gathers a few hours before dinner at either my house or my cousin’s house. This allows my family and I to spend time together and become closer. Then we eat dinner and hangout together after as well. This is something I look forward to every Sunday even though I have to drive home from school. This type of practice also occurs on holidays as well. Even if a family member works/ lives in a different state and cant make it back for the usual Sunday dinners, everyone makes sure they are around for the holidays. Especially Christmas and Easter. This is a type of enculturation because this culture has been passed on by generations before and continues to be carried out today. My second specific example is that as a roman catholic my family and I have rights of passage within our family and in the church. It is understood that as a member of our family each person will be baptized after birth, earn their first communion in first grade, receive their confirmation in sixth grade, and be married in a church when the time is right. This is something I have had to do over the years. These are specific examples of what my family practices. We also always say a prayer before every meal. This is something I continue to carry out at school as well. These cultural expressions have made up