Weak Concept Of Culture Essay

Language and terminology develop over time in academia resulting in some words being left behind and forgotten. In anthropology, some would argue that the concept of culture has similarly run its course in the field, but they would be wrong. A weak concept of culture enables anthropologists to describe human action in ways that cannot otherwise be accounted for. Using the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) as a sample setting, it is clear to see how the weak culture concept rationalizes behaviour in ways a strong concept does not. Contrary to some opponents to culture, it expands on ideas within a society that other ideas do not. Ideas of culture also allow anthropologists to translate ideas to people from a variety of cultures.

Taking the TTC in Toronto is an experience filled with more underlying structure than one may think at first glance. Not only does TTC culture contain legally outlined rules about what constitutes appropriate behaviour, but it also encompasses a whole range of unstated yet ubiquitously expected behaviours. An examination of the culture of TTC users can be used to reveal how anthropology still uses the concept of culture to identify unique structures within a society.

Even for something as simple as entering a subway station, grasping the logic behind the diversity of acceptable conduct can be difficult. The weak culture concept provides a means for …show more content…
Even for something as innocuous as taking the TTC, culture helps to decode the minutiae of those everyday interactions. Weak culture covers notions that strong culture and other concepts, like law, do not. It can be used to lessen the comprehension barriers that one person to understanding the significance of a practice within another culture. Weak culture continues to have a unique purpose within anthropological