ANTA02H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: William Graham Sumner, Refugees Of The Syrian Civil War, Upper Class
Document Summary
Culture was associated with high culture (opera) What does this mean: only the upper class had culture" . The upper class believed that lower classes did not have a culture, and if they did, it was not above their level of hierarchy. States that culture is static (fixed) but this is not true! Culture is constantly shifting and changing: ex: language. Culture that is something in your head . Not just a list of to do"s. The nacirema have an obsession with mouths as a meaning for ritual making. Wealth is associated with the number of shrines an individual has. Makes fun of rituals that americans follow. While nothing in the article is untrue, it does not capture what experience is like. Purpose of this article: comparing other cultures to north american culture. Ex: north american obsession with teeth: dangers of ethnocentrism (belittling other cultures, viewing everything through your culture or group"s lens and not being empathetic to other cultures)
