CULTURE AND

SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
KCAU006
WHAT IS CULTURE?
 Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people,
encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.
 Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs,
values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial
relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions
acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual
and group striving.
 Culture is the systems of knowledge shared by a relatively large group of people.
 Culture is communication, communication is culture.
 Culture in its broadest sense is cultivated behavior; that is the totality of a
person's learned, accumulated experience which is socially transmitted, or more
briefly, behavior through social learning.
 A culture is a way of life of a group of people--the behaviors, beliefs, values, and
symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are
passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next.
 Culture is symbolic communication. Some of its symbols include a group's skills,
knowledge, attitudes, values, and motives. The meanings of the symbols are
learned and deliberately perpetuated in a society through its institutions.
Cont’d…

 Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior

acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive
achievement of human groups, including their embodiments in
artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional ideas and
especially their attached values; culture systems may, on the one
hand, be considered as products of action, on the other hand, as
conditioning influences upon further action.
 Culture is the sum of total of the learned behavior of a group of
people that are generally considered to be the tradition of that people
and are transmitted from generation to generation.
 Culture is a collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the
members of one group or category of people from another.
Sustainable

 Sustainable living entails addressing our demands without

endangering the capacity of future generations to address theirs.
 We require social and economic resources in addition to natural ones.
 Environmentalism alone does not constitute sustainability. Concerns
for social fairness,culturalism and economic development are also
present in the majority of definitions of sustainability.
THEORY OF CULTURAL
DETERMINISM
The position that the ideas, meanings, beliefs and values people learn as
members of society determines human nature. People are what they learn.
 Optimistic version of cultural determinism place no limits on the abilities of
human beings to do or to be whatever they want. Some anthropologists
suggest that there is no universal "right way" of being human. "Right way"
is almost always "our way"; that "our way" in one society almost never
corresponds to "our way" in any other society. Proper attitude of an
informed human being could only be that of tolerance.
 The optimistic version of this theory postulates that human nature being
infinitely malleable, human being can choose the ways of life they prefer.
 The pessimistic version maintains that people are what they are
conditioned to be; this is something over which they have no control.
Human beings are passive creatures and do whatever their culture tells
them to do. This explanation leads to behaviorism that locates the causes
of human behavior in a realm that is totally beyond human control.
CULTURAL RELATIVISM

 Different cultural groups think, feel, and act differently. There is no

scientific standards for considering one group as intrinsically superior
or inferior to another. Studying differences in culture among groups
and societies presupposes a position of cultural relativism.
 It does not imply normalcy for oneself, nor for one's society. It,
however, calls for judgment when dealing with groups or societies
different from one's own.
 Information about the nature of cultural differences between
societies, their roots, and their consequences should precede
judgment and action.
 Negotiation is more likely to succeed when the parties concerned
understand the reasons for the differences in viewpoints.
CULTURAL ETHNOCENTRISM
 Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own culture is superior to that of other cultures. It is a
form of reductionism that reduces the "other way" of life to a distorted version of one's own.
This is particularly important in case of global dealings when a company or an individual is
imbued with the idea that methods, materials, or ideas that worked in the home country will
also work abroad. Environmental differences are, therefore, ignored. Ethnocentrism, in
relation to global dealings, can be categorized as follows:
 Important factors in business are overlooked because of the obsession with certain cause-
effect relationships in one's own country. It is always a good idea to refer to checklists of
human variables in order to be assured that all major factors have been at least considered
while working abroad.
 Even though one may recognize the environmental differences and problems associated with
change, but may focus only on achieving objectives related to the home-country. This may
result in the loss of effectiveness of a company or an individual in terms of international
competitiveness. The objectives set for global operations should also be global.
 The differences are recognized, but it is assumed that associated changes are so basic that
they can be achieved effortlessly. It is always a good idea to perform a cost-benefit analysis
of the changes proposed. Sometimes a change may upset important values and thereby
may face resistance from being implemented. The cost of some changes may exceed the
benefits derived from the implementation of such changes.
MANIFESTATIONS OF CULTURE
 Cultural differences manifest themselves in different ways and differing levels of depth.
Symbols represent the most superficial and values the deepest manifestations of culture,
with heroes and rituals in between.
 Symbols are words, gestures, pictures, or objects that carry a particular meaning which is
only recognized by those who share a particular culture. New symbols easily develop, old
ones disappear. Symbols from one particular group are regularly copied by others. This is
why symbols represent the outermost layer of a culture.
 Heroes are persons, past or present, real or fictitious, who possess characteristics that are
highly prized in a culture. They also serve as models for behavior.
 Rituals are collective activities, sometimes superfluous in reaching desired objectives, but
are considered as socially essential. They are therefore carried out most of the times for
their own sake (ways of greetings, paying respect to others, religious and social
ceremonies, etc.).
 The core of a culture is formed by values. They are broad tendencies for preferences of
certain state of affairs to others (good-evil, right-wrong, natural-unnatural). Many values
remain unconscious to those who hold them. Therefore they often cannot be discussed,
nor they can be directly observed by others. Values can only be inferred from the way
people act under different circumstances.
 Symbols, heroes, and rituals are the tangible or visual aspects of the practices of a culture.
The true cultural meaning of the practices is intangible; this is revealed only when the
practices are interpreted by the insiders.
Cont’d…
LAYERS OF CULTURE
People even within the same culture carry several layers of mental
programming within themselves. Different layers of culture exist at the
following levels:

 The national level: Associated with the nation as a whole.

 The regional level: Associated with ethnic, linguistic, or religious
differences that exist within a nation.
 The gender level: Associated with gender differences (female vs. male)
 The generation level: Associated with the differences between
grandparents and parents, parents and children.
 The social class level: Associated with educational opportunities and
differences in occupation.
 The corporate level: Associated with the particular culture of an
organization. Applicable to those who are employed.
Positive and Negative aspects of
culture
 Customs. Holidays, clothing, greetings, typical rituals and activities.
 Marriage and Family. Type of marriage (i.e. arranged, free, same sex,
etc.) ...
 Values. Beliefs, principles and important aspects of lifestyle.
 Government and Law.
 Games and Leisure.
 Economy and Trade.
 Language.
 Religion.
 Traditions
Importance of culture in socio-economic
development
 Social networks
 Traditions
 Individual Motivation
 Technology and Innovations
 Creation of wealth
 Globalization
“Culture makes people understand each other better. And if they understand
each other better in their soul, it is easier to overcome the economic and
political barriers. But first they have to understand that their neighbor is, in
the end, just like them, with the same problems, the same questions.”
Paulo
Coelho
Value of cultural diversity in
development
 What is Cultural Diversity?
Cultural diversity is the quality of diverse or different cultures, as
opposed to monoculture, the global monoculture, or a
homogenization of cultures, akin to cultural evolution. The term
"cultural diversity" can also refer to having different cultures respect
each other's differences.
 Cultural diversity includes:Race,Ethnicity,Sexual
orientation,Religion, Language,Gender,Age ,Disability etc.
Why is Cultural Diversity Important
in Development?
 It adds variety to our lives.
 Interaction with people from different backgrounds, religions and
cultures teaches us to respect and cooperate with different types of
people.
 Diversity also educates us about different lifestyles and helps us to
become more tolerant.
 Promotes teamwork.
 Promotes brotherhood
 Diversity drives creativity and innovation
 Higher rates of Productivity and Performance
 Personal Growth
Cont’d…

 Increases revenue through tourism

 Promotes economic growth e.g through selling artefacts
 Increases social capital
 Allows learning and unlearning of social practices
 It can also lead to curation of peoples culture e.g giving back to the
society
“With the right people, culture, and
values, you can accomplish great
things.”
Tricia Griffith
What is Cultural Heritage?

 Cultural Heritage is an expression of the ways of living developed by

a community and passed on from generation to generation, including
customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions and values.
 Cultural Heritage is often expressed as either Intangible or Tangible
Cultural Heritage.
Cultural Heritage types
Cultural Heritage can be distinguished in:
 Built Environment (Buildings, Townscapes, Archaeological remains)
 Natural Environment (Rural landscapes, Coasts and shorelines,
Agricultural heritage)
 Artefacts (Books & Documents, Objects, Pictures)
Tangible and Intangible Heritage
 The term "tangible cultural heritage" describes tangible items
created, preserved, and passed down through generations in a
civilization.
 It includes works of art, architectural treasures like structures and
monuments, and other material manifestations of human creativity
that have been given cultural significance in a culture.
 The term "intangible cultural heritage" refers to "the practises,
representations, expressions, knowledge, and skills - as well as the
tools, objects, and artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith
- that communities, groups, and, in some cases, individuals recognise
as part of their Cultural Heritage" (UNESCO, 2003).
 Oral traditions, performing arts, local knowledge, and traditional skills
are a few examples of intangible heritage..
“If we are to preserve culture we
must continue to create it.”
Johan Huizinga
Varied professions that relate to
culture and heritage
Anthropologist Botanist Documentation
Archaeologist Collections specialist
Architect manager/direct Education programs
Architectural historian or officer
Archivist Communication Event planner
Art & Artifact manager Exhibitions specialist
appraiser Composer Festival organizer
Artist Conservation Folklorist
architect Fundraiser
Conservator Genealogist
Cultural
landscaper
Curator
Cont’d…
Heritage tradesperson/ Landscape architect Photographer
craftsperson Librarian Public relations
Heritage manager Library, archive & manager
Heritage heritage administrator Records management
planner/technician Marketing manager specialist
Heritage site guide Media manager Researcher
Heritage tourism Military historian Restorer
operator Museum director Webmaster
Historical researcher Natural heritage Writer
Historical interpreter specialist
History teacher
“Nature doesn't need people - people need nature; nature would
survive the extinction of the human being and go on just fine, but
human culture, human beings, cannot survive without nature.”

Harrison Ford