My Idea Of Culture

In the field of sociology and anthropology, the concept of culture is a vital one. Sociology is partly dedicated to studying, understanding and analyzing different cultures and their interaction with each other. As such, the question arises, what is culture? In common parlance, culture can be defined as the way of life of a particular group of people which includes their beliefs, traditional values, customs, attitude and behaviour. The knowledge of culture is passed down from one generation to the next. It is a crucial basis for distinguishing one set of people from another. People belonging to different cultures act, think, live differently. An example can be taken that of two countries like India and USA which have vast differences in terms of culture. In India, people are more family-oriented as compared to Americans. Even though the nuclear family is rapidly becoming the norm, the system of joint families is still prevalent across the country. On the other hand, in American culture, Individual beliefs get prominence over family values.

India is a melting pot of cultural diversity. Within the country itself, there are varying cultural practices in terms of language, music, costumes, cuisine etc. Major differences in culture can be observed between North India and South India. Linguistic variations act as a major difference between the two cultures While most of the north Indian language originates from Sanskrit, South Indian languages fall under the category of Dravidian family. In terms of architecture, North is dominated by Islamic architecture(as many constructions took place during the Mughal reign) such is not the case in South. Rice is preferred in South whereas wheat in the North.

Therefore, culture can act as a paradox- it binds people who follow the same traditions/customs as well as acts as a barrier between those who are culturally different.