- This discussion shall focus on describing and exploring the rich culture of Saudi Arabia however, prior to that, it appears significant to first understand what culture is and what its major characteristics are.
What is Culture
A. Popular notions on culture
- Culture has been defined in several ways over the years of study and research of many anthropological and sociological efforts. It has been considered as one of the major identification and determinant of nationality, however, more technical studies seem to define it in a more extensive manner.
B. Expert definitions of culture based on biology and shared behavior
-Parson (1949) for example, defined culture in the context of heredity and biology when he proposed that culture consists in those patterns relative to behavior and the products of human action which may be inherited, thats is, passed on from generation to generation independently of the biological genes (Parson 8). Damen (1987) on the other hand, defined it in terms of shared behavior as learned and shared human patterns or models for living day-to-day living patterns (Damen 367).
5 Major characteristics of Culture
A. culture is learned - Although the authors considered Parsons claim that culture is biologically inherited to have well a scrutinized basis, they argue that culture is rather learned than genetically passed on.
B. culture is shared - This characteristic is evidently incontestable in any given culture since culture has always been considered as a way of categorizing a certain group of people who hold shared values, beliefs, ideas and standards of behavior.
C. culture is based on symbols - The authors explain that it is observable that human behavior in general is actually made up of several symbols. These symbols are most of the time representations of different entities of ideas that relate to them in a substantive way.
D. culture is integrated - By integrated, the authors meant that, culture as a well-structures system (is) made up of distinctive parts that function together as an organized whole (Haviland, Walrath and Prins 32)
E. culture is dynamic - The authors argue that culture is a system which actually responds to the changes, actions and motions that occur around it (34).
Common cultural characteristics of Saudi Arabia
A. Saudi Arabia became very distinctive through peoples way of dressing and even through its cuisine.
B. Since Saudi Arabia is basically made up of land mass, Arabs have been seen to be constant land travelers.
C. Since Saudi Arabia is basically made up of land mass, Arabs have been seen to be constant land travelers. The cuisine which has been greatly characterized by spices that are rich in Arab lands has also made the Saudi society very distinctive.
D. The Saudi society has carried on a traditional code of personal and collective honor which is called the sharaf.
E. Saudi Arabia has also become popular for its unique religious practices. In this area, people are used to praying more than once every day. Maghrib, which is known as the sunset prayer was also considered as the time of the day where most socialization start.
F. Saudi has been very popular due to its very conservative perspectives. And when it comes to socialization, the Saudi society has retained their conservative perspectives. As a proof, up to date, no public cinemas are permitted to Saudi Arabia
Factors that currently affect the culture of Saudi Arabia
A. The effects of globalization in Saudi Arabia is most observed in telecommunications. Most television stations in Saudi today have already incorporated English programs in their programming, which means more English cartoons and educational shows for younger audience as well.
B. To address such a threat, the government of Saudi Arabia, through their constitution, sees to it that the education system in their country shall remain consistent in inculcating the Islamic beliefs and the traditional Saudi Arabian traditions and ways to children.
A Discussion and Explication of Saudi Arabias Culture and its Current Influences
Over the years, vague and ambiguous studies on culture have been conducted, and all these provided very extensive views on what culture really is. Culture has been a consistent topic of interest in the academe since it is one of the major considerations when it comes to studying the world and its history. Saudi Arabia is just one of the many countries with the riches and most diverse cultures. This discussion shall focus on describing and exploring the rich culture of Saudi Arabia however, prior to that, it appears significant to first understand what culture is and what its major characteristics are.
Culture
Culture has been defined in several ways over the years of study and research of many anthropological and sociological efforts. It has been considered as one of the major identification and determinant of nationality, however, more technical studies seem to define it in a more extensive manner. In the study of Mary Wang (2000) on the different cultures of the world, she was able to deduce that culture actually include several aspects such as, traditions, values, beliefs, ideologies, even cuisine, art and music. This implies that although culture has been considered through the years as a single category which determines the identity of a nation or a group of people, below it actually lies several other categories or sub-concepts that also make a culture distinct from all the others.
This has been the common basis of experts in defining culture. And over the years, experts delved on different aspects in defining the ideal of culture. Parson (1949) for example, defined culture in the context of heredity and biology when he proposed that culture consists in those patterns relative to behavior and the products of human action which may be inherited, thats is, passed on from generation to generation independently of the biological genes (Parson 8). Damen (1987) on the other hand, defined it in terms of shared behavior as learned and shared human patterns or models for living day-to-day living patterns (Damen 367). Damen also notes that such patterns and models penetrate all the areas of social interactions made by humans. Moreover, it was also noted that culture also serves a humans essential adaptive mechanism (367). However, aside from this definition, prior to exploring the diverse culture of Saudi Arabia, it also appears important to understand the major characteristics that make up the broad idea of culture.
5 Major Characteristics of Culture
Culture on its own is a vague and broad concept. One person cannot discuss it as if it is a simple and narrow ideal. As what has been mentioned earlier in this discussion, culture is made up of several aspects or sub-concepts. These aspects aid in categorizing how culture differ from one another. And in the process of defining what culture is, one could easily come across the five major characteristics of culture. Haviland, Walrath and Prins (2007) shared one study on what makes up a culture in their work entitled, Cultural Anthropology The Human Challenge. In this volume, the authors named several characteristics of culture, but 5 of these can be classified as the major traits. Firstly, the authors note that culture is learned (Haviland, Walrath and Prins 26). Although the authors considered Parsons claim that culture is biologically inherited to have well a scrutinized basis, they argue that culture is rather learned than genetically passed on. The authors also quoted the US anthropologist, Ralph Linton for his terminology, social heredity. Haviland and his colleagues defines this as the process where a learner of a certain culture grows up with it and eventually absorbs it and eventually learns about it.
They also note that the process where culture is being transferred s called enculturation (26). Most anthropologist would agree that culture also has something to do about a common behavior of pattern of behavior. Attitudes and behavior on things like eating, self-defense, shelter and sexual gratification can be easily related to a cultural identity. And to support their claim that culture is learned, Haviland and colleagues claim that through enculturation, every person learns socially appropriate ways of satisfying the basic biologically determined needs (26), and only here does Parsons claim on culture enters.
Aside from this, it was also said that culture is shared. This characteristic is evidently incontestable in any given culture since culture has always been considered as a way of categorizing a certain group of people who hold shared values, beliefs, ideas and standards of behavior (27). Apart from these, Haviland and colleagues also argue that culture is based on symbols. The authors explain that it is observable that human behavior in general is actually made up of several symbols. These symbols are most of the time representations of different entities of ideas that relate to them in a substantive way (32). These symbols as the authors explain may include, national flags, cultural costumes, religious signs as well as money. Also, the authors claim that culture is integrated. By integrated, the authors meant that, culture as a well-structures system (is) made up of distinctive parts that function together as an organized whole (32). Evidently, this supports the many definitions on culture that claim that culture is an entity of many parts, just like what Damen claims. And lastly, Haviland and colleagues also note that culture is dynamic. The authors argue that culture is a system which actually responds to the changes, actions and motions that occur around it (34).
They specifically note that when one element within the system shifts or changes, the entire system strives to adjust, just as it does when an outside force applies pressure (34). Thus, in order to function properly, it also shows that a culture must hold some level of flexibility
so as to easily adjust in different scenarios.
Saudi Arabia, as one of the most Rich and Dynamic in terms of Culture
Common Cultural Characteristics
Over the years, Saudi Arabia has been tagged as one of the most cited countries when it comes to talking about culture and tradition. Saudi Arabia became very distinctive through peoples way of dressing and even through its cuisine. However, in looking at the bigger picture, one would easily observe these common characteristics that make Saudi Arabias culture unique from all the others. Firstly, Saudi Arabia sits on a a historic peninsula which connects to the historic Red Sea (Long 2). Most of the Arabian lands are covered with desserts, and this has impacted the nations culture in several ways. Since Saudi Arabia is basically made up of land mass, Arabs have been seen to be constant land travelers. The cuisine which has been greatly characterized by spices that are rich in Arab lands has also made the Saudi society very distinctive. Aside from this, Saudi has also become unique in terms of customs. The Saudi society has carried on a traditional code of personal and collective honor which is called the sharaf. This collective honor involves values like hospitality which has been very observable among Arabs. This tradition also specifies virility as the form of male honor, and modesty and the female counterpart (64). Moreover, there is the concept of ikhlas as well.
This ideal is close to the general notion of sincerity. This is also one of the distinctive Arabian custom on honor and paying respects, but this time, on a more personal manner. Saudi Arabia has also become popular for its unique religious practices. In this area, people are used to praying more than once every day. Maghrib, which is known as the sunset prayer was also considered as the time of the day where most socialization start. Saudi has been very popular due to its very conservative perspectives. And when it comes to socialization, the Saudi society has retained their conservative perspectives. As a proof, up to date, no public cinemas are permitted to Saudi Arabia (64).
Factors that currently affect the Culture of Saudi Arabia
Generally, traditions if Saudi Arabia have always been conservative. Through the years, foreign immigrants have attested to how closed and traditionalist the Saudi Arabian culture is. Basing it in popular history, it can also be observed that one of the factors why Saudi Arabia has succeeded in freeing itself from colonizers is its conservative ways which held strong convictions and united movements as well. In the recent years, globalization has been inescapable in Saudi Arabia.
The effects of globalization in Saudi Arabia is most observed in telecommunications. Most television stations in Saudi today have already incorporated English programs in their programming, which means more English cartoons and educational shows for younger audience as well. This has been a current threat to the traditional and conservative Saudi Arabian society since young people are being exposed to foreign language and practices early. Globalization has also introduced foreign traditions and ways in terms of fashion, music and art in Saudi. This also posts the possibility that sooner or later, the traditional and conservative perspective of Saudi Arabia may eventually break. However, to address such a threat, the government of Saudi Arabia, through their constitution, sees to it that the education system in their country shall remain consistent in inculcating the Islamic beliefs and the traditional Saudi Arabian traditions and ways to children.
Education will aim at instilling the Islamic faith in the younger generation, providing its members with knowledge and skills and preparing them to become useful members in building of their society, members who love their homeland and are proud of its history. (Spring 73)
Hence, as it appears, the Saudi Arabian culture remains one of the most culturally preserved nations in the world as what its collective efforts manifest.
What is Culture
A. Popular notions on culture
- Culture has been defined in several ways over the years of study and research of many anthropological and sociological efforts. It has been considered as one of the major identification and determinant of nationality, however, more technical studies seem to define it in a more extensive manner.
B. Expert definitions of culture based on biology and shared behavior
-Parson (1949) for example, defined culture in the context of heredity and biology when he proposed that culture consists in those patterns relative to behavior and the products of human action which may be inherited, thats is, passed on from generation to generation independently of the biological genes (Parson 8). Damen (1987) on the other hand, defined it in terms of shared behavior as learned and shared human patterns or models for living day-to-day living patterns (Damen 367).
5 Major characteristics of Culture
A. culture is learned - Although the authors considered Parsons claim that culture is biologically inherited to have well a scrutinized basis, they argue that culture is rather learned than genetically passed on.
B. culture is shared - This characteristic is evidently incontestable in any given culture since culture has always been considered as a way of categorizing a certain group of people who hold shared values, beliefs, ideas and standards of behavior.
C. culture is based on symbols - The authors explain that it is observable that human behavior in general is actually made up of several symbols. These symbols are most of the time representations of different entities of ideas that relate to them in a substantive way.
D. culture is integrated - By integrated, the authors meant that, culture as a well-structures system (is) made up of distinctive parts that function together as an organized whole (Haviland, Walrath and Prins 32)
E. culture is dynamic - The authors argue that culture is a system which actually responds to the changes, actions and motions that occur around it (34).
Common cultural characteristics of Saudi Arabia
A. Saudi Arabia became very distinctive through peoples way of dressing and even through its cuisine.
B. Since Saudi Arabia is basically made up of land mass, Arabs have been seen to be constant land travelers.
C. Since Saudi Arabia is basically made up of land mass, Arabs have been seen to be constant land travelers. The cuisine which has been greatly characterized by spices that are rich in Arab lands has also made the Saudi society very distinctive.
D. The Saudi society has carried on a traditional code of personal and collective honor which is called the sharaf.
E. Saudi Arabia has also become popular for its unique religious practices. In this area, people are used to praying more than once every day. Maghrib, which is known as the sunset prayer was also considered as the time of the day where most socialization start.
F. Saudi has been very popular due to its very conservative perspectives. And when it comes to socialization, the Saudi society has retained their conservative perspectives. As a proof, up to date, no public cinemas are permitted to Saudi Arabia
Factors that currently affect the culture of Saudi Arabia
A. The effects of globalization in Saudi Arabia is most observed in telecommunications. Most television stations in Saudi today have already incorporated English programs in their programming, which means more English cartoons and educational shows for younger audience as well.
B. To address such a threat, the government of Saudi Arabia, through their constitution, sees to it that the education system in their country shall remain consistent in inculcating the Islamic beliefs and the traditional Saudi Arabian traditions and ways to children.
A Discussion and Explication of Saudi Arabias Culture and its Current Influences
Over the years, vague and ambiguous studies on culture have been conducted, and all these provided very extensive views on what culture really is. Culture has been a consistent topic of interest in the academe since it is one of the major considerations when it comes to studying the world and its history. Saudi Arabia is just one of the many countries with the riches and most diverse cultures. This discussion shall focus on describing and exploring the rich culture of Saudi Arabia however, prior to that, it appears significant to first understand what culture is and what its major characteristics are.
Culture
Culture has been defined in several ways over the years of study and research of many anthropological and sociological efforts. It has been considered as one of the major identification and determinant of nationality, however, more technical studies seem to define it in a more extensive manner. In the study of Mary Wang (2000) on the different cultures of the world, she was able to deduce that culture actually include several aspects such as, traditions, values, beliefs, ideologies, even cuisine, art and music. This implies that although culture has been considered through the years as a single category which determines the identity of a nation or a group of people, below it actually lies several other categories or sub-concepts that also make a culture distinct from all the others.
This has been the common basis of experts in defining culture. And over the years, experts delved on different aspects in defining the ideal of culture. Parson (1949) for example, defined culture in the context of heredity and biology when he proposed that culture consists in those patterns relative to behavior and the products of human action which may be inherited, thats is, passed on from generation to generation independently of the biological genes (Parson 8). Damen (1987) on the other hand, defined it in terms of shared behavior as learned and shared human patterns or models for living day-to-day living patterns (Damen 367). Damen also notes that such patterns and models penetrate all the areas of social interactions made by humans. Moreover, it was also noted that culture also serves a humans essential adaptive mechanism (367). However, aside from this definition, prior to exploring the diverse culture of Saudi Arabia, it also appears important to understand the major characteristics that make up the broad idea of culture.
5 Major Characteristics of Culture
Culture on its own is a vague and broad concept. One person cannot discuss it as if it is a simple and narrow ideal. As what has been mentioned earlier in this discussion, culture is made up of several aspects or sub-concepts. These aspects aid in categorizing how culture differ from one another. And in the process of defining what culture is, one could easily come across the five major characteristics of culture. Haviland, Walrath and Prins (2007) shared one study on what makes up a culture in their work entitled, Cultural Anthropology The Human Challenge. In this volume, the authors named several characteristics of culture, but 5 of these can be classified as the major traits. Firstly, the authors note that culture is learned (Haviland, Walrath and Prins 26). Although the authors considered Parsons claim that culture is biologically inherited to have well a scrutinized basis, they argue that culture is rather learned than genetically passed on. The authors also quoted the US anthropologist, Ralph Linton for his terminology, social heredity. Haviland and his colleagues defines this as the process where a learner of a certain culture grows up with it and eventually absorbs it and eventually learns about it.
They also note that the process where culture is being transferred s called enculturation (26). Most anthropologist would agree that culture also has something to do about a common behavior of pattern of behavior. Attitudes and behavior on things like eating, self-defense, shelter and sexual gratification can be easily related to a cultural identity. And to support their claim that culture is learned, Haviland and colleagues claim that through enculturation, every person learns socially appropriate ways of satisfying the basic biologically determined needs (26), and only here does Parsons claim on culture enters.
Aside from this, it was also said that culture is shared. This characteristic is evidently incontestable in any given culture since culture has always been considered as a way of categorizing a certain group of people who hold shared values, beliefs, ideas and standards of behavior (27). Apart from these, Haviland and colleagues also argue that culture is based on symbols. The authors explain that it is observable that human behavior in general is actually made up of several symbols. These symbols are most of the time representations of different entities of ideas that relate to them in a substantive way (32). These symbols as the authors explain may include, national flags, cultural costumes, religious signs as well as money. Also, the authors claim that culture is integrated. By integrated, the authors meant that, culture as a well-structures system (is) made up of distinctive parts that function together as an organized whole (32). Evidently, this supports the many definitions on culture that claim that culture is an entity of many parts, just like what Damen claims. And lastly, Haviland and colleagues also note that culture is dynamic. The authors argue that culture is a system which actually responds to the changes, actions and motions that occur around it (34).
They specifically note that when one element within the system shifts or changes, the entire system strives to adjust, just as it does when an outside force applies pressure (34). Thus, in order to function properly, it also shows that a culture must hold some level of flexibility
so as to easily adjust in different scenarios.
Saudi Arabia, as one of the most Rich and Dynamic in terms of Culture
Common Cultural Characteristics
Over the years, Saudi Arabia has been tagged as one of the most cited countries when it comes to talking about culture and tradition. Saudi Arabia became very distinctive through peoples way of dressing and even through its cuisine. However, in looking at the bigger picture, one would easily observe these common characteristics that make Saudi Arabias culture unique from all the others. Firstly, Saudi Arabia sits on a a historic peninsula which connects to the historic Red Sea (Long 2). Most of the Arabian lands are covered with desserts, and this has impacted the nations culture in several ways. Since Saudi Arabia is basically made up of land mass, Arabs have been seen to be constant land travelers. The cuisine which has been greatly characterized by spices that are rich in Arab lands has also made the Saudi society very distinctive. Aside from this, Saudi has also become unique in terms of customs. The Saudi society has carried on a traditional code of personal and collective honor which is called the sharaf. This collective honor involves values like hospitality which has been very observable among Arabs. This tradition also specifies virility as the form of male honor, and modesty and the female counterpart (64). Moreover, there is the concept of ikhlas as well.
This ideal is close to the general notion of sincerity. This is also one of the distinctive Arabian custom on honor and paying respects, but this time, on a more personal manner. Saudi Arabia has also become popular for its unique religious practices. In this area, people are used to praying more than once every day. Maghrib, which is known as the sunset prayer was also considered as the time of the day where most socialization start. Saudi has been very popular due to its very conservative perspectives. And when it comes to socialization, the Saudi society has retained their conservative perspectives. As a proof, up to date, no public cinemas are permitted to Saudi Arabia (64).
Factors that currently affect the Culture of Saudi Arabia
Generally, traditions if Saudi Arabia have always been conservative. Through the years, foreign immigrants have attested to how closed and traditionalist the Saudi Arabian culture is. Basing it in popular history, it can also be observed that one of the factors why Saudi Arabia has succeeded in freeing itself from colonizers is its conservative ways which held strong convictions and united movements as well. In the recent years, globalization has been inescapable in Saudi Arabia.
The effects of globalization in Saudi Arabia is most observed in telecommunications. Most television stations in Saudi today have already incorporated English programs in their programming, which means more English cartoons and educational shows for younger audience as well. This has been a current threat to the traditional and conservative Saudi Arabian society since young people are being exposed to foreign language and practices early. Globalization has also introduced foreign traditions and ways in terms of fashion, music and art in Saudi. This also posts the possibility that sooner or later, the traditional and conservative perspective of Saudi Arabia may eventually break. However, to address such a threat, the government of Saudi Arabia, through their constitution, sees to it that the education system in their country shall remain consistent in inculcating the Islamic beliefs and the traditional Saudi Arabian traditions and ways to children.
Education will aim at instilling the Islamic faith in the younger generation, providing its members with knowledge and skills and preparing them to become useful members in building of their society, members who love their homeland and are proud of its history. (Spring 73)
Hence, as it appears, the Saudi Arabian culture remains one of the most culturally preserved nations in the world as what its collective efforts manifest.
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