Looking at cultures in your day to day life is often compared to looking through a pair of glasses. If you're looking at your own culture the glasses are focused and clear. If you're looking at another culture the view is distorted, kind of like looking through someone elses glasses.
Ethnocentrism is judging another culture by the standards of your own culture.Every strange action or belief another culture pracitces has a meaning or purpose. For example Thomas in the middle east and the belief in the evil eye.
The latah are women in Padang Kemunting and the Phillipines. Malays have a special name, explanation and meanings for the Latah. A scientific explanation for latah is that they're Hyper startlers. Hyper startlers have imitative behaviour, vulgar language, violent body movements, and often drop or throw things when surprised. An Emic (inside) explanation is that latah is hereditary, had been teased too much, and women lack enough semengat. An Edic (outside) explanation is that the latah, since often being widowed or older women, are just attention whores.
Cultural relativism is the idea that a culture must be understood in terms of its own values and beliefs not other cultures values and beliefs.
Absolute idea: Whatever goes on in a culture must not be questioned or changed.
Critical idea: Questions practices and power. Asks if its really okay for cultures to be left alone about their practices.
Cultural adaptation: change in response to environmental changes.
Maladaptive: reduces a cultures chance for survival. Ex.Pollution
And that was class. =]
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