It was quite confusing to see that experts are still not even able to define "Culture". It has been awarded as one of the 3 most complex words in English language. ( don't ask me the other two ! )
If you look at Oxford - it also appears quite confused. See what is in oxfords' advanced learners dictionary. ( In above picture). It encompasses everything.
Perhaps , culture is a complex phenomenon !
But I liked the simplicity of following statement by Chris Barker -
" Culture is concerned with question of shared social meanings that is, the various ways we make sense of the world."
In contract look at this statement by Stuart Hall -
" By culture, here I mean the actual grounded terrain of practices, representations, languages and customs of any specific society. I also mean the contradictory forms of common sense which have taken root in and helped to share popular life."
With all respect to Mr. Hall, above definition doesn't help a normal reader. May be its meant only for cultural experts. Look at the use of words - "Grounded terrain of practices", "any specific society", "I also mean contradictory forms of common sense" and finally " popular life". Too much to decipher for me.
I personally believe in wasting no time in defining abstract things. Culture means different things to different people in different part of the globe. So, let it be.
Why do we need to define it in a universal way. Just for the sake of it ?
Each definition is subject to criticism for no definition could ever encompass all the meanings people make out of it.
For the current understanding, I'd stay with the definition of culture as "shared meaning".
Lets see if I'd be able to give a better definition sometime in future !
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