Culture, Hospitality and Tourism
Culture, Hospitality and Tourism
The word “culture” cannot be defined with a precise and singular definition. In fact, Raymond Williams, a leading cultural theorist, pointed out “Culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language” (Williams 1983:87). There are more than one hundred definitions of culture depending upon the various academic disciplines, ranging from literacy studies to anthropology and sociology. Different scholars have different views about what constitutes the concept and meaning of culture. Even though culture has different definition and meaning, the term used to define it, is used as if its meaning is clear. Culture has often been defined as the people’s way of life. It is “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” (Tylor, 1874, p.1). Culture defines the very way we live. It’s not just that people from different country have different religion, the people living within the same country have different culture as well. Culture comprises an entire set of social norms and responses that condition people’s behavior; it is acquired and inculcated, a set of rules and behavior patterns that an individual learns but does not inherit at birth, it enables people to make sense out of their world, and it is foreign only to those outside (Hall, 1973; Roeber and Kluckhorn, 1952). Fundamentally, groups of individuals develop their own environment as an adaptation to the physical environment, and they pass down their customs, practices, and traditions from generation to generation (Harris and Moran, 1979).Culture has many sides and to understand the true meaning of culture one must understand the meaning of these sides. Culture refers to the social heritage, traditions, way of life, human environment, dress appearance, food eating habits, behavior, rules of social life, values and norms, beliefs and attitudes,
The word “culture” cannot be defined with a precise and singular definition. In fact, Raymond Williams, a leading cultural theorist, pointed out “Culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language” (Williams 1983:87). There are more than one hundred definitions of culture depending upon the various academic disciplines, ranging from literacy studies to anthropology and sociology. Different scholars have different views about what constitutes the concept and meaning of culture. Even though culture has different definition and meaning, the term used to define it, is used as if its meaning is clear. Culture has often been defined as the people’s way of life. It is “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” (Tylor, 1874, p.1). Culture defines the very way we live. It’s not just that people from different country have different religion, the people living within the same country have different culture as well. Culture comprises an entire set of social norms and responses that condition people’s behavior; it is acquired and inculcated, a set of rules and behavior patterns that an individual learns but does not inherit at birth, it enables people to make sense out of their world, and it is foreign only to those outside (Hall, 1973; Roeber and Kluckhorn, 1952). Fundamentally, groups of individuals develop their own environment as an adaptation to the physical environment, and they pass down their customs, practices, and traditions from generation to generation (Harris and Moran, 1979).Culture has many sides and to understand the true meaning of culture one must understand the meaning of these sides. Culture refers to the social heritage, traditions, way of life, human environment, dress appearance, food eating habits, behavior, rules of social life, values and norms, beliefs and attitudes,
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