Nature of Culture Change

Humans create culture; it is not given to humans by outside forces. The product of human interaction culture also influences and shapes social interaction. That is, previously created and agreed upon arrangements and patterns structure subsequent interactions. Culture structures social interaction. Culture is social structure. Every group and organization has a culture, not just societies as a whole. All cultures are destined to change and many of those want to choose to resist it. Within a society, processes leading to change include invention and culture loss. Inventions may be either technological or ideological. Technological inventions include new tools, energy sources, and transportation methods as well as more frivolous and ephemeral things such as style of dress and bodily adornment. Culture loss is an inevitable result of old cultural patterns being replaced by new ones. Vehicles with internal combustion engines have replaced horses as our primary means of transportation. As a result, children are rarely taught skills such as caring for a horse. Instead, they are trained in the use of the new technologies of cars, televisions, and cellphones. Archaeology helps answer the question of “What is the Nature of Culture Change?” by a number of things. They study the artifacts left by humans. In early ancient civilizations, there were no written words or symbols on walls or books. Then suddenly language was created and words were starting to develop. Later on, civilizations expanded and gained knowledge on their own, creating a history of their past, and helping archaeologists uncover the real story behind these civilizations. Another thing that changed culture is when they started building cities to stay. Before, humans would migrate to where the food was. Since agriculture became a big change for the world, they would stay close to the rivers, and build cities where they were going to stay permanently. This shows a sudden change. They are building pyramids and houses. They create a government or priest to lead the group of people living. Another thing that archaeology helps with is looking at the expansion of tools being used to create these buildings, farming, and making pottery. Archaeology also can help us understand their religious beliefs and how they practiced the religion. Such as in the Tiwanaku civilization when they felt that the Gods were punishing them for something when the volcano erupted, then when they experienced a dry period in the city. They sacrificed their own people as a present to the Gods. There are many things that Archaeology helps us answer. Especially those dealing with nature and how it relates to culture change. Cultural diversity is inevitable. Different social collectives will produce different cultures as they organize themselves and adapt to their physical and social environment. Culture change is a part of nature. It happens whether we want it to or not. It is definitely out of our control. In other words, culture change is inevitable. Culture is a work in progress. It is continually developing and changing as new ideas, beliefs, and values develop or new inventions and discoveries are made. While not all cultures change in the same way or at the same rate, change is normal and should be expected.