Cultural Studies

Cultural Studies

Unit 5 IP

Introduction

Culture is a word often related to antiquity and the past. Whereas by definition, culture happens to be an ever evolving phenomenon. Let us define our terms in order to get a better understanding of the terms under discussion. The word 'culture' was first used by Edward B. Tyler in his famous work Primitive Culture. According to him, “(Culture is) that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society,” (Tyler, 1871). A careful look at this definition would show the dynamic nature of culture. Man by nature is always in a state of learning, changing and improving. Indeed, it is us, the humans who make up the society, and over time certain habits and beliefs become norms. These norms also include our art, architecture and language. After culture, we need to look at the word artifact.

The common dictionary defines artifact in rather simple terms, but when viewed from the perspective of an archeologist or a historian, the term takes on a very special meaning. The Webster dictionary defines the term which is best for our reference. It states, “Any product of human workmanship applied both to objects made for practical purposes as well as works of art. It is contrasted to natural object, i.e. anything produced by natural forces without the intervention of man.” By combining the two terms, we get a cultural artifact which logically, would be any manmade object which has cultural significance. A cultural artifact could be anything ranging from a painting to a statue to a sculpture. America is a culturally rich country and its culture is a healthy mix of various indigenous as well as immigrant cultures.

Discussion

As mentioned the present American culture is a mix of indigenous, as well as immigrant cultures. Many examples come to mind when we speak of an American cultural artifact. A fair percentage of modern day Americans think an old Coke bottle is also a representative of American culture. There are others who would say Mount Rushmore is an excellent display of our shared cultural heritage. However, the cultural artifact that we are going to discuss in the paper is the Statue of Liberty.

Description

The Statue of Liberty is one artifact that singularly represents the cultural values that America stands for. It was a gift from the people of France to the United States. It was designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and was officially dedicated on October 28th, 1886 (Bell, J & Abrams, R 1984). It is a sculpture of the Roman Goddess of freedom Libertas. The figure is carrying a torch in its right hand, and in the left is the tabula ansata or a tablet evoking the law. The date of the American declaration of independence is inscribed on the tablet. There is a broken chain lying on the feet of the statue. The statue best represents the American culture because our culture is based on the essential ...