Culture Anthropology Essay Samples

Van der Pol defines tacit knowledge as knowledge that is “implicit, non-conscious and unacknowledged and is acquired through practice, socialization and habits”. Acquisition of tacit knowledge of other people’s culture may prevent ethnocentric bias in a world that is experiencing social economic and political relational growth among countries (Scott 262). This would lead to mutual respect and harmony among people with different cultural backgrounds brought together by these ever growing relations. The form of knowledge has been enhanced by increased integration of social, economic and political systems. The world has become a global village that has resulted in increased interactions. The increase in interaction results in people from various cultures to mingle together. In “Student Perception of the Developing World: Minimizing Stereotypes of the ‘Other’,” Thomas J Scott reveals three kinds of tacit cultural knowledge (Scott 263). Scott records these as follows:

• Ethnocentric perceptions

• Neutral perceptions and
• Relativist perceptions
He describes ethnocentric perception as that which is derived from a biased perspective, neutral perceptions as that which is derived without judging though readily accepting the imminent cultural differences and relativist attitudes as that which is derived from having a sense of regard for other people’s way of life.
Looking at people from developing countries or people with background from developing countries as challenge stricken with a little privilege to a better life is a good example of an ethnocentric perception. Persons from third world countries are well able and have the capacity to compete for opportunities globally just like anyone else, a clear proof of a relativist point of view. The current president of the United States of America though having a third world country roots was still able to become the president of the world leading developed country. Third world countries have ways and means of acquiring their basic needs such as food, housing, and healthcare even if these may be different in developed countries and may not be totally dependent on relief supplies; an indication of a neutral perception.
The painting of third world countries in the face of famine, floods, disease, grief and poor disaster preparedness both through biased channels and persons has inculcated and promoted these perceptions in children from developed countries and has become a belief for these children. The children have also acquired this biases. Similarly, the showcasing of some of the best architectural achievements, sports personalities, political and economic personalities, historic sites and tourist attractions developed in third world countries by natives has also transformed the beliefs of children who have been exposed to these positive attributes and made them develop respect for persons from these cultures. From a neutral point of view, developed countries posses advanced technology for example in such areas as agriculture and healthcare and as a result, may easily meet needs in these areas differently in contrast to people in developing countries.
Explicit knowledge unlike tacit knowledge is easily expressed in words, full consciousness and can be acquired academically. Tacit knowledge, on the other hand, is practical, achieved by actions of personal experience, and somehow unconsciously. The first of the personal examples above is a tacit cultural knowledge acquired over time due to exposure to similar negativities while the subsequent two are explicit cultural knowledge and have been acquired through both tacit and explicit means.
My biased perception of third world countries is more of a tacit cultural knowledge acquired through interaction with media and persons spreading such biased information. On the other hand, what I have gained through both tacit and explicit knowledge by interacting with positive media and read from different sources and learned from different has indicated the great potential of persons from third world countries. The explicit cultural knowledge of the difference in technological advancement between developed and developing counties is basically from explicit sources.
My cultural knowledge on various issues is not so distinct from the cultural knowledge exhibited by the students referred to in Thomas J Scott’s book. I believed that my cultural surrounding was superior to that of persons from developing countries, That was the same belief held by some of them (Scott 262). I had witnessed the some exceptional achievements of people from developing countries and believed they were so not different from the rest of us and thus developed respect for them. Scott reveals this in a portion of the children in his book (1). Finally from what I have read and also been told about, we have a few things that we do differently compared to them. Some of the kids in Scott’s book also held this opinion without having a predetermined opinion to their reference (Scott 262).
The children attitudes were acquired much especially through what they had been exposed to. It is especially the differentness and or correlation in culture and cultural practices of people in the developed and the developing countries. The knowledge they gained form people, electronic and print media of how their culture differs or correlates with that from third world countries may have influenced their perception. The knowledge they related with whether tacit or explicit may have shaped their perspectives. These attitudes can be transferred in peer group forums or even in formal education set-ups. These can be written down and shared through print or digital platforms. My cultural attitudes are acquired and transferred in the same way the children acquired theirs and transferred in the same way.
Anthropological perspective can be defined as the “understanding of humankind in terms of the dynamic interrelationships of all aspects of human existence”. In other words, it is how human being relate to each other and appreciate their differences. Human beings have different cultures, gender, upbringing, gender and socialization. Therefore, the diversity creates a dynamic interrelationship. It is also noteworthy that some of those aspects are constantly evolving over time. For instance, our culture today in terms of how we engage in our day to day activities differ significantly from that of our forefathers. The knowledge of Anthropological perspective is important because it is the basis of social and cultural harmony amongst people with varying backgrounds. It helps in the understanding of other people’s culture and why people carry out their lives differently and appreciating this diversity. Consequently, this produces harmony as mutual respect is cultivated in. The ability to appreciate people regardless of their beliefs, cultural practices, orientation and religion can only be achieved by looking at them with an Anthropological perspective. People will never be the same because the environment from which they gain their cultural attributes are not the same. Therefore, human beings must learn to coexist with one another despite our differences.

Works Cited

Scott, Thomas. "Student Perception of the Developing World: Minimizing Steeotype of others." The Social Studies (1999): 262-265. Print.