Anthropologists debate whether culture is defined more by shared beliefs and values or by shared practices, with many suggesting it's a combination of both. In Chatsworth, Durban, for example, residents share values like the importance of money, democracy, food preferences, aversion to crime, and support for local sports teams. They also have common practices, such as driving on the same roads, using local hospitals, shopping at the same supermarkets, borrowing from the same banks, and reading the same newspapers. Adapting to local culture is essential for living well in Chatsworth. Moving from Polokwane to Chatsworth would require time to adjust due to language differences, food preferences, climate variations, and crime experiences.
Simplify the following
Anthropologists now argue among themselves as to
whether a culture should be understood more on
the basis of shared beliefs and values or shared ways
of doing things. (Many use the term praxis to refer
to practical ways of doing things.) Almost certainly,
the answer is both. The culture that people in
Chatsworth, Durban, share involves some shared
values, such as the value of money, democracy,
preferences for some kinds of food, dislike of crime,
support for their local sports teams and so forth.
They also share ways of doing things: they drive on
the same roads, use the same hospitals when they
are sick, buy their food at local supermarkets, borrow
money from the same banks, read the same
newspapers and so on. You will not live very well in
Chatsworth if you refused to adapt to the cultures
that exist. In fact, if you moved from Polokwane to
Chatsworth, you would find that it took some time
to adjust to the culture, given that there will be
language variations and differences, preferences for
certain foods, changes in the weather, differing
crime experiences and so forth.
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