Cultural trait

A cultural trait is a single identifiable material or non-material element within a culture, and is conceivable as an object in itself.[1][2][3]

Similar traits can be grouped together as components, or subsystems of culture;[4] the terms sociofact and mentifact (or psychofact)[5] were coined by biologist Julian Huxley as two of three subsystems of culture—the third being artifacts—to describe the way in which cultural traits take on a life of their own, spanning over generations.[2]

In other words, cultural traits can be categorized into three interrelated components:[3][4]

  1. Artifacts — the objects, material items, and technologies created by a culture, or simply, things people make. They provide basic necessities, recreation, entertainment, and most of the things that make life easier for people. Examples include clothing, food, and shelter.
  2. Sociofacts — interpersonal interactions and social structures;[6] i.e., the structures and organizations of a culture that influence social behaviour. This includes families, governments, education systems, religious groups, etc.
  3. Mentifact (or psychofact) — abstract concepts, or "things in the head;"[1] i.e., the shared ideas, values, and beliefs of a culture. This can include religion, language, and ideas.

Moreover, sociofacts are considered by some to be mentifacts that have been shared through artifacts.[7] This formulation has been related to memetics[8][9] and the memetic concept of culture.[7] These concepts have been useful to anthropologists in refining the definition of culture.[10]

  1. ^ a b Robert Aunger (2002). The Electric Meme: A New Theory of How We Think. New York: The Free Press. ISBN 0-7432-0150-7.
  2. ^ a b Huxley, Julian S. 1955. "Guest Editorial: Evolution, Cultural and Biological." Yearbook of Anthropology, 2–25.
  3. ^ a b "Topic". maps.unomaha.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  4. ^ a b https://www.heritage.nf.ca/nl-studies-2205/chapter-1-topic-1.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference boiles was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Hayler, M. (2015-05-07). Challenging the Phenomena of Technology. Springer. ISBN 9781137377869.
  7. ^ a b Pim, Joám Evans (2009). Toward a Nonkilling Paradigm. Center for Global Nonkilling. p. 260. ISBN 9780982298312.
  8. ^ Bribiesca, Luis B. (2001). "Memetics: a dangerous idea". Interciencia. 26 (1): 29–31.
  9. ^ Gnoli, Claudio (2018-08-13). "Mentefacts as a missing level in theory of information science". Journal of Documentation. 74 (6): 1226–1242. doi:10.1108/jd-04-2018-0054. ISSN 0022-0418. S2CID 52159757.
  10. ^ Sriraman, Bharath; Goodchild, Simon (2009). Relatively and Philosophically Earnest: Festschrift in honor of Paul Ernest's 65th Birthday. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. p. 135. ISBN 9781607522416.