Technology, communications, and the Global Economy are changing the study of world cultures. INTERDEPENDENCE is a relationship in which each member is mutually dependent on the others. This concept differs from a dependent relationship, where some members are dependent and some not. In an interdependent relationship, participants may be emotionally, economically, ecologically and/or morally reliant on and responsible to each other. An interdependent relationship can arise between two or more cooperative autonomous participants. Each of the programs in this new series describes one of four universal elements: Geography, Economy, Social Organizations and Beliefs & Values, that define what CULTURE is. Each of these main elements is broken down into sub-elements, showing their great DIVERSITY in world cultures and civilizations. This DIVERSITY is stressed in the first three programs, but the interactions among all the elements and sub-elements are also introduced in each leading to the fourth program’s summary of these interactions as the growing INTERDEPENDENCE of World Cultures, primarily due to the expanding Technological & Communications Revolution. This multi-disciplinary approach leads to a critical understanding of Culture: "... the learned behavior acquired by individuals as members of a social group... as a total way of life." It is as important to knowing our world as Geography and History.
There are four 15-minute programs in this series:
1. GEOGRAPHY
The first element that influences how people act in cultures is Geography, which can be broken down into Topography, Climate and Natural Resources. Topography, the natural surface features of an area, causes people to adapt, often by changing land and water phenomena, or by building structures upon them. Climate, the average temperature and precipitation of an area over time, creates many varied human lifestyles. Natural Resources, animal, plant and mineral, are behind many human activities, from economics to religious beliefs and values, from indigenous to developing to developed cultures. These diverse cultures are beginning today to depend more upon each other to meet their needs and wants.
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2. ECONOMY
The second element of Culture is Economy, which distinguishes subsistence needs necessary for survival from wants resulting from the human urge to do more than just survive. While some cultures stress one or the other more, all show a mixture of the two. The interaction of geographical, topographical, climatic and natural resource realities with economies contributes considerably to most cultures. Since few individuals can meet all their own needs, different economic systems have evolved, from barter to monetary, from free market to command economies, from individual to mass production, but again, contemporary cultures are depending upon and learning more from each other.
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3. SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS
Another key element of Culture is Social Organizations, which include family units, religious groups, educational groups, recreational & work groups, government & political groups, and ethnic groups. Many different kinds of families are found around the world, but they often reveal spiritual values, economic factors such as division of labor, educational expectations, and other activities that influence how their communities work, usually bound together by a common language. These in turn lead to larger organizations of government, recreation, and business, all of which are affected by knowledge about themselves and other cultures through contemporary technology and communications.
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4. BELIEFS AND VALUES
Beliefs and Values underpin any Culture, and all of the other elements in it. History and tradition often influence these beliefs and values and still propel our free enterprise, religious, and democratic institutions. Today, through trade, travel, and technology, cultures learn from each other faster than at any time, resulting in some confusion and even conflict. But, more and more cultures value education as much as traditional and historical preconceptions. The many challenges of living today, both human-created and natural, can be helped by the current technological and communications revolution that may foster more Cultural Interdependence.
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