The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #116994   Message #2527484
Posted By: Richard Bridge
30-Dec-08 - 11:45 AM
Thread Name: English Culture - What is it?
Subject: RE: English Culture - What is it?
There is surely a degree of expectation, a degree of normativeness, and a degree of distinctiveness about the expression "English culture".

As to "distinctiveness", there may well be representations of facets of other coultures tobe found in England, or observed by some English, but that does not make those things representative of English culture - as the exaple above of the Brazilian bar demonstrates.

As to "expectation" it surely cannot be said that an activity that is commonplace but generally disapproved within a culture is part of a culture - so tax evasion (rather than avoidance) is not IMHO part of English culture but is widely said to be part of the Italian culture (the "two sets of books" philosophy). Conversely, something may be unlawful but widely accepted and so is part of the culture - for example unlicensed downloading of copright music.

As to "normativeness" an activity that has not yet become established and so commonplace within a culture cannot surely be part of that culture.

It would seem to follow that as well as current activitites, past activities will be part of the culture, but not those that have come to be depsised - eg bear-baiting and cockfighting. THey are art of history, but not culture.