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Understanding: Social, Cultural & Historical Contexts
Understanding: social, cultural & historical contexts
Understanding the Social, Cultural & Historical contexts of works is not always easy.
Sometimes you need to delve more deeply to find meaning.
Culture and societies change over time, so how we assess the value of something from a social or cultural perspective really needs to be set in the context of the time and place of the event /topic.
It is often difficult to separate the contexts, so may take time for you to understand the individual contexts and their connections.
CULTURE
Culture is the related to the shared characteristic patterns of a society.
These include:
- · Their attitude, with regards to race, gender, beliefs
- · Values, with regards to race, gender, beliefs: customs, traditions, myths & legends, skills, institutions, organisations, artefacts
BELIEFS
- · Beliefs/faiths – Christianity, Judaism, Muslim, Jehovah’s Witness, Protestants, Buddhism, Catholics…
- · Behaviours shared by members of a society – the laws of that society which build the culture of that society
- · A society may contain people from many different cultures.
For example Australia is classified as a multicultural country. People from cultures around the world that become a part of Australian Society.
SOCIETY
Society is made up of common cultural elements of a particular culture. However, a society’s population may be made up of people from many different cultures, who have integrated into that society.
A society is based on one cultures systems; however, can be influenced, over time (history), by other cultures within that society.
For example: Australia is classified as multicultural; there are people from all around the world who have moved to Australia to integrate into that society.
- · Sinead’s cultural background is Irish; however, she lives in an Australian society
- · William’s cultural background is Aboriginal (Indigenous Australian). Although William is Australian, this is a great example of how the invasion of one culture can change the social environment of another (there is still an Indigenous CULTURE).
- · The Aboriginal, Indigenous experience, can also be likened to the experience of the Native American Indians, who were also invaded. Click here for a timeline
HISTORICALLY, it would be safe to say, every society, at one point, has been changed/influenced by another. For example:
- · The Vikings invading Britain. Commencing in 789 CE (AD). Have you ever heard about the battle of Hastings 1066? Click here for a timeline
- Historically, you may find every society around the world has been influenced/changed by another culture/society, at one time, or another. However, this requires you to consider the Historical context.. Click here for the Ancient Greek Timeline.
- · Scottish History – Click here for timeline
- · Mexican History – Click here for timeline
The shared characteristic patterns of a society include:
- Structure of societies – ranking systems – hierarchy (division of labour)
- Click here for a HIERARCHY from Ancient Egypt
- Environments
- · Integration (of other cultures)
- · Equality / Inequality - how a society looks at hierarchy from particular perspective, which may include; financial, gender, religious, distribution of power
- · Rules of property
- · Regulations around laws, and a societies understanding of the regulations /acceptance of violence, for example. Historically, Australia, France, England, Ireland, Scotland, etc. all had the death penalty incorporated into their legal systems (Hanging, Guillotine, Garrote etc).
- · Political structures: for example, Authoritarianism, Monarchy, Democracy. Historically, for example, Greek society’s political structures included Monarchy, Oligarchy, Tyranny, and Democracy…
You should always have evidence to support your responses
Explore thESE concept:
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF about CULTURE:
- · What are their attitudes with regards to race, gender, beliefs?
- · What are their customs, traditions, myths & legends?
- · What artefacts have been created to reflect that culture?
- · What are the laws of that culture? (they may be effected by the laws of the society they live in – if that societies culture is not based on the same elements as their own)
- · Did their culture change over time?
- · Why did their culture change over time?
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF about SOCIETY:
· What is the hierarchy of that society (this is where you need to be aware of HISTORICAL CONTEXT also)
· How does the environment effect the culture? Does it?
· How do other cultures influence that society? (again, changes may be evident throughout history)
· What are the issues around equality in that society? Including: financial, gender, religious, power distribution, etc.
· What rules are there around property in that society? This may be dictated by the political system
· Laws of that society; are they influenced by belief or political systems?
· How well do they deal with multiculturalism in that society?
· Do they accept difference of culture?
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Culture and society may be influenced over time.
Therefore, when exploring the past, we need to consider the changes, in comparison to today, of the cultural and social constructs.
These concepts are also utilised in other subjects.
LEARNING ABOUT CONTEXT
MINIONS
Did you know about samurai warriors (bushi) before you saw the minions?
When and how did you learn about them?
Sometimes we are exposed to things we may not initially recognise; however, at some point, we learn more and make connections.
If you knew he was dressed as a Samurai, do you know which culture samurai come from?
Cultural & Historical
Do you know who this man is? (make a prediction if you are not sure)
Is there anything in the image that may give you a hint?
How do you know?
What gives you hints about the historical aspect of the image?
IMAGES TO ANALYSE
Santa Claus
Boy in the striped pyjamas
Boy in the striped pyjamas
Click the link below to visit a site that explains the history of Santa Claus
Boy in the striped pyjamas
Boy in the striped pyjamas
Boy in the striped pyjamas
Does the image give you an idea about what this may be about?
Do you know when this was? (time in history)
Do you know where the photograph was taken? (place in history)
Have you ever seen the movie
"Boy in the striped Pyjamas"?
HISTORY
Boy in the striped pyjamas
Walk like an....
Where is this?
Who do you think this is?
Which country do you think they come from?
When was this image taken?
Society, Culture, Historical Context?
Walk like an....
Olidies but goodies!
Walk like an....
Where is this?
When do you think this may be?
Which culture is this from?
What are their societies beliefs?
Have their belief changed over time?
WHO are they?
Olidies but goodies!
Olidies but goodies!
Do you know who these two women are?
Do you know which one had children?
Do you know who her children are?
What is the older woman wearing?
Does that tell you who she may be?
When do you think this image was taken?
Olidies but goodies!
Olidies but goodies!
Olidies but goodies!
When do you think this picture was taken?
Do you know who these people are?
What do you think they do?
Where do you think they come from?