Culture Versus Tradition

The term Culture is used to signify the lore and norms, customs and beliefs of an ethnic group, or sometimes just of a group of people who contrast themselves from all other groups.

Example: The Indian culture, the Hindu culture, the Islamic culture, the Western culture, Australian culture, Maori culture, Chinese culture, French culture.

We are told, we are enriched by all the world's Cultures.

But what do we mean by Culture?

How does Culture differ from Tradition? Not much. The two terms are used synonymously.

But both terms originally meant opposing things. A traditition is a behaviour that is sustained through time to be forever unchanged. Customs handed down to generations without mutation.

However, a culture is a growth, a development from the past to the present. Culture is an evolution. It is a change from a status existing in history that has evolved and changed to become what it is today.

Tradition and Culture are diametrically opposed in meaning.

So why do we call the ancient practice of genital mutilation, arranged marriage, female inferiority to male as Culture?

These practices, by which people groups and ethnicities identify themselves, are called cultural. They are in fact not cultures, but traditions.

Thus, traditional culture is a phrase that contradicts itself.

We need to rescue the term culture, because it signifies a development and growth and change from what was traditional.

We thus need to stop calling traditional behaviours and beliefs as Culture. They are not Culture.

They are Tradition.

Culture celebrates the growth and improvement a people group has achieved over time.

Culture is change.