The word culture, from the Latin colo, -ere, with its root meaning "to cultivate", generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. Different definitions of "culture" reflect different theoretical bases for understanding, or criteria for evaluating, human activity. Anthropologists most commonly use the term "culture" to refer to the universal human capacity to classify, codify and communicate their experiences symbolically. This capacity is long been taken as a defining feature of the genus Homo. However, primatologists such as Jane Goodall have identified aspects of culture among our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.Goodall, J. 1986. The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior.

Defining "culture"

---

More on [ Culture ]

BBC News | Asia-Pacific | World Edition

Hong Kong legislative polls open
Sun, 07 Sep 2008 08:08:27 -0000
Voters in Hong Kong choose between pro-government and more pro-democracy candidates in a hotly contested poll.
Thai PM rules out military coup
Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:51:07 -0000
Thailand's PM Samak Sundaravej says the army will not stage a coup against his government, despite weeks of street protests.
Mudslides bury Philippines homes
Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:56:24 -0000
At least 11 people are killed as two landslides triggered by heavy rains bury several houses on Mindanao island in the Philippines.
Envoys hold talks on North Korea
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 07:28:26 -0000
Senior officials from the US and China discuss initial moves by North Korea to reverse promised nuclear disarmament.
Protests in two Chinese cities
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:10:22 -0000
The Chinese government reportedly sends thousands of soldiers and police to quell unrest in Hunan province.
New governor general in Australia
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:10:34 -0000
Quentin Bryce is sworn in as Australia's governor general, the first woman to serve as Queen Elizabeth's representative there.

NYT > Asia Pacific

Bhutto’s Widower Wins Pakistani Presidency
Sun, 07 Sep 2008 08:44:15 -0000
Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and a controversial politician with little experience, was elected president of Pakistan.
Atomic Club Votes to End Restrictions on India
Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:38:43 -0000
The worldwide body that regulates the sale of nuclear fuel and technology approved a landmark deal on Saturday to allow India to engage in nuclear trade for the first time in three decades.
China Calls for Peaceful Resolution of Nuclear Standoff
Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:53:01 -0000
President Hu Jintao of China urged a negotiated resolution to Iran’s nuclear issue during a meeting with the country’s president.

L.A. Times - Asia

New light on Korean spy mystery
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Kim Soo-im was executed in 1950 as a Northern agent, but declassified papers show the case was flimsy and trumped up. Back in the days of Red scares, blacklists, suspicion and smear, Kim Soo-im was singled out as a one-woman axis of evil, a villainess without peer.
Zardari is Pakistan's new president
Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Lawmakers overwhelmingly vote to replace Pervez Musharraf with Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir Bhutto's widower. Many Pakistanis wonder whether the political novice can deal with the country's problems. The ascension of Benazir Bhutto's widower to the presidency marked an emotional moment Saturday for the slain leader's supporters, but many Pakistanis wondered whether a political novice such as Asif Ali Zardari could successfully tackle the country's daunting problems.
Bolivia's Morales faces a challenge from fellow Indian
Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Indigenous activist Savina Cuellar, governor in the key province of Chuquisaca, has fallen out with the president and become a figurehead for those opposed to his socialist policies. Renowned as the cradle of Bolivian independence, this colonial town in the south-central highlands has become a front line in a new battle that is threatening to rip this South American nation asunder.

UN News Centre - Asia Pacific

UN health agency scales up assistance to flood victims in India, Nepal
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) is working to curb the risk of disease outbreaks and help millions affected by deadly floods in India and Nepal.
Top UN envoy travels to Beijing for Paralympics
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Wilfried Lemke, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, attended the opening ceremony of the Paralympics today in Beijing, China, acting as the Secretary-General's Special Envoy at the event.
UN agency wraps up Asia telecom conference looking to the future
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations telecommunications agency closed the door today on their annual conference, attended by government ministers from the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on new business opportunities to sustain growth in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry.

Asia - Pacific - International Herald Tribune

Bhutto's widower elected in Pakistan
By JANE PERLEZ AND SALMAN MASOOD Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:03:37 -0000
Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of the slain former leader Benazir Bhutto, was elected president by a wide margin.
Atomic club removes ban on trade with India
By HEATHER TIMMONS Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:03:37 -0000
The Nuclear Suppliers Group removed a major obstacle to a landmark nuclear deal between the United States and India.
China to launch manned spaceflight this month
Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:03:37 -0000
The launching, including a planned spacewalk, would be between Sept. 25 and 30 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu Province.
Hong Kong votes in legislative elections
Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:03:37 -0000
Ordinary citizens were expected to cast fewer votes for pro-democracy candidates than in the last legislative race, in 2004.
U.S. missile strike said to have killed at least 6 on Afghan-Pakistani border
By PIR ZUBAIR SHAH AND JANE PERLEZ Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:03:37 -0000
The strike from a pilotless reconnaissance aircraft was the first of what U.S. military officials said could be more raids to attack Taliban insurgents in the tribal regions of Pakistan.
Air of corruption dogs Pakistani leader
By Jane Perlez Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:31:52 -0000
Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of Benazir Bhutto, is set to become president Saturday, an accidental ascent for a man known more as a wheeler-dealer than a leader.

Subscribe to Asia RSS feed