Afroza Ladhani

ANT 202
Prof. Hewitt
Chapter 2 Reading Reflection
Understand the concept of cultural knowledge and five of its key components.
Cultural knowledge is knowledge that we already acquired. Cultural knowledge has 5 key
components which are norms, values, symbols, constructions of reality, and worldviews. These 5
elements are important to fully understand cultural knowledge.
The very first component of cultural knowledge is norms. Norms can be expressed in
many different ideas. One simple definition in my opinion is following what everyone else does
to fit in, and not doing anything unusual. One example of a norm would be the rules of walking
in a school hallway. Its known to walk on your right, instead of the left. If a person walks on the
left side of the hallway, he is not following the rule and is given odd looks by people. I
personally witnessed a person not following the norm in my culture. In Jamatkhana, a place of
worship, the females sit separately from the males. One time, a person who recently converted
did not know of the seating separation between the two genders and accidentally walked in the
wrong side. Everyone looked upon this person as not normal for not following the norm. This
person unknowingly disrespected our culture. This is the reason why an individual must follow
the norms that are within the culture.
The second component of culture knowledge is values. James People and Garrick Bailey
state that, values consist of a peoples beliefs about the way of life that is desirable for

themselves and their society. In my opinion, values are obtained through your childhood and
life experiences you go through as you grow up. The adults in our lives also influence our values.
There are many different values that we capture throughout our life. One great example would be
my brother and his value of kindness. He puts everyone and everything before him. When
someone asks him to do anything, he hardly ever says no. He instead makes time and puts all his
effort to make sure he does what he has to. This value of kindness makes him the person he is
today.
The third component of cultural knowledge is symbols. I believe that the definition of
symbols is basically an interpreted language through an object or a persons actions. There are
many different types of symbols that convey information. An example of an objective symbol
would be a wedding ring. When a person sees a ring on the ring finger on the left hand on
someone, he/she automatically assumes that person is engaged or married. This specific ring is a
symbol of marriage. An example of a nonverbal symbol can be a thumbs-up. If one gives or
receives a thumbs-up it is because one has done something right, or has accomplished
something. Thumbs-up is basically another way of saying good job to someone. These
symbols are small message conveyers through objective and nonverbal ways.
The fourth component of cultural knowledge is constructions of reality. According to
James People and Garrick Bailey, cultural construction of reality is ways the members of a
culture divide up the natural and social world into categories, usually linguistically encoded. In
my opinion, the cultural definition of constructions of reality is to follow the social and natural
realities of the real world. An example of a cultural construction is of how most Americans eat
pork, while Muslims consider it filthy. Even though Muslims have their own reasons on why

pork is bad, they cannot disagree with the fact that pigs are edible. Cultural constructions should
be understood the right way, or else it may lead you into an abstract world.
The final component of cultural knowledge is worldviews. In the words of James Peoples
and Garrick Bailey, worldview of a people is the way they interpret reality and events, including
their images of themselves and how they relate to the world around them. To me, the cultural
definition of worldviews is essentially the way you perceive the world as it is today. One
example would be to determine what is right from wrong. I had a friend who used to sneak out of
her house late at night to go to parties. One day, she had tried to convince me into sneaking out
with her. I knew what I would be getting into, so I refused. That same night, my friend had gotten
arrested because there had been alcohol being served to minors. I believe that the choices we
make define our character.