Читать книгу Our Social World - Kathleen Odell Korgen - Страница 138

How can we explain such diverse world practices as eating termites and worshipping cows? Why have some societies allowed men to have four wives, whereas others—such as the Shakers—have prohibited any sex between men and women? Why do some groups worship their ancestors, others have many gods, and yet others believe in a single divine being? How can societies adapt to extremes of climate and geographical terrain—hot, cold, dry, wet, mountainous, and flat? Humankind has evolved practices so diverse that it would be hard to find a practice that has not been adopted in some society at some time in history.

To explain these cultural differences, we refer to two already familiar perspectives that have made important contributions to understanding culture at the meso and macro levels: structural-functional and conflict theories.