Culture: The Story of Us, From Cave Art to K-Pop
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-02-26 15:21:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Martin Puchner
- ISBN：0393867994
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Summary
8 pages of full-color illustrations; 30 black-and-white illustrations
Reviews
Herbert
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Many illuminating interconnections， e。g。 Aztec gold， Charles V， Albrecht Durer
Kuki
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A very engaging lecture that offers a wide perspective on the concept of culture and the way it morphed over time。 I highly recommend it！
Maher Razouk
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على عكس التطور البيولوجي ، الذي يتحرك ببطء ولكنه يحافظ على التغييرات التكيفية بشكل دائم في الحمض النووي ، يعتمد التطور الثقافي على الذاكرة البشرية وتقنيات التدريس。 هذه التقنيات ، والمؤسسات التي تمارس فيها ، يمكن أن تتدهور بسهولة عندما يفقد الناس الاهتمام بها ، أو يمكن تدميرها بواسطة قوة خارجية。 إذا تم كسر خط النقل ، سواء بسبب الانهيار الأرضي أو تغير المناخ أو الحرب ، فإن المعرفة تضيع。 تختفي ما لم يكن هناك أثر ، مثل رسوم الكهوف ، بعض بقايا المواد التي تعطي المتأخرين فكرة عما كان يُراد نقله في الس على عكس التطور البيولوجي ، الذي يتحرك ببطء ولكنه يحافظ على التغييرات التكيفية بشكل دائم في الحمض النووي ، يعتمد التطور الثقافي على الذاكرة البشرية وتقنيات التدريس。 هذه التقنيات ، والمؤسسات التي تمارس فيها ، يمكن أن تتدهور بسهولة عندما يفقد الناس الاهتمام بها ، أو يمكن تدميرها بواسطة قوة خارجية。 إذا تم كسر خط النقل ، سواء بسبب الانهيار الأرضي أو تغير المناخ أو الحرب ، فإن المعرفة تضيع。 تختفي ما لم يكن هناك أثر ، مثل رسوم الكهوف ، بعض بقايا المواد التي تعطي المتأخرين فكرة عما كان يُراد نقله في السابق إلى الأجيال اللاحقة。 زخارف الكهف ليست سوى أجزاء من ثقافة أكبر ، شظايا دون تفسير。 ما ينقص هو نقل القصص والعروض والطقوس والأساطير من شخص لآخر والتي من شأنها أن تعطي هذه الآثار أهميتها الكاملة。 لكن الآثار أفضل من لا شيء。 لقد سمحوا للمجموعة الثانية من البشر - والمجموعة الثالثة : نحن - بإلقاء نظرة خاطفة على شيء ما في وقت سابق。في بعض الحالات ، وضع فنانو الكهوف أيديهم في الطين أو الصبغة ورسموا علاماتهم على الجدران。 وفي حالات أخرى ، "دهنوا" حواف يدٍ موضوعة على الصخرة ، تاركين مخططها واضحًا。 بعض بصمات اليد هذه مميزة بدرجة كافية بحيث يمكن نسبها إلى شخص واحد。 تعبر عن شيء فردي: لقد كنت هنا وساهمت في صنع هذا العالم الرمزي من خلال ترك هذا الأثر للمستقبل。。Martin PuchnerCultureTranslated By #Maher_Razouk 。。。more
Peter Tillman
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WSJ's positive review:https://www。wsj。com/articles/culture-。。。（Paywalled。 As always， I'm happy to email a copy to non-subscribers） Excerpt:"For Mr。 Puchner， “culture thrives on syncretism， not on purity， on borrowing cultural forms rather than locking them away。” It needs to mix and match because its rocky road through time is strewn with blockages and breakages: “interruptions and recoveries all the way back。” As he gently upbraids the “purists and puritans” who shut creativity in local boxes， WSJ's positive review:https://www。wsj。com/articles/culture-。。。（Paywalled。 As always， I'm happy to email a copy to non-subscribers） Excerpt:"For Mr。 Puchner， “culture thrives on syncretism， not on purity， on borrowing cultural forms rather than locking them away。” It needs to mix and match because its rocky road through time is strewn with blockages and breakages: “interruptions and recoveries all the way back。” As he gently upbraids the “purists and puritans” who shut creativity in local boxes， Mr。 Puchner eschews the rhetoric of “cultural appropriation。” Although “everything comes from somewhere，” exclusive claims of origin—of arts or ideas—often mask a bid for “superiority and ownership。” Rather， culture operates as a “huge recycling project，” as messy as that metaphor implies。" 。。。more
Jax
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Culture， Puchner says， is a broken chain that humans repair every generation。 While destruction and cultural development go hand in hand， this does not preclude the fact that humans are culture-producing animals who have， for millennia， relied on the availability of new forms of expression and meaning-making to develop worldviews。 We confront what came before us so that we can understand it and adapt it for our own purposes。 He explores the popular notion that culture belongs to the people born Culture， Puchner says， is a broken chain that humans repair every generation。 While destruction and cultural development go hand in hand， this does not preclude the fact that humans are culture-producing animals who have， for millennia， relied on the availability of new forms of expression and meaning-making to develop worldviews。 We confront what came before us so that we can understand it and adapt it for our own purposes。 He explores the popular notion that culture belongs to the people born into it。 In this view， national traditions， customs， and arts are seen as a form of property that is off-limits to outsiders。 Cultural appropriation is viewed as violative。 He will argue that this view impoverishes and does not recognize how culture actually works。 His view is supported by an extensive world tour itinerary beginning in prehistory。 Culture does not sprout from the ground fresh and unique， unadulterated by those who came before or encounters with other cultures where forms and ideas are borrowed and articulated in a new way。 Puchner’s argument， backed by a sweeping review of historical cultural sharing， is both enlightening and reassuring。 Reflecting on culture as a beautiful layering of others gives one a sense of thrilling connectedness in a world that is fractured， one where mine might be bettered thought of as ours。 。。。more
Dan
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My thanks to both Netgalley and the publisher W。 W。 Norton & Company for an advanced copy of this book on culture， history， and understanding what is left behind。The art and interests of a people sometimes tell more about them then the ruins they might leave behind， thought even then these ruins are probably influenced in someway by cultural influences。 The real problem is seems is understanding what a picture， or a couple of slashes in rock might mean， as the art remains but the interpretation My thanks to both Netgalley and the publisher W。 W。 Norton & Company for an advanced copy of this book on culture， history， and understanding what is left behind。The art and interests of a people sometimes tell more about them then the ruins they might leave behind， thought even then these ruins are probably influenced in someway by cultural influences。 The real problem is seems is understanding what a picture， or a couple of slashes in rock might mean， as the art remains but the interpretation could be endless。 What were the influences and what was later influenced。 This can tell us alot about the past， and about ourselves。 Critic， commentator and Harvard Professor Martin Puchner in his book Culture: The Story of Us， From Cave Art to K-Pop looks at humankinds earliest works at understanding and leaving a legacy to the top of the charts of today to see where we have come， where we are going and what be lost。The book begins with a look at the Chauvet cave paintings， a prehistoric site where ancient people created art featuring the animals around them， and left tracings of hands and themselves for future generations to both learn from and remember。 Puchner explains both the significance and importance of what was shown and how it influenced others who came behind， plus what a loss it was when the cave was covered in a landslide， preserving the site for us， but cheating others of knowledge。 Readers than follow along as Puchner travels the mostly western world， showing the influence of art， and how this art and learning was shared， or in some case used to subjugate others， or even worse was wiped out by others with their own culture。The book is both an interesting look at history， and look at the importance of art and the study of the humanities。 Puchner has a talent in his writing to educate without lecturing and more importantly interesting。 There is a little bit of reading curve， it does take a while to get into the groove and to figure out where Puchner is taking the reader， but soon the narrative becomes clear， and again is so intriguing that readers soon are flipping along。 The book is well sourced and researched， with a lot of different facts and ideas on each page。 The examples and Puchner's ability to explain and again to keep everything entertaining， as well as educational makes for a very informative read。Recommended for both historians and readers who enjoy books about pop culture and the understanding of culture and entertainment on history。 A different view of the growth and failure of many civilizations， and the many works that have been lost。 。。。more
Wafflepirates
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*Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review*Culture never exists in a vacuum， and this book does a great job of illustrating this point。 Each chapter covers a different cultural experience， such as cave painting， Greek theater， or monastic libraries in the Middle Ages， and shows how they were impacted by cultures outside of the ones they originated in。 Culture is traded， combined， taken， and destroyed all throughout human history， due to *Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review*Culture never exists in a vacuum， and this book does a great job of illustrating this point。 Each chapter covers a different cultural experience， such as cave painting， Greek theater， or monastic libraries in the Middle Ages， and shows how they were impacted by cultures outside of the ones they originated in。 Culture is traded， combined， taken， and destroyed all throughout human history， due to humanity continually interacting with each other。 The topics chosen were interesting and presented a good variety of stories from around the world， though there was a focus on Western topics。 I liked how the author presented the connections that went into creating these cultural phenomenon， some I knew about， but a lot were new for me。 I enjoyed this book， and recommend it for anyone looking for a short， easy to read history book with an engaging story to tell。 。。。more
Krista
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It’s not always a pretty story， and shouldn’t be presented as such， but it’s the only one we’ve got: the history of humans as a culture-producing species。 It’s the story of us。 In Culture: The Story of Us， literary critic and Harvard professor of Drama， English， and Comparative Literature Martin Puchner takes us on a tour through time and space to discover the strategies that humans have developed to understand our world: both through STEM-type discovery and mastery of the natural world （our It’s not always a pretty story， and shouldn’t be presented as such， but it’s the only one we’ve got: the history of humans as a culture-producing species。 It’s the story of us。 In Culture: The Story of Us， literary critic and Harvard professor of Drama， English， and Comparative Literature Martin Puchner takes us on a tour through time and space to discover the strategies that humans have developed to understand our world: both through STEM-type discovery and mastery of the natural world （our know-how; only briefly referenced here） and our efforts at meaning-making （our know-why; the focus of this book）。 Throughout this overview of thousands of years of humanity’s quest for knowledge and meaning， Puchner seems to be stressing two main points: that the Humanities as an area of study are equally as important to improving the human experience as are the “hard” sciences; and that humans have always borrowed from and built on the culture of other communities — our current focus on gatekeeping against “cultural appropriation” is in direct opposition to the ways in which culture has always been diffused and preserved。 That last point might be controversial — and as Puchner returns to it many times， it would seem that he understands he has a hard case to make — but through many， many examples （from the Chauvet cave paintings， to Pompeiian mosaics， to Aztec pictograms） he proves that knowledge can be literally carved in stone for future generations， but if a particular culture doesn’t survive into that future （and most will not）， there will be no one around who can decipher what remains; culture needs to be adopted and adapted and carried forward in order to meaningfully survive。 From the fascinating details to the overall message， I appreciated everything that I learned from this read。 （Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley and passages quoted may not be in their final forms。） All creators put their trust in the future by trusting that the future will not destroy their works despite the differences in value they know will inevitably arise。 Culture: The Story of Us aims to offer its readers the breathtaking variety of cultural works that we as a species have wrought， in the hope that we will carry our shared human inheritance into the next generation， and beyond。 It feels appropriate that Puchner starts his overview with the Chauvet cave paintings: we humans seem to have always hearkened to the distant past in an effort to make meaning of our present。 It is interesting to consider why， even today， a “Classical Education” includes learning Latin and Ancient Greek in order to read the “epics” in the original; honestly: why？ Even more interesting is noting， in this context， that Plato wanted to give his Athens an even more ancient past， so he wrote Timaeus （in which an Egyptian priest tells the story of Athens once joining Egypt in its war against Atlantis）。 Along this line， we have Virgil writing The Aeneid （linking the founding of Rome to a refugee from the Trojan War）; Nebure Id Ishaq’s Kebra Nagast （a 14th century Ethiopian work that tells the story of the Queen of Sheba carrying the Ark of the Covenant out of Jerusalem）; and Louis de Camões’ 16th century The Lusiads （a heroic history of Portuguese seafaring， written in the style of a Greek epic）。 And in contrast to this history of people trying to link themselves to the so-called cultural “pinnacles” of ancient times， Puchner tells the story of Wole Soyinka’s 20th century masterpiece of Nigerian theatre， Death and the King’s Horseman （based on actual events from Nigeria’s colonial past that involved a conflict between Nigerian and British cultures） and I appreciated how Puchner describes Soyinka’s use of Western theatrical forms， overlaid with traditional Yoruba storytelling devices， and how by not preferring one form over the other （neither is considered a pinnacle or primitive）， Soyinka achieves a “deep investigation into ritual， arguably humanity’s oldest form of meaning-making”。 In evaluating culture， we tend to overemphasize originality: when and where something was first invented。 Claims of origin are often used to prop up dubious claims of superiority and ownership。 Such claims conveniently forget that everything comes from somewhere， is dug up， borrowed， moved， purchased， stolen， recorded， copied， and often misunderstood。 What matters much more than where something originally comes from is what we do with it。 Culture is a huge recycling project， and we are simply the intermediaries that preserve its vestiges for yet another use。 Nobody owns culture; we simply pass it down to the next generation。 In addition to stories of culture being borrowed across time are those of culture being carried across space。 I enjoyed the story of the Buddhist monk， Xuanzang， who travelled to India in the 7th century in search of original source Buddhist writings and artefacts （and it was interesting to consider the transfer of Buddhism eastward as Hinduism regained its foothold in India）。 Similarly， it was interesting to learn of the 9th century Japanese Buddhist monk， Ennin， who travelled to China as part of an official diplomatic mission to bring back cultural objects and new knowledge （and to witness Japan becoming a primary seat of Buddhist practise as Confucianism regained its foothold in China）。 Going forward in time to the 19th century， it was fascinating to learn that wood-block printing was original to China but adopted by artists in Japan’s “floating world” （a place marked by pleasure， commerce， and hedonism）， and that the most popular print to come out of this era was Hokusai’s The Great Wave in 1830; as it turns out， this most recognisable of Japanese artworks has very little in common with traditional Japanese art。 （Puchner traces this commercialisation of borrowed culture in the East to modern times with the rise of K-pop in our own day， a rise that has “been accompanied by an anti-Korean backlash as well as by claims that it isn’t Korean at all。”） Cultures thrive on the ready availability of different forms of expression and meaning-making， on possibilities and experiments， and to the extent that cultural contact increases those options， it stimulates cultural production and development。 Those invested in purity， by contrast， tend to shut down alternatives， limit possibilities， and police experiments in cultural fusion。 By doing so， they impoverish themselves while condoning or encouraging the neglect and destruction of those aspects of the past that do not conform to their own， narrow standards。 There are many more stories of cultural borrowing， adoption， and adaptation throughout the ages than it would be possible to put in a review， and I can only end by saying that I was fascinated by all of it。 This is the story of all of us， and it’s a story we all ought to know and carry forward。 。。。more
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culture the story of us from cave art to k-pop