Setorial Panorama of Brazilian Culture - 2011|2012

Sectorial Panorama of
Brazilian Culture
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The concept of culture, close
to what we understand today, had its
first formal definition in 1871, by Edward Tylor.
In it, culture is understood as a set of knowledge, beliefs,
art, morals, laws, customs and the capacity and habits acquired by man as a member of
a society. The environment in which culture "happens" also has a direct influence on its
outcome. From this definition, one can also understand that culture is present in all human
activities and that it acquires different meanings according to the different contexts in which
it is observed.
In addition to Tylor, many others devoted themselves to understanding culture. In his book
A ideia de Cultura, Terry Eagleton, a British philosopher, notes that "culture is considered
one of the two or three most complex words in our language, built on a number of
fundamental philosophical issues, distinct connotations and varied meanings." For Françoise
Benhamou, a professor and economist specializing in the economics of culture, it is
impossible to propose statistics, or even to formulate research on culture without considering
its conceptual imprecision. She further emphasizes that her understanding depends on a
"degree of incorporation of norms of behavior," reinforcing that the understanding of culture
necessarily requires an understanding of its context.
It is from the meaning that culture assumes, in each situation that one can interpret, its
sociopolitical function, which confirms the idea that it is a social sign. A series of authors
and researchers of the subject reinforce that the function of the culture has widened,
acquiring roles in the political and economic spheres. David Throsby, an Australian
economist recognized for his work as a culture economist, believes in two possible
meanings for culture - one that starts from the anthropological or sociological principle and
considers the beliefs, morals, values, and customs of a group; and another with more
functional orientation, related to products, services and activities that have their essence
linked to artistic and intellectual aspects. For George Yudice, a professor and researcher
on the subject, culture has become the center of attention because of the increased
exchange of symbolic goods in world markets.
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