Page 22 - zaglauer1995

CHAPTER II

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Culture not only shapes our perceptions of ourselves

and others, but culture also directs our actions and culture

is always changing. To underscore this dynamic nature of

culture, the commonly emphasized notion of culture as

something that the Kawaiisu "lost" will be replaced with the

notion of culture as something that the Kawaiisu have used

and adapted. The nature of this study requires theoretical

guideposts that are sensitive to the importance of everyday

routines and cultural practices which shape our perceptions

and create and recreate social realities and identity. As

we will see, culture can be thought of as a tool kit of

social practices, beliefs, and behaviors that influences how

we respond to our changing surroundings.

Since research into culture and identity should not

(and really cannot) be examined apart from historical
context, it is necessary to draw from a conceptual framework

which acknowledges that "interactions are thoroughly imbued
with history" (Abrams, 1982: 2). With the presumption of

socially constructed realities as a fundamental tenet of
phenomenological theories, there is an implicit appreciation

of the historical nature of social phenomenon as continuous
social processes. As Berger and Luckmann see this social

15