Cookies

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue.

Department of Anthropology

PCTP Member Profile

Publication details for Dr Stephen M. Lyon

Lyon, Stephen M. (2005). Culture and Information: An Anthropological Examination of Communication in Cultural Domains in Pakistan. Cybernetics and Systems: An International Journal 36(8): 917-929.
  • Publication type: Journal papers: academic
  • ISSN/ISBN: 0196-9722 (Print), 1087-6553 (Online)
  • Keywords: cultural systems, culture theory, Pakistan, kinship, family

Author(s) from Durham

Abstract

Humans societies have adapted mechanisms for dealing with large amounts of information, some of which has hitherto not been encountered by members of the societies. Theories of communication which posit that the medium upon which a message is transmitted is itself an integral part of the communication process clarify the analytical utility of the culture concept in ways which account for empirical data. Using ethnographic cases of role relations learnt in one sociocultural context that serve as a kind of cultural template for other sociocultural contexts, it is possible to identify the processes of information processing that lie at the level of culture, as well as individual agency.