1. From understanding cultural phenomena to mastering them

1.1 Culture: a few essential concepts

As Hall explains [1] , most anthropologists, although not in complete agreement, use three characteristics to define culture:

• it is not innate, but acquired;

• the various aspects of cultivation constitute a system ;

• culture is a shared value that delimits different human groups.

Today, culture is no longer seen as a given. Rather, it is seen as an abstract notion that takes shape as a function of the individuals who create it. In this respect, Radcliffe-Brown [2] explains...