Cultural

Cultural is an adjective relating to culture, the set of shared attributes that define a group, such as beliefs, values, norms, symbols, language, arts, and institutions. The term derives from Latin cultura, meaning cultivation, and has been used in English since the late medieval period to describe both learned practices and the broader landscape of human societies.

In anthropology, sociology, and cultural studies, cultural refers to both the learned behaviors of people and the material products they create. Cultural identity arises from affiliations with linguistic, religious, ethnic, or regional communities, and cultural norms guide behavior and social interaction. Cultural heritage includes practices, artifacts, sites, and expressions that communities preserve for continuity and meaning.

The concept also applies in policy and industry. Cultural policy refers to public actions intended to support cultures, arts, and education. The idea of cultural capital, developed by Pierre Bourdieu, describes non-financial assets that influence social mobility. Globalization has increased cultural exchange and, at times, tension between preserving heritage and adopting foreign influences, a dynamic captured by terms such as cultural diffusion and cultural globalization. Cultural products—literature, film, music, cuisine—constitute a major sector of cultural economies.

In practice, the word cultural is used across contexts to describe anything related to the human experience of shared meaning, identity, and expression, from daily rituals to grand traditions. It is a broad, adaptive concept rather than a fixed category.