How would one define a manifold object in prose writing?

How would one define a manifold object in prose writing?

pI have a question that I fear may raise some objection to the fact that
it has been posted here, but I cannot think of a more appropriate place to
pose it. I am not a mathematician; I'm a historian, and I am working on
piece of prose writing that discusses the way in which an anthropologist
from the early 20th century defined the idea of what a culture is. The
idea here, of course, is that cultures can be defined differently, and in
my work I want to argue that this anthropologist described cultures as
manifold objects. /p pThe question is to what extent is this description
metaphorical and to what extent is it literal. In language, the definition
of a manifold that I am interested in is the idea that a manifold is a
whole thing with many distinct parts. I'm wondering, however, if the
mathematical concept of a manifold may expand in important ways on this
idea. What I'm wondering is what is a manifold object in mathematical
terms. /p pMy sense is that a manifold object in math is a way to talk
about a space or an object that is continuous and yet which extends in
dimensions that go beyond those that humans can with their basic senses
(which are confined to euclidean space?) perceive? /p pI'm sure this
definition falls harshly on many of your ears, but that is exactly why I
am writing here. How can I understand/describe this concept in prose
writing better? Am I completely off in my understanding? Any help would be
wonderful!/p