Are you or have you ever been confused on what your cultural identity is? Do you even know what cultural identity is? Because you certainly should.If you are confused about your cultural identity then keep reading, because you really shouldn't be confused. Cultural identity is quite simple, it is just the things about you that is defined by your culture. There are many complex factors such as religion, morals, how you were raised, art you enjoy, status symbols you value and much more! For example, I have a cultural identity just like everyone else. I am buddhist and christian, I enjoy hispanic, asian, and american foods, and my favorite genre of music is rap.
I have three elements of culture that mainly define who I am. The first element is
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The second element of culture that defines me is food. Who doesn?t like food? I chose this as one of my three elements because food is what you usually eat about 3 times every single day. The food I enjoy eating is hispanic and asian food, I grew up eating these two types of food because of my ethnic background. The third element of culture that defines me is how I was raised. Just the mere thought of being raised differently can change me as a person entirely. If I didn't make certain mistakes then I wouldn't have known right from wrong. Culture has also created conflict for me in the past. One time was when I was much younger, I would always go hunting and use guns which my father really disliked. I saw guns as a way to put food on the table but my father was raised differently and believed guns were made for wars and to kill people. It does make sense but guns made it much easier for people to go hunting because unlike bows, bolas, and other primitive weapons, guns were more accurate, more devastating, and they also increased the range in which you can shoot your target. Another cultural conflict I had growing up
“Cultural identity is a broader term: people from multiple ethnic backgrounds may identify as belonging to the same culture” (Elise Trumbull and Maria Pacheco). Though people may identify themselves with a certain culture, their beliefs and actions varies and adjust to their experiences. “…We do not consciously pick and choose attributes from the total set; rather, the conditions and events in our individual lives…” (Elise Trumbull and Maria Pacheco). A person is easily influenced by their culture which also makes an impact on their beliefs as well as their view of the world which can cause conflict with another person.
To begin with, culture is something that may change evolve within time but culture is something that come with your heritage or your ethnicity the traditions and things that happen that make up your culture like how your parents raised you are culture. In the informational text “ What is cultural identity” by Elise Trumbull and Maria Pacheco, and in the personal essay “Ethnic Hash” by Patricia Williams, there are similarities and differences in how each writer conveys their message about cultural identity. Based upon their research, Trumbull and Pacheco present the idea that culture changes and that it will never stay the same, while Williams uses her personal experience to develop the idea that many things influence cultural inheritage but
Cultural characteristics make up an individual’s cultural identity. Cultures have values, traditions, and norms that are the basic foundation of the culture. Diversity exists among varying cultural backgrounds and as groups begin to spend time together and assimilation begins. Most individuals attempt to stay true to their core cultural values while trying to assimilate into another culture. The results can include acceptance but often results in rejection by the other culture. Sometimes this causes conflict within the person as he or she try to fit in and become productive but constantly fear rejection. This causes a conflict crisis and the person struggles with cultural identity. The world has become so diverse, few cultures are pure, and this adds to the conflict of trying to decide which culture one belongs.
Starting with one of the surface aspects of my cultural identity is my language. I speak English, like most people who were born in America I learned English and only English right from the start. I
What is culture? Many people ask themselves this question every day. The more you think about it the more confusing it is. Sometimes you start leaning to a culture and then people tell you you’re wrong or they make you feel like a different person because of your culture. I go through this almost every day. Because of the way I was raised I love Mexican rodeo but I was born and raised in Joliet. This can be very difficult trying to understand culture. I live in this huge mix of culture. Culture is personal. People can have many cultures especially in America and because of globalization. Cultural identity is not one or the other, it is not Mexican or American. Cultural identity is an individual relevant thing.
When we think about our identity we often think about the way we look. Such features as hair color, eye color, skin tone, height and weight come to mind. Whilst these features are part of our identity, there are many more complex factors that make us who we are. Whilst psychological issues are paramount to the formation of our identity, I will be addressing the nature of our identity in relation to socio-cultural factors (Austin, 2002, p.9). During the course of this essay I will be discussing the term of Identity and some of the axes of identity, including Race, Class and Gender. It is important to understand some of the significant issues of identity so that we have more of an understanding of who and what we are, which in turn may help us to begin to better understand others.
When it comes to culture, I believe it is the characteristics of a person, or a group that makes them unique. Everyone is somehow different and not everyone has the same beliefs. “Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.” (Kim Ann Zimmermann, Live Science 2017)
While our parents offer themselves to help us grow as civilized human beings, one of the most important things they do is present to us our culture. As a small child, my parents introduced me to the world, and what a wonderful place it can or can’t be. Different traditions were taught to me throughout my years and these developed into the fundamental ideas for my lifestyle and culture. The idea of culture that we all share is extremely complex, so it is hard to define any parts of it without the use of symbolism. In order to define my culture, I selected three objects to represent me and my culture in a broad spectrum. However odd these objects may seem, I chose an aluminum ring, a computer and a Christmas stocking. These particular items have impacted me greatly; they have influenced my life forever. Hence my ring, stocking and computer represent me and my ever developing culture.
Cultural concepts are the outline of life. These concepts work with and complement each other. There are sayings such as “you are what you eat” and “you’re a product of your environment” These sayings only hold true if you believe you were put on earth to serve a purpose. There are some that believe your design for life has already been made and there are those that choose to believe the outcome of your life is what you make of it. Every choice you make redesigns your life’s path. I choose to believe in the saying “life is what you make it”.
My culture identity, as I know it as is African American. My culture can be seen in food, literature, religion, language, the community, family structure, the individual, music, dance, art, and could be summed up as the symbolic level. Symbolic, because faith plays a major role in our daily lives through song, prayer, praise and worship. When I’m happy I rely on my faith, same as when I’m sad, for I know things will get better as they have before.
It defines my background and the key aspects of my cultural identity are, my family history, food, and my values in life. These key aspects form me into who I am and gives me a perspective on how I view other traditions in the world. My family history shapes who I am by how traditions that my family has practiced in the past has an influence on the traditions my family practices now. Food shapes my cultural identity by how the type of food, like soul food or Mexican food, shows my culture and where I come from. My values in life shape who I am as a person and have an impact on my cultural identity because they help me to make decisions in my life and help me differentiate between other cultures and my culture. Lastly, all aspects make up who I am as a person and help me to understand more about both of my cultures
Ethnic identity includes things relating to “race, religion, language, and lifestyle” (Hou, et al.). Ethnic identity is similar to cultural identity because they do not change as often as personal and social identity does. However, ethnic identity does change depending on the situation a person is in. For example, if a person that has two ethnic backgrounds such as Native American and Hispanic were filling out paperwork and knew that one ethnic identity would benefit them in that situation more than the other the person changes their ethnic identity to the one that will benefit them most. Therefore, ethnic identity changes based upon someone's
Nationality reveals the part of the world a person belongs to, their educational system and the way they envision the world. For example, I identify myself as an Indian. Being an immigrant in the United States pursuing my higher studies, I introduce myself with an Indian identification label. Likewise, culture describes the environment where a person has been brought up and composed of behavioral patterns they exhibit. In his article, “Blaxicans” And Other Reinvented Americans, Richard Rodriguez asserts that Culture cannot be Separated from a person’s life, it remains throughout their entire life and can be visualized by the characteristics they display. Cultural identity categorizes a person to a specific group by qualities they share among them and their association within the society. Specifically, for an asian Indian, ethnicity is the prime component which governs the development of their cultural identity. Ancestors pass on their ethnic identity to form a family tree using the means of ethnic socialization by directly or indirectly demonstrating the traditions, beliefs, and values associated with their respective cultural background. As a result, culture has become one of the pertinent foundations of the behavior of the individual that establishes a pre-described constraint to inherit the same
Everyone comes from a different cultural background. Many of us though, never really stop to think about what defines our own, I, myself included. This is important to do though, so one, we can know ourselves better, but also so we can start to understand other cultures as well. Surrounding the idea of culture are the concepts of ethnicity, class, gender, age, and belief, each of which I will be reflecting upon. To begin with, we have the concept of ethnicity, not to be confused with race, as I often do.
How many times have people asked themselves, who am I? What defines me? Culture plays a very important role in the identity of people. People are born in a culture, their family's culture, but not with an already established culture. The term culture refers to the values, beliefs, customs, style of dress, food, songs and stories that are shared and learned in a characteristic group. On the other hand, identity is a set of features, attributes and characteristics that define a person. Identity is constructed by language, social structure, gender orientation and cultural patterns. Although many do not relate these two themes, there is a complex relationship between culture and identity.