Caribbean culture is a phrase that illuminates the literary, artistic, musical, culinary, social and political rudiments that are archetypal of the Caribbean people. The Caribbean's culture has historically been shaped by European culture and traditions, notably French, British and Spanish. Over time, components of the cultures of the Africans and other immigrant populations have become fused into established Caribbean culture. Hence, the culture of the Caribbean is a product of its geography, history and political system. Co-existing as a potpourri of settler nations, the Caribbean has been influenced by ripples of migration that have merged to create a distinctive mélange of rituals, food and traditions that have demonstrated the socio-cultural …show more content…
This system is known as Social Stratification. This is the ranking of society into groups or classes of people according to wealth, power, status and or prestige (Mohammed, 2007). Hence, a specific race or color may be affiliated with those who are wealthy and have status or prestige in the society. In addition, the Caribbean society (during slavery) employed a closed system of stratification founded on race and color. The society was dubbed a ‘plantation society’. A plantation society was a rigidly stratified system of social and economic relations enforced on plantations in the Americas (Mohammed, …show more content…
Due to colonization, there was a fusion between people of indigenous, African, East Indian and European ancestry, which came to be recognized as Creolization. The blending of people produced a cultural mixing which created the formation of new identities. Hence, Creolization is also the mixing of the "old" and "traditional," with the "new" and "modern.” Creolization happens when people keenly select cultural elements that may become a component of or inherited culture. Robin Cohen maintains that Creolization is a condition in which "the formation of new identities and inherited culture evolve to become different from those they possessed in the original cultures," and then creatively fuse these to produce new variations that replaces the earlier
Fluorescent turquoise waters, a vibrant city culture, as well as an unending supply of mimosas and sunburns within a resort, benefits the common wealthy couple looking for a swell time. When people imagine the Caribbean, they probably visualize the soft sands of the Spice Island Beach Resort. Many people see the Caribbean as relaxing paradise. What people don’t understand, are the years of history hidden behind the mask of many resorts. In the book entitled “Empire’s Crossroads: A History of the Caribbean from Columbus to the Present Day”, Author Carrie Gibson differentiates how people view the Caribbean nowadays, by altering their visualization with four-hundred pages of rich history and culture, that argues the ideology about the Caribbean
societies to reexamine their view of the Caribbean. In this paper the following topics in The
Eye dimelo mani which means, "hey what's up" are a few of the Spanish phrases used in the Dominican culture dialect. All the members of my family were born in the Dominican Republic, a small island in the center of the Caribbean Ocean which shares its borders with Haiti and to its sides stand Puerto Rico and Cuba. The first person of my family that started the voyage to the U.S. was my father. At the time, my father came to the U.S. it was the late 80's, and the Dominicanos (Dominicans) in the island who got the privilege to get a visa; all dream of coming to New York City, "the city that doesn't sleep".
Stratification in general is the formation of classes or categories. “Racial and ethnic stratification refers systems of inequality in which some fixed groups membership, such as race, religion, or national origin is a major criterion for ranking social positions and their differential rewards” (Social Stratification). An example of this would be someone who is African American may not be able
While categorizing individuals by race, class, or occupation seem wrong, in reality it provide structure and organization to any society. The cultures of Hindu India, Medieval Europe, and Mesoamerica used social class for those exact reasons. Hindu India used race and occupation to divide their people into 4 main Varna’s. Medieval Europe relied on the church and the estates to provide a flexabile yet strong social pyramid. Finally, Mesoamerica and the Andean regions used religion, family ties, and the poor workforce to emphize the importance of their social structure. No matter what the civilization or culture, people have naturally or forcefully divided themselves into organized social structures and will continue to do so for future civilizations.
The earliest form of resistance against the contradictions inherent in the nature of the societies created by enslavement and indentured servitude can be seen long before the Haitian Revolution. There were many documented attempts against the lives of the white slave owners, but known was so critical as the events that mark the Haitian Revolution. The Haitian Revolution, which took place in the end of the 1700’s, was a defining moment that sought to end France’s control of the Island of Saint Dominique or modern day Haiti. This resistance began as an attempt to gain retribution for the hostile and inhuman conditions that the slaves were subjected to. According to C. L. R., the contradictions inherent in the nature of the societies created by enslavement, indenture and colonialism in the Caribbean created the very responses to an insurrection, by those who were being subjected to cruel and unjust
Puerto Rico is a small island in the Caribbean that holds a vast, and rich culture. Due to its accessible geographical location, it is often called the key to the Caribbean. Puerto Rico enriched its people with one of the most innate and unique culture different from the rest of the world. The colonization of Spaniards left us not only with myriad architectural heritage, but also with language and cultural traditions that beholds Hispanic imagery and representations. Our music, our love of dancing and festivities, as well as our practice of Catholic beliefs represents
The Caribbean is comprised of a group of island. Jamaica is one of the greatest Antilles. It has a tropical climate. Each country has its own culture, Jamaicans is not an exemption, and they have an assorted and distinctive one. “Their culture is a complex mixture of African, Arabic, European, East Indian, and Chinese roots combining together to create a rich, dynamic heritage” (Gall, 2009).
The term also refers to larger issues of class and social stratification within the African-American population. In part, it relates to the tension of a slave society, in which race was used as an indicator of slave caste. Mixed-race children of white fathers were sometimes given privileges, ranging from more desirable work, apprenticeships or formal education, allocation of property, or even freedom. African Americans "contributed to colorism because they have benefited from the privilege of having a skin color closer to that of Whites and have embraced the notion that privilege comes with having light skin in America".
Marcus Garvey said, “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” (Vinod, 2013, p. 358). According to (Cole, 1986) Culture is “a people’s patterns of behavior; the totality of values, ideas and means by which a people deals with its geographical, social, political and economic environment” It is considered as way of life adopted and exercised over a given period of time some bordering to centuries. Different communities have different cultures which are essential in assigning each of these communities an identity. With globalization and modern trends, cultures have been shared among countries leading to determination of newer cultural practices corresponding to the society in question. Cultures give rise to behaviorism and inform the social relations among people and countries. Cultural pundits have argued that the Bahamian culture and the American culture are highly similar and related in terms of dialects, beliefs and values. However, major differences in language, religion and traditions show that the Bahamian and American cultures are more different than many people believe.
The smell of the ocean, palm trees, and the sound of the salsa beats in the distance, characteristics of a beautiful culture. But is that really what My culture is. As a Cuban in America, culture is much different than that of a island native. My culture, or should I say, the culture that my family has molded into our own, is a spectacular one. It may not be the same as it was one-hundred years ago, or even twenty years ago for that matter. But one things makes that okay, culture is not written, nor are you born with in. We humans are taught culture. And what I’ve learned and discovered on my own is that being Cuban means many things to me; it means music and loudness, A lot of family memories, and most definitely pride.
A racial caste system is a hierarchy of races within a society. This term was popularized by Michelle Alexander in her novel “the New Jim Crow”. In today’s current society, I agree with Alexander that there is a racial caste system that disproportionately affects people of color. The racial caste system in America is used to keep some races, specifically whites, in a position of authority and privilege. It creates a power imbalance by through stereotypes and corrupt laws that primarily affect people of color. The racial caste system should be dismantled by ending laws that work against people of color, removing stereotypes from the media and changing the conversation in regards to the lives of African-Americans.
Social Stratification in the African American community has changed over the years. Social stratification is defined as a rigid subdivision of a society into a hierarchy of layers, differentiated on the basis of power, prestige, and wealth according to Webster’s dictionary. David Newman in Sociology Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life describes stratification as a ranking system for groups of people that perpetuates unequal rewards and life chances in society. From slavery to the present, the African American community has been seen to have lower status compared to white people. Today, the stratification or hierarchy difference between whites and black are not really noticeable, but it is still present. However, during slavery, the difference in social stratification was noticeable. Whites dominated over the blacks and mulattoes (offspring of a white and black parent). The mulattoes were seen to have a higher stratification than an offspring of black ancestry. Because the mulattoes were related to the whites, they were able to obtain higher education and better occupations than blacks. For example, most slaves of a lighter skin tone worked in the houses and darker slaves worked in the fields. As the people of light skin tone had children, they were able to have advantages too. The advantages have led into the society of today. In this paper I will discuss how stratification has been affected in the African American community over time by skin tone to make mulattoes more privileged than dark skin blacks.
As the Hispanic Caribbean has evolved it has managed to grow and thrive beyond belief, whether one is discussing art, music or just the culture alone the Hispanic Caribbean is truly reaping the benefits of allowing themselves to be influenced by many other cultures. While the Hispanic Caribbean is thriving they are still facing the many new found struggles that come along with the territory of becoming more affluent as well as more accepting to other cultures and their beliefs. Often with the growth of large proportions comes many problems, problems also can come about when incorporating of different cultures as a whole as well as just bringing in their beliefs and mannerisms. None the less it can be argued that the struggles being faced in
The Plantation society was a closed system of stratification and this was based on the criteria of race and colour. It was seen to be an aggregate economic foundation. As indicated by George Beckford (1972) ‘Plantation Society ties everybody in its grip to the one assignment of executing the will of the proprietor or proprietors. What's more, since it is transcendent and inescapable in the lives of those living inside its limits, it is also a total institution.’ Fundamentally, it was a hierarchical structure where blacks and browns were subordinate to white control. At the exceptionally top of this social structure you would locate the white rulers or the planter class which had white estate owners and the individuals who were connected with them. This was trailed by the assorted or mullato populace alongside the more sad whites and free non-white individuals, who still would have added to social texture of the general public despite the fact that they didn't have much political power. Furthermore, at the exceptionally base of this