Cultural and Unified Coherent Identity

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Learning journey is widely shaped by an individual’s sense of identity. However to understand how this identity shapes the learning journey, it is paramount to examine the various structures and themes associated with the term ‘identity’ such as gender, cultural and social. For these themes are constantly changing consequently affecting personal identity within the learning journey. This essay will mainly focus on the theme of cultural identity while reflecting on how my own experiences of learning have been shaped and changed my sense of identity. This will be done by looking at my turning point and at times a symbolic movement which was the migration from Uganda a former colony of Britain, and how this has affected my experience of learning and continues to alter my cultural identity. To put this in context, Hodkinson et al (2013, p39) acknowledges that, ‘At a turning-point a person goes through a significant transformation of identity’. In the same light of this transformation, the decision to migrate to Britain was a turning point described by Hodkinson et al (2013, p39) as ‘forced on some, by external events and/ or the actions of others. On a personal level, my mother made the choice to bring me to Britain for a better education and hope for future prosperity, but I have often seen this decision as a contributor to discontinuity in relations to experiencing different education systems which are linguistically, culturally and predominantly different.
Within the contexts of the learning journey, it is important to acknowledge that just as there is continuity, discontinuity and change in this journey; one’s sense of identity too is in a state of flux and can vary according to the context of this learning journey. Hall (1993, p...

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... identities are chosen to be portrayed.
In conclusion, learning journey projects significant events which can positively or negatively affect one’s identity and act as a catalyst to change and transformation. To take one’s ‘turning point’ is like choosing episodes in that life to challenge identity and explore various social, cultural and environmental constraints in order to establish coherent identity. In this essay, I have sought to show how my turning point and significant event create a sense of unified coherent identity, however present fracturing’s in this identity by staying close to Hall’s concept that identity is always changing and complex. My turning point though not as a result of a pragmatic rational decision that I made, has acted as a symbolic bridge to hybridity of cultures and this has shaped my habitus and identity throughout my learning journey.

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