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An essay about migration
Theories of cultural diffusion
An essay about migration
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Religion plays many key roles in Appiah’s analysis such as their ability to remain in the past for certain events like their seating, a form of celebration, for the king. Even though they are able to live in the past for certain ceremonies, Appiah states that the people of Ghana still live very modern lives, doing simple activities that people of modern nations normally do as well. This can even compare to certain states and cities in the United States where people still live their normal lives but then put it on hold and continue their traditions before continuing their average life. A well-known example of this is the Christmas holidays due to the fact that people put their everyday life on pause for a couple of days in order to celebrate …show more content…
I agree with his analysis because I can even apply that here in the United States except it will be the exact opposite since over here it is very common to find Coca Cola but you can also find imported beers and soft drinks that are actually from different countries. This diversity is what Appiah mainly analyzed which led him to the conclusion that even though our era is “an era of mass migration, … the global spread and hybridization of culture through travel, trade or conquest is hardly a recent development” which is why he concludes that none of this is modern and globalization is nothing new (Appiah, 2006). I agree with this conclusion because of the obviouys points he makes such as the fact that just a few hundred years after Jesus passed away, Christianity migrated to Europe, Asia, and even Africa. Another example of this is that even Buddhism ranged all the way from India into southeast and east Asia as well as spreading to other
This paper elaborates on the diverse contributions peoples of African descent have made to the pluralistic religious landscape of America and replicates various passages from our textbook. It focuses on the personal narratives of non-religious to religious leaders—exemplifying their influence on the African American religious movement during slavery and the reconstruction of America. Each section represents different historical periods, regional variations, and non-Christian expressions of African-American religion.
Being raised in Ghana, receiving higher education in England and working as a professor in the United States certainly helped Kwame Anthony Appiah receive a fair share of different cultures. Appiah is a recognized philosopher with several published books and an impressive track record of accomplishments. His article The Case for Contamination, which was published in The New York Times, speaks on the topic of how globalization affects individuals in many aspects of their life. He discusses how forcefully preserving cultures can harm a culture more than help it. While the article is lengthy, it goes into great detail about how globalization affects people in countries all over the world, even Ghana. Globalization makes a large impact on the world we see today and cultural groups can benefit from the effects of globalization because it promotes diversity, creates cosmopolitan citizen development, and allows economic growth.
Globalization has it's obvious ups and downs. In Kwame Appiah's article "the case for contamination" he makes it clear that he favors globalization but doesn't ignore the contradictions and set backs that globalization brings. Globalization offers other countries different perspectives on life and cultural ideas. Kwame Appiah uses a story about visiting his home land to show how two cultures can merge successfully without one over imposing its views on the other. While waiting for the king to arrive, a very cultural and traditional ceremony, many people stood in business suits with phones in hand. Yet these modern westernized products did not change the overall customs and cultural beliefs of these people. They are not being over run with technology or westernized ideas. They have simply adapted them into their own culture. Appiah is very opinionated and uses his own religion as well as other religions as an example to get his point across but he never pushes or tries to influence the reader by these religions. He has travelled and had close relationships with people of different cultures, customs and places. This makes him appear knowledgeable in the field of cultural globalization and ethics in world affairs. Appiah illustrates his view on the difference of isolating a culture to preserve it and letting it choose its own path to evolve with the times. He uses this same idea in the way he writes ultimately letting the reader choose their own stance on the topic. Without any hesitation I agree with the authors point of view that giving a person the individual opportunity to chose what to adapt or exclude in there life is the most fair and beneficial situation.
There are many different religions in the world but they are all capable of doing similar things. Religion plays a significant role in the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. In this book religion is important to the people of Umuofia ,which is the village where the protagonist, Okonkwo lives. The people of the village believed there was only one religion ,and when another religion was introduced to them they would not believe in it. This religion was Christianity. During the novel the power of religion both guides and destroys the society of Umuofia.
In a number of African Traditional Religions there exists a varying sense of morality. In Mama Lola author Karen McKarthy Brown states that Vodou morality is a “survival ethic.” Brown goes further and states that morality in Vodou is tailored to the situation and to the specific person or group involved. Brown elaborates by stating that Each spirit has a moral pull, but no one spirit prevails in every situation (Brown pg.242). One of Brown's best explanations of why this is so is because there is no Golden age in the past and no heaven in the future so nothing is valued higher than survival of oneself and the survival of one's group. (Brown pg.242). Furthermore, Vodou is not a religion that promises a dues ex machina (a god that appears and solves a problem). (Brown pg.242). On the other hand, what Vodou does offer is empowerment to fix or do whatever a person wants and allows them to do it for themselves (Brown pg.242). An example of this tailored morality and survival method for women is when they are pregnant, the naming of a father for their child is a part of their strategy (Brown pg.243). Due to Vodou being a religion of survival, it counsels what it must to ensure survival (Brown pg.254). The downside to this lifestyle Brown shares is that it can become brittle and threatened by inner rage (Brown pg.257).
1.) Intro: I decided to focus my Religious Ethnography on a friend whom I recently have become close with. Adhita Sahai is my friend’s name, which she later told me her first name meant “scholar.” I choose to observe and interview Adhita, after she invited me to her home after hearing about my assignment. I was very humbled that she was open to this, because not only was it a great opportunity for this paper, but it also helped me get to know Adhita better. I took a rather general approach to the religious questions that I proposed to the Sahai family because I didn’t want to push to deep, I could tell Hinduism is extremely important to this family. Because this family does not attend a religious site where they worship, I instead listened to how they do this at home as a family instead.
The terms voodoo, hoodoo, black magic and conjure arouse different ideas and interpretations such as fear, fascination, or repugnance. For some, the image of voodoo dolls, which are used to bring pain to the one’s enemy are associated with these words. Others might consider curses and spells used for evil intentions to be at the heart of voodoo. A more innocent notion of voodoo encompasses the idea that it is to be used for the communal good. All of these ideas came together and merged with Christian and Catholic beliefs after Africans were transported to the Americas and subjected to unimaginable horrors as slaves. Many historians define voodoo as “a syncretism between the African religion Vodu and Catholicism.” Voodoo is an entirely new creation, which was born as the African slaves were confronted with New World religions. These new ideas were “camouflaged as European saints, the Orisha divinities continued to be invoked, fed, and celebrated by their transplanted New World devotees, who in turn expected protection and assistance from their ancient spiritual guardian.” In some cases, slaves used the culturally accepted Catholic saints as a cover for their ancestral beliefs which were often seen as foolish and heretical by their masters. This new belief system “met new world needs that the settled and passive African modes could not match.” Voodoo held an important part in many slaves’ lives as remnants of their African beliefs evolved into a meaningful and powerful force. Voodoo was an essential element of survival for many slaves because it helped them cope psychologically with the physical torment they endured, it gave them a sense of power in impossibly difficult situations, and it served as a unifying force.
Religions play a crucial role in impacting how adherents live their lives and their understanding of humanities enduring questions of life. Religion is an active system of faith. Christianity is a religion centred on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the bible. A living tradition is one that is active amongst followers in present society. Whereas a dynamic tradition is capable of adapting and amending in order to meet the needs of society. Christianity is formed as a living and dynamic tradition, which is defined by its distinct characteristics. Characteristics include, sacred texts and writings, rituals and ceremonies, beliefs and believers and ethics. Ultimately, Christianity is shaped as a living and dynamic tradition through the characteristics of religion’s impacts on adherents.
In Kevin Gaines’ book, American Africans in Ghana, Gaines combines both African and African American history together unlike others have done in the past. Gaines’ book gives his audience insight on the relationship that many prominent African Americans in the Mid-nineteenth century had with Africa. Gaines tackles many issues that were prevalent during this time period, for instance, he tackles race, class, citizenship, independence and freedom. Gaines does this to change the narrative that existed about Africa. Many Black Nationalist, had romanticized Africa to be this place that once had thriving empires but lost everything due to colonization, and westernized blacks needed to go to Africa to help liberate it. Gaines dispels these myths, and
Religion and the Igbo People The Igbo are a profoundly religious people who believe in a benevolent creator, usually known as Chukwu, who created the visible universe (uwa). Opposing this force for good is agbara, meaning spirit or supernatural being. In some situations people are referred to as agbara in describing an almost impossible feat performed by them. In a common phrase the igbo people will say Bekee wu agbara.
There are two parts to Appiah’s idea of cosmopolitanism: an obligation of concern for others, including those who are not of our own group, and a need for respecting “legitimate difference”. Legitimate differences, for Appiah, are those behaviors and beliefs that accrete around values but are different because of the locality and culture within which they are created. He believes that these differences are desirable, rather than necessarily causing conflict. “Because there are so many human possibilities worth exploring, we neither expect nor desire that every person or every society should converge on a single mode of life” (Appiah: xv). In respecting legitimate difference, we acknowledge that groups have the right to have their own practices and beliefs, though the fact that it is considered a legitimate difference suggests that the difference needs to allow the group to find ways to work with other groups within
Religion can be defined as a system of beliefs and worships which includes a code of ethics and a philosophy of life. Well over 90% of the world 's population adheres to some form of religion. The problem is that there are so many different religions. What is the right religion? What is true religion? The two most common ingredients in religions are rules and rituals. Some religions are essentially nothing more than a list of rules, dos and don 'ts, which a person must observe in order to be considered a faithful adherent of that religion, and thereby, right with the God of that religion. Two examples of rules-based religions are Islam and Judaism. Islam has its five pillars that must be observed.
What is religion? According to (Muzorewa), “Religion is a set of beliefs in a higher being, God, or Gods or higher principle.” All religions come with characteristics such as a set of doctrines, rituals to celebrate certain occasions, sacred literature, and concern for life-after death. African Traditional Religion, or ATR for short, is the world’s oldest religion. African Traditional Religion originated on the continent of Africa because Africa was the only location for human beings to live comfortably during that era. African Traditional Religion has approximately one hundred million supporters. The phrase ‘traditional’ stems from the word “tradition” which is simply defined as long established or “doing” (Muzorewa). Judaism is one of the
The term globalization is one that is an exceptionally wide-ranging term and it is used to explain a wide variety of definitions. Many people link the term globalization with the how the world is connected on an international and a local scale. One example of this is how Inda and Rosaldo illustrate globalization as being in “a world full of movement and mixture, contact and linkages, and persistent cultural interaction and exchange” (Inda and Rosaldo 4). On the other hand, they also imply that although movement and connections are prime components of globalization, disconnection and exclusion also form globalization (Inda and Rosaldo 30). Global flows of economic and social structures are not fluid and constant; they have the power to exclude and immobilize as well as enhance movement and include certain beings. In the 60s, the term `global village' was used by Ma...
"Globalization is a process of world shrinkage, of distances getting shorter, things moving closer. It pertains to t...