This
week I asked two of my colleagues and my husband to share with me how they
define culture and diversity. The people I spoke to varied in gender, sexual
orientation, religious background and ethnicity.
The
first colleague I spoke to is a heterosexual female raised in the Jewish
tradition. She defined culture as ‘The environmental and social interactions
that a human being experiences that gives the individual a sense of self and
belonging. According to her, ‘Diversity in the social context is a blend of
different cultures within a community’. The second colleague I spoke to is an
African American homosexual female. She defined culture as the way a group has
been taught to live and diversity as many different cultures. The last person I
spoke to is my husband who is Sri Lankan and a Christian. In his view, culture
is a set of unwritten rules and ways of behaving within a certain community that
is practiced and cherished. He elaborated on what he meant by unwritten rules
and behaviors by providing the following examples. Within the Sri Lankan
culture it is understood that unmarried women do not live alone as is the
practice that the youngest son in the family is heir to the ancestral home. He
described diversity as a set of attributes that differentiates one
community/individual from others in a unique way.
All three individuals I spoke to provided rather broad
definitions of culture. However, I think in their own way each touched on
aspects of surface culture and deep culture. My colleague’s definition of
culture as the way a group has been taught to live encompasses aspects of
surface culture such as traditions, food and clothing, as well as aspects of
deep culture such as values and beliefs particular to a group. The examples my
husband provided reflected the deep culture among Sri Lankans in how they view
the role of women, family structure and roles within a family. In addition they
all mentioned how culture influences or helps shape an individual’s identity. All
three of them had similar views with regards to diversity. They focused on
diversity as aspects that make individuals or communities different from each
other, yet unique. While all three of them talked about aspects of culture and
diversity we have discussed thus far in this class, none of them mentioned the concept
of family culture although they referred to group culture.
Reflecting on the answers I received, I realized that
culture means different things to different people. It made me realize how
important it is for me to make myself aware of what culture means to those
around me as it may differ from my own views. In addition, with regards to
diversity I realized how important it is to only consider differences that make
a particular group unique, but consider differences among individuals within a
group as well.
Hi Keshika,
ReplyDeleteYour friend who is Jewish gave such a simple, yet inclusive definition of culture as interactions and experiences that shape one's self image and sense of belonging. I think this is beautifully stated. I agree with you that culture means different things to different people, and thus, we should be always respectful for other's cultures and the interactions we have with them in order to provide safety and a sense of belonging even if we believe diverse things. Thanks for your post!
Hi Keshika,
ReplyDeleteI like the definition that was given by friend who is Jewish. It gives a precise overview of what exist within the aspect of culture. I also like your husband definition. Overall you chose persons that gave great insights.Well done and great post
Hello Keshika,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about the different responses you got in your interview. I like what your husband described and how he explained his view. That makes it easier to understand the reason for his definition. It is good to hear what others have to say about culture and diversity. Thanks for sharing,
Pam