This paper is a personal narration of a female student living in Canada, which explores the author's genderedcultural identify and relates it to anthropological and sociological theory.
Abstract This paper expresses the belief that a gendered, culturalidentity narration plays a useful role in finding or defining one's own identity with the caveat that identity is constantly evolving and being dynamically recreated. The author uses the falsity of the assumption that "all Canadians are peaceable" as an example of a ludicrous theory that a particular trait can represent the culture of an entire nation of people. The paper discuses the author's different experiences of being a woman and notes that economic discrimination against women in Canada is far more subtle than in Third World countries because women have the protection of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The paper relates that, growing up in a Third World country as a white, where she was assumed to be 'Westernized', resulted in experiences unlike Black and Chicana feminists. The paper includes quotations.
From the Paper "As I have had the experience of being both a Third-World feminist and a First-World feminist, am I now a Third-World feminist or a First-World feminist? Narayan states that she chooses to call herself a Third-World feminist because many of her formative experiences took place in this context. This seems to me to be a valid point of view. While I cannot reduce my identity to simply "Third-World feminist," I can certainly see that many of my experiences growing up moulding me into a feminist - and perhaps more of a committed feminist than I might otherwise have been, ..."
Abstract This paper focuses on language as it defines culturalidentity. The paper examines the lives of individuals that have experienced a cultural separation from society, discovering their personal and culturalidentities through language. The paper then further discusses how school age children develop their attitudes about their lives and the world through the acceptance by society of their cultures and their languages of origin.
From the Paper "Language As a Definition of Cultural Identity Individuals that are born into specific cultures are taught through the practices of the culture how to relate to one another, what is acceptable in society, and what their roles are within the constraints of the cultural system. Just as children comprehend gender specifics from their interactions with parental figures from the time that they are born, culture becomes a significant part of the identity of the child because until socialization with the rest of the world begins with school enrollment, the child understands the world specifically through the culture that he or she is associated with. Language is a significant part of that cultural identity. Regardless of the language, each culture communicates with one another with variations of the proper spoken word, such as through slang, phrases, or abbreviated words."
Abstract One of the most fascinating aspects of the Canadian culturalidentity is the degree to which government policy and free enterprise economic principles converge and frequently collide in the field of the mass media. In large measure this is a consequence of Canada's geographic position next door to the world's last remaining superpower and predominant popular culture engine, the United States. This paper explores how the Canadian government, in order to maintain cultural distinctiveness in terms of national identity, has adopted a range of policies that promote the Canadian identity in the mass media and restrict the reach of foreign media and foreign media ownership.
Abstract This paper is an outline of gender/ethnic identity. In this essay, I will explore gender and ethnic identity in two films and one novel, "Double Happiness", "The Wedding Banquet", and Maxine Hong Kingston's "The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts".
Abstract This paper discusses the benefits and problems associated with the development of culturalidentity in schools. It describes how the classroom environments, curriculum and teaching style of a teacher impacts culturalidentity formation. The paper also describes how inclusion, tolerance and multiculturalism enrich the curricular framework, promote positive social values and stimulate enriching dialogue for students.
From the Paper "Gender, although not a feature of cultural identity per se, is definitely a facet of every culture. How cultures construct, view, and politicize gender lays the foundation for cultural identity. Public schools should help their students understand how gender is constructed, how gender is not rooted in biology, and how gender is related to economic and political power. Even if these weighty issues are not embedded into public school curricula, they can inform pedagogy. Educators can promote cultural identities that are egalitarian and humanistic."
Abstract The paper explains that racial and culturalidentities are a significant factor in the successful growth of the individual. From birth, people begin to understand the world from the perspective of their race and culture and are taught to function in a community that is comprised of those from the same backgrounds. The paper discusses how within the culture, the individual learns to speak, think and act as dictated by cultural norms. However, the paper considers that throughout life these standards that are related to the culture and race are consistently challenged in a diverse society and also through education.
Abstract This paper discusses culturalidentity and how people who live in multi-cultural societies may identify themselves as a citizen of that country, but they feel that they belong to a different cultural group. The writer describes how, as an American Pakistani, she identifies with two cultures and tries to somehow make a connection between the two cultures that she grew up in.
From the Paper "As an American Pakistani, I try to somehow make a connection between the two cultures that I grew up in. Despite the fact that I am completely open to interacting with any culture, I must admit that I find a sense of stability in being close to people that come from the same cultural group as I am. The bonding factor between me and other Pakistanis students, besides similar experiences as we grew up, is religion. Although we are not fanatics as people tend to classify us, religion is an important factor in our lives and as a college student or as a member of any collective, I tend to get close to people that share my beliefs. After September 11, the need for relating to other people that were going through the same as experience as I did increased and I grew closer to people from the same cultural group as I. It is hard to receive understanding from people that can not understand you because they have different cultural backgrounds. Of course, the fact that I relate more to Pakistanis students does not mean that I alienate myself from society. We still live in a multicultural environment that we must adapt to."
This paper discusses the political struggle over culturalidentity via "the naming" process, whereby certain social constructions reinforce systems of racial oppression.
1,650 words (approx. 6.6 pages), 8 sources, 2002, $ 62.95
Abstract Throughout American history, racial identities have been formed by not only politics, but also by the intersection of class and racial boundaries. The paper argues that African Americans must struggle to rid themselves of certain traits that have been internalized from the white power structure. African Americans must work to open a discourse outside of the parameters of language built by white elites. In this way they can shape their own racial and culturalidentity.
Abstract The cultural differences in the United States and Canada began after the American Revolutionary period. A plethora of theories exist regarding the rationale behind the variances in culture. Some theorists contend that the Vietnam War created a vast gap between the cultures, while others suggest that the ideologies of rebellion and peace forced the two cultures to become opposing neighbors. Religion, politics and national ideologies encompass the realm of cultural differences that exist between the countries. this paper examines the similarities between Canadian and American cultures that exist despite the many differences that also exist between the cultures.
Abstract This paper will discuss the book "The Hold Life Has: Coca and CulturalIdentity in an Andean Community" by Catherine J. Allen, and seek to understand how the life of the Andean people affects me, and why it is important to study these people's. By realizing how the book is teaching the student on the ways of the Andean people, the book can serve a good function for telling the story of this civilization, and of its great importance.
Abstract This paper examines how the use of stereotypes in Shyam Selvadurai's "Funny Boy" and Thomas King's "Green Grass, Running Water" is very effective in clearly enunciating the dichotomy between traditional cultural expectations and contemporary transcendence of societal norms. Other themes examined in the two novels include racial identity and gender/sexual identity.
From the Paper "The primary example of stereotyping in the novel is King's continual mention of Indians versus rangers and cowboys. In one of the Creation stories, First Woman saves herself and Ahdamn by wearing a black cloth that disguises her as the Lone Ranger. She told the rangers that her Indian friend was named Tonto, and that he had helped save her from the Indians. "Okay, says those rangers, but don't say we didn't try to help. And they gallop off, looking for Indians and buffalo and poor people and other good things to kill."(71) King reversed the stereotype by presenting the rangers as the inarticulate savages, which was traditionally used as an image to portray the Indians."
Abstract In this article, the writer discusses that both the novel "Housekeeping" by Marilynn Robinson and the play "Blues for Mister Charlie" by James Baldwin deal with coming of age identity, conflicts amongst marginalized peoples and long-simmering community conflicts that come to a boil after the homecoming of one of the protagonists. The writer describes how Robinson's text is framed around the coming of age of young women growing up in rural Idaho in the mid-1900s. The girls experience a crisis of feminine identity after they are deprived of their mother, who commits suicide at the beginning of the book. The writer also looks at "Blues for Mister Charlie", that deals with the Black experience of isolation in America. The play centers on the difficulty of young Black people, men and women, who must force their lives and souls to conform to the norms of the White 'Mister Charlie.'
From the Paper "For Black women, however, Baldwin has slightly less concern in terms of how the norms of their identities are formulated, even though women have a powerful stage presence over the course of the play. Thus Baldwin tends to reduce the importance of the Black female experience of marginalization in America for the Black community as a whole. It is how Black men formulate their new identities within oppressive structures that the author claims as his play's main concern. Continually, "Blues for Mister Charlie" stresses the commonality of all Black oppression and the investiture Black men and women have in creating a positive Black masculine ideal.
The play was written in response to the Emmett Till lynching of real life, a lynching spawned by a Northern Black youngster whistling at a White Southern women. Finding a way to create Black male sexuality in a way that is empowering, and will not bring the wrath of society down upon its head is Baldwin's concern."
Abstract This paper addresses broad concepts, such as identity, cultural awareness, cultural communication, social norms, and sustainable global harmony, without compromising detail or completeness. It uses Chapters One through Four of anthropology professor Dr. Fitzgerald's book, "Metaphors of Identity: A Culture-Communication Dialogue", to illustrate the key factors contributing to effective interpersonal and intercultural relations. his paper not only summarizes the ideas in Fitzgerald's book, but also analyzes their content in terms of identity, culture, and anthropological ideals.
From the Paper "In chapter 1 of Thomas Fitzgerald's Metaphors, important concepts such as identity, cultural awareness, and cross-cultural communication are introduced. The prominent theme in this chapter is cultural awareness, which is becoming more and more necessary to create an effective global society. Communication is the key to achieving effective cultural awareness (Fitzgerald 1993: 2). Cultural awareness is actually a broad notion that recognizes and accepts all attitudes, values, social customs, and traditions different from the ones we are accustomed to (Fitzgerald 1993: 1). Additionally, it is essential to recognize minority groups within your own culture, such as the elderly or handicapped, to sustain harmony on a smaller scale."
Abstract This paper takes a look at how the cultural phenomenon of equality has led America to fall under a sublime spell of believing that despite obvious differences, men and women are the same. The paper discusses the cultural influences that seep into the everyday lives of the average American leave conflicting notions on the mind about gender and its roles.
Outline:
GenderCulture Women are from Venus
Men are from Mars
Gender Roles
Independence vs. Connection
Competition vs. Cooperation
Internal vs. External
Larger vs. Smaller
Communication: Language of Gender Speaking Masculine
Speaking Feminine
Conclusion
From the Paper "Male culture tends to be removed from emotion and more reserved to reason. Pragmatism, function over form, is a big part of the co-culture in contrast to irrational emotions. Being overly emotional for a boy can lead to being called names like girly or sissy. To be compared to a woman demeans a man's masculinity and status. Emotion is in opposition to logic and reason, and directly associated with the female. To combat loosing status by being unmanly, men are more detached than women from their emotions. They react to larger passions like anger and love, which are considered appropriate to react to, and not the brief fleeting feelings of everyday aspects of life. Such emotions are considered trivial, and would distract from getting things done. Not only do emotions hamper progress, but they make a man look weak, demeaning his authority and status."
Abstract This paper discusses how each individual begins to create self-perceptions from a very early age. According to this paper, these perceptions can be transmitted through parents, school, or society in general. However, as concepts are developed in conjunction with a child's culture, these ideals are also formulating a life-long view of the individual child as he or she relates to society, and that will allow the individual to ultimately create an identity that shapes their decisions, life style, and personal world within the larger social structure.
From the Paper "Many researchers contend that immigrants who are transported to another country have a greater chance of survival in the new land if they can quickly identify with a culture that is representative of the home of origin. This is evident because of language barriers, cultures norms, and the individual having a sense of belonging that supports who he, or she believes him/herself to be. This belief demonstrates the findings in the text that indicate that culture has a significant affect on the identity of the individual - to include methods of non-verbal communication, and personal space that is required when communicating. The text further stipulates that culture affects identity through the manner in which people view themselves."
