Description And Analysis Of A Culture Group Cultural Studies Essay Free Essay Example

A civilization group can be described as a ego defined group dwelling of persons sharing similar cultural experiences. Such groups of people are defined by the types of commonalties that are shared amongst them. Some of the commonalties include faith, ethnicity or physical commonalty like deaf civilization ( Murdock, 2005 ) . Culture can besides be analyzed as customary ways in which groups, populations, societies and communities behave or think. Other facets of civilization include linguistic communication, music, nutrient penchants and gender functions. Different states have got their ain alone civilizations.

Each alone civilization has got ain facets good known for. For case, Singapore is good known for its alone Kiasu civilization ( Murdock, 2005 ) .

Ethnography is a description of assorted values, beliefs, patterns and behaviours of persons in a civilization group. For a civilization to be recognized, all its members need to adhere to the waies and expected behavior manner. They need to pattern values and beliefs of the civilization in order to practically set the cultural outlooks into pattern and deduce the civilization.

Ethnography is all about analysis of civilization. When analysing a civilization, you do non concentrate on telling the events and behaviours within the cultural scene but instead inferring cultural functions that give counsel to the behaviours and events ( Condon & A ; Yousef, 1975 ) . This paper will research description and analysis of civilization group based on these chief applications. These are high/low contextual forms, value orientations and dimensional forms. The description and analysis will be in communicating, anthropology and lingual positions.

Communication tools for understanding civilization

The tools that help in understanding civilization relate to communicating and how we see ourselves in relation to other people.

In this instance, we will see high context and low context communicating forms. Under this construct, civilization respects expressive patterns fraught system full of feelings, regulations, symbols and spheres ( Murdock, 2005 ) . The communicating portion involves a set of shared readings of common significances and thoughts common to it. Such readings are signifiers of communications and are about the beliefs, values and norms. They affect the behaviours, events and behavior of a comparatively big group of people sharing similar commonalties. For case, different civilizations have different manners of communicating which are linked to feelings and individuality. Since people communicate utilizing different cultural wonts, there can be either harmony or struggles. Presently, there is no official manner to depict, analyse and understand civilization and its relation to communicating. However, both low and high context cultural forms of communicating are tools that will assist us cognize how different cultural scenes make sense to their universes. Since civilization groups are invariably altering and germinating, the two tools are largely used in civilization categorizations by communicating bookmans every bit good as anthropologists ( Condon & A ; Yousef, 1975 ) .

The high and low context communications are cultural tools developed by Edward Hall and describes the degree at which assorted talkers make usage of tactics other than expressed address to go through on their messages. The grade of field independency is the footing under which communicating varies. In this instance, field independency is really the cultural values and other things outside the existent communicating that affect the significance. Harmonizing to Hall, every human being is vulnerable to centripetal stimulations and gets far much confronted than can be attended to. In this instance, civilization groups aid by testing messages communicated to others, determining perceptual experiences of messages and construing the messages in respect to selected values, norms and regulations of the civilization ( civilization filters ) ( Hall, 1971 ) . For high context civilization scene, the screens or filters are designed in a mode to allow in implied significances that come from physical scene, shared apprehension and relational cues. In low context cultural scenes, the screens and the filters attend more to the actual significances of the communicating and concentrate less on the context of the communicating. All of us in our civilization groups make usage of both high and low context forms. “ Sometimes we say what we precisely mean and mean what we precisely say ” ( Hall, 1971, p. 123 ) . This is a low context communicating form. However, we besides deliver or connote gestural cues messages in some state of affairss without precisely talking. This is an illustration of high context communicating form ( Hall, 1971 ) .

In analysis and description of a civilization group, it is of import to see individuality and communitarianism under communicating. In a cultural scene, kids are taught to be portion of the circle of dealingss. A good illustration is the thought of ‘Ubuntu ‘ in South Africa which is a spirit of co-existence ( ‘I am because we are ‘ ) ( Hall, 1971 ) . In such scenes, members are required to stay by the group norms and values of cooperation every bit good as mutuality. Wagess are based on this spirit. In such civilization groups, individuality is one of their members and is ever in forepart. The group needs and positions are what find the civilization group ‘s individuality. In such cultural scenes, responses and behaviours including communicating, perceptual experience and reading of thoughts is jointly chosen. On the other manus, individuality is all about ego dependance, liberty and self way. This is a western civilization that emerged with western norms for immature coevalss. There have been a batch of struggles of individuality and communitarianism. Individuality is seen as rebellious to cultural values and norms by most civilization groups ( Hall, 1971 ) .

Sing value orientations, Kluckhohn outlines both dominant and value orientations that are common to all people that in bend guide our actions. In making so, the chief involvement was to place specific behaviour forms that are influenced by civilization in relation to its values. Under this description and analysis of civilization, we regard values non as good or bad but as criterions of beliefs that guide, define and determine the universe. There are five value orientation classs

The first 1 is unconditioned sensitivity. This concerns the built-in nature of adult male as good, evil or assorted. A cultures position of human nature can be discerned by spiritual philosophies and other texts such as Koran, Bible or Torah which gives a wealth of penetrations about human nature. After realisation of civilizations position of human nature, ethnocentrism so plays a function since one civilization uses its ain cultural behavior to judge other and this relates to public communicating.

The 2nd 1 is adult male ‘s relation to nature. Kluckhohn suggested that adult male is either in harmoniousness with nature ( adult male in nature ) , trying to command nature ( adult male over nature ) or attachment to inevitable natural forces ( adult male subjugated to nature ) . For case, American orientation is described as adult male over nature due to tendency to command or suppress nature.

The 3rd one is clip dimension. Here, all societies and civilizations have a construct of the yesteryear, present and future with each differing in accent. For illustration, American civilization emphasizes more on future orientation and illustrations.

The 4th one is valued personality type. This is an thought of cultural ego definition. Cultures tend to specify themselves based their actions. This is true for about all universe civilizations.

The last one is relationship form. These are single, indirect and additive forms. The American civilization tends to take single form where there are less household collateral bonds and additive distant dealingss with relations ( Kluckhohn, 993 ) .

Hofstede ‘s cultural dimensions besides describe and analyze civilization groups. The values include power/authority, individuality, maleness, uncertainness and long term orientation. Hofstede footings this as cultural norms that play of import function in mechanics and interpersonal relationships at work. In his statement, when one grows up, he takes his cultural values and norms for granted. One does non see his reactions, feelings every bit good as penchants. However, when 1 goes to foreign civilization, things seem different. Hofstede suggest that you can utilize your ain cultural dimensions as a start point to measure your determinations and attacks every bit good as actions based on how the society will respond. There is no society that is 100 % homogenous therefore divergences are expected and this will be a usher from traveling blind in a foreign civilization ( Hofstede, 1981 ) .

Decision

Different universe civilizations have different norms and values that concern communicating, ethnicity and general cultural designation. All that is needed by an person is to understand his civilization and use it as a footing to understand and suit in other civilizations. However, understanding and analysis of civilization groups entirely depends on what they do to gain individuality and non what they believe.

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