Changing Ethnic Texture Of The United States

Culture is defined as a whole basis of knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, and customs that define a person or group of persons. Culture differs is so many ways and that culture is what defines each of person as an individual. This concept comes from the cultural that was taught and developed from after birth and through our adolescent years. Our culture is the foundation of who we are. It identifies the lifestyle and pursuits that are practiced in the group of people we interact with in our society. Culture beliefs, values, and practices are learned from birth.

Over the years the concept of culture has shaped people and what they believe in. According to the textbook culture is defined as a set of beliefs, traditions, and practices. The conception of culture can be described as material or nonmaterial. Material culture is described as everything that is a part of our constructed, physical environment. On the other hand, nonmaterial culture refers to values, beliefs, behaviors, and social normal. I believe culture can be defined and shaped in many ways. I feel that culture differs from one location to another because the natural environment has an impact on the culture. Also, some people come up with their own ideas and values. There are changes within cultures across time because people grow and develop

Culture is what defines a specific group of people. The customs, beliefs, arts, and social institutions of a race or specific group shape the perspective of a person in that group. Culture is what is known of a group of people. This how to differentiate different people from one another other than race and ethnicity.

DeVito, O’Rourke and O’Neill’s (2000, p.99) definition of culture is very limited when describing modern cultures of globalised human society. Perhaps where people are isolated to villages, towns or countries with little communication with the outside world, the definition would be completely workable. But now, due to access of information, global trade, travel and immigration etc the world is becoming more and more an eclectic

Culture is the characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. Today in the United States the cukture is influenced by the many groups of people that now make up most of the country. As far as culture being limited to racial and ethnic backgrounds I don’t think so because I feel that culture depends on each individual and how they act. People from other nationality’s act in many different ways based on their

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines culture as “the beliefs, customs, art etc. of a particular society, group, place or time” (Culture, n.d.). Cultural norms vary around the globe, which can make the global business

The definition of culture is one that takes on many meanings . According to Dictionary.com Culture is “ the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group.” But is this definition enough to describe a word as diverse as culture. Culture is something that defines people as a whole at times. From their music and language to their fashion and religion. Culture is a phenomena that encompasses all these aspects. Roberts (2009) notes that culture is dynamic rather than static. Huge events can shape a culture drastically within a few months even. For example, the 2010 Haiti earthquake shook the culture from its foundation. The capital itself is still in ruins and the social and economic situation is as worse as it has ever been. Yet because of this Haitians have been forced to being cleaning up their own neighborhoods and open up their own schools. This has bonded together those who once would have never known each other.

The United States has Changed from a Melting Pot to a Vast Culture with Varying Racial Backgrounds

The term culture was defined over time by different scholars and writers. Though each one of them had his/her own dimensions and criteria in order to explain the word culture. Hofstede claimed in 1994: “[Culture] is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another.”( Spencer-Oatey 3). He considers culture as an aspect that distinguishes groups from others. Indeed, Matsumoto and Hofstede agreed that culture is a distinctive of a group of people. Matsumoto confirmed that : “ ... the set of attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors shared by a group of people, but different for each individual, communicated from one generation to the next.” (Spencer-Oatey 3). Also, Matsumoto added to what Hofstede has claimed, that even if culture is a common among a community, it is distinctive for each singular among the same community. All in all, what I wanted to explain is that a

Culture is something developed over time by a group of people not just created by one person. Referring back to gender role in society this was not something that humans were born with but it was created and reinforced over long-period of time. Now more recently we can see these behaviors changing where women work more, men help with chores, and the roles are starting to merge. Culture also has a way of shaping one’s view and values in the world. Culture also shapes our behavior and our reason for doing certain things which is known as cultural behavior. The difficult thing about cultures is that no two cultures are the same so it is not a “one size fits all.” You have to take time to learn each culture and some cultures you will fit in better into than others. This is like a work place have that has developed a culture that constantly changes as new employees come and old one leave. If you are more laid back then you will fit into a work culture that is more flexible then one that is tightly structured.

A way to recognize different culture is to look a different aspects of culture such as: their government, religion, technology, language, and their arts. People from around the world all have different ways of life and using those elements can help distinguish different cultures. But, the culture elements shouldn’t be the only way to define a culture, families, friends, education, etc. have a big part of describing people. But, cultures can change over time, like how Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crevecoeur's idea of an American in 1782 are very different from the current American.

Culture is not about group differences or a way to describe a group of people. It is diverse, dynamic and ever changing. It is the shared system of values, beliefs and rules.

As you can see, definitions of culture vary according to the focus of interest, the unit of analysis and the disciplinary approach (psychology, anthropology, sociology, geography etc.)

DeVito, O’Rourke and O’Neill’s (2000, p.99) definition of culture is very limited when describing modern cultures of globalised human society. Perhaps where people are isolated to villages, towns or countries with little communication with the outside world, the definition would be completely workable. But now, due to access of information, global trade, travel and immigration etc the world is becoming more and more an eclectic melting pot

Culture can be defined in many ways due to the fact that everyone can have their own distinct and traditional beliefs and values. “ Culture is fluid, it is not a static entity which one takes out of the box on occasion. It is with us daily” (Cultural Handout). Someone’s culture is set as the characteristics of the group practices in language, religion, types of food, social traits and habits, and the distinct arts and music. There are a variety of different cultures for example, Western Culture, Eastern Culture, Latin Culture, Middle Eastern Culture, and African Culture. All of these different cultures have their own ideas, values, and individualism, laws that are implied, civil rights, and even technology. In our, “ Culture Handout” culture is defined as the tool of the mind, “ it is an individual’s way seeing and interacting within the world. It encompasses one’s values systems, beliefs, and perceptions of the world around them. Race, socio-economic class gender, sexual orientation, ability, geographic location, age, religion language, etc. all impact the formation of culture, but these various context are not culture” (Cultural Handout).