Cultural Identity And Identity

According to the Hay’s addressing model, my cultural identities as a Latina woman of low socioeconomic status makes me part of non-dominant groups. My identities set me apart from the majority population which means that; I am perceived inferior than those of dominant groups. My lineage constitutes of indigenous ancestors that like me, share a darker skin tone that till this day is seen imperfect.

Though it does not come up in everyday thought, cultural identity is an idea that all humans possess. Abridged, cultural identity can be simply explained as the sharing of a similar culture by people of various ethnicities. However, cultural identity is more complex than that, defined by an individual’s values, beliefs, and ideas of moral behavior influenced by their culture. Furthermore, cultural identity is ever changing from individual to individual. This means that although two individuals may be of the same ethnicity, differences in circumstances may cause variations between the individuals’ personal beliefs. As a result of interracial interactions, multiculturalism has grown during the twenty-first century.

Throughout the ages, humans from all over the world have created and accepted honorable cultures which they feel a strong connection to and are dependent upon. One’s way of living demonstrates nationality, religion, ethnicity, and art. People who have more than one culture, have been torn between two worlds that have eventually affected their lives. The cultural identities portrayed in both Self Portrait: On the Borderline Between Mexico and the United States by Frida Kahlo and “Legal Alien” by Pat Mora are shown through the symbolism, theme/message, and persona created in the works.

There is a Mexican man that enters with the rest of his family. They eat beans, rice, flour tortillas and etc. The family does there every day routine, the dad wakes up at six- thirty to go to work in his truck. The children go to school and the mother stays at home. The things a person does in their all has a reason which goes all back to culture. Culture is what makes up everyone different from one another. Texts such as “What is Cultural Identity?”, “Where Worlds Collide” and “Two ways to Belong” supports that depending on one’s culture it effects one perspective on the world and others.

Cultural Identity is “The definition of groups or individuals (by themselves or others) in terms of cultural or subcultural categories (including ethnicity, nationality, language, religion, and gender)” (Oxford Reference). Everyone has cultural identity even though some are unaware of theirs because their habits and traditions might be seen as normal to the person and they might not make the connection that it is a cultural tradition or connected to their cultural identity. Some people are very aware of their cultural identity and have conflict within their identity because the cultures may not coincide. Frida Kahlo’s Self Portrait: On the Borderline Between Mexico and the United States and Pat Mora’s “Legal Alien” both show cultural conflict through symbolism, conflict, and purpose.

When I think of the word “cultural identity”, I think of myself, and what makes up who I am as a person. My cultural identity influences everything about me, from the moment I wake up, to the minute I rest my head on my pillow at night. My culture influences the way I eat, speak, worship, and interact with people. However, I am not only affected by my own culture, but others’ culture as well. I am fortunate to have an extremely rich heritage, and I couldn’t be prouder of my cultural identity.

My cultural identity is made up of lots of things, but there are some main things that make me, me. The things that have made me who I am today has changed me and will still change me in the future. There are physical things about me that has made me what I look like and also things that I feel or think and beliefs that make me who I am.

So what is culture? As a class we discovered that culture is your behaviors and beliefs of a particular age, social, or ethnic group. This relates to me because I have my own personal beliefs and my behavior reflects on my beliefs. My customs consist of what I personally like to do and what is personally significant to me like how I play basketball and use clothing to show who I am. My ethnicity plays the most huge part of my culture which is the

In chapter 6 I first learned about the 3 cultural identity from Julia who talked about it in her voice thread. She told us about nature identity and how it's like a sense of belonging to a culture. Julia mentions that this belonging can be felt when people learn about traditions, heritage, language, religion, and ancestry.

“Children begin to develop a sense of identity as individuals and as members of groups from their earliest interactions with others (McAdoo, 1993; Sheets, 1999a)”(Trumbull and Pacheco 9). The very idea of being able to understand your own culture can better you as a person and give you an even deeper understanding of life. Such cultural things you should understand is your beliefs, the types of food you eat, what types of ethnicity they belong to, and even where you live. These four things can give you a deeper understanding of your own culture. Now a day cultures are mixed it is said that “Not all of these aspects need to be shared, however, for people to psychologically identify with a particular ethnic

Picture yourself watching people cross a busy road with speeding cars on every block. What kind of people do you see? Are they with others, or sprinting to safety on the other side? Or do you notice the isolated man on a bench, patiently waiting for cars to slow down? Now the important part: identify the cultural identity of the various people you see. This may be tricky not knowing what cultural identity is. No matter where you are or what you decided to do in this situation, it makes up a piece of your cultural identity. Every kid, every teenager, every adult–no matter shape and size–has a cultural identity. Cultural identity is a part of why you do what you do; it identifies you as a person in a particular group. A certain religion, a specific class and even types of clothing can be a person’s cultural identity.

Culture is a term that is used heavily in conversation, yet little do people know what culture really is. It may be difficult to talk about culture and to define it, but it is even harder for people to understand how culture has shaped their lives. It is also hard for them to be able to breakdown and analyze their own culture. For some reason, it is challenging for us as people to be able to see the way that society and relationships have affected the way that they view people and situations. Being able to view our culture from an outside perspective is a difficult task which gets more confusing when you try to identify markers that shaped who you are as a person.

The “Sociological Imagination” contrived by C. Wright Mills defines that every individual is deeply connected to society as a whole, thus we are all in turn shaped and affected by society. One's personal problems is not just a personal matter, but rather a societal one. (Mills, 1959) When I look at my life, I think that it is clear to see that my personality and circumstances have been influenced by social constructs. Being a second generation Canadian with a biracial background, my life has been shaped in its own unique way. Growing up in a multicultural family, it has been quite difficult to find my own cultural identity. This can be identified as an individual's own problem, however, by using the sociological imagination you can see

An individual may not have a preference or choice they’re automatically born into their cultural identity by naturally acquiring their language, accustoms, and/or taught other cultural fundamentals. This may reflect different ways or aspects of how importance five-factor models of personality, language, or learned gestures may play a role in a family or their culture based on the majority and minority which speaks also as a method of communication. Understanding there’s another way identity labeling may intercept cultural similarities and dissimilarities, and through a reflection from 3 different cultures White, Chinese, and Indian. Their label may relate or changes how their identity may interconnect in a multicultural social groups,

Cultural identity is the basis in which identification is used to express different aspects pertaining to identity and heritage. A person's cultural identity may be created by social organization, as well as traditions and customs within their lives. The two aspects that construct my cultural identity are the frequent chores I must complete every day in order to fulfill my behavioral expectations, and the youth group I attend weekly. These aspects are important to my family and me. Therefore, my identity has an immeasurable effect on my upbringing into this multi-cultural world I live in.