Culture And Cultural 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.

“We all have unique identities that we develop within our cultures, but these identities are not fixed or static” (Trumbull and Pacheco 8). People should examine their culture to have a better understanding of how it affects their identity and perceptions. In order to understand one’s cultural identity, he or she need to understand what the term means. According to one source, cultural identity can be defined as, “These different experiences and the new values, beliefs, and ideas they produce contribute to the dynamic nature of cultures” (Trumbull and Pacheco 10). Considering this definition, I realize that my cultural identity can be best represented by ethnicity because it expresses my individuality as a person. Various aspects of a person’s life that may determine his or her cultural identity includes ethnicity, language, art, location, food, traditions, and history. After analyzing several texts, the reader recognizes that three important elements of a person’s cultural identity include ethnicity, location, and food.

Describe how identities (i.e., religious, gender, ethnic, racial, class, sexual orientation, disability, and/or age) are shaped by cultural and societal influences in contexts of equality and inequality

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.

Cultural Identity can affect the way that we see things around us because all of us come from different backgrounds and ways of learning. When people are introduced to a new way of living, they might be thrown off at first. There are several authors who have put the theme of finding their cultural identity as the main focus in their stories. These include An Indian Father’s Plea and Ethnic Hash. These stories show how different people have found and been affected by cultural identity. People should be wary that others might not always be familiar with the traditions of a culture because they might’ve been in one culture for a long time.

"The way things are", for me, I do not know what that could be. Could it be the fact that I am African American and Japanese? Could maps help to represent my cultural identity because they help me to visualize where I want to go, where my family is, and places we 've been? Music, family and friends, robotics, and travel also describe my cultural identity. What are "The way things are" for me? What is my cultural identity; are the questions I have to answer.

My dad leans over my shoulder as I check off the bolded “YES” box on my physical form. As I approach the Race section, I feel him tense up next to me. Without hesitation, I check off the “Black and/or African-American” box. Baffled, he asks, “Why did you check that box off? We aren’t Black.” I stared at his alarmed face in amusement, studying the ebony skin that envelops his being. Releasing an all-too-familiar sigh, I raise my bronzed arm to his.

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind”, a quote from Dr. Suess. I wanted to acknowledge this quote because this inspired me to do my collage. I’m not going to lie, I started my collage later than told because I was having a creative block. I was scrolling through twitter and saw the quote on my timeline. I was motivated by this quote. I was afraid that what I was going to put on my collage would trigger judgement from other people, but this fear faded away once I read the quote. As you may have seen from my collage, I have incorporated just a few of the main objects and people that have shaped my identity. These things are family, culture, religion,

What was an innocent attempt to develop a young child’s interest for learning new cultures, came the unavoidable result of rejection to something unfamiliar. While rejection towards foreign concepts is looked down upon in our developed society, it is often viewed as harmless when it comes from an adolescent. Despite these “so-called”, innocent rejections, guiltless refusal is admittedly offensive to those youth who are left with the choice to either their cultural identity or to assimilate into the cultural majority.

It was until I became older and more mature I started to realize that my culture background was different than my parents. Being a third culture child, I had received and established a different culture than my parents. However, it was because of them giving me the opportunities to experience new cultures and places. My parents and their parents are all traditional, even though they have lived in America for quite a while. They choose to stick with their roots, instead of adapting to a new culture. In my culture I am suppose to have top tier education, successful marriage and stick to my culture’s traditions. On the other hand, I am more open minded than my parents. I am not afraid of trying and adapting to new cultures. My explanation to

The purpose of this essay is to critically reflect on the new ideas I have learnt throughout this semester, ideas that has changed the way I understand the experiences of the Aboriginal and Torres strait islander people. The essay will also link my understanding of how cultural identity can influence health equity, using the CATSINaM’s definition of cultural safety.

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.