How Can Personal Identity Be Proofed As 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.

As previously stated in this paper, forming cultural identity may be more complicated today than ever. However, it is a critical part of a total structure of collective and individual identity. Based on the text, models of ethnic and cultural identity have increased dramatically over the last few decades. Today, most ethnic groups are accepting the fact that the United States is the most ethically diverse place to live and to raise a

Do you ever get that preconceived look from others? When they judged you by your facial expression or your race. Do people constantly question what you think you are because you share aspects of different cultures but they do not notice their own? When people look at me they see a stereotypical black girl they assume you know all of the latest dances and slang. When you talk people automatically assume that you do not know the basics of grammar but they soon find out that you do just in time for them to tell you that you talk like a white person. My cultural identity is not one of a strictly African American nature. My individual culture is an assortment of features that stem from my friends and family. The organized lifestyle, religion, values and traditions, I’ve gotten from my mother along with the music, clothes and pastime activities I share with my friends all come together as the

Stuart Hall defines identity as an ‘already accomplished fact, which the new cultural practices then represent’. We should think instead of ‘identity as a ‘production’ which is never complete, always in process, and always constituted within, not outside, representation’ (Hall 1994 p.392). An individual’s sense of belonging to a particular group, thinking, feelings and behaviour can also be referred to as identity. One’s cultural image can construct identity; such features as hair, skin tone and height. History shapes our identity.

Cultural identity is something that is being seen all over the world. It is essentially a person's identity belonging to a certain group. Examples of these groups could be a religion, nationality, ethnicity, or social class. Cultural identity has the power to shape someone's way of life in the way that it can cause someone to adopt another person's cultural identity. It can also help motivate a person's decisions in life. especially if that person's decision matches up with  the person's cultural identity. Lastly, cultural identity works as a catalyst to what a person will do in his or her life, whether it is a person's profession, sexual orientation, and even lifestyle, it will have a significant impact on a person's future in society.

I am Zaka Hashmat Siddiqi and I am Asian belong from Middle Asia. I am Muslim and my religion is Islam. I am from Pakistan, Sind, Karachi by the specific area from Shah Faisal Colony no. 2. The main values, norms, and traditions that I belongs to Asian typical culture more into strict rules and regulation such as respect our religion and follow all the important instructions that I learned from my family, friends and teachers. Many Asian people follow their norms by which they belongs but many of them are similar to many culture such as caring, helping people, respect to children's and elder. Religion is also the most important thing to me as I got teaching from my parent and my elders.

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.

Mexico is a part of my cultural identity, My family and I are all Catholics I was raised to belief in God and La Virgen de Guadalupe. Not only that but both of my parents are from Oaxaca, Mexico. They were born and raised in a small town close to Huitzo. A big celebration for us Mexicans is Celebrating Los Quince anos this is a big deal and is mostly meant for girls. A Quinceanera is to celebrate your daughter's transition from a girl to a young lady when you reach the age of 15. I got to have a Quinceanera a couple months after my birthday because January is a cold month so we didn't want that to interfere with the party. Having a Quinceanera takes a year or more to plan because you have to make sure everything is perfect, not only that but it also isn't cheap at all.

I must admit that when I was asked to write about my "cultural identity", I was pretty annoyed. Not because of the writing part, (though I do admit, I usually have a pretty hard time with writing), but because I hate talking about myself. Whenever someone asks me, "what do you like to do", or, "how would you describe yourself", it low-key makes me want to jump out the window, (first story though, because I don’t want to die). To get through these questions I usually just say the obvious, like I enjoy drawing, and I'm in tenth grade, but going deeper than that starts to make me feel more and more uncomfortable. Mostly because thinking about myself makes me think about my existence, which kind of puts me in somewhat of a trance of awkwardness, and anxiety. So instead of pondering myself and my actuality, I chose certain topics of culture and just wrote what I like in these topics.

Who am I? What is my culture? I have never really put any thought into it until recently. Being asked these questions, I had no response, no idea on how to answer. I’ve just started really learning and figuring out what culture was. I used to think that it was just your ethnicity and where you came from, but in reality it’s a very big mix of things. Some people have really visible cultures in the sense to where if you ask them, they’ll have an answer for you, but myself when I was asked what my culture was, I was very confused. I am half white and half mexican. I was never taught spanish, I’ve never dressed in a way that you might see as cultural to Mexicans. Growing up, I was never really involved in the Mexican culture, so with that I thought I had no culture. I’ve come to realize that culture isn’t what I eat, what I wear, or what language I speak. For me, my culture is my beliefs, it comes from my family and friends, and even technology.

“Ni de aqui, ni de alla,” – “not from here, nor there”, a saying all too familiar to my ears. As a first-generation Mexican-American this prominent saying allows for the expression of the frustration of being stuck in the middle of two cultures. Being the product of two resilient Mexican immigrants that religiously preached the enormous value of an education influenced my upbringing down to its very core. Perhaps, it’s the fact that parents like my own, whose educational knowledge was halted in the sixth grade, aspire to live their dreams through their children.

My high school experience was marked by distinct changes and the ultimate formation of my cultural and social identity. Growing up in Washington D.C., I attended Gonzaga College High School, an all-boys Catholic high school that had a major impact on the things I value and the beliefs I hold. I entered high school with unbounded optimism: I had worked hard to get in and I was determined to make the most of my four years. Back then, “making the most” of high school was centered around who I was from a social standpoint. My only previous perception of high school had been the dramatized blur of wild house parties that I had seen on TV, but I quickly found myself taking a different path.

Many cultures have a specific set of beliefs that shape the human society. The system of beliefs helps mold one's personality and expectation, in many cases these systems of beliefs create a more sophisticated person. A belief system helps develop a sense of one's effectiveness in interacting with the diverse cultural environment. Because of how strong the influence of a belief is, it can influence a person’s philosophy and temperament which in turn shapes the interactions with their peers. Cultural identity influences an individual’s perspectives in which in their systems of belief gives a background of the cultural identity, this system of beliefs help one interact with others through the mean of values. Dave Barry, Pico Iyer, and David Sedaris’s story paint a vivid picture of different cultures by giving us an insight of how the speaker’s system of beliefs had influenced their decision and choices in the story.

Growing up as a first generation Mexican American allowed me to live life through two different perspectives. Although my childhood was a constant struggle of being told I was too white-washed for a Mexican, I never quite fit the image of an American. I grew up with the same culture my parents did, as they passed down all traditions in to our American home. The only thing that differentiated me from my family, who was born and raised in Michoacán, where the resources I was able to attain as a United States citizen. I didn’t really acknowledge the major issues in my family until I was in middle school. For me, middle school brought out the argumentative, diplomatic side of me that wanted to prove a point at all times, and always had data to back it up. Google became my best friend. Arguments became constant at home and I sometimes felt I was born in the wrong family. They never seemed to grasp new information I would bring from school to them like “my teacher told us that walking barefoot actually doesn’t cause a cold”, they would simply convince me my teacher was wrong. When I began my general education classes at community college, I truly began to understand the roots of my families’ issues. Those issues ranging from our flaky communication skills, to their physical and mental health and even their parenting skills. My parents weren’t dumb or mean, or selfish, they simply had a lack of education that they could not acquire do to the financial struggle they came from. Most

I am the person I am today because my parents raised me through the foundation of their experiences. On April 21, 1995 my mother had given birth to me in Fountain Valley hospital and I am the fifth child among six children. Both, my mother and father are of Vietnamese decent and originated from Saigon, Vietnam. My parents were the first from both of their families to flee Vietnam after the Vietnam War as refugees making their way to the states in a paddleboat. November 17, 1979 was the dawn of a new life for my parents, who were both only 20 years old at the time. It was the first time they had stepped foot on American soil and their first breath of freedom.