My Cultural Identity : The Cayman Islands

One source once stated, “By masking the discomfort, of being pre-judged” (Mora 40). People should examine their culture in order to better understand how it affects their identity and perceptions. In order to understand one’s cultural identity, he or she needs to understand what the term means. According to one source, cultural identity can be defined as “We all have unique identities that we develop within our cultures, but these identities are not fixed or static” (Trumbull and Pacheco 10). Various aspects of a person’s life that may determine his or her cultural identity music, community, family, ethnicity, relationships, religion, clothing, and food. After analyzing several texts, the reader recognizes that four important

Culture plays a paramount role in our lives. “It is what shapes who we are and how we view the world” (Thorp & Sanchez, 1998,

Individuals coming in the U.S. have experienced a graduate deculturalization process as the country's majority assimilated them. Even with the fact that many communities struggle in order to preserve their cultural values, it is extremely difficult for them to do so in environments where they are being bombarded with cultural values belonging to other groups. While the U.S. has recently appeared to have adopted a more positive attitude with regard to other cultures, the matter is still problematic. The fact that many cultures have been gradually assimilated by the majority practically means that many traditions have been abandoned in order for people to develop interest in other concepts.

Essentially, every culture has a specific basis, native language, religion and custom that reflects its history, values and beliefs. These conceptual constructs represents the total reality of life within the community of which is commonly known as “Culture”. Culture is not only a race, but is a way of life. In the United States, there are many different races that integrate with the American race and culture. However, these individuals often times may have difficulties adjusting, adapting or maintaining their heritage. How well they acculturate and adapt to the process can have an impact on how well the individual is able to integrate or engage to one or another culture.

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.

Some may ask what it means to be a part of a specific culture. It may be believed that it merely means to share the same qualities of race, language, and social beliefs. What is not really known are the rise of expectations to fill, repressed wants and needs, or even the binding religious beliefs. A person must begin to recognize the holdings a culture may have on them and how it affects their free will as an individual.

Although one’s culture is based on their experiences they have had, it is also based on values of family and education that help shape one’s opinion and view.

According to Dr. Ruiz, culture can be defined as a complex system that defines how a way of life is taught from one generation to the next. It is also responsible for influencing our behavior. (Lecture, Ruiz, 01/07/2016). Upon moving to California, I experienced a transition between the culture that I have known for the majority of my life to one that was completely foreign to me. I was born to Filipino parents and spent my childhood in Kaiserslautern, Germany, the largest overseas military community in Europe. Because of that, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in the blending conglomeration of the German and Filipino cultures with a strong U.S.

In understanding body politics and spatial struggles, one cannot neglect the concept of identity and what it means. The history of modern Canada has its history deep in migration and settlement; from the aboriginal peoples, to the French and later British. Over the years, discussions have entered academia with the aim of defining an understanding Canadian culture and identity. This project was aimed at finding artists who has work that deals with this and established themselves in this field.

Culture plays a unique role in an individual’s development. Culture is the combination of values, beliefs, and practices of a particular group. Culture gives us some of the most important factors necessary in life such as our morals, values, and more importantly the way we view the world around us. Culturally, I view myself as a 20 year old Hispanic male, of middle socio-economic status, who has heterosexual preferences, with a strong background in the Catholic religion. Some of my first lessons as a child were all cultural, from getting dressed, how and what I ate, how I address my parents and family members, and so on. Although all of these features

A person’s culture has a great influence on his or her self-identity and behavior. Culture encompasses many aspects, and is defined by Juang and Matsumoto (2011) as a, “unique meaning and information system, shared by a group and transmitted across generations, that allows the group to meet basic needs of survival, pursue happiness and well-being, and derive meaning from life” (p. 15). As discussed in lecture, different dimensions of culture are identified by Geert Hofstede and different values of culture are identified by Shalom Schwartz (K. Whitten, personal communication, January 14, 2016). The level of emphasis placed on these dimensions and values result in the expression of a unique culture. I interviewed

recognizing someone else’s culture and valuing it this allows for that person to feel integrated

Culture is a set of shared ideologies upheld by a community, and how those beliefs and values influence the way a community interacts with and adapts to the outside world. When explored further, culture can be broken down into subunits referred to as identity markers (e.g. social class, race, sexual orientation) that define an individual person’s character. Some markers are regarded as little more than simple facts, “he is in the middle class, she is black, he is gay.” While others are socially constructed, serving a greater purpose in the lives of those who they identify, forming a hierarchy of value (Harewood 2016 pg. 41). One can take great pride in their identity markers, utilizing them to drive their life in a direction deemed fitting

Growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, I was unaware of other cultures. My parents were white middle-class, Anglo-Saxon, American’s. The world I was brought up in

Through learning, families values, community relationships, and the willingness to achieve. Culture can be easily seen - the behavior of people – is the smallest part of culture. The greatest part, internal culture is inside people’s heads. It is our way of thinking and perceiving. Most importantly, it includes the values and beliefs unconsciously learned while growing up. The collision of two cultures as people come together causes us to become more aware of the differences and similarities between cultural values. By understanding the internal culture and significant values, we have a system to analyze and interpret behavior. People from around the globe bring their cultures here to American and institute them into society. Although, the United States is a culturally diverse society, there is a dominant culture and others give up their culture (depending upon where they may live) so they can fit into mainstream society. My family as other African American families changed their ways to fit into society hoping to become socially accepted because of not being members of the dominant culture. As with most societal trends, family values in all cultures are in constant motion; the list of American family values is always evolving. African