Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine (style of cooking), social habits, music and arts.
Culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones, and a million other things.
3. CULTURE
The development of culture.
A culture is, in a large part, influenced by its environment.
Specifically, several environmental factors have been
found to be important in shaping cultures i.e.
o Predictability,
o Ease, and
o Interdependency of the people (Bhawuk & Triandis).
4. 1. Predictability of the environment can depend on things like
natural disasters, war and peace, or the presence of similar or
different kinds of people.
When the environment is very unpredictable, such as when there
is constant threat of hurricanes, wars and others, people tend to
be more spontaneous and engage less in planning, because
planning is often not worth it.
Systems may be created to give more support for the population
as a whole, whose individuals are equally affected by such
threats, rather than letting individuals fend for themselves
CULTURE
5. CULTURE
2. Ease or difficulty of the environment:- refers to the availability of
resources.
Some environments provide easy fulfillment of needs such as obtaining food
and water.
Other environments, for example, those in harsh climates, may make it
difficult for individuals to gather and maintain resources.
Such factors will obviously affect the extent that people need to organize.
6. CULTURE
3. Also, the degree that people are interdependent, or must
depend on each other to fulfill their needs, also shapes their culture.
For instance, in a hunting society, the hunters may need to
coordinate effectively to obtain food.
They each depend on each other to do their part so that everyone
can eat.
7. Environmental demands such as these can affect how a
group of people communicate and coordinate with each
other, set up rules and norms for behavior, and think
about the world.
Their way of life becomes their culture, which is passed
on from generation to generation.
CULTURE
8. Nonetheless, the environment is not the only aspect that shapes
culture. Although cultures influence individuals, individuals can
also influence culture.
We can see this effect, in an extreme way, with individuals such
as Mahatma Ghandi.
Cultures also evolve as the environment changes, including
climate changes, the accommodation of other people and their
culture, and technology changes or “modernization.”
CULTURE
9. The importance of culture.
Culture is a way of life that is based on beliefs and values of a particular
social group or organization.
Culture is important in that:
o it ties people of a region or community together and
o it also acts as a system of social control,
o wherein people shape their standards and behavior.
o It is also through cultural values that a community gets an identity of its
own.
CULTURE
10. CULTURE
Culture is a strong part of people's lives.
It influences their views, their values, their humor, their
hopes, their loyalties, and their worries and fears.
So when you are working with people and building
relationships with them, it helps to have some perspective
and understanding of their cultures.
11. CULTURE
Layers of culture:-
People even within the same culture carry several layers of
mental programming within themselves. Different layers of
culture exist at the following levels:
1. The national level: Associated with the nation as a whole.
2. The regional level: Associated with ethnic, linguistic, or
religious differences that exist within a nation.
3. The gender level: Associated with gender differences
(female vs. male)
4. The generation level: Associated with the differences
between grandparents and parents, parents and children.
13. CULTURE
The reason for different cultures amongst people.
This is because of what their environment offers them and how it influences
their nature.
Cultures often have a lot to do with the way in which a particular society's
survived and what they went through.
Note:
o Different culture is a culture in which we do not practice our self.
o Different cultures can be found by visiting different countries; regions,
continents, or even your neighbors might
14. How to serve faithfully in a multicultural Community.
1. Welcome everyone.
In order for people to commit to working on diversity,
every person needs to feel that they will be included and
important. And each person needs to know that their
culture is important to others.
CULTURE
15. 2. Guilt doesn't work in fostering diversity.
Blaming people as a way of motivating them is not
effective.
Shaming people for being in a privileged position only
causes people to feel bad; it doesn't empower them to
take action to change.
People are more likely to change when they are
appreciated and liked, not condemned or guilt-tripped.
CULTURE
16. 3.Treating everyone the same may be unintentionally
oppressive.
Although every person is unique, some of us have been
mistreated or oppressed because we are a member of a
particular group.
If we ignore these present-day or historical differences,
we may fail to understand the needs of those individuals.
CULTURE
17. Often people are afraid that recognizing differences will
divide people from each other.
However, learning about cultural differences can actually
bring people closer together, because it can reveal
important parts of each others’ lives.
It can show us how much we have in common as human
beings.
CULTURE
18. CULTURE
4. People can take on tough issues more readily when the
issues are presented with a spirit of hope.
We are bombarded daily with newspapers and TV reports of
doom and gloom.
People have a difficult time functioning at all when they feel
there is no hope for change.
When you present diversity issues you can say things like,
"This is an excellent opportunity to build on the strengths that
this organization has," or "There is no reason why we can't
solve this problem together."
19. 5. Building a team around us is the most effective way of
creating institutional and community change around
diversity issues.
You will be more effective if you have a group of people
around you that works together closely.
People often try to go it alone, but we can lose sight of our
goals and then become discouraged when operating solo (in
isolation).
It is important to take the time to develop strong relationships
with a core of people, and then work together as a group.
CULTURE
20. 6. Recognize and work with the diversity already present in
what appear to be homogenous groups.
In working to combat racism and other forms of oppression
many people become discouraged when they are unable to
create a diverse group.
Starting by recognizing differences in religion, sexual
orientation, socioeconomics, parenting, and class
backgrounds will help create a climate that welcomes
differences; it will also lay the groundwork for becoming more
inclusive.
CULTURE
21. CULTURE
Conclusion.
Each of us can build the kinds of communities we dream of.
In our families, organizations, institutions, and neighborhoods, we can insist
that we won't remain isolated from those who are different from ourselves.
We can transform our neighborhoods, institutions, and governments into
equitable, non-oppressive, and diverse communities.
