I have a friend who is African from
Cameroon who is culturally different from me in many ways however, in other ways we
are culturally similar. When asked her
definition of culture she responded “Culture is what makes each of us
different. It is the things which are
not always known to the general public but are special and sacred to
individuals and their families.
Diversity is a mixture of various cultures. Diversity is also the understanding that is
it comprised of a variety of differences”.
My friend of Indian decent had a similar definition of culture, “ it is
the unique pieces of me that others in my family may share. Culture is the special characteristics that
create individuality and uniqueness among a group of people. Culture is shared understandings and
beliefs. Diversity is a mixture of
cultures”. I also spoke with a colleague
of mine who responded “diversity is a mixture of ethnicity's, races, and
cultures. Culture is what defines who we
are as people. Some of our culture is
passed and learned through family and history, other parts of our culture is
influenced by media and other groups”.
I was
encouraged that all three of the responses were similar to the definitions we
have learned and expanded through this class.
Culture is unconscious and incorporated perspectives from a variety of
places (Laureate Education, 2011). One
of the responses highlighted it perfect when she said “it is not always known
to the general public” which is very similar to the understanding Janet
Gonzalez-Mena shared as comparing culture to an iceberg, what is not seen is the
deep culture (Laureate Education, 2011). None of these answers omitted aspects of
culture as it is comprised of race, ethnicity, and religion, but also of those
deep aspects which are unique. All three
definitions of diversity were whole, as they highlighted the need for respect of
differences, combining differences and highlighted the intermix of culture and
diversity, one which cannot happen without the other. My understanding of the relationship between culture and
diversity was enhanced during this exercise.
Diversity is a mixture of culture but culture is a combination of
diverse influences, beliefs, perspectives.
References
Laureate
Education Inc., (2011). (DVD) Culture and Diversity.
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ReplyDeleteTalibah you gave a thorough review of the definitions given by your acquaintances on diversity and culture. Your responses were much like those given to me. I to was quite surprised that many of the responses were similiar to those given to us during this course of study. Nice post and thanks for sharing.
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