Culture, Identity & Lifestyle

Key Concepts Culture: – Is the characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. – Influenced by the many groups of people that make up a country Traditions: – A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past.

Key Concepts Identity: – A person’s conception and expression of their individuality or group affiliations (such as national identity and cultural identity) – Self-identity is the sum of a person’s knowledge and understanding of his or her self. It can be broken into the following: Cultural identity Ethnic and national identity Religious identity Gender identity – Inter-personal identity development is achieved through: Categorisation: labelling others (and ourselves) into categories Identification: Associating others with certain groups Comparison: Comparing groups

Key Concepts Lifestyle: – Typical way of life of an individual, group or culture. – What are some characteristics of modern lifestyle? Read the passages in your content pack to find more out and gain a better understanding of some of these concepts.

Some Issues to Consider Individual Level: – Artistic / Aesthetic Expression – purpose, degree of freedom – Sense of self-identity – individuality, interests – Link to a larger community – we are social animals and want to belong Community / Interpersonal: – Transmission of socio-cultural values – traditional practices, traditions etc – Economic value – commodification of culture (eg: tourism, popular culture) – Building of a shared identity – youth culture etc

Related Issues National Level: – Social – Building of national identity (heritage, conservation) – Economic value – commodification of culture, commercialisation of the arts – Political – freedom of expression / censorship / culture as a political tool (Ideological productions - from patriotism to propaganda) Community / Interpersonal: Global Level: – Political - Rise of soft power – Socio-cultural - Interaction amongst different cultures – homogenization of cultures / preservation of indigenous / local cultures

Food for Thought Production (Consider who produces culture and why) Consumption (Consider who consumes culture and the impact on them)

Related Agencies in Singapore Do you know these agencies’ mission, function and role?

Major Cultural Events in Singapore Various racial and religious festivals Chingay Parade Dragon Boat Festival Singapore Art Festival Singapore Food Festival Singapore Heritage Festival

Architecture in Singapore How many can you name? Do you know their significance? B

Food for Thought Read the descriptions of Singapore in the following websites. What are some common features / characteristics about Singapore that they highlight? What are some differences? Can you account for these (consider the target audience, purpose of website etc)? Are your impressions of Singapore is different from that of a tourist? – – ngapore/people-lang-culture.html ngapore/people-lang-culture.html – – language.htm language.htm