Our Culture, Our Taste

Group members:  Chenelle Dasent  Arianne Callender  Matthew Gibbs  Akins Hamilton  Nykima Straker

The word culture is used in various ways in society and as such, has a variety of meanings. These include:  Certain qualities possessed by individuals who are able to gain the learning and achieve the qualities that are seen as desirable in a cultured human being.  The social stratification of a society as a whole, ranking some societies rather than people as being superior to others, seeing some of the world’s societies as being more cultured than others.

 The sum total of all the arts and intellectual work in a society.  The whole way of life of a people being commented on by Linton(1945) as “ the way of life of members of society; the collection of ideas and habits which they learn, share and transmit from generation to generation.

 High Culture- refers to cultural creations that have a particularly high status. E.g. ballet, opera, paintings from Da Vinci, Shakespeare and John Milton.  Folk Culture- refers to the culture of ordinary people, particularly those living in pre- industrial societies. E.g. Anansi and traditional folk songs.

 Mass Culture- is seen as less worthy than folk culture. It is essentially the product of the mass media. E.g. soap operas and popular theatre films.  Popular Culture- includes any cultural products appreciated by large numbers of ordinary people. E.g. Pop music and films such as Harry Potter and Star Wars.

The perspective or view of culture can be seen and interpreted in various ways. These include:  The view from a Marxists perspective- the belief that most powerful members of society are those who live in the ruling class. These members set up the culture of a society in order to provide the best interests to that society. It is also believed that society’s economic status determines ones values and ideologies.  The view of Emile Durkheim- the belief that culture has many relationships to society which include;

o Logical- Power over individuals belong to certain cultural categories, and beliefs such as God. o Functional- Certain rites and myths create/build social order up more by having people create strong beliefs, the more people who believe in these myths will strengthen social order. o Historical- Culture had its origins in society, and from those experiences came evolution into things such as classification systems

 The view from the perspective of Max Weber- Weber’s view presented the idea of a status group as a certain type of subculture. It is his view that status groups are based on things such as: race, ethnicity, religion, occupation,gender,sexual preference, etc. These groups live a certain lifestyle based on different values and norms. They are a culture within a culture, hence the label subculture. Weber also had the idea that people were motivated by their material and ideal interests.

o Each island of the Caribbean has its own unique cultural identity influenced by various factors including the European colonists, the African Heritage of the slaves, and the enduring legacies of the native Indian tribes. The interpretation and knowledge of the history of the Caribbean region enables the understanding of the people.

 The language most dominant in the islands of the Caribbean is the Creole language.  This language is nearly two hundred years old and originated on the colonial plantations during the first slavery era I n the Caribbean.  Creole is a ‘patois’ language that is a varied combination of African syntax and European lexicon.  It evolved out of necessity as slaves had to communicate with the European plantation owners.  Derivations (origin, ancestry) include French Creole with regional dialects in Haiti, Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia, Dominica and French Guyana; Papiamento, a Dutch, Portuguese, English and African blend; and Patwa in Jamaica.

 African heritage(culture and customs) influence much of the religious worship, artistic expression, rhythmic dancing, singing and even ways of thinking in the Caribbean.  African influenced movements that have Caribbean origin but a worldwide following including Santeria in Cuba, Voodun in Haiti, Junkanoo in the Bahamas and Rastafari in Jamaica.  Reggae music and jerk cooking are also African inspired gifts to the world from the Caribbean.

 The East Indian and other minor ethnicities in the Caribbean also impacted on Caribbean culture.  The East Indians also brought customs of religious worship such as the practice of the Hindu and Muslim religions.  They brought new forms of fashion in terms of clothing with the sari, shalwar etc.  They brought alternative cooking methods to the Caribbean that were new to the islanders.

Assimilation Cultural assimilation (often called merely assimilation) is a process of integration whereby members of an ethno-cultural community (such as immigrants, or ethnic minorities) are "absorbed" into another, generally larger, community. This implies the loss of the characteristics of the absorbed group, such as language, customs, ethnicity and self-identity. immigrantsethnic minorities

Hybridization This occurs when people mix traditional arts, mass communication and popular culture in a new way, enabling people to express personal and cultural identities that are different from existing ones Hybridization is the fusion of culture where two religions come together to form one. For example the African religion and the (European) Roman Catholic religion made the Voodoo religion.

Diversity Cultural diversity encompasses the cultural differences that exist between people, such as language, dress and traditions, and the way societies organize themselves, their conception of morality and religion, and the way they interact with the environment.

Thank You For Listening Credits Members Akins Hamilton Arianne Callender Chenelle Dasent Matthew Gibbs Nykima Straker CLAP NOW!!!! OUR CULTURE, OUR TASTE