Perspectives on Diversity & Culture
In this assignment I spoke first to a colleague who is a Hispanic female I asked her what was her definition of culture and diversity and her response that culture was her heritage of being raised in Mexico and of the traditions that she and her family shared and still do. She mentioned the making of clothing, rugs, blankets, and baskets that they used not only for the family but to sell in the market place. Her definition of diversity was getting along with other people of different races.
The second person I asked was my cousin, her definition of culture is the different family’s that reside in the world and how they live and what their beliefs are pertaining to their way of life and the values, traditions that are practiced and morals that the caregiver instills in the family and diversity to her is the differences of all ethnicities and how people are different and are treated according to their differences.
The third person I spoke to was a neighbor who is from Jamaica. He is an older gentleman who is very traditional and has remained true to his beliefs of his country. His definition of culture is the rich heritage that we all have and the traditions that come along with your family roots. His definition of diversity is how we treat others who are not of our own race.
What I have noticed is that in all of the answers everyone mentioned tradition in their responses .I have studied that tradition is a big part of everyone’s culture and how members of the family maintain traditions for the futu re generations.
Family dynamics have been omitted. No one spoke of the make- up of their family whether they had both mother and father in the household or if they were from a single parent or even been raised by a grandparent. Also what I noticed is that no one mentioned rituals that took place daily in their household and whether they ate meals as a family daily or separately, was their family a calm family or if they were disruptive.
Thinking about the responses from the participants, I have come to appreciate the fact that the traditions that were instilled and the rich heritage that was left by my grandfather is something that will be treasured and valued by my family and I hope that my children and grandchildren will continue after I am no longer here.
6 comments:
Wow, that is amazing that you were able to speak with three people each with a very different background. You provide a very important detail, I had not even thought about people, overlooking family makeup. It is so simple to forget and perhaps simply take advantage of were we come from.
Thank you your post was a joy to read.
Schlee
Wow, that is amazing that you were able to speak with three people each with a very different background. You provide a very important detail, I had not even thought about people, overlooking family makeup. It is so simple to forget and perhaps simply take advantage of were we come from.
Thank you your post was a joy to read.
Schlee
I enjoyed reading your blog. Your colleague definition of diversity was not what I expected. I know we should get along with others but I did not think of it as a definition of diversity. I am glad she shared her definitions. I'm sure it was a great learning experience for you with her Mexican background. Thanks for sharing!
Debra,
Family traditions strongly influence the culture we identify with. The people you interviewed seem proud of their heritage and cultural ethnicity. It is interesting to use diversity as an action between various cultures. How we treat one another is active; teaching young children to be sensitive to how others respond to our actions of treatment is proactive teaching.
Joey
Traditions are important within the family structure. I am happy that you touched on this topic because many people seem to be out of touch with their definition of what traditions are and many don't even embrace their culture or tradtions.
Culture is somehow synonymous with tradition. In the area where I grew up in Nigeria when culture is mentioned what comes to mind is the tradition of the people. So coming from that background I will agree with your interviewees that culture is all about tradition of a society.
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