Culture and Everyday Life - Case Study Example

Culture Studies Culture Studies Identity The term identity refers to the beliefs, attitudes, traits and qualities that make an individual or a group different from other individuals or groups (Bennett, 2005). It is the collective aspect of various traits, which make an individual or a thing unique and recognizable. It basically refers to the personal and behavioral qualities that are unique to each individual. Identity is very important in understanding culture as different cultures help to shape people’s identity differently. Personal identity is therefore a crucial concept ion anthropological studies or any attempt to understand human nature. Identity can also refer to other qualities such as hairstyles, clothes, and preferences that make one different from other individuals. Some of the most vital facets of the term identity for me include issues such as beliefs, qualities, attitudes and preferences. I personally have unique beliefs, qualities attitudes and preferences that I have been able to acquire over the years from my culture, religion and environment, and which make me recognizable. All these make me unique and contribute to my personality. I also believe that each individual ascribes to a different set of beliefs, qualities, preferences and attitudes, and in as much as they may appear similar in the broad sense, they are very unique in the finer details. Social Identity Social identity refers to an individual’s sense of self in relation to others or groups with regard to what they all have in common (Bennett, 2005). Social identity therefore refers to how one perceives themselves in relation to the groups they belong to. Social identity can also be understood as the self-awareness or perception of an individual gotten from being a member of a social group like a political organization, religious group, or family. Individuals tend to affiliate themselves with groups that address their interests and issues Social identity, as a concept is very important in trying to explain social behavior of individuals as well as in trying to understand culture. Sociologists rely on social identity to explain the behavior of individuals as well as understanding their role on the society. Psychologist Henri Tajfel first introduced the term social identity in 1979 in the social identity theory. According to the theory, individuals always classify or categorize themselves and others in relation to their membership to wider groups in the society. People identify with groups that have the same interests as themselves and those that have a positive impact on the individuals. Some individuals may choose to associate themselves with prestigious groups. Social groups therefore give individuals a sense of personal identity. Groups may either be one’s social class, close family, friends, and political organizations or any other groups that one may feel they give him a sense of belonging and identity. One can for instance describe themselves as liberal, conservative or democratic depending on the group to which they subscribe. Social identity is important in explaining personality and behavior of individuals. A gang member for instance may possess extreme behavior traits such as the willingness to kill any other person belonging to a rival gang, or anyone with opposing views. Fashion Fashion refers to prevailing trends in popular culture or proffered styles of footwear, clothing, adornment, body piercing, behavior or a preferred way of life at any given time (Bennett, 2005). Fashion is therefore a general or broad term encompassing trending styles in various aspects of life including clothing, furniture, accessories, footwear, adornment or general behavior and interests. Fashions trends are always evolving with new ones coming up every now and then. Fashion has also been described as a characteristic of the elitists in the society who are able to adapt and keep up to tabs with the latest trends. Fashion is also associated with elegance, high social standards and class and is often used synonymously with style. Fashion is very different from clothes. The two terms are always used confusingly in some quarters to mean one and the same thing, while in reality this is not the case. While fashion is a general term encompassing various elements and trends in the society such as adornment, accessories such as jewelry, furniture and clothing, clothes only refers to a specific part of trends in garments. The fashion industry also has a wide range of career paths including clothing design, jewelry and accessory manufacturing, footwear designing and fashion designing. Fashion designing is concerned with bringing together various elements in order to enhance a specific theme, while clothing designers only focus on garments. Fashion and Identity Fashion and identity are closely related elements of culture. Fashion plays a very pivotal role in facilitating individuals to construct and express their identities, especially in large societies where people from different cultures interact on a day to day basis (Kratz and Reimer, 1998). Fashion can be looked at as a cultural phenomenon that is based on symbols and meanings that people attach to emerging trends and styles in popular culture. As such, a fashion enables individuals to make statements about themselves and their identities which are expressed in their manner of dressing, their accessories, physical appearances among others. Through fashion, individuals are able to have a sense of personal and social identity in relation to particular styles, ideas and trends of the day. Identity has to do with one’s beliefs, attitudes, behaviors and qualities that make the individual unique and easily recognizable, either as individuals or as members of a particular social group. Identity is therefore a type of social representation of individuals mediating the relationship between the general social world and the individual. One’s identity can be expressed in various ways and f or various reasons including the need to promote one’s beliefs, social status, ideas and religious recognition among others. Creative use of fashion can be a great tool for individuals to express their own identities or those of their groups. How we shape our own identities or how others shape them Personal identity can either be shaped by one’s environment such as culture, media and the entire society in general or it can also be shaped by the individuals themselves. An individual can shape their own identity (Kratz and Reimer, 1998). Identity encompasses various different elements that are used to identify an individual. Such elements include gender, sexuality, culture, family, and religion. All these fragments of identity are very instrumental in contributing to the overall beliefs, appearance, attitudes and qualities that make up one’s personality or identity. The individual can shape some elements of identity while others can only be shaped by the wider society or external forces. An individual can develop their one personality by associating themselves with the things and ideas they like. An individual can therefore change and shape they way they look, in terms of how they dress, their accessories, hairstyles and so forth. On the other hand the wider society also exerts its influence on one’s identity through elements such as the media, various literature, and social institutions. The media is at the forefront in promoting fashion trends, which individuals eventually pick up and use to construct and express their own identities. Social institutions shape one’s character by instilling in them beliefs and traditions that all create one’s identity. Institutions such as religion, family are very instrumental in socializing individuals and helping them create their own identities. The situation is not different today in this postmodern world than it was before. As a matter of fact, the wider society has developed so much that it has a bigger role to play in shaping one’s identity. With technology all around us, the internet and gadgets all over the place, individuals are at a higher risk of being shaped by such external forces that hugely affect how they think, believe and how they perceive everything around them. This in turn translates in to one’s personality. Fashion and how individuals express themselves visually According to Bennett (2005), fashion is one of the means through which people can express themselves and their identities visually. This statement means that fashion is a very important tool of communication in the contemporary world. Individuals use fashion to express themselves, their ideas and their own personal identities. Fashion is all about the meanings and symbols that individuals attach to various accessories, trends. By choosing to associate with particular fashion trends, people often express themselves to the world about what they like, what they feel, what they believe in and the quality of things that they prefers. All these elements when expressed through fashion comprise of the visual expressions of one’s identity. Individuals construct their identity in various ways including through the media, social institutions such as the family, religion and schools; the internet, books, as well as from one’s culture. One can also construct his or her own identity by choosing to associate themselves with the things, trends and groups that they prefer. Reading 1: The meanings of fashion According to Kratz and Reimer (1998), fashion is a cultural phenomena concerned with communication and the various symbols that individuals attach to the various fashion trends. The authors contend that fashion is very different from clothing and that the two should not be confused or interchanged. While bother terms are closely related, they cannot be considered identical. The main difference between the two as identified by Kratz and Reimer is that fashion is a general term concerned with various different things such as accessories, hairstyles among other things, while clothing is concerned with other things such as protection of the environment and human bodies. Fashion is about the self in the sense that it enables individuals to express themselves. Through fashion, one is able to express their identity, their beliefs, likes and other ideas that they would like to be associated with. From this perspective, fashion is all about the self as it is aimed at asserting an individual’s authority with regard to the latest trends, ideas as well as placing the individual in a particular social class. Individuals can express their identity through clothes in various ways. Clothes come in different shapes, sizes, designs, colors and quality. There are also clothes designed for the feminine and masculine genders while others are for bother genders. Some clothes are also associated with certain beliefs, and ideologies depending on their designs and colors. Given this diverse range of meanings associated with clothes, an individual can express their own personal identity by dressing in a manner that effectively communicates their beliefs, gender, ideologies, and preferences in terms of design and color. One can also express their social identity bay wearing clothes that are associated with the social groups that they are associated with. Reading 2 Difference between expressing and constructing culture Expressing identity is different from constructing identity in various respects. Constructing identity refers to developing and shaping one’s beliefs, preferences, attitudes and all other fragments that make up one’s identity. This takes time and is influenced by a lot of different factors. An individual can construct and shape their own personal identity or it can be shaped by other factors in one’s environment such as one’s culture, the media and those around an individual. Expressing identity on the other hand has to do with how an individual communicates their personal identity to others. This can be achieved through diverse ways including through fashion and daily interactions with other people. Summary of Kratz and Reimer According to Kratz and Reimer (1998), identity construction is a social process and is subjective to various factors. People express their identities through fashion in different ways. From one’s clothing or fashion, we are able to determine their beliefs, their likes and their roles in the community. A nurse can easily be notices through her apparel while on duty. She may however express herself differently in other environments outside the work station in order to bring out other elements of her personality. When dealing with fashion, it is important to recognize that fashion trends derive their meanings from cultural conventions. These cultural convections are specific to some cultures and may not be suitable to other people outsized the culture. When one is associating themselves with certain fashion trends, they should first consider the implications of such trends in their own cultures because they may be expressing themselves in a manner that is very different to the intended meaning of the particular fashion trend. References Bennett, A. (2005). Culture and Everyday Life. London: Sage. Kratz, C. and Reimer, B. (1998). Fashion in the Face of Postmodernity. Cambridge: Polity. Press. Read More