Aboriginal Drinking Problems to the Cultural Construction - Assignment Example

Cultural construction is something that has been widely explored in past few years because of the way it affects daily life for many thousands of people. Cultural construction is making referrals to the way that people group or are grouped by others into a social unit which is based on things like race, skin color, heritage, religion or many other things. In this essay the different cultural constructions for aboriginal Australians will be explored by using theoretical concepts related to culture construction by using some existing letters about this group. By using this group of people as example, culture and its construction can be explored to see how it is socially and politically structured, especially by using articles written by both indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. Cultural Constructions The most obvious things about human social interactions is that people like to socialize with people they have things in common with. For example, international students may enjoy talking to other international students because they have culture in common or the same visa issues. People who like some music will talk to people who like the same kind of music. This has led to some groups using fashion and other things to advertize their hobbies and interest as this may be a way to signal to others that they are open for conversation with people who enjoy the same. This social grouping can lead to cultural identity because it can be a reflection of a culture or sub-culture that others may find difficult to enter (Haviland, 1999). The same applies to people like the aboriginal Australians who share a similar ancestry and may share similar social structures and therefore may group themselves or be grouped together. It could be thought that because aboriginal Australians are a race and that they are often part of the same cultural group that race is the most important part of cultural construction. This is not true because racial construction is based on social construction more than biology. In the United Kingdom or the United States, for example, the aboriginal Australian would be treated differently than they are in Australia and placed into a different cultural construction (Anon, 2010). This would lead to them being expected to act, dress and eat differently than the Australians believe that they should act. The indigenous Australian may even begin to take up some of these expectations as they are forced into another cultural construction and may begin to identify more with this new group as these become the norm. One of the main things that is important in cultural construction is whether the people themselves think that they are part of this group. This is called self-identification (Haviland, 1999). If no-one thought they were aboriginal Australian then there would be no group. However because of the shared history and traditions many believe that they should be treated differently. For example there have been many examples in the news about Aborigines in healthcare (for example Kappelle 2008). This is because some members of this cultural construction feel that they need different medical care. This might be involving traditional medicine. Or maybe just for a common background. Either way it is making headlines across Australia and therefore it is an interesting topic. However it is undeniable that this is a cultural construction because realistically there should be no difference between the ability of doctors from different social groups. Another interesting part of cultural construction is related to how these things affect lives. For example aboriginal Australians drink and smoke more than the non-indigenous groups (Lunn, 2009). Why is this? Well it may be that they have more biological need for addiction. This is unlikely, it is probably to do with cultural construction. If a group of your friends is smoking and drinking it is more likely that you will do the same, even if you know it can damage health (Haviland, 1999). If the people you are friends with are mostly indigenous Australians then the whole group will use the same behaviors. This will happen whether you are put into this social group by others or if you choose to identify with the group. Smoking and drinking may now have become part of this culture. This means that those who do not partake in the behaviors may find it more difficult to join the social group and therefore be persuaded to do them so that they fit in. This is perhaps the most important part of cultural construction; the cultural things that these people put upon themselves despite the dangers. It could be seen as similar to initiation rituals that some people go through to be members of an exclusive club, although obviously smoking and drinking is not necessary to be part of the aboriginal Australian social group. Another theoretical concept of cultural construction is political theory. This means that those who identify as a particular group may have different views on politics and also be differently treated in politics. One of the most famous political grouping is that between old and young: Not to be a socialist at twenty is proof of want of heart; to be one at thirty is proof of want of head (Churchill, 2006). This suggests that there is a strong political divide between the two ages that is part of the cultural construction of the group. These two groups will then be targeted differently by the two political groups. The same can be said of indigenous Australians. These people have different requirements of the political system that come from the cultural construction of the group. For example they may have different views on land ownership because of the heritage of the group although this is not necessarily true but this means they are more likely to identify with one political group over another (Anon, 2010). They are also differently treated by politicians trying to get their vote and these politicians may group them together and give them a cultural identity as a group to try and win the vote. Cultural Constructions, Health and Law As evidenced from above there are a lot of different parts of cultural construction that lead to people feeling part of one culture more than of another. It is most interesting to see how cultural constructions play a part in the real world. The articles above show how the aboriginal Australians are represented in the media, both by those who identify with that social group and those who are from a different social group it is easy to see that there are differences. However if there are differences in this field then there may be differences in others which could negatively impact the way social groups are treated and how they act and this could be bad. For example from above it is obvious that indigenous Australians feel they are treated differently in healthcare and that they need separate types of healthcare to get rid of this imbalance (Smallwood, 2011) and that people from other social groups agree (Elks, 2011, Kappelle, 2009) or at least feel they can report on it this way. This imbalance is only based on a cultural construction not on any real difference between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. If a cultural construction can have an impact on the health of an individual it is worth looking at how these come about and how issues can be addressed without removing the identity of the person as this may be important to them. It is also interesting that they are seen differently by the law for example more aborigines are arrested than white Australians (Lunn, 2009).This could be part of the social construct that indigenous Australians put on themselves as part of a kind of initiation ritual as mentioned above or it could be the attitudes of others that are making them more likely to get arrested either way it is part of cultural construction and cultural assumptions about this social group. Cultural Assumptions The essay above makes some cultural assumptions. These are that cultures are all constructed based on the same things and that these things can be applied to indigenous Australians, that indigenous Australians identify as a cultural group (evidence can be found for this [Castellano et al, 2001]) and that indigenous cultures are somehow different from non-indigenous cultures. It may impact on personal and professional relationships as there may be an assumption that indigenous Australians enjoy their cultural construction just because of their participation in it which may be incorrect. Conclusion In conclusion, there are a lot of different cultural construction techniques that can be evaluated in response to this. It is interesting that there are so many different examples of this within the indigenous Australian group and that can be uesd to help work out these different cultural constructions. By using this group as a guide, the above explored exactly how culture and social groups are constructed based on existing groups, race, religion and beliefs and how this works in the real world. The first part of this assignment explored the elements of cultural construction and this second part evaluates and analyzes them to give them more meaning, for example by linking real aboriginal drinking problems to the cultural construction behind this problem which is very interesting and useful. Works Cited Adoni. (2006). Cigarette packets to carry health warnings. `New Straits Times`. Retrieved from http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HEo1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=3X0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1087,5778192&dq=warning&hl=en Anon. (2010). Race hate horror as Thornbury community’s mural is attacked. National Indigenous Times. Castellano, M. B., Davis, L., & Lahache, L. (2001). Aboriginal education: fulfilling the promise. UBC Press. Churchill, W. (2006). Quotes by Churchill Winston. Quotations Book. Elks, S. (2011, September 13). “No one to calm” Aboriginal man. The Australian. Australia. Haviland, W. A. (1999). Cultural Anthropology 9th Edition. Harcourt Brace College Publishers. Kappelle, L. (2008, July 9). Unhealthy Aborigines must help themselves, says Nicola Roxon. Adelaide Now... Adelaide, Australia. Linnekin, J. (1992). On the Theory and Politics of Cultural Construction in the Pacific. Oceania, 62(4), 249-263. Lunn, S. (2009, June 26). Poverty, booze and jail. The Australian. Australia. Smallwood, G. (2011, September 16). Vaggs family calls for Indigenous workers. Koori Mail. Australia. Read More