Essentials of Culture Identity - Essay Example

Cultural Identity Paper

Student

School

Introduction

Cultural identity is essential. It allows a person to realize who they are and where they belong. The young minds must be tailored as per their cultures and norms. It encompasses the choice of the religion and selection of the culture based on the level of belonging a person might feel towards a specific group. Cultural background, including nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, geography, and class, helps individuals realize themselves. Culture is a learning process rather than an inherited one. This paper is based on exploring and explaining my cultural identity. I have discussed all parts of the cultures related to identifying myself and my place in society.

Race, Ethnicity, Geography, and National Origin

I am an African American female, 23 years old, born and raised in Austin, Texas. African Americans create the third central ethnic assembly and the second major racial group in the US. I am a suburban. I have lived my whole life in this neighborhood. Numerous generations often lived in a similar home and offspring erudite to admire, care for, respect their elders, exercise moral conduct, and avoid rudeness and backtalk.

Family draws were supported by heavy dependence on parents, offspring, ancestors, and relatives to deliver sensitive, monetary, and mental support to each other in comfortable or firm periods. African American values are as vulnerable to the effects of beliefs, politics, and atmosphere as everybody else's, which implies these families will probably encounter a similar measure of triumphs, thrashings, and difficulties as different gatherings, and the is probably going to remain as stable as anyone might imagine.

My ancestors come from South Africa and then settled in the US. Our ancestors moved to the US for work purposes. The US has more employment rates and good institutes where our family children can study. We shifted for the betterment of our future. There was a struggle when we went because of the race we belong to and the people's negative remarks, but now things have changed, and I have good English friends. I enjoy being a part of this country. I feel like I’m a native citizen of the US.

Intricate ceremonies and rituals are an essential part of African Americans’ ancestral culture. Many African civilizations usually supposed that feelings resided in their nearby nature. From this nature, they treat their atmosphere with watchful care. Integrity and wish exhibits to these "antique ones," the soul of that ancient. Africans are also supposed in mystical possession. Domestic gatherings are meaningful ceremonies that have extensive contributed to the existence, well-being, and stamina of African American families, serving to keep cultural legacy even in indeterminate and turbulent times.

While African American family gatherings can be a discussion for health advancement, I should introduce a noteworthy event that sticks out and teaches my insight into this social occasion: the broiling and eating of a pig. To see how this creature adds to an academic conversation of ceremonies and social customs, one must think about that in my family; the pig is a profoundly worshipped creature, such a social symbol. Ages of people who gladly follow their foundations through the boondocks of Georgia, South Carolina, and Michigan strikingly safeguard the holiness of this creature right up 'til today.

Religion and Spirituality

I am a Christian woman. My household is inclined towards loving Jesus and praising his name. As far as I can remember, I have been going to church every Saturday morning at nine. I learned Christian values and norms while growing up. I was taught to feel fortunate, as my surroundings is blessed with the teachings of Jesus. I have been grateful to God for this opportunity to be closer to him as my whole family's direction is towards His side. Generations have passed down these religious affiliations in my family. My great grandfather was a priest in the African American Church of the neighborhood. This way, the teachings became part of our family’s identity.

In my neighborhood and culture, I have never heard of a religious conflict. There have been few conflicts over religion as I heard from my parents and friends. Religious violence interlinked with hate crimes have been faced by my family earlier in the days. These conflicts were resolved by the higher member of the Church, such as a father. As far as I have observed and practiced, religious practices are part of my heritage. It is mainly because of the high level of affiliation of the family with the religion. However, for me, it is an integral part of my culture. I explored some other religious concepts, such as Islamic values. However, my roots are in Christianity. I have developed a great deal of respect for Islamic teachings. But I believe and follow Christianity.

Gender and Sexuality

I am a straight female. I have known myself and my sexual orientation since I was a teenager. I was never confused about identifying my gender or sexual orientation. In my culture, gender and sexual orientation are not the favorite topics. The differences between gender and sexual orientation are handled poorly. There have been hate crimes committed in my neighborhood due to the difference in sexual orientation. Parents are not welcoming for their children identifying with different gender and sexual orientation. Most people in my community still think of diverse sexual orientation to be an enormous sin.

Sexism is ignored in m culture. The oppressive nature prevailing the female gender in my culture is never addressed. The subjugated people are not descended from unique doctrines. Gender defines the whole lifestyle. A female is supposed to wear specific clothes and is required to perform certain duties in the household. Despite being a working woman, they are expected to cook, clean, and take care of the children. Men are supposed to bring home food and are considered as the sole provider of the family. Gender roles conflictions are mostly handled with discussion. In these conflicts, religion is regarded as the ultimate answer. Marriage is deemed essential to women. It is the same for men, but it is not that strict. It is a beautiful event in one’s life. Child-rearing is one of the obligations of being a woman. Women are responsible for the young ones. Males rarely help out in this department. In my culture, getting married and having children is considered to be a sound stage in life. It is seen as a successful life.

Age and Accessibility

I am 25 years old female. My interaction with my peers has always been enthusiastic and welcoming. I learn and nurture more within the circle of my age. I hang out with them and always appreciate what my fellow does. My cultural heritage standards were always resilient. The potential and rising energy are almost the same in your peer’s company. Sometimes I become a victim of peer influence if I take to do a bit, I will not then do, since I need to feel acknowledged and esteemed by my peers. It is not fair or constantly about undertaking something alongside your willpower. On the other hand, I do not treat youngers very seriously, but I value them for what they say and do. Their opinions do not matter to me because I always seek the advice of my parents or friends. I help them in their school tasks and make them what they want. I treat children with love and respect their children because they watch their elders and grow, copying/follow them. I share my things with them. Read them good morals stories. 

My parents brought me up, give me everything, and led me to where I want to be, and I value them the most. I also live with them and take part in every chore. I may get impolite and ingenious in front of them, but I continuously obey the rules nicely and follow what they have set. My racial standards always presented me to respect elderly/grandparents. I live close enough to my grandparents’ home, and I spend quality time with them. I plan a day out with them on weekends. I lend them a hand unbiased assisting with petite household tasks, and it is a pleasure to my ancestors. If I must take career advice, I always take my parent's or grandparents' advice. I prefer them as my counselors.

My growing and accessibility degree has changed me to some extent as rising, I continuously sensed like a people-pleaser. It counted if individuals liked me. Aging altered my life significances. As I grew up, I understood that persons in my loop did not comprehend me. I was fetching, so I stopped demanding to clarify and later stopped showing concern. I start giving more time to my academics, parents, and elders, and I feel contented with my family. I become more career-oriented and self-confident then I was ever before. I sit with my elders, heed to their lifetime expertise, acquire and nurture with assistance. The dream to reach some level has pierced my soul, and I was so unformed before. Now, I have more sense of accountability, and I give myself additional time and working on my immoral conduct. 

Class and Geography

The socio-economic history of a family is a crucial component. It will help to find out about that where a family is standing. It will provide necessary information about the origin of a family. If the socio-economic status has been changed over the years, it means that the family members have worked hard to change their position. My family falls into the upper-middle-class group. My family is residing in Austin for a long time. And the socio-economic history of my family has not transformed much over the years.

While discussing the socio-economic history, we consider what sort of preferences are adopted by a family over the years. I belong to an upper middle socio-economic status family, so our preferences are somewhat different. We love to hear jazz, especially classical jazz music. The clothing style is different based on the weather condition. But the standard piece of cloth is the hat, which is mostly worn during the various festivals and summer season. Girls of my family usually wear sundresses and short skirts.

Along with the other aspects, one more important feature that is essential while discussing a person's socio-economic history is their political preferences, as it has been observed that your socio-economic status can affect your political preferences. As far it is concerned with my family, we are democratic. Since the very beginning, we have supported the Democratic Party as it is tough for black people to have equal rights in America. And democratic party have always played an essential role in providing equal rights to black people. Therefore, we prefer to support the democratic party. I am a person who is not so much interested in politics, but for the record, I am also a supporter of the Democratic Party.

Personal Relationships

The most significant people in my life have been my parents and grandparents. I am an only child, so I was closer to my elders. I had a lot of friends while growing up. I had a lot of friends from church. Most of them belonged to the same family backgrounds like me. They were upper-middle-class Africa American families. Some of the people belonged to the white ethnic background. I have some friends with Hispanic and White ethnic background. However, these friendships grew when I was in my late teenage years. I used to take ballet lessons; there, I met a multicultural crowd. I had fun with them, but I have heard them say “not so nice” things about my neighborhood.

Racism is prevalent in my neighborhood. Genderism, classism, and heterosexism are ignored. Every other day, one of my friends become a victim of discrimination. We deal with it by talking with each other. We share and ponder upon these issues. Multicultural groups are liked in my circle. My family does not like them as there are chances of having an incident of racism. But I like having multicultural friends and interacting with them. My grandparents taught my parents in traditional ways, and the same was done for me. The most significant incident that affected my family and me is the recent Black Lives Matter incidents. These manifestations affected my family and neighborhood.

Group Membership

The journey for cultural identity is not an easy one. I realized that I was part of different groups one by one. I came to know about the existence of other groups in my late teens. I was aware of all the cultural norms as an African American woman in the western world. My surroundings have shaped my identity as a strong woman, the love of my family's love and teachings have formed me. The effect of religion has been a significant part of my life. These factors contributed to the identification of my cultural identity. I have been the most accepting person in all the scenarios.

Regarding the Black Lives Matter manifestations, I always knew in my heart that this would happen one day. And I also realized that it would not change anything. Only these aspects of my surroundings have never been able to accept regardless of my family's struggles. I may get the reality and keep my head down in the future, but for now, I am conflicted about this issue. Regardless of this, all other aspects of my life have been fitting into place since day one. I have embraced the colorful combination of my identity.

Conclusion

It is hard to reach the roots of one’s culture and identify with them. It is a slow and continuous process. It took me some time to understand my culture. As an African American woman in America, I have been a victim of racism. I have learned a lot of things in my life from my cultural heritage. My family is a traditional Christian family and am a simple straight female. I believe in Jesus and praise him. I have faith in my culture, and I have embraced it fully. Identifying my culture and embracing it has changed my life. It has given me freedom, peace, and self-realization.

While African American family gatherings can be a discussion for health advancement, I should introduce a noteworthy event that sticks out and teaches my insight into this social occasion: the broiling and eating of a pig. To see how this creature adds to an academic conversation of ceremonies and social customs, one must think about that in my family; the pig is a profoundly worshipped creature, such a social symbol. Ages of people who gladly follow their foundations through the boondocks of Georgia, South Carolina, and Michigan strikingly safeguard the holiness of this creature right up 'til today.

Religion and Spirituality

I am a Christian woman. My household is inclined towards loving Jesus and praising his name. As far as I can remember, I have been going to church every Saturday morning at nine. I learned Christian values and norms while growing up. I was taught to feel fortunate, as my surroundings is blessed with the teachings of Jesus. I have been grateful to God for this opportunity to be closer to him as my whole family's direction is towards His side. Generations have passed down these religious affiliations in my family. My great grandfather was a priest in the African American Church of the neighborhood. This way, the teachings became part of our family’s identity.

In my neighborhood and culture, I have never heard of a religious conflict. There have been few conflicts over religion as I heard from my parents and friends. Religious violence interlinked with hate crimes have been faced by my family earlier in the days. These conflicts were resolved by the higher member of the Church, such as a father. As far as I have observed and practiced, religious practices are part of my heritage. It is mainly because of the high level of affiliation of the family with the religion. However, for me, it is an integral part of my culture. I explored some other religious concepts, such as Islamic values. However, my roots are in Christianity. I have developed a great deal of respect for Islamic teachings. But I believe and follow Christianity.

Gender and Sexuality

I am a straight female. I have known myself and my sexual orientation since I was a teenager. I was never confused about identifying my gender or sexual orientation. In my culture, gender and sexual orientation are not the favorite topics. The differences between gender and sexual orientation are handled poorly. There have been hate crimes committed in my neighborhood due to the difference in sexual orientation. Parents are not welcoming for their children identifying with different gender and sexual orientation. Most people in my community still think of diverse sexual orientation to be an enormous sin.

Sexism is ignored in m culture. The oppressive nature prevailing the female gender in my culture is never addressed. The subjugated people are not descended from unique doctrines. Gender defines the whole lifestyle. A female is supposed to wear specific clothes and is required to perform certain duties in the household. Despite being a working woman, they are expected to cook, clean, and take care of the children. Men are supposed to bring home food and are considered as the sole provider of the family. Gender roles conflictions are mostly handled with discussion. In these conflicts, religion is regarded as the ultimate answer. Marriage is deemed essential to women. It is the same for men, but it is not that strict. It is a beautiful event in one’s life. Child-rearing is one of the obligations of being a woman. Women are responsible for the young ones. Males rarely help out in this department. In my culture, getting married and having children is considered to be a sound stage in life. It is seen as a successful life.

Age and Accessibility

I am 25 years old female. My interaction with my peers has always been enthusiastic and welcoming. I learn and nurture more within the circle of my age. I hang out with them and always appreciate what my fellow does. Read More