Chapter 8 & 9

Chapter 8: Cultural Communities 

Communities consist of specific groups of the culture in which members trough different kinds of interpersonal relationships carry out practices in specific social and physical settings. Such groups of people range from broad amorphous communities like nation, gender, race, religion, socioeconomic class, region or generation to more narrowly defined groupings: workplace, a neighborhood, an alumni association, a local political party, one’s family. All cultural practices are grounded in social settings of some kinds that reflect communities that participate in those settings.

The national culture community

The social institutions of the culture define communities and accompanying practices for everyone within the borders of the national culture.

The social institutions of the culture and its systems tend to reflect the dominant cultural communities, the ones that have the most influence.

Community are the members as the general public. We develop interpersonal relationships within the public communities. For example: at the supermarket, the gym, school, family.

Communities and places

Communities are closely connected with places, namely, physical settings but sometimes they’re not essential to the community.

In the same place, for example a school or a hospital, there are many communities. And between those communities different relationships too.

Coexisting communities

There are communities that are associated with social institutions of the culture, and these serve to support the functioning of these institutions.

They may be physically isolated from one another, or exist next to one another but are separated with no interaction between them.

They may have a collaborative relationship or they may be in conflict. 

Communities and relationships

Inside communities people play certain roles and carry out certain practices according to the norms and expectations of that community.

In almost every case, people enact these practices with others through specific interpersonal relationships appropriate to the social setting and community. 

Chapter 9: Cultural Persons 

Identity

Individual members of the culture have their own distinct identities, derived in part from their unique characteristics, experiences, and outlooks and in part from their membership in particular groups and communities.

It is both tacit and explicit. There are aspects of ourselves that we can describe and there are others that we can't express or are out of our awareness.

Cultural marginality

We can identify ourselves as part of the dominant cultural groups or identify ourselves with non-dominant groups or even both. 

There are two essential responses with dominant communities:

1. Encapsulated marginality: are people who allow the dominant groups to ascribe their identity. 

2. Constructive marginality: are people who avowed identities with a relativistic outlook, not dependent on particular groups. 

CHINESE COMMUNITY

Products: there are many products that represent this community, for example:

Tea

Chopsticks 

Handwriting

Proverbs
 

Practices:

Chinese Toilet training

This process involves wearing special pants that are split open in the crotch area.

Given Names

Chinese given names are not just a name favoured by the baby's parents. A Chinese may have many given names throughout his life. One month after birth, an infant is given a “milk name”. Family members, relatives and close friends use this name. The name is usually selected by the family elder or by a friend.

Names for boys reflect the parent’s wishes for his good health, longevity, prosperity, expected talents, virtues, diligence, filial piety, patriotism or intelligence.

Girls are named after exotic flowers, pretty birds, musical instruments or jewels. Girls might also be named for feminine attributes such as beauty, grace, thrift and purity. In some rural families, girls are not given names but are simply referred to as the “oldest girl”, the “second girl”, “third girl” and so on.

Frequently, all the boys in one family would have names that shared the first character or adjective. 

Chinese toilets 

Come in a variety of styles in China. The Chinese people believe that if you sit on the toilet seat, you will come in contact with germs that could make you ill. So they prefer the squat style toilet, where your skin does not come in contact with the toilet whatsoever.

Wedding
The bride will wear a red dress instead of white.

Perspectives:

Chinese people will expect you to...  

• remove your shoes when entering a Chinese home or temple
• greet the eldest person in a Chinese family first, as a sign of respect
• present things to people with both hands, to show that what you’re offering is the fullest extent of yourself
• fill your companion’s tea cup when it’s empty, especially if your companion is older than you
• eat all of the rice in your bowl – some Chinese believe it’s bad luck to leave even a single grain behind
• be punctual. Being on time shows respect for others.

They wouldn't expect you to... 

• write anything in red ink unless you’re correcting an exam. Red ink is used for letters of protest.

• leave your chopsticks upright in your bowl or tap your bowl with them

• point the bottom of your shoes/feet at someone

• shake your feet, lest you shake away all of your luck.

• touch someone’s head (it’s sacred)

Stereotypes

• All chinese are good at math. False
• All "made in China" is falsificate. False

People who break the mold...

"God made me and broke the mold."
Jean-Jacques Rousseau 

Ophra Winfrey broke the mold. She has become one of the most famous, powerful and persuasive people around the world.

Even when she had 2 bad facts against her, she didn't give up and worked really hard to get what she has now.

The fact of being a woman and the fact of being black made her successful a difficult process. But nowadays she is one of the most powerful women around the world.