An Argumentative Essay on Cultural Identity

Culture refers to practices, customs, values, languages and world views that define a social group based on religion, nationality, ethnicity and common interest (Liebkind, Jasinskaja & Solheim, 2004). Cultural identity is beneficial proceeding on ways people identify toward self, and relate to others and the overall wellbeing of a person is contributed by strong cultural identity (Du Gay & Hall, 2011). Having a particular culture gives people a sense of belonging, and adds to them a sense of security. When people migrate from one culture or nation to another, they carry their expressions and knowledge of their culture in them. Settling in a new culture can change cultural identity by encouraging a degree of belonging through biculturalism or assimilation.

My family located two years ago from Saudi Arabia to United States of America and this change in nationality, ethnicity and culture was received with anticipation and hope. Being in a new culture is mostly influenced by migration. Separating from one culture especially family leads to grief and loss, and the transition is painful. I realised that most American men get exasperated when Muslim ladies refuse to shake their hands. According to González, 2004, while learning a new culture, it is difficult to adjust to the new education system. I took time before adapting to the US analytical educational system from the Saudi memorizing system.

Language barriers has a great impact especially when in the culture you are living you use the native language, there is a sense of being out of place. My first language is not English but Arabic making the new environment lack the homely feel. This created a heightened intergeneration conflict arising from a clash of customs and values. Saudi culture is bonded by Islamic instructions and reserved which was different when I arrived in America where their culture is based on freedom and development.

  Being in a new culture has been a learning platform having both advantages and disadvantages. The new culture was my baseline of learning English as the language of interaction and learning. Learning a secondary language is advantageous in the interconnected world and it is an opportunity to think differently. I made many friends and with time I started doing things as their culture demands like their monochromic way of doing things which was different from my polychromic society of doing things. It helped in sharing the people way of life linking me with the identified culture.

 Education was another learned attribute in the new culture where I was exposed to a different system of education. Experiencing a new culture shapes personality by teaching individuals to trust their guts, surviving during periods of unfamiliarity and loneliness thus leading to development of a thicker skin. Learning a new culture is tremendously a liberating and exciting experience, I got to see things which I would have never seen. It teaches a reasonable lesson, that the world is a small place and despite the cultural differences we are all interconnected.

In Saudi, family comes  first, children live with their families until they are ready for marriage, they later take care of their parents when they grow old and they also depend financially from their parents until they get a job or finish school. This was different from US where family come second, children leaves home at early age maybe 18 and become independent, parent supports themselves at old ages as their children are busy. Many of my schoolmates were supporting themselves financially from part-time jobs and would even pay for their school fees. This was different on my side as I was still getting financial assistance from my parents. With time I adapted to the new environment, got a job and earned money reducing the overreliance from parents.

Some factors shaped my identity as a child, the main one was the religion of Islam which I was exposed to from an early age. Everyone has to be a Muslim and after birth, the first thing for the new-born to hear is Athan (call for pray) which is the transition of making the child a Muslim. My parents played the biggest role in teaching me how to fast, pray and other Islamic worship. Sharia and Islam laws were taught to me and acted as venues for establishing my identity. Personal appearance in my home country is very important and I received training on how to gloom. Family is an important aspect of the culture and children are trained early to have trust on their parents. Living in solitude is not the Saudi’s motto, but living in extended families is.

Some factors have contributed to my identity as an adult. Educational system in Saudi is more of memorizing; we are taught Arabic, English and other subjects which are not practical. I have adapted the culture of questioning professors, lectures and senior which as a child I learnt that it was immoral. The exposure to America has helped me to distinguish between personal and work relationships through adaptation of individualist culture. Education system was an avenue to open my mind through living a life full of facts. Family system remains important to me but I have learnt how to set higher ambition.

I learnt some behaviour in response to the new surrounding stimuli and through receiving positive or negative reinforcement. This change of anticipated life course like making new friends was a way i acquired a new behaviours and identity. Development of identity is seen to be influenced by class, gender, ethnicity, race and sexual orientation (William, 2007). These factors position people in the way they relate to each other and in the society which rewards it. Achievement of successful identity is developed by accepting traditional values and norms and expressing them through a contemporary manner.

In conclusion, it is important to have a cultural identity as it is a form of preserving history and provides individual with a place where they belong. Individuals with a strong cultural identity are likely to feel a sense of belonging and security and they show positive outcome in health and education. They tend to have social network where they depend on for support and feel a sense of trust with the people within the networks. Cultural identity can change over time due to many people identifying culturally with many subcultures. It is then important to acknowledge cultural identity breadth in order to move beyond racism and bring reconciliation between cultural groups.

References

Du Gay, P. & Hall, S. (2011). Questions of cultural identity. Los Angeles, Calif.: Sage.

González, V. (2004). Second language learning. Lanham, Md.: University Press of America.

Liebkind, K., Jasinskaja-Lahti, I., & Solheim, E. (2004). Cultural identity, perceived discrimination, and parental support as determinants of immigrants’ school adjustments: Vietnamese youth in Finland. Journal of Adolescent Research, 19(6), 635-656.

Williams, M. (2011). Cultural identity, language identity, gender identity. English Academy Review, 28(1), 1-4. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10131752.2011.573998