Culture is the language which can also be the beliefs, the values, the norms and how people behave. It can also be the material objects which can be characterized by a certain group of people and are also believed to be passed from a generation to the other. Non material has another name which is symbolic culture. This is how a certain group of people thinks and does things. Material culture is believed to be the material objects that distinguish a certain group of people with their artwork, the building, the weapon, the utensils, hairstyles, clothing and even their jewelry (Henslin 3).
My family’s culture is really multicultural, and as a family, we all appreciate most my mother’s culture because we live in India and all my mother’s relatives are here. My mother’s side of the family is originally from India. From her side, we enjoy variety of material items. Some of my favorite food from her culture is “Kaali Daa” or black lentils, which are also known as “Ma Ki Daal” or moms lentils since it is wholesome and very delicious. Everyone enjoys it including my father who is from a different culture. Another food I really enjoy from her culture is butter chicken which tastes great with “Kaali Daal” or black lentils, “Naans” and a green saland.On the other hand my father’s family is originally from Spain. In India some of the jewelry that we wear is Mangalsutra which controls body pressure levels and regularise blood circulation. In India we have artwork like “The Star That Beckons” which was painted by Jehangir Sabarala which blends the sea, sand and the sky.
The non material culture that represents me includes the value of the family, the importance of getting an education, and respect for the environment. On the value of the family there is mother-centric families and kinship. We have joint family which consists of the grandparents, parents and their offspring. We all leave in the same household and also we share the common income, eat the food that is cooked for all members and also share the same religious value and faith (Henslin 12). Male child is more important compare to female child due to the fact that traditionally men are the bread earners while women are the house makers in my culture in India. There is discussion among the family members but the words of the head of the family are final. We also believe in the importance of an education because it is important in today’s society. Everyone has a right to access education it provides many opportunities in many field and also it makes people independent, builds confidence and also self-esteem. Finally, I have always learned that you must respect your environment by conserving it. If you don’t respect the environment you don’t respect humanity. People should not fight because this has an assault on the environment.
Ethnocentrism is when we use someone’s own culture for judging the ways of other individuals or the societies, which leads to a negative evaluation of the values they have, the norms and also the behaviours. Cultural relativism is when we do not judge a certain culture but we try to understand how they believe (Henslin 17). When I think about the fact that my family mainly celebrates my mother’s culture and not my father’s or even if it is suggested we eat something from my dad’s side everyone except my dad doesn’t like the idea. We don’t even want to try eating some of the Spanish food from my dad’s culture. I am going try to be more culturally relative by requesting my dad to give me the recipe of some of his traditional foods and try cooking them. By so doing I will be appreciating my dad’s culture.
The study of culture is important because it helps us empathize with different kind of people. You will get better understanding of how life is for other people and you will acquire skills that will allow you to find solutions for unfamiliar situations. This will also help us appreciate other people’s culture.
Work cited
Hensil, James. Sociology: A Down-to- Earth Approach. New York: Pearson Education, 2011. Print.
