Culture is an essential aspect in human interaction. In fact, lack thereof implies that the entire human population would share common beliefs and ideologies thereby affecting development. As such, it is essential to embrace cultural diversity as it enhances proper coexistence and progress. Culture refers to a cumulative understanding of beliefs, experiences, knowledge, roles and notions in life. In many cases, different communities share cultural beliefs that are passed down their generations. Similarly, interaction of people with different cultures can span the development of a new way of life. Consequently, the development of culture and its diversity is inevitable. According to Understanding cultural diversity in today's complex world, each culture has a unique set of beliefs that are uncommon in other societies (Parvis, 2005). As a result, cultural assortment is existent around the globe since communities have unique beliefs. This paper evaluates the aspects of cultural diversity in the globe and seeks to establish the factors causing them. Additionally, it provides a rationale to the levels of cultural distribution and proposes measures to counter cultural conflicts. For a fact, cultural diversity is essential and there is a need to embrace it in the concurrent society.
What defines culture? Rather, where does the aspect of cultural diversity emerge from? According to Edberg (2013), there is no common right way for human beings to interact among one another. This attribute leads one into the theory of cultural determinism. Parvis (2005) argues that cultural determinism refers to the meanings, beliefs, ideas and values embraced by individuals and this dictates their human nature. For starters, the African culture has wide differences as opposed to the Latin society. Additionally, the eastern culture is incomparable to the west. In fact, this theory is primarily used to describe cultural diversity. For instance, communities in some sections of Africa have almost similar beliefs to other societies within the same location. Similarly, Asians are united with some common cultural aspects. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that there are multiple differences in the beliefs upheld by communities regardless of the overall similarities in the beliefs shared. As such, this spans cultural diversity between communities distributed among continents. Cultural determinism also suggests that human beings possess a flexible character making it possible to interact with people from other communities. This leads to cultural integration. However, lack thereof creates cultural conflicts.
Cultural relativism equally affects cultural beliefs. This term implies that different cultures feel and act differently. According to Edberg (2013), there is no scientific methodology to determine the intrinsic superiority of one community to another. As a result, during interactions between members of different communities, it is imperative for individuals to associate with other people in equality. Precisely, it is irrational to look down upon a culture because they do not share common beliefs. For starters, with regard to diversity created by religion, individuals do not perceive one religion being superior to another. As such, there is an aspect of respect created when people uphold the beliefs of other in high regard. Similarly, behavioral aspects of culture should be upheld in order to exist peacefully. When this beliefs are embraced, rationality is fostered when solving intercultural differences. Diplomacy and negotiations are most efficient when the parties involved embrace the aspect of cultural differences among themselves.
In some cases, communities tend to believe that their philosophies are better as opposed to those upheld by other societies. Cultural ethnocentrism fosters this belief? It refers to an ideology suggesting one’s culture being better than others. This notion is a threat to peaceful coexistence between cultures. In simple terms, it leads to the creation of a perception that other societies have flawed communal beliefs (Shaffer, 2008). It is worth mentioning that this attribute is most common in corporate settings that share conflicting ideologies. In the aim to access larger market and make the most profits, companies are governed by unique cultures. When their ideologies seem to work out successfully, they tend to disregard the provisions set by other companies (Shaffer, 2008). This leads to the development of cultural conflicts. As a result, it is essential to acknowledge cultural differences and equality when interacting with parties that share different ideologies. If this is not done, imminent conflict development would be inevitable. From a conservative’s perspective, it is essential to prevent the development of cultural peace by disregarding cultural ethnocentrism.
Cultural diversity manifests itself in many ways. According to Culture, Diversity and Heritage, multiple communities sharing common cultures base their beliefs on moral values and collective activities (Arizpe, 2014). For instance, the virtues that dictate the way a society should conduct itself is a manifestation of its culture. For starters, African and Latin beliefs may prohibit indulgence in sexual activities between marriages due to some reasons. Conversely, modern communities may not have any cultural provisions that castigate this activity. As such, this is a manifestation of cultural beliefs. Aside from that, pictures, gestures and symbols might be used as a means of embracing culture. For example, the cross is a significant symbol in the Christian culture. It is often represented as a crucifix to signify belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Finally, ethical values and virtues associated with different cultures is form of cultural demonstration. As a result, one is justified to claim that the differences in the manifestations of culture creates cultural diversity.
There are different levels used to represent the existence of cultural diversity. Precisely, there are multiple hierarchies in the distribution of culture. According to Public culture, cultural beliefs may be upheld by a small group of less than ten individuals, a nation comprising millions of people or the entire globe comprised of millions of people (Shaffer, 2008). Regardless of the number of parties involved, it is essential to mention the levels of culture. Primarily, the national level is composed of the members of a particular nation sharing common beliefs. Gender is a wide level of culture and it dictates the responsibilities of each gender with regard to the communities involved. The regional cultural level encompasses people sharing common belief in a particular region. This is arguably the largest classification as it can accommodate a large number of regions sharing a common belief. The social class level is comprised of individual sharing common beliefs in a society. This level encompasses cultural and economic positions. Finally, the corporate level is the lowest classification in the hierarchy and it is mainly encompasses businesses. Integration of these levels in the cultural spectrum yields cultural diversity.
There are multiple consideration taken when determining the levels of cultural diversities within communities. Primarily, the power distance index is employed to measure the degree of inequality that exists between members of different communities. Owing to the fact that culture is comprised of the beliefs one maintains and how they dispense them, establishment of this parameter can be biased and thereby flawed. Aside from that, the uncertainty avoidance index is used to determine the level in which a society feels threatened by the beliefs upheld by another community (Edberg, 2013). This is mainly assessed through the creation of a scenario and observation of the reactions from both members of the society. The individualism index is used to establish the extent in which a community is willing to overlook the welfare of people from other societies in place of their own families and community members. This aspect defines the level of integration between different societies. If communities cannot show concern for people not belonging to their culture, they are a threat to cultural diversity. As such, there is a need to properly associate with other communities to foster peaceful coexistence.
In conclusion, cultural diversity is an essential aspect in the peaceful coexistence. To ascertain human beings living in harmony, it is essential to uphold an appreciation for other people’s beliefs. Lack thereof would lead to the development of individualism and cultural ethnocentrism. As such, respecting cultural manifestation and embracing the will to appreciate the role of other cultures in human existence enhances not only understanding between communities but also long term productivity. The fact that interaction of people from different societies leads to the development of new cultures compels individuals to have an open flexible ideology towards culture. As provisioned by the theory of relativism, there is no superior culture. Consequently, it is imperative for individuals to uphold other people’s values. In case of the development of cultural disparities, there is a need to appreciate the ethical beliefs embraced by both communities so as to device the most appropriate solution. For a fact, cultural diversity is essential and there is a need to embrace it in the concurrent society.
References
Arizpe, L. (2014). Culture, Diversity and Heritage. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Edberg, M. (2013). Essentials of health, culture, and diversity. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Parvis, L. (2005). Understanding cultural diversity in today's complex world. [Morrisville, NC]: Lulu Press.
Shaffer, M. (2008). Public culture. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
