The world as it is today is defined by culture. Different countries have varied cultures that define them which can also be used to symbolize their identity. People embrace their culture which is passed down from generation to generation as a means of preservation to prevent culture extinction. Culture includes art, knowledge, ethics, credence, law, practices and any other abilities and traditions acquired by human beings as society members. Culture can also be said to be a people’s way of life. This paper will, therefore, address issues related to art and world cultures.
The community is defined by its ability to preserve its culture and promote historical changes through inventing more aspects of culture in current times. This helps to promote innovation and advancement. Communities in society each has stories to tell. These stories may be collected and preserved as well as used in celebrations. These stories are important in planning for historical changes through inspiring and preserving community identity as well as celebrating community culture. Social, cultural and artistic contributions have also contributed to historical changes through the use of venues like parks and public streetscapes to conduct art as well as cultural expressions hence making them an everyday experience. These three have also promoted historical changes through settling disputes among rivaling communities and urging communities to appreciate each other’s culture as well as making efforts to preserve and enrich culture with current changes (Jackson and Herranz, 2002).
Fourthly, they have enabled communities to build themselves and establish identities for different places through efforts to preserve and develop cultural heritage. Next, they have resulted in creation of diverse venues for cultural activities as well as arts which have led to communal unity, interactions, and historical advancement. Lastly, they have resulted in the development of community-based organizations whose aim is to foster culture and heritage as well as place.
Situating a society’s cultural and artistic expressions within a historical context is important. First, it guides the people in understanding the society’s nature through its cultural practices as well as artistry. Secondly, it is necessary for the avoidance of misinterpretation or mischaracterization of underlying intentions of the cultural and artistic expressions. Thirdly, their incorporation is viewed as a symbol of loyalty or patriotism hence giving society members a sense of belonging. Next, community’s cultural and artistic expressions help to evoke indigenous cultural practices, arts, and traditions practiced by ancestors. Society’s cultural and artistic expressions are necessary for tracing a community’s origin as well as studying the culture of its people. Lastly, it helps to unite members of society through commonality in cultural and artistic expressions.
Intellectual, religious, political and socio-economic forces have an influence on social, cultural and artistic expressions. In the words of Nelson Mandela, “social transformation cannot be separated from spiritual transformation” (Heuser, 2005). With advancement in people’s intellectual capacity, people develop improved ways of communicating, conducting cultural practices as well as artistic expressions through the use of technology as well as protecting cultural, social and artistic expressions. Development of new forms of religion has resulted in society members giving up on their indigenous modes of worship and adopted these new religions which have a code of conduct that members have to abide by hence limiting some social, cultural and artistic expressions considered to be against religion. Religion also led to the use of music and drama in worship.
Socio-economic factors have influenced people’s living standards and occupations hence resulting in the emergence of new professions in society with new culture and forms of art that were originally non-existent. Politics have an influence on social, cultural and artistic expressions. They determine the leadership systems in society as well as the relationship between leaders and community members. Politics influences cultural expressions through the leadership systems as well as society’s view of politics. It has also resulted in the emergence of new forms of art that have been used to portray society’s politics.
There have been significant historical developments in world cultures from the Renaissance to contemporary periods. It symbolized advancement in artistic expressions. First, the principle of realism in both art and literature influenced the way people viewed the world. Secondly, progress from religious nature to literary styles, connotation and the idea of politics through allowing people to appreciate tales. Thirdly, the use of paintings to demonstrate realism for example Mona Lisa, the work of Leonardo Da Vinci showing the influence of empiricism. Next is the advancement in a scientific revolution. In contemporary period science rules both cultural and society matters with an outlined distinction between religion and philosophy. The contemporary period is also associated with developments in information technology, terrorism, and warfare and socio-technological trends (Starn, 2007).
All aspects of our lives today are influenced by technology and information resources. Technology has affected world cultures through media globalization which is believed to be influencing a wide range of people. This can be done through availing information immediately to people through cell phones and the internet. As a result, it has enhanced peace through uniting people across national boundaries. Technology has promoted the sharing of ideas and information worldwide leading to innovations and advancement in world cultures. Technology has resulted in the decline in the building of relationships among humans. People prefer communicating via technology other than meeting in person (Gitelman, 2008). Information also enables people to understand and comprehend similarities in world cultures as well as distinctive features.
World cultures may refer to the different cultures in various parts of the world. World cultures may vary depending on geographical region or society, but there are a few aspects that are common across all the world cultures. These include issues related to some forms of human deeds such as language, social practices such as marriage and communicative forms such as technology, art, and religion (Macionis et al., 2010). World culture helps in promoting peace and unity among world societies. The development of world cultures has been facilitated by new technology such as electronic media, transport and internet and is affected by forces that resist cultural changes and those that advocate for changes.
In summary, the culture forms the basis of society. Without culture, society is bound to become extinct. Communities should, therefore, strive to preserve their cultures and interact with one another to create historical changes. As much as technology is important in world cultures, it should not be used to separate and isolate people rather it should be used to promote the development and preservation of world cultures.
References
Gitelman, L. (2008). New Media Users. In Always Already New: Media, History and the Data of Culture. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. pp. 59-86, 167-171.
Jackson, Maria, R. and Herranz, Joaquin. (2002). Culture counts in communities: A framework for measurement, culture creativity and community program. Washington, D. C.: Urban Institute.
Heuser, Andreas. (2005). Memory Tales: Representations of Shembe in the Cultural Discourse of African Renaissance in Journal of religion in Africa. 35 (3). Brill. pp. 362-387.
Macionis, Gerber, John, Linda. (2010). Sociology, 7th Ed. Toronto, Ontario: Pearson Canada Inc. p 53
Starn, Randolph. (2007). “A Postmodern Renaissance?” Renaissance Quarterly. 60(1): pp. 1-24
