Essays on Western Cultures

One of the main advantages of literature lies in its ability to communicate various cultural experiences and provide greater knowledge and deeper understanding of foreign traditions for the reader. In the Western civilization, Eastern religious traditions and cultures informed by them are perceived with interest, fascination and even fear; while lack of understanding can often impair successful interaction and communication. In addressing the issue of religious values, the authors of two books, Confucius Lives Next Door: What Living in the East Teaches Us about Living in the West and Children of Dust: A Portrait of a Muslim as a ...

[Assignment]

There has been a major push in the past few decades towards diversity in the literary canon, which was for a long while dominated by similar voices with similar origins. This push toward diversity has taken many forms: the integration of more female voices; the inclusion of more writers of color, regardless of their origin; and the inclusion of works of literature from non-Western cultures that have for too long been ignored. This last point has become known by the name multiculturalism, and though there is agreement throughout the academic community that this addition of previously un-acknowledged voices ...

Assimilation refers to the process of adjusting or embracing the culture of a state, group, or nation (Desmond 31). Trump and individuals who think like him believe that Muslims are not able to assimilate in America because of the strict Sharia laws that they uphold as well as the notion that Islam is hostile to Western cultures. Such perspectives are not true because Muslims have been able to integrate successfully in various parts of the world, including Canada and the United States. Such success stories suggest that Muslims can assimilate in Western nations and America. Muslims do not assimilate ...

Japan is often referred to in the field of international relations as the Land of the Rising Sun. With its economy being the third largest in the world, suggesting that this country and its inherent culture plays a significant role in the planet and especially in the region would indeed have some merits. The objective of this paper is to focus on Roland Barthes’ book about Japan as an Empire of Signs and the validity of the points he raised about the country, using other works such as that of Sofia Coppola’s lost in Translation, among others. The ...

The term representation is used to refer to the construction of meaning through various symbols and images (Sisler, 2008). Cultures, races, and religions are represented in different forms of media around the world, but in most scenarios these representations are filled with stereotypes making western cultural ideologies and beliefs as better or ideal compared to other forms of cultural ideologies. The portrayal of Arab- Muslim Americans or Muslims in general, within the media of the United States focuses on the idea of agenda setting and the dominant ideology which frames the perceptions of mainstream America (Gerhauser, 2014). The United ...

Introduction

Human sexuality is a vital part of existence, carrying the reproductive function but also the interaction and the need for intimacy and love. The mere existence of human species is due to sexuality, which is one of the basic needs for living. From the most ancient times, or from the biblical beginning of Adam and Eve, sexuality is entrenched in human behavior as a necessary condition for spreading the human species, but also as a capacity for sharing loving feelings towards another human being. Although the effects of sexuality are visible in the public spheres through relationships and/or children ...

The Musee du Quai Branly in Paris boasts of an excellent and extensive collection of from different cultures, giving valuable insights into them. Those permanent and temporary collections in the great museum are original art, from Africa, South America, and Asia. The collections conserve about 370,000 works of art that display the cultural diversity of non-European civilizations from the Neolithic period till the 20th century. The non-European collections gradually accumulated in private collections because of the colonial expansion and economic development during the 18th century. The national museums were created following the French Revolution, and those ethnographic collections ...

Religion, when mingled with Politics, is probably one of the most dangerously influential factors in some societies, playing a leading role in terms of power, creating stereotypes, controlling behavior and, this way, controlling people. Religion has been a source of power throughout the centuries in Western nations, with Christianity, but while the Cristian Religion has been losing its grip or softened it, Eastern religions like Islam, on the other hand, have not only kept but also reinforced their power, as they have managed to twist Religion to an unprecedented controller of political life. The result is overwhelming: a group ...

Introduction

The history of Islam and Christianity in the context of the western people is based how the West collaborated with the Islamic countries in the Middle East or the conflict that arises between the West and the Western people. During these terrorist attacks, most people and most fingers are often pointed towards the Muslim individuals with a claim that they orchestrate the terrorist attacks on the western land. Such kind of conclusions do not just arise from nowhere but are rather a series of occurrences which cause such kind of utterances from the western people. For instance, when nineteen ...

There has been a growing need to establish an understanding of the cultural divides between western nations and Islam. This has arisen due to the conflicts that seem to be ongoing between these differing perspectives. In looking at the views of two authors, an understanding of the variety of perspectives that are at work in the Muslim world can be achieved. This can help to provide insight into the basic conflicts and why they arise. The work of these two authors, in comparison, help to frame this struggle in perspective. In doing so, a more accurate judgment regarding the ...

Orientalism is criticized by Prashad in the popular New Age Spiritualism where the religious aspects are clearly reflected on how they influence the lives of the Asian community in the U.S. The way in which the new aspects of religion relates with medical and healing practices are elaborated. The Indian religious perspectives on the lives of the individual conflicts with the life conditions in the U.S making the Indian community members in the U.S to face challenges in the daily activities (Vijay 16). The economic forces in relation to Orientalism are discussed by the author criticizing the aspects of ...

Why is the Renaissance considered the Age of Rebirth?

OR, if you are so inclined, watch this video and, combined with the material you read from the text, consider Machiavelli's Prince and tackle one of the following prompts.

1. Consider legality vs. morality as expressed by Machiavelli and any other ideologies present at the time, discuss how it is similar or different than political/legal practice today, and explore any legal issues/themes that strike your interests about it or related works.

2. Consider the impact that Machiavelli's theories and their practice might have and/or did have on the economic climate, explore the economic pros and cons of a ...

- Identify at least two separate examples of native non-Western cultures that have been impacted by globalization. Two separate examples of native non Western cultures that have been impacted by western globalization are the India‘s women participation in politics, which has liberated them through the impact of globalization in their environment; another is the Japanese Indians whose food culture was altered by this process also (Hoxie, 1996). - Describe in detail what the circumstances were within each of these cultures both prior to the transformative event and after it. Prior to the 1990s women in ...

Introduction

In studying the status of world education, it is inevitable to compare the educational systems of countries around the world primarily because by comparison, it helps in the understanding of the relationship and disparities between two contrasting systems. By doing so, one could not help but wonder how most eastern countries lag behind in terms of proficiency and skills. It is a widely accepted notion that there is indeed a huge gap or disparity between the education systems of the western countries as compared to the eastern countries. This huge difference is undeniable reflected in the common assumption that people who ...

The problem is the conflict between feminism and ‘respect for culture’. There are different opinions on how it should be resolved. There is also a “misunderstanding of the nature of cultures” (Saul 291). This problem occurs when Western feminists rise against what they think is abuse of women who live in non-Western countries. Some of these countries do practice rituals that are bad for the health of women, but in other cases there is cultural relativism which means that what is not acceptable in one culture is encouraged in another. The reasons for this are various and there have also ...

Culture refers to how a person thinks and functions represented by eating, dressing, working and interactions behaviors. Culture creates many impacts towards the operation of global businesses (Aswathappa 2010). Eastern and western cultures differ in cultural elements in both social and business environments. The following paper represents a case of the United Kingdom firm that received a complaint from Chinese clients over a bad product that affects customers. Lane Crawford wishes to close the contract with Alexander Mcqueen because of complaints from customers. In order to resolve the issue Alexander Mcqueen had to send a team of experts to China, but unfortunately they barely ...

Introduction

Energy and soft drinks industry targets segments including recreational, lifestyle users, athletes and body builders with sale of energy and performance enhancement drinks. Body builders use the products for the purpose of caloric intake as they are engaged in building up of muscles; a task that requires many calories and nutrients. Athletes include the sports people who also use the products for performance enhancement. On the other hand, lifestyle users are those people who do not use the products for professional exercise or sports purposes, but for recreational purposes. They use the products as beverages or for energy boosts when ...

Part A Rome: Option 2

The nature of the Roman influence can be drawn or inferred from The Agricola Quotation in several ways. The quotation is a depiction of the cultural practices of the Roman people encompassing their food, clothing and economics etcetera. As part of the quotation note “.hence, too, a liking sprang up for our style of dress, and the toga became fashionable.” The influence that the roman culture has had on the other cultures in the world is evident. Grecinger contends that the Roman Empire historically has had cultural influence over the Mediterranean region which has come to be adopted in different parts ...

Talking of globalization, most people tend to think only in the line of economic globalization. They do not relate globalization to culture and language that is the most rampant aspect of globalization in the contemporary world. According to David (2010), globalization has remarkably increased flexibility in the native non-Western cultures across the world. Various non-Western cultures have gone through globalization particularly in Japan. The first native non-Western culture in Japan is that will be looked at is the cultural language (Bachika, 2008). The other globalized native non-Western culture is food culture in Japan. Religion as culture in Japan is ...

- Identify at least two separate examples of native non-Western cultures that have been impacted by globalization. Two separate examples of native non Western cultures that have been impacted by western globalization are one religious practice of Amerindians in West Indies after Columbus discovered the new world and attempts at Christianizing the Indians were made. Another example is the American Indians and their health care practices, which were emerced into American health care system (Hoxie, 1996). - Describe in detail what the circumstances were within each of these cultures both prior to the transformative event and after ...

200 Years of Eastern and Western Medicine and Science

200 Years of Eastern and Western Medicine and Science – Comparison of Developments between 1800-1900 1 Introduction Thesis Statement: The period between 1800-1900 marked the evolution of Eastern and Western science and a significant cultural exchange that laid the foundation of modern day globalized science. The purpose of this paper is to trace the development of science and medicine across two centuries in both the East and the West. The timeframe that has been selected for the study extends across the 19th to the 20th century which is a very ...

Culture defines how an individual in a society experiences and interprets events that happen around him or her. Social situations are some of the events that a member of a society experiences. In a collectivist culture, there is interdependence that allows social situations to be defined in terms of social relations and obligation. On the other hand, an individualistic society tends to strive for self-improvement and fulfillment (Nauert 1). Western cultures are more interested in what an individual can achieve other than what the society can achieve. While most individuals in western cultures may be driven by the need to contribute to ...

“National Geographic as our Sunglasses to the World: A Distorted Look at Reality:” A Critique

Sociologist Tami Miller, in his article “National Geographic as our Sunglasses to the World: A Distorted Look at Reality,” presents a critical review of Catherine Lutz and Jane Collins’ research analysis of the National Geographic magazine. He said that the two authors’ research finding about the world-renown “capitalist” organization has a “hidden racist” perspective. It portrays photographs of foreign, exotic cultures (e.g., ritual behavior, colorful symbolic dress, etc.). Miller even asked why “the National Geographic decides to pick certain photographs over others.” I am ambivalent and do not want to toy with the idea that Miller’s answer to the ...

Introduction

Question 1 In this context Djenne evaluates the diverse issues that do arise as a result of the versatile cultural environment pertaining to the HIV pandemic. In this overview it brings into the limelight the context under which the western cultures do actually influence the various cultural settings of the many diverse cultures in the south of Africa. This comes into the scenery where forces of globalised economies create women chiefly vulnerable. Susser focuses her skills on this underprivileged HIV-afflicted group. She further seeks to elucidate the nexus flanked by the individual and the supporting. The authoritative and the ...

Introduction

Question 1 The bariki people are the barracks where `yan daudu are primarily located. This is the category of people who makes that comprises the `yan daudu who ultimately play with commencement of gender all the way through occupation of a gray area flanked by firm dual of male and female. Throughout an anthropological ethnographic swot up, Gaudio insert himself in the context of the Hausa culture. This leads him into an Inquiry of the ins and outs of the mysterious verbal communication of `yan daudu. This ultimately leads Gaudio rising above the limitations of not only the residence, ...

As the saying goes, the ocean is blue because it reflects off the ocean; the descriptions of Africa are as many as the people who describe it. Many people describe Africa in different ways and to a large extend, they all give something akin the correct description. However, Africa is a great area with different people and cultures, thus it can never be described a single thing. The different people living in Africa claim different origins which justify the reasons why it cannot be described as a single unit. It is claimed that civilization in Africa came during colonization by the Europeans, but ...

According to western definition, civilization is a form of human culture where a lot of people live in urban centers having mastered the skills of metal smelting as well as developed art of writing and reading Spielvogel, 2010. Most of this form of civilization began in the big cities that were more populated and more complex in social, economic and political dimensions Campbell-Dunn, 2008. The ability to conceptualize civilization will help in grasping the western civilization. It is a totality of the history of the people, the expectations of the people and their way of life, their frustrations, and aspirations and desires ...

How many times have you watched a film or a TV show that shows Arabs as terrorists, idiots, or somehow lesser than any other race of man? Hundreds? Thousands? Maybe more. Arabs are typically stereotyped as terrorists, oil-hoarding sheikhs, and American-hating Muslim fanatics, not to mention brute murderers, sleazy rapists, religious fanatics, and abusers of women. Media can be defined as a method of communication that conveys ideas, concepts and events through various literary, visual, or aural means. Western media, in its portrayal of Arabs, has significantly harmed their image in Western society. Approximately 25% of Hollywood’s films portray Arabs as ...

A definition of self-identity: transversal analysis of the philosophical problematic of the self and the quest for self-acceptance and happiness.

If there is a pertinent question to be asked, as many times as a mind gets lost in the world of ambivalent feelings, decisions, choices, vices, uncontrollable passions, deep boredom, despair and fears, as well as excitement, pleasure and joy is this one: «Who am I?». It is not an innocent question and it does not allow an innocent answer, as all possible paths leading to it are rooted in the most important quest any human being can go in search of: the quest for self-acceptance and happiness. It is a long expedition to the roots of any life, involving the past ( ...

Crossroads of the Western and Third World

Egypt is a country that is a culture both ancient and modern, a crossroads of Middle Eastern and Western cultures. Visiting the country brought many unexpected experiences and impressions, ones that will last a lifetime. The transition from the Western world to the Middle East was abrupt, jarring. The flight overseas kept my family in a deceptive cocoon of the First World; the interminable hours of polite service of flight attendants, in-flight movies, endless sky outside, and the drone of engines lulling me into a hazy state of mind unprepared for our abrupt deposit into the dry and dusty terminal of Cairo, Egypt’s International ...

Introduction

Internet has been a medium for western culture and it has also helped the non-Western countries to strengthen and promote their societies both in political and cultural ways. Internet in the Western world has brought both political and cultural differences as stated by Leoussi (2000). As medium for the Western culture, internet has promoted the freedom of association, freedom of speech and civilization in the Western nations. In the Western cultures, internet is one of the new communication technologies that the communities pursue for freedom in information and communication as indicated by Leoussi, (2000). The internet is not only important ...

Introduction

The quotation, “Worldwide, non-Western cultures faced fundamental challenges to their cultural identities "not so much a recentering of culture but a decentering of culture" [ CITATION HMS10 \l 2057 ], means that many of the non-western cultures were influenced by the western cultures and most of them if not all, were faced by the challenge of maintaining their original cultural identities. Western cultures such as the American and European cultures have greatly influenced many Asian and African nations; for instance interaction between different nations through the media, has greatly influenced the way of dressing, dancing, communication and even the language of non-western cultures. ...

Lao Tzu, the author, is the initiator of Taoism. It is difficult to pinpoint a life story of Lao Tzu, which was between 570-490 BC. There are many myths about him. Some think he never existed at all, while historians can identify numerous potential historical characteristics for him. In spite of this, these legends provide the book with an appealing, human face. In the book, Tao Te Ching’, Lao Tzu reflects on the various different school of thought. The western and eastern cultures and approaches to various things including nature have always been different. One of the many striking differences ...