Week 2: Defining Culture

Week 2: Defining Culture

The main question this week is- Can you define culture? 
Answer- It depends.

In Morgan's Teaching culture: Perspectives in practice, he defines culture as the center of five different dimensions: products, practices, communities, persons, and perspectives. We are very quick to use the word 'culture' but yet cannot define it specifically. The use of the five dimensions allow us to break down culture and give specifics while being general and open....okay, that doesn't make sense but it does, trust me. He further explains how people perceive culture differently and there are things still left unseen. He explains this by using an iceberg metaphor. I personally love metaphors and agreed with this idea-superficial characteristics aren't the only factors that define who someone or something is or identify them with a culture. 

After reading and thinking about this I have concluded that culture is something you cannot describe in pictures or through words but it must be lived. There are no 'uncultured' people- everyone has been influenced by their surroundings, we just have to remind ourselves to step back and recognize it. In my life, my culture is very apparent- I grew up in a Mexican culture with an American backdrop. When I lived in Spain for 6 months my culture was further influenced by what I have encountered. I think that our personal 'culture' is always changing and evolving according to our experiences- the persons in our lives, our communities, and our perspectives are ever changing. 

My original definition of culture was : The language, customs, traditions, and values of a group of people or groups of people within one demographic or geographical area. This was a nice first attempt at defining culture but after reading these chapters I have realized that culture is more complex than I had imagined.