When I think in the word “Identity” immediately come to my mind the customs that we have as country, but also in a minor scale as citizens (without to play down the importance of it ) and finally as an individual. However, the identity is not just what we share (the sameness), also are our differences. So I think, we have a constant inward struggle: the struggle to fit in a group where it share common likes (hobbies, music, qualities, etc) and the struggle to be recognized as individual, better, as unique person for something that makes you different from the others.
But this Identity can't be dissociated of our Culture, because is in the culture where we take an identity. For instance, in the Colombian culture we have Vallenato, Salsa, Rock etc. this music belong to our culture, but we can choose which identify us. The problem comes when we don’t accept the customs of other people or what is worst when we criticize some aspects of a different culture, it’s better to take the positives aspects to apply them in the our.
I think it is interesting your point of view, however - I think - "negative" aspect of others are also very important to create our identity. I mean, we are the result of our experiences, both "positive" or "negative" make us who we are or how we act, so criticized or say something about someone or something is also a process of recognized ("self-recognition") the difference... of been unique. I'm not saying that we must be xenophobic, never!... but I say it is also important to be able to critic... don't be afraid to express what you think.
ReplyDeleteIf we are talking about xenophopia, I think we have to know the meaning in order to understand what is that. According to the Oxford Standard English Dictionary (OED) xenophobia consists of two parts, xeno ( a combining form meaning "guest, stranger, foreigner") and phobia ("fear, horror or aversion, specially if morbid") This definition can be also related to some aversion to anyone outside of a culture, not necessarily one particular race or people. So my question is, can we criticize some aspects of other cultures differents to our culture without be xenophobic? We have the right to say something about others just because they are different to us? Yes I agree we must be critical, but taking into account that we have to respect each culture and the customs of other people (but be careful I am talking about customs inside all things considered as a culture, not behaviors that show a mental disorder or something like that). In this case I prefer be able to develop a critical consciounness, a concept created by Paulo Freire in his books ( Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Education for Critical Consciounness) as the ability to perceive social, political and economic oppression and to take action against the oppressive elements of society, as transformers of our world...why not?
ReplyDeleteok. It's a nice comment Sky. It is really important to know the meaning of a term or a word, but more interesting is to be able to use it without fear... Culture, identity, customs... are very popular issues, nowadays, and I think, it is really difficult to define them, but hey! we are - ourselves - the definition of those.
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