Everyone has a culture, Part 2

In part 1 we discussed the fact that many Americans don’t believe that culture is relevant. Why does this matter? As interculturalists we believe that culture influences just about every aspect of our lives. If one is part of the majority, culture may be taken for granted and just seen as the way things are for everyone. Those who are not in the majority frequently negotiating between their cultural backgrounds and that of the dominant cultural. This post will outline three approaches to working with individuals who believe they are "cultureless".

For many third generation Americans, the concept of culture is somewhat foreign. Their grandparents may have married people of different cultures so what they perceive as culture has become irrelevant. So how do you discuss culture with individuals who perceive themselves as not having one? I take three approaches to this phenomenon: 1) Gardenswartz and Rowe's four layers activity. 2) Cultural icebreaker. 3) Try to connect people by showing commonalities, but not ignoring differences.

Gardenswartz and Rowe's four layers of diversity highlights personality, internal, external, and organizational layers of culture. Personality is how we interact in the world. The internal layer includes characteristics that we usually don't change such as gender or race. The external layer consists of characteristics that could be changed such as geographic location. By helping individuals decide what elements of diversity are dominant in their lives, they are defining aspects of culture that are important to them. So my intern included religion as one of the dominant elements of diversity in her life (refer to part 1 of this article). It is imperative that this exercise take place prior to introducing cultural norms and values. I like to have at least two hours for the four layers.

The cultural ice breaker includes a list of questions regarding how one engages in cultural activities. It is a checklist that is based upon culture general norms and values, but it doesn't ask questions about culture directly. It is a way of telling them, "Hey, you practice culture everyday. You just don't think about it." One question includes, Can you think of an annual family tradition from your childhood or one you practice with your family today? Answers range from everyone gathering for Christmas to tailgating at the Iron Bowl. No one said it had to be an ancient tradition passed down from one's ancestors, just a tradition. The ice breaker can be completed within an hour. It is part of a shorter workshop or may just be a standalone activity. For one group that I belonged to, we started each of our meetings with one of the questions.

I am definitely a believer in cultural awareness months, but I think it is important to show intersections of culture as well. If introducing a cultural concept, I may have a theme such as the harvest. I might ask students, what activities or traditions are practiced in the fall? Not only would I include Kwanzaa and Thanksgiving, I would seek information about a number of local observances. The Alabama Bureau of Tourism is ripe for information. Birmingham is a young city in comparison to most cities in Alabama so I usually have to go to some of the smaller cities to really get a southern culture discussion going. We may discuss the National Peanut Festival in Dothan or other fall festivals. The same can be done for each of the four seasons. There are gazillion annual observances across the state. As students research the origins of these festivals and practices surrounding them, we could start to help them identify their cultural roots. See the UA Crossroads Community Center’s newsletter Intersections.

Please share some of your family traditions.