Looking for culture? Check under your bed.
I'm sleeping peacefully, dreaming about the wonders of literary analysis, until my rest is rudely awakened by the howls of a Dyson vacuum accompanied by the high hitting notes of Umm Kulthum ("The original diva of Egypt" - My brother). My mother, Umm, and the vacuum all make their entrance into my room, where I am yelled at to get out of my warm and comfortable cocoon and down to the kitchen, because dad made ful for breakfast. For me, that is where I find my own culture: in the disarray of the supposedly peaceful early hours of the morning.
In general, culture is found wherever you may peek into. It can be found in the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the way you speak or present yourself. Culture appears in our lives like this because our ancestors planted those seeds which manifested over years of growth and division of life, and were passed down to each person.
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| ur arab mom coming to wake u up at 8am on a saturday moodboard |
In general, culture is found wherever you may peek into. It can be found in the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the way you speak or present yourself. Culture appears in our lives like this because our ancestors planted those seeds which manifested over years of growth and division of life, and were passed down to each person.
Some people may not feel they have a culture to strongly identify with or relate to. I see this a lot in my own life, fellow friends who are children of immigrants have been raised into assimilation of American life that they can't speak the same language as their parents, or don't understand the moral values their family pushes onto them. In more gruesome cases, people like the Dead family in The Song of Solomon may find their supposed culture lost on them because of slavery. While this book is fiction, it is realistic fiction, and many 21st century African American people relate to this experience of having their identity and culture completely lost on them because of the roots of their family history being strewn around throughout American history.
Spiting slavery, new culture was born from the loss of the old. Black Americans had to reform their communities in order for those who had survived slavery to be able function in society. Culture doesn't just arise from whatever ethnicity you may be, but it also derives from environment and circumstances. While they are important aspects, culture isn't just about things that are easy to enjoy like food and music. It is the binding force of a community, and can be found in essentially any corner of life.
I really loved your anecdote with all the small details of your morning! It was such an interesting way to describe your culture in a different way from the typical faces of each culture. It was also really well connected to the discussion of the Dead's culture and how it reflects the situations of many Black Americans.
ReplyDeleteok wow, this whole post was just so amazing. Definitely one of my favorite blog posts I've ever read. I can definitely relate to what you said about seeing friends with all different types of cultural identification. I loved what you said about how culture is deeper than just food or music, it's the community. My Chinese grandparents visited this week and although we share the same food, music, and language I still realize a difference in culture - there community is so different than the community in America. Over the years, I feel as if each generation has redefined their culture for their own, shaping it into something uniquely theirs and modern. And yet, I am amazed as to how the basic cultural values and roots are still, somehow passed down from generation to generation.
ReplyDeleteLuna I loved what you said about culture being all around us because it can develop from circumstances and environments. No one really talks about assimilation and how culture virtually had to come out of nowhere. I can't imagine how hard that must've been for immigrants and generations impacted by slavery that didn't know where they came from. I think that is why people's culture and where they come from needs to be important to them. Generations came before them and created that huge part of their identity, and that is something to be proud of.
ReplyDeleteI really like your take on culture! I also agree that many races and communities have lost their original culture, may it be from immigration, assimilation, or slavery. Yet, humans have this amazing ability to create family wherever they go, and these families create communities, and these communities create culture. It doesn't really matter if it was your original culture or not, it's your current culture and surroundings that shape you.
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