How do we cope with cultural dilemmas in an increasingly
globalized world?
What is culture?
Culture is religion, traditions and norms, habits, values, moral, diversity, identity, history, rules/laws to name a few.
The evolutionary concept of culture
Culture is religion, traditions and norms, habits, values, moral, diversity, identity, history, rules/laws to name a few.
The evolutionary concept of culture
- Some cultures are better and more right than others
- Some cultures rank higher than others on a developing ladder
The relativistic concept of culture
- all cultures are equal
- culture as homogenic islands
- cultural relativism is the principle that an individual human believed and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individual's own culture.
Problems
Problems with the evolutionary and the relativistic concept of culture are
Problems with the evolutionary and the relativistic concept of culture are
- Individual differences are ignored.
- The local contexts is ignored
The complex concept of culture
- Culture is not something that you have
- Culture is created among people when they interact
- Culture is the tacit knowledge the meanings and the values that we share - but we don't know it beforehand
- Everyone in a culture does now share the same values
- There are always differences within a culture - there can be certain dominating logics, but not everyone agree about logic
Questions for reflections in this challenge
1: why is it important to be aware of and have knowledge about the concept of culture when working as a social worker or teacher?
For me as a coming teacher I feel it's important to know who I work with and connect with. If I understand their culture or at least try to understand it, I believe it will be easier to establish mutual respect and understanding in the teaching process.
2: What challenges do you see in the concept of culture?
When it comes to culture there will always be different concepts and conflicts. We are all born different, and my values and concepts of culture will in many ways be different from other persons, especially when it comes to people from other countries and not to forget people from other continents. So I see respect and understanding as the biggest problems in our acceptance of different cultures.
3: is the concept useful when we talk about human differences?
Culture is very useful when it comes to understand the human differences. I believe that you in some way have to understand another person’s culture before you can judge and really know the person. And if you can't respect the culture the person comes from, you will probably find it difficult to understand the person you have met.
4: how is the concept used within your profession?
I believe the concept of culture is important in order to be a teacher in DK, because the country is more and more becoming an intercultural place to live, due to the fact that we are a small country.
We have in the past years experienced a lot of immigrants and fugitives from other countries. These children are placed in ordinary schools and it's our job as a teacher to make sure they are educated, but I find it important as well not to change their culture and origin.
