I started writing here about my life as a single mother and some difficulties that I faced throughout my life because of that. This subject will keep existing here, it is a very strong part of my life.
But my life was also strongly influenced by contact with other cultures and that since my early teenage years. This awakened me along the time to the interculturality/cultural diversity that each one brings in, conscious or not. But how to understand what is intercultural without understanding exactly what culture is?
In today's globalized and highly connected world, it is common to find people from different countries living and/or working in the same environment, and understanding cultural differences is fundamental for harmonious living. But a different culture is not just that of another country: your neighbor from has different habits and customs from yours, even being the same nationality as you.
There are several academic definitions of culture. Some are simpler, others indicate contexts of regional/national identity or belonging to particular groups. But the best thing for laypeople to understand and to apply in life is, "Culture is the way we do things around here".
And the way things are done in each place is determined by the set of beliefs and values of the people there. What is important there in that group or region may not be for you, which doesn't mean the people in this group are wrong because they act differently from you. Understanding why people behave the way they do is not that simple, it requires understanding contexts that are often beyond one's ability. It is not necessary to agree with the other, but it is essential to respect the person's way of being and acting.
The meeting of cultures can be very enriching when the parties recognize and respect their differences. And when they interact to the point where, for example, they adopt a different custom for themselves, we have already entered the field of interculturality, of interaction between cultures.
How many cultures can you identify around you? Which are? How do you identify them? Food? Way of speaking? Habits? Traditions? Comment, and collaborate to expand our conversations about culture, which are just beginning with this post.
#gointercultural
#whatisculture
#culture
#cultureandglobalization
#nationalculture
#regionalculture
#interculturalcompetence
#culturaldimensions
#hofstede
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