Readings for Week 2; Culture: Concepts and Definitions

After really analyzing the information that was presented in the readings, I was able to reflect personally on my experiences as a language learner and the culture I was surrounded by during my studies in Spain.  Of course being immersed in their language was helpful but I still felt like I was missing a key element until classes started and I was able to take courses to give me a better understanding of their lifestyles.  Two classes in particular were the most beneficial to me, one of which was history of Spanish culture and the other was an oral production class.  The first one helped me immensely in terms of understanding the Spanish pride and way of life and gave me a better look at why some traditions were important.  I would love to bring this type of learning environment to my classroom but it is difficult to define where the English language originated and what location to base my information on since English is spoken worldwide.  The second class I was enrolled was excellent for me because it served as almost a survival guide with current information about pop culture, slang terms and even common expressions and attitudes.  Although having a good knowledge of the language itself, this class was probably the most helpful because in all my years of Spanish classes there was still much material that I had never been exposed to.

A solid combination of culture and language is the perfect way to get a better understanding about a group of people as long as the idea that every person is an individual and perfectly unique in their own way is stressed strongly.  Without this point being made clear, stereotypes are often made and applied to the masses.  It was interesting reading Hannerz’s point of view because it made me realize how many negative aspects have come from this broad understanding of culture.  His comments about ideas like “culture wars” and “culture clash” made me want to further dissect the origins of these terms since as an educator I plan on doing all that I can to avoid fostering an environment in which these things would be acceptable. 

Another point I found particularly thought provoking was Holliday’s interpretation on the essentialist vs. non-essentialist.  Although I feel that everyone is guilty of behaving like more of an essentialist, I think that if more people were exposed to this information they would be more conscious of its negative consequences and want to learn more about becoming a non-essentialist.  Seeing culture as an unbounded and dynamic life force would improve public relations and reduce the amount of stereotypes among individuals.