How to 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.
The evolutionary concept of culture
- Some cultures are better and more right than others
- Some cultures rank higher than others on a developing ladder
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The relativistic concept of culture
-all cultures are equal
-culture as homogenic islands
-cultural relativism is the principle that an individuals human beliefed 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:
-Individual differences are ignored.
-The local contexts is ignored
The complex concept of culture
-Culture is not somethinf 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 dominatin logics, but not everyone agree about logic
In the cases which were handed out we had to try ro agree in the groups on a solution and which of the conceots that we could use og was used in the case. In that way we had to think through the theory we just had talked about. We managed to get some good discusions and could compare the cases to what we have tried for ourself in different cases we have ecperienced.
Questions and reflections for today:
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 comming 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. Espeacilly when it come 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 accept of different cultures.
3: is the concept useful when we talk about humnan differences?
Culture is very usefull when it comes to understand the humnas differences. I believe that you in some way have to understand another persons 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 you proffesion.
I believe the concept of culture is important in order to be a teacher in DK, because the country more and more is becomes an intercultural place to live, due to the fact that we are a smalle country.
We have in the past years experienced a lot of immigrant and futitives from other countries. Theese children are placed in ordinary schools and it's our job as a teacher to make sure they are educated, but I find important as well not to change their culture and origin.
