What is cultural heritage?

[Night Elf]

I've encountered this issue before. When I'm asked about my cultural heritage, I don't have an answer. Is it ethnicity? I'm white. I know I have some German and Irish ancestors way, way back, but I certainly don't identify with them. In fact, I have no idea what it would mean to identify with German or Irish heritage. I don't come from a particular religious background. There is no background of a particular type of trade/vocation of my family. In fact, I don't know much about anyone beyond my grandparents and they were all plain jane people. Both of my grandmothers worked in department stores, one grandfather was a big band musician, and the other was in construction until an illness caused him to be disabled. I wouldn't call any of those cultural heritage. I live in the southern United States. I don't identify with anything particularly southern. I most certainly don't identify with their stance during the Civil War.

 

My ds14 has an upcoming writing assignment to describe an aspect of his cultural heritage. Oh, and wait! It gets better! The assignment is to create a quilt design that reflects that aspect. He has to write about the type and color of fabric and the type of design he would use that would show his heritage. I have no idea how to guide him on this project. We are looking at each other with blank faces.

 

What would you do? I don't even know how to make something up! We would have to do research on something particular for an assignment that only needs to be a paragraph. This is just too bizarre! (This is for 10th grade English with Keystone.)

 

This is stupid, stupid, stupid! :confused:

[Mrs Mungo]

What culture do you most identify with? What foods do you eat? What holidays do you celebrate? Do you have special family traditions? Do you have any family stories that reflect who the people in your past were? What were your parents or grandparents proud of?

 

Are there anomalies there compared to those in your immediate surroundings? For example, your grandmothers both worked, was that typical of women in that place, of their age?

 

You may think your culture isn't special because you are surrounded by it. But, if you were suddenly transplanted to Italy or China, then you would see many of the things that make up your cultural heritage.

 

My mother's father grew up on a farm, fought in WW2, he had a farm with his brother that failed, he later owned a plumbing shop that he passed on to his son. Is that less of a heritage than my dad's mother who was chief of our tribe? I don't think so.

[Desert Strawberry]

Your cultural heritage is resultant from the culture in which you grew up/are raising your child/ren. If you are in Georgia, there are things that are unique to that area of the country. If you are from another part of the country, it has it's own culture and it's own history. What about your son's father? what is his back ground? This is a good time to do some research on your little corner of the world and find out what sets it apart from every other place.

[cathmom]

Make it up and call it creative writing!

[Laurie]

My dh doesn't exactly identify with his German and Irish ancestors either. When people were asked to wear something to church that represented their cultural heritage my dh wore his Yankees cap. :D

[eternalknot]

I self-identify with my ethnicity, but I come from a very homogenous background. My husband is white, but as an immigrant he has strong identifications with the social culture of his birthland. There, there were striations within the ethnic culture, but here all classes and faiths sort of morph together into a more generic social culture representative of their common motherland. That's what he identifies with, and how he would approach this assignment - the generic social culture, as viewed by Americans.

 

Culture is so much more than ethnicity and religion. Cultural heritage can be socio-economic status, or physical geography of a region. It could be the vibe of region, such as military bases or college towns; mountains or farmlands; blue-collar or white-collar; downtown or suburb; older population or younger population. Perhaps you are part of a cultural heritage by virtue of where you live, ... is your area known for certain things? Foods, festivals, etc.? Does your son identify with an American cultural heritage?

 

Perhaps your son can approach this project from exactly where he stands: might a quilt reflective of his inability or disinterest in identifying a specific cultural aspect look something like a spider web with interconnecting threads haphazardly covering a patch of rainbow squares sort of thrown together with no apparent rhyme or reason? Kind of like this stupid assignment, and perhaps the way our collective cultural heritage evolved?

 

I always hated these projects, so you both have my empathy. My parents were awesome about letting me stage small, passive-aggressive protests within the parameters of any assignment ... so long as I completed every assignment. Some teachers left me well enough alone, but there were a few who used me as an example (the bad kind!) and hassled me. My parents stood up for me, even when they disagreed with my end results - again, so long as I completed every assignment.

[GWOB]

My cultural heritage is Cajun.

 

South Louisiana is such a culturally rich area. It is so much more than food. Family is extremely important. My dad and his siblings get together for morning coffe at least twice a week ( there are 8 surviving siblings). I know my aunts/uncles, great aunts/great uncles/, first cousins, second cousins, etc., etc.. Though I'm not a practicing Catholic, the Catholic culture still impacts my life, as it does many other Cajuns. We speak a mangled sort of Frenglish. The French language holds a special place in my heart. I talk to everyone I meet. If you pass by me, expect a hello. If you are my cashier, expect a conversation. I get down out of a car, because that is a literal translation of the French word for getting out of a car. I eat all kinds of things that would make most people gag.

 

THAT is cultural heritage.

[Peela]

I have been reading about this lately as I have studying indigenous Australian culture. I feel that as white modern people, we have to a large extent discarded our culture in favour of a modern lifestyle. We no longer respect our elders, the land we belong to- whether born there or adopted, our ancestors. We dont respect the knowledge that was passed down from generation to generation because we dont value it any more- we value what is new and proved by modern science. Our culture actually has disdain for the past. We consider ourselves superior to people in the past.

 

So, I dont think many of us really do have much of a sense of culture - although if you take to some people from some cultures, such as for example Indians or Chinese- they will have a huge sense of cultural heritage- and they have respect for their elders and ancestors- it goes hand in hand. Just not us white anglo-europeans who were transplanted to different countries like Australia and the U.S.

 

So some people recognise this is a great loss and try to regain what we lost ...such as by teaching kids to find out about their culture and do assignments on it! Many people have done their family tree to try and gain a sense of their culture and belonging as well.

 

If you want to take the assignment seriously, you could do a little research and do a bit of a family tree and just write down what you do know, and then do a bit more research and find out some more. Go back another generation, for example.

Do you have any recipes you cook that your mother or grandmother cooked? Do you live in the same area as your grandparents?

What is the history of the land where your son lives now- was it always a city or town? Was it used for something else?

 

I think cultural heritage is about a sense of belonging- to a people, to a land. We tend to be very disconnected from that.

[Rosie_0801]

Make a quilt design of the evolution of the American flag?

 

Rosie

[HeathenMom]

i think your predicament is very prevalent in America. nearly everyone here has a definite separation from our cultural roots. i identify strongly with my German heritage, but also with my Texan heritage and my heritage as a Southerner.

 

maybe you should do some research on your roots and the customs and traditions of your ancestors.

 

good luck!

[Chris in VA]

You've given me a lot to think about.

I just think of cultural heritage as where my ancestors are from. Doesn't mean I have a vital connection to that heritage, just that it's there.

We've had to do lots of assignments of this type thru the public school years. All they were going for was the above.

Sometimes people continue and extend their heritage, and sometimes they don't.

[chiguirre]

You may think your culture isn't special because you are surrounded by it. But, if you were suddenly transplanted to Italy or China, then you would see many of the things that make up your cultural heritage.

 

:iagree: You don't even have to go that far. If you were suddenly zapped to New England or the Southwest, you'd feel your cultural heritage immediately. I really didn't think there was anything special about Pittsburgh until I moved to Philadelphia for college. I quickly discovered that not everyone grew up eating stuffed cabbage and kielbasa, suffering through their grandma's Sunday morning polkas and bowling after CCD. I was suddenly exotic! It was a revelation.

 

Since you're in Georgia, do you like grits? pit barbecue? collard greens? I never even heard of those things until we went to Williamsburg on vacation, we didn't eat them ever at home. What plants are native to your area? If nothing else, kudzu is pretty emblematic of the south, but I'm sure there's something prettier for your ds's project. How about the architectural heritage of your region? Do you say y'all? That's regional. We say yinz for the plural of you where I grew up. I'm sure you can come up with more stuff too. I hope it turns out to be a fun project.

Edited June 18, 2011 by chiguirre

[elfgivas]

:001_smile:

 

i'm thinking its a great assignment, because it has so many possibilities, and because it is stretching your family in a new direction..... and because i love traditions, new and old.

 

i like the idea of looking at the foods you eat, the little traditions, etc, etc. do you do a superbowl party? are there birthday traditions? (eg. in our family, everyone calls the person the night before their birthday to say "good night 12 year old" and then the next morning to say "good morning 13 year old". this year, we'll all be calling my mom to say "good night 82 year old"! it makes the day delightful, and costs very little)

 

then i would have fun deciding to add new traditions to our family's daily life.

 

have fun!

ann

[stripe]

You may think your culture isn't special because you are surrounded by it.

This reminds me of people who think they don't have an accent, and no one in their region has an accent, but everyone else who talks differently does. Yes, you really do have an accent! Make a quilt that represents your family and your hometown, the things you would talk about and show a visitor from somewhere else (another part of the country or another part of the world). You're not culture-less.

[Stacy in NJ]

And I agree with you dh. It seems silly to try to find some deep meaningful connection to a heritage that's so far removed from our everyday life and experiences.

 

The rumor is that my family is Irish, Scottish, English, and a bit Jewish. Do I care? Not so much. I'm an American, born in Minnesota (I'm a Twins fan), currently living in the Northeast. If I had to complete the assignment the OP's son needs to do, I would be hard pressed to come up with quilt squares other than typical American symbols (the flag, the constitution, the Bible, holidays, sports teams). Maybe I would add a picture of a gun just to upset the teacher (he he). I could include symbols of the "culture" that I value like books by Mark Twain and Blue Grass and Classic Rock music. Would a square with a picture of Elvis and the Beach Boys be okay?

 

My dh doesn't exactly identify with his German and Irish ancestors either. When people were asked to wear something to church that represented their cultural heritage my dh wore his Yankees cap. :D

[Stacy in NJ]

Obviously, I'm not Australian, so I'm not speaking about Aussie but about America. Part of Western cultural heritage is the Enlightenment, religious tolerance, human rights, and representative government. I think when we are surround by and live in an environment that embraces these values it is sometimes difficult to see them and their value. It's seeing the forest for the trees. If we lived in a culture that didn't value these things we'd certainly miss them. They are part of a long cultural heritage that has been passed down to us by the early Jews, Christians, and Greeks. I agree with you that we have lost sight of the importance of these values and denigrate them. IMO, cultural heritage is more than every day habits and mores; it is about ideas that our culture embraces. In that respect, Westerners have an incredibly rich heritage every bit as meaningful today has those of more traditional people.

 

I have been reading about this lately as I have studying indigenous Australian culture. I feel that as white modern people, we have to a large extent discarded our culture in favour of a modern lifestyle. We no longer respect our elders, the land we belong to- whether born there or adopted, our ancestors. We dont respect the knowledge that was passed down from generation to generation because we dont value it any more- we value what is new and proved by modern science. Our culture actually has disdain for the past. We consider ourselves superior to people in the past.

 

So, I dont think many of us really do have much of a sense of culture - although if you take to some people from some cultures, such as for example Indians or Chinese- they will have a huge sense of cultural heritage- and they have respect for their elders and ancestors- it goes hand in hand. Just not us white anglo-europeans who were transplanted to different countries like Australia and the U.S.

 

So some people recognise this is a great loss and try to regain what we lost ...such as by teaching kids to find out about their culture and do assignments on it! Many people have done their family tree to try and gain a sense of their culture and belonging as well.

 

If you want to take the assignment seriously, you could do a little research and do a bit of a family tree and just write down what you do know, and then do a bit more research and find out some more. Go back another generation, for example.

Do you have any recipes you cook that your mother or grandmother cooked? Do you live in the same area as your grandparents?

What is the history of the land where your son lives now- was it always a city or town? Was it used for something else?

 

I think cultural heritage is about a sense of belonging- to a people, to a land. We tend to be very disconnected from that.

[Stacy in NJ]

and their customs and habits. It's about the ideas that surround you and shape your worldview. As modern Westerners we are much more than whether or not our ancestors wore laderhosen or ate alot of potatoes.

[Jenny in Atl]

I think cultural heritage is about a sense of belonging- to a people, to a land. We tend to be very disconnected from that.

 

:iagree:

 

I always say I'm culturally deficient... like Melba toast, bland boring w/o much spice. Maybe that's why my home is full of nik-naks from other cultures, both near and far.

[Night Elf]

Perhaps your son can approach this project from exactly where he stands: might a quilt reflective of his inability or disinterest in identifying a specific cultural aspect look something like a spider web with interconnecting threads haphazardly covering a patch of rainbow squares sort of thrown together with no apparent rhyme or reason? Kind of like this stupid assignment, and perhaps the way our collective cultural heritage evolved?

 

We talked about doing something similar, like using a hodge podge of all the peoples he supposedly comes from. I say supposedly because even my mom isn't sure what nationalities are in the branches of our family tree. All she ever told me was that she thought we had some German and some Irish. I told him that maybe he could add in some burlap material with pictures of potatoes to represented the Irish side. :) Is it sad that the only 2 things I think about when I think of Irish are potatoes and the Blarney stone?

 

I have been reading about this lately as I have studying indigenous Australian culture. I feel that as white modern people, we have to a large extent discarded our culture in favour of a modern lifestyle.

 

This is me. This is my family. No one in my family has ever had an interest in doing something genealogy related. We're all too focused in the present. (I remember a thread on this board where we talked about that, actually.)

 

There were good questions asked in the responses but I'm actually feeling quite ashamed that I don't have good answers. Honestly, I can't think of any traditions from my family, not food, entertainment, stories, etc. that were passed down from one generation to the next. The only holiday I think we properly celebrate is Christmas and that is because it's a 'norm'. There are no sentimentalities attached to it really. It's a day to get bright, shiny, new things! :tongue_smilie:

 

Okay, I won't go on. We're thinking he should focus on his American heritage. Then he can focus on things he thinks are positive about being an American. He did just finish American History so he should be able to come up with a few interesting things besides baseball and apple pie.

 

Oh, my DH's family is more in touch with their ancestry information. He knows exactly which great-grandparents came from Denmark and which great-great-grandparents came from Germany. But he said the only tradition he can think of that was passed down was celebrating Dec. 5th, St. Nicholas Day (or something like that). The kids woke up to stockings on that day. He doesn't remember any special kinds of foods beyond the regular stuff we eat now like hamburgers, meatloaf, spaghetti, tacos, roast beef, etc.

[Night Elf]

IMO, cultural heritage is more than every day habits and mores; it is about ideas that our culture embraces. In that respect, Westerners have an incredibly rich heritage every bit as meaningful today has those of more traditional people.

 

I'm not trying to argue, I'm really and truly trying to understand. Can you give me some examples of these ideas?

[Stacy in NJ]

I'm not trying to argue, I'm really and truly trying to understand. Can you give me some examples of these ideas?

 

You live in a country that has a representative government, equal protection under the law for all citizens regardless of gender, race, or religion, and embraces the idea of the meritocracy. Those few among many others are the basis of our shared culture.

[Parrothead]

How long have y'all lived down in Georgia? If you've only been there a few short years it could be that your kids are 3rd culture kids.

 

Culture and ancestry are two different things. Your kids' ancestry is German, Irish, Dane. But there culture is more than likely American. Think of it more as a lifestyle. If you were to pick up and move to LA you'd all suffer from some culture shock.

 

There is a very distinctive southern culture that you are immersed in whether you realize it or not. Our cultures in America can be very diverse. Life in general is looked at differently in New England to the Midwest, to the South, etc. Then within the American culture there are subcultures and more subcultures. For exmaple within the south there is Cajun, Gullah/Geechee, Creole, low country, southern urban, etc. Yet the southern culture is a culture within the American culture.

 

This article may help you if your son chooses to identify with the southern culture. If he identifies with a different culture within the US you should be able to find an article to get you/him started.

[Farrar]

I grew up in the south (in fact, much of the time in the county where the OP lives, apparently) and I never heard about this concept growing up. I think in the south the paradigm of thinking about "culture" is still just black and white to some extent - race is the only way to approach this for many people. But when I went to college in New England, I encountered lots of people who talked about their cultural background - not only was it more immediate (many people had a grandparent or great-grandparent who was an immigrant) but it was just an expectation that these were things that would be discussed and told among friends - a first date sort of question, if you know what I mean. It really surprised me. I mean, I knew my family had come from England and the Netherlands... but so so far back.

 

I don't think it's stupid exactly, but I do think that in some places in the US this isn't something people generally think about, so it stretches us. I wonder if the teacher is from somewhere else. Regardless, people gave good advice on how to approach it, I think.

[Night Elf]

You live in a country that has a representative government, equal protection under the law for all citizens regardless of gender, race, or religion, and embraces the idea of the meritocracy. Those few among many others are the basis of our shared culture.

 

But I call those American ideas. Obviously our country was founded by people who were not Americans because there was no America yet. And obviously all our ideas, beliefs and practices at the time came from those other places. But they've been in place in America for a long time. These things have to have some point where they are considered American and not European or we wouldn't be able to claim anything as American. Right?

 

Oh wait, I'm rereading what you wrote and maybe I misunderstood. I thought you were talking about the heritage that was brought over from other cultures specifically, like I should identify with them because all kinds of people make up America. :)

[Ipsey]

I've encountered this issue before. When I'm asked about my cultural heritage, I don't have an answer. Is it ethnicity? I'm white. I know I have some German and Irish ancestors way, way back, but I certainly don't identify with them. In fact, I have no idea what it would mean to identify with German or Irish heritage. I don't come from a particular religious background. There is no background of a particular type of trade/vocation of my family. In fact, I don't know much about anyone beyond my grandparents and they were all plain jane people. Both of my grandmothers worked in department stores, one grandfather was a big band musician, and the other was in construction until an illness caused him to be disabled. I wouldn't call any of those cultural heritage. I live in the southern United States. I don't identify with anything particularly southern. I most certainly don't identify with their stance during the Civil War.

 

My ds14 has an upcoming writing assignment to describe an aspect of his cultural heritage. Oh, and wait! It gets better! The assignment is to create a quilt design that reflects that aspect. He has to write about the type and color of fabric and the type of design he would use that would show his heritage. I have no idea how to guide him on this project. We are looking at each other with blank faces.

 

What would you do? I don't even know how to make something up! We would have to do research on something particular for an assignment that only needs to be a paragraph. This is just too bizarre! (This is for 10th grade English with Keystone.)

 

This is stupid, stupid, stupid! :confused:

 

Everyone has a heritage and a culture. White Americans don't see it clearly sometimes because of mostly inadvertent ethnocentrism. Our (I'm speaking as a white American) culture is the boring norm, and those who do things differently (even if we view it positively or respectfully) are interesting and meaningful because they're different than our norm.

 

My Japanese relatives don't think "Wow, I have such an interesting heritage because I respect my ancestors, and speak Japanese, and take my shoes off when I enter a residence." This is their norm--yet it is culture! However, these are the things we in political/cultural/economic dominance find to be "cultural heritage" because we can identify them as being different from our traditions/norms.

 

I have students from all over the world, and they can tell you quite clearly about American culture because it's not their norm. Though American culture is very diverse, certainly, in terms of ethnic background, and religion, and many other things, there are elements that make you and your family a unique culture both as a family and as a part of a greater whole.

 

Imagine you're about to take in a Saudi foreign exchange student. What things are going to be different for him/her--both in terms of surface culture and deep culture (Google if you're not sure of the difference) and work from there. This is your culture! You have one! How wonderful!

[Jenny in Atl]

Everyone has a heritage and a culture. White Americans don't see it clearly sometimes because of mostly inadvertent ethnocentrism. Our (I'm speaking as a white American) culture is the boring norm, and those who do things differently (even if we view it positively or respectfully) are interesting and meaningful because they're different than our norm.

 

 

So, what is American culture? McDonald's, MTV, Disney World, Walmart...? Culture is usually more than just vague shared about how we organize our selves, it's about identity, food, music, holidays/ceremonies, clothing/dress, etc. Yes, the West has much more lax cultural norms (though many here would like to change that) but, we in the US, really don't have a common culture, outside the mega chain commercial crud force fed to us daily. Most all the holidays left in this country are all about sales (buying lots of stuff).

 

Blow-out 4th of July sale at your local car dealership coming soon!

[Rosie_0801]

but, we in the US, really don't have a common culture, outside the mega chain commercial crud force fed to us daily.

 

I wonder if any of the boardies outside North America would agree with that?

 

;)

Rosie

[Mrs Mungo]

I wonder if any of the boardies outside North America would agree with that?

 

;)

Rosie

 

Having lived outside of the US, I don't believe it to be true of the US. There are plenty of things valued by the predominant culture that are not valued in other cultures. I don't believe for one second that Walmart is all one has in common with one's neighbors.

[Night Elf]

I have been researching American Culture online. I have found some interesting things, but this is the most interesting yet.

 

From the website called Life in the USA, a complete guide to American life for immigrants and Americans

"It is important, then, for the new immigrant to understand the system into which s/he is entering so that navigating that system can become more sensible. American worldviews have been identified by many sociologists and anthropologists as follows: Our time sense is futuristic; our sense of nature involves mastery; our sense of human nature is that it is basically good or mixed; our social sense is individualistic; and our sense of the proper way of being is to value doing. These values mean that: 1) Time focuses on the future rather than the past; it needs to be planned for; youth is more valuable than age. 2) We should be able to control nature; it is here for our use and we are separate from it. 3) Given human nature, you can count on people to do the right thing given the chance; at least it is not inherently bad and in need of strict control. 4) The individual’s wishes, needs and aspirations are more important than the groups (including the family’s), and it is appropriate for an individual to move away from and function independently of the group. 5) What one does, accomplishes, is more important than the way s/he conducts her/himself. Thus one’s job is important in determining one’s relative value in the society."

 

And then there is The Metaverse, a website that lists things about 'how to know if you're American. The only thing I'll quote is "The following is a first crack at an ostensive definition of 'American culture'-- things shared by the vast majority (let's say 90%) of native-born Americans. Many of these won't sound 'cultural' at all to Americans; they'll sound like just descriptions of the way things are. But each one of them would be contested in one or more non-American cultures." It's definitely worth a look-see though.

 

Oh, oh, and that site above, The Metaverse, has links for other countries and someone's opinion about what it means to be them. Examples are Canada, Quebec, Italy, France, etc.

Edited June 20, 2011 by Night Elf

[Crimson Wife]

I think the more recently one's ancestors immigrated, the stronger the ethnic identification.

 

My dad's grandparents were Irish immigrants so Irish-American culture is very strong in his family. Ditto with FIL's family.

 

My mom's family emigrated from England and Scotland back in the 17th century and there's little identification with that culture. MIL's family emigrated from Germany but again it was prior to the Revolutionary War & there's little residual identification.

 

DH and I are both only half Irish, but that's what both of us consider our cultural heritage and the one we raise our children to identify with. It helps that DS has *FLAMING* red hair :lol:

[Parrothead]

I have been researching American Culture online. I have found some interesting things, but this is the most interesting yet.

 

From the website called Life in the USA, a complete guide to American life for immigrants and Americans

"It is important, then, for the new immigrant to understand the system into which s/he is entering so that navigating that system can become more sensible. American worldviews have been identified by many sociologists and anthropologists as follows: Our time sense is futuristic; our sense of nature involves mastery; our sense of human nature is that it is basically good or mixed; our social sense is individualistic; and our sense of the proper way of being is to value doing. These values mean that: 1) Time focuses on the future rather than the past; it needs to be planned for; youth is more valuable than age. 2) We should be able to control nature; it is here for our use and we are separate from it. 3) Given human nature, you can count on people to do the right thing given the chance; at least it is not inherently bad and in need of strict control. 4) The individual’s wishes, needs and aspirations are more important than the groups (including the family’s), and it is appropriate for an individual to move away from and function independently of the group. 5) What one does, accomplishes, is more important than the way s/he conducts her/himself. Thus one’s job is important in determining one’s relative value in the society."

 

And then there is The Metaverse, a website that lists things about 'how to know if you're American. The only thing I'll quote is "The following is a first crack at an ostensive definition of 'American culture'-- things shared by the vast majority (let's say 90%) of native-born Americans. Many of these won't sound 'cultural' at all to Americans; they'll sound like just descriptions of the way things are. But each one of them would be contested in one or more non-American cultures." It's definitely worth a look-see though.

 

Oh, oh, and that site above, The Metaverse, has links for other countries and someone's opinion about what it means to be them. Examples are Canada, Quebec, Italy, France, etc.

I found that Metaverse site to be rather dated. More like they were describing my parents instead of me and certainly not my dd.

[Night Elf]

I found that Metaverse site to be rather dated. More like they were describing my parents instead of me and certainly not my dd.

 

I related to the American one, actually very well. I don't know about other countries.