DIANA MILENA CUBILLOS SANCHEZ
SEMINAR OF CULTURE
PROFESSOR CABALLERO
WORKSHOP’S ANSWERS
UNIVERSITY OF QUINDIO SCHOOL OF EDUCATION MODERN LANGUAGES PROGRAM ARMENIA-QUINDIO
2012
SYMBOLISM 1.
HELMUT LANGER is specialized in cultural, environmental, institutional, and social communications projects, and has created many multicultural and global communications projects of international signification, e.g. for several UN organizations including UNESCO, UNEP, UNFCCC, UNISDR and European institutions, and milestones for global networking in aid of our planet's environment.
2. There are thousands of global symbols
representing hundreds of different things, beliefs, ideas, and movements among many others. One example of a global symbols is The biohazard:
Biological biohazards, refer that pose a threat organisms, This can include samples of a toxin (from a can affect human
hazards, also known as to biological substances to the health of living primarily that of humans. medical waste or microorganism, virus or biological source) that health
Freemasonry is a fraternal organization that arose from the loose organization of medieval masons (i.e. stone workers) working in the medieval building industry (i.e. craft workers involved in medieval stone work) Two of the principal symbolic tools always found in a Lodge are the square and compasses. Some Lodges and rituals explain these tools as lessons in conduct: for example, that Masons should "square their actions by the square of virtue" and to learn to "circumscribe their desires and keep their passions within due bounds toward all mankind." 3. A symbol can be controversial and can have more than one meaning
depending on the culture and the context in which it is presented. In fact, one culture may realize about a specific symbol or expression in
hundreds of different ways; then, it is possible to think about the way just one symbol can be interpreted by many different cultures around the world. Let’s say for example, the swastika. This is a very controversial symbol representing mainly a Nazi party, but it has many different meanings. In fact,
Swastikas have also been used in various other ancient civilizations around the world including China, Japan, India, and Southern Europe. It remains widely used in Indian religions, specifically in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, primarily as a tantric symbol to evoke shakti or the sacred symbol of auspiciousness. The word "swastika" comes from the Sanskrit svastika - "su" meaning "good" or "auspicious," "asti" meaning "to be," and "ka" as a suffix. The swastika literally means "to be good". Or another translation can be made: "swa" is "higher self", "asti" meaning "being", and "ka" as a suffix, so the translation can be interpreted as "being with higher self".1
Additionally, it is “a symbol of almost complete evil to the west, having grown to be a symbol for inequality and a blood born superiority of certain peoples. In Hinduism however, the symbol is used to invoke the cosmic power.”2 Another example, is the illuminati all seeing which is a symbol representing power ad glory. “it has grown to such controversy over so many conspiracy theories; when a lot of people do not understand its origins in its integration to western culture (where the illuminati where a group of "enlightened" fighting the oppression of religion)”.
4. Symbols are very important when talking about culture since they can
reflect all the feelings and meaningful representations from one culture as well as the way another culture can interpret the message the symbol 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika 2 http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1928668
is encouraged to transmit. Therefore, a symbol similar to the one used for the representation of “peace” can be interpreted in different ways inside the several cultures that exist in the world. For instance, in Colombia, this symbol is mainly represented by a white pigeon; some other cultures have the same word but being represented by gestures, like for example two fingers making a “V” , or this
symbol
It is also possible that the pigeon that represents peace stands at the same time for the right of freedom. Concluding, a symbol reflects hundreds of aspects about a culture and it gives the identity to the culture, as well. 5. Commonly, rituals are very controversial since those are the ones that
create a perception from one culture. Thus, when people outside one culture look for information about it and find extreme rituals such as The Female genital mutilation in Africa, the ritual of Naghol (Vanuatu, South Pacific) which consists of “men leaping from crudely constructed towers of up to 100ft high, with only tree vines wrapped round their ankles as a safety measure”3 among many others; they usually get in a wrong conception about the cultures that practice those extreme rituals, or at least they create stereotypes about them. 6. Values are of great importance in a culture or society since those are
lasting beliefs or ideals shared by the members of a culture about what is good or bad and desirable or undesirable and at the same time, they represent in essence what a culture or society is. 7. They are determined in the person’s behavior, his way of thought, his
ideals and convictions. It can also be reflected in the sense that one individual expresses his knowledge and his capacity to understand and solve problems. 8. It is really important because as a society full of culture and diversity, it is
necessary for each individual to interpret and share his/her values since that is what allows everybody to communicate, therefore, values are one way of expressive communication that allow people to be in contact as well as to enrich their lives.
3 http://www.roughguides.com/article/rituals-around-the-world/
REFERENCES DUDLEY, H. (20 de february de 2012). Ritual around the world. Obtenido de http://www.roughguides.com/article/rituals-around-the-world/ http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1928668. (28 de july de 2013). Obtenido de http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1928668 Wikipedia. (17 de 01 de 2010). http://en.wikipedia. Obtenido de http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika