Cultural Identity and Intercultural Communications Katie Nichols
What does culture really mean? Initially when contemplating this question I immediately thought it referred to where I came from and what my ancestors did. This is only a fraction of what culture can actually contribute to one’s identity. In Collier’s article Cultural Identity and Intercultural Communications, she refers to culture as “defined by historically transmitted symbols, meanings, and norms” (p. 36). A unique group or culture will take symbols, meanings, and norms and create their own interpretations. While this could be referring to one's ethnicity, it by no means is limited to one particular group. Culture can refer to your gender, geographical area, race, affiliations, profession, and organizations. All of these groups are present in everyday life and affect how we interact with others in and out of our own cultures. Personally the most predominant cultural identities in my life consist of my gender as a female, my age and being a college student, being a gymnast, and my profession in the oil industry. These characteristics shape who I am and how I interact with others, each being different in various settings throughout my life. Through interaction one’s identity can surface. Collier considerers “identity as something that emerges when messages are exchanged between persons… identity is defined as enactment of cultural communication” (p. 40). If culture is defined by historically transmitted symbols, meanings, and norms and identity is the communication between cultures, then the cultural identity is as simple as how various groups interpret and interact in the world and their differences in world view. There are different properties of this theory that explain the development of how cultural identity plays out in our lives and how we interact with others. Each of the cultural
groups that I mentioned above, are groups that I identify myself with. This would be considered my avowal or “the way the self an individual portrays, analogues to the fact or image she or he shows to others (Collier, p. 40). The various cultural groups that I consider myself to be in are part of what makes up “who I am”, at least in my eyes. This may not align with how others view particular groups. For example, when I identify myself as a woman I consider this to a characteristic of mine that allows me to speak my mind when necessary, to be strong willed, and to be powerful. To many other cultural groups this will in no way be similar to the way they look at the female cultural group. This is where ascriptions come in. Collier explains, “Ascription is the process by which others attribute to an individual” (p. 40). Stereotypes are huge factor to ascriptions. Other groups may expect women to keep to them and to be less powerful then a man, maybe even only attribute to household duties and feminine expectations. That is not how I was raised and my other cultural groups are a huge part of that. When cultural groups mesh together they define who you are. As Collier states, Identities are co‐created in relationship to others. Who we are and how we are differs and emerges depending upon who we are with, the cultural identities that are important to us and the others, the context, the topic of conversation, and out interpretations and attributions (p. 40). My cultural identity as a gymnast plays a large role into the way I view myself and others as women. Being a gymnast all throughout my life meant that I was very strong and physically fit person. Most of my friends at that time were not in the athletic realm that I was in. In gymnastics you are not supposed to show your emotions and to portray yourself as a strong
individual meant you were a very composed and competitive. To be tough physically and mentally was what was expected of us at all times, and when you train 25 hours a week on top of high school classes you mold into that type of person. Although I am not currently still doing gymnastics this aspect of my personality is still present in my cultural views, but maybe not as prevelent. Differences in salience also contribute to the way we interact in our cultural groups. “Identities differ in their salience in particular contexts, and identities are enacted with different intensities at different times” (Collier, p. 43). As a gymnast in the past my cultural identity was much stronger, also in different settings my cultural identity as a gymnast may not always be as prevalent. Among the gymnastics community I will act much different than I would in the work environment, my salience as a gymnast is far less than mine as a professional. I would never act or talk like I do around my gymnastics friends as I would at the oil company I work at, and vice versa. The meaning and norms of what I know in these two setting are vastly different. In the same token my professionalism at work is far less established with my friends, but would be more apparent if I were talking to a professor at school. That is the beauty of your cultural identity it can change throughout the week and even throughout the day. Cultural identities can also completely change from social and personal issues. As Collier explains, “cultural identities change because of economic, political, social, psychological, and contextual factors, not to mention the influence of other cultural identities” (p. 42). My cultural identity as a college student and the way I view the world will without a doubt change as soon
as I am out of college and working in “the real world”. This could be due to moving through my life path as well as any economic changes. By understanding your own cultural identity it allows you to understand other cultural identities as well as members within your own. To communicate well within either of these territories it is important to understand the Cultural Identity Theory. This theory applies to everyone and is essential to understand in a fast paced and changing society. To have cultural and intercultural competence and to recognize that these cultural groups will always be changing will allow an individual to maintain the highest level of communication skills and be an important member and participant in our world.
References Collier, M. Cultural Identity and Intercultural Communication. Oregon State University.