Seventh Class

THE MOST RELEVANT POINTS FOR ME 

1.  The Onion Model:

Shows how culture has a number of layers. 

 

• Symbols: Words, Gestures and meaning that carry a complex meaning such as flags, traditional clothing, the nazi symbol.
• Heroes: Persons with highly prized characteristics or role models such as Dalai Lama, Steve Jobs, etc.
• Rituals: Collective activities, technically unnecessary but socially essential such as the bullfighting ritual.
• Values: Underlaying "non-negotiables- beliefs and attitudes.

It is important to say that the center of the onion influence all of the other layers by underlying values and cultural assumptions. 

Sixth Class

THE MOST RELEVANT POINTS FOR ME 

1.  Different approaches for Globalization:

• Internationalization: Growing international exchange and interdependence, flows of trade and capital, people and ideas.
• Liberalization: Economic Integration (Eurozone)
• Universalization: Planetary synthesis of cultures.
• Westernization: Spread of capitalism, rationalism, industrialism...etc to other countries, destroying existing cultures in the process.
• Respatialization: De-territorialization.

2. Cultural Hybridity:
Societies that emerge from cultural contacts of European explorers and those explored. Hybridity emphasizes in the mutual intermingling of a major culture onto the minor culture. 


RESEARCH QUESTION

WHAT ARE HERMENEUTICS?

Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation, traditionally of text with a not self-evident meaning.  In other words, 

Hermeneutics can be highly useful when used in countries with a high-context culture, including written, verbal and non-verbal communication since the meaning of these is not as evident as it would be in a low-context culture.

SOURCES

Raetzsch, C. (n.d.). Cultural Hybridity Retrieved November 3, 2014

Fifth Class

THE MOST RELEVANT POINTS FOR ME 

1.  What is a cultural metaphor?
"Any activity, phenomenon, or institution that members of a given culture consider important and with which they identify emotionally and or cognitively", Definition by Martin J. Gannon

2. Spanish Bullfighting

Introduced by the Moors (from the muslim faith) from West Africa in the 13th century when they ruled the southern part of Spain.  Killing the bull was seen as a quasi-religious ritual and it was the highlight of the festival.

It is the national festival in Spain for hundreds of years; bullfighting employs around 200.000 people in Spain and it is categorized as an elaborated ritual. Although is the national festival in Spain, there are many people and regions that do not like it and in fact, prohibited from practiced it such as the region of Catalonia.  Nowadays bullfighting have been loosing its appeal and it barely exists in the country.

HOW/ IN WHICH CIRCUMSTANCES COULD THIS BECOME RELEVANT

1.  Metaphors are good when it comes to describe one culture.  It is easier to understand a culture if you give it a description by a metaphor.  Metaphors include different factors such as religion, family structure, behavior, total lifestyle, roles and status of different members, language, ceremonies, class structure, eating behaviors.. etc. An example of a metaphor is the gardens to describe the Japanese society, which means Japanese like to live in harmony, they are really methodical, they are really organized and always try to developed themselves in a well harmonious society. 

2.  Taking into account the metaphors we could say that bullfighting expresses Spanish values more clearly than any other potential cultural metaphor for Spain.  It expresses contagious vitality, a love of life (paradoxical with the death of the bull), underlies their outer joy, deeply ingrained sensitivity to the tragic and equally strong emotional pull toward the heroic and it shows the Spanish pride, individualism and emotionalist.



RESEARCH QUESTION

What is Cultural Imperialism?

Cultural Imperialism is when a more powerful culture imposes itself over a less known powerful culture. Generally, the powerful culture is a country with a large economy  such as the USA. The term Cultural Imperialism is also about the creation and maintenance of unequeal relationship between cultures.