Cultures And Conflict

Meaning of Culture:

This is the first time in history that people as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) users have had access to information and the ability to communicate with whoever they want, without the historical constraints of time bodies, identities, communities and physical geographic boundaries. As such it is recognized as a major paradigm shift in literacy, which has in turn created a major shift in the way society and individuals operate. New media, information technologies and the Internal have changed the nature of interpersonal relations, by enabling those with access (mostly people in advanced capitalist nation states) to communicate, shop, bank, work, gain an education, and play remotely. Electronic time and place, around which communities were established, have been penetrated. And, importantly, the ongoing and rapid metamorphoses of new media and the effects of media globalization seem beyond our imagination.

With the sophistication of ICT it is possible to be almost any place, any time within cyberspace. No longer are people constrained by enclosures such as distance and time. A young adolescent growing up in a rural area in the 1970s was limited to the resources in the local community, for many, this meant no or limited television, access to public telephones and perhaps a home telephone. The library was the primary sources of information and communication. The Adolescent of today in the same rural area today can access a range of mass communication technologies. There is a growing research around the effects of ICT, and in particular identity formation, which is recognized as a significant event in adolescence. They keep abreast of technological advancements with ease and enthusiasm. From the parental perspective, the fear is that children will be put at risk of ‘virtual’ dangers through their use of ICT because they maylack the emotional competence to match their technical skills. However, the parents lack the technical skills to oversee the process. Other benefits of developing technological capability and engaging in games such as those delivered by Game Boy and X box are beginning to emerge. Enhanced communication skills, the capacity to associate actions with consequences, and other capabilities such as enhanced business skills are being identified as benefits. What this means for adolescents is that the world is a different place. The opening up and flow of people, media images, technology, finance and ideology on a global scale means that they will experience life in dramatically different ways from any previous generation. A fundamental shift linked to globalization is the shift from the ‘old work order’, the traditional, assembly line approach typical of mass production. Products were replicated faithfully; they were standardized with no flexibility. With globalization and the ‘new work order’, the approach is towards forms of production, which employ new ways of making goods and commodities, and serving more differentiated markets for niches through segmented retailing strategies.

Progress and change are fundamental to the twenty-first century, so the capacity to constantly modify also will be essential. In the ‘old work order and the traditional approach to education, we encouraged students to develop specialist points of view so that eventually they were able to function as particular types of experts. We also focused on getting students to function as particular types of experts. We also focused on getting students to be able to reproduce facts and figures and learn how to handle knowledge and language in ways limited to their particular disciplines. Cultures are like underground rivers that run through our lives and relationships, giving us messages that shape our perceptions, attributions, judgments, and ideas of self and other. Though cultures are powerful, they are often unconscious curve. Cultures are more than language, dress, and food customs. Two things are essential to remember about cultures: they are always changing, and they relate to the symbolic dimension of life. The symbolic dimension is the place where we are constantly making meaning and enacting our identities. Cultural messages from the groups we belong to give us information about what is meaningful or important, and who we are in the world and in relation to others -- Our Identities.

The word ‘culture’ has been derived from the Latin word “culture” meaning to cultivate.
Culture of every social order is unique. It is total way of life of a society. Culture has material and non-material aspects. Material dimension of culture includes material aspects i.e., materials that contribute to better standard of living and to the development of human capital, technological resources etc. Non material dimension of culture includes human, ideas, interests, attitudes, values and appreciations
Culture is social and dynamic. It changes at the society changes and it is transmitted from generation to generation.
Culture includes the ways of life, habits manners and the very tones of voices.
Culture is the widening of the mind and of the sprit.

How Cultures Work:

The cultures are a shifting, dynamic set of starting points that orient us to move in a particular way. The multiple cultures give us messages about what is normal, appropriate, and expected. What is common to one cultural group may seem strange, counterintuitive, or wrong to another cultural group. Cultural messages shape our understandings of relationships.

Culture is constantly in flux -- as conditions change, cultural groups adapt in dynamic and sometimes unpredictable ways. Therefore, no comprehensive description can ever be formulated about a particular group. Any attempt to understand a group must take the dimensions of time, context, and individual differences into account.
Culture is elastic -- knowing the cultural norms of a given group does not predict the behavior of a member of that group, who may not conform to norms for individual or contextual reasons. Therefore, taxonomies such as Hindus go to temple, have limited use, and can lead to error if not checked with experience.
Culture is largely below the surface, influencing identities and meaning-making, or who we believe ourselves to be and what we care about -- it is not easy to access these symbolic levels since they are largely outside our awareness. Therefore, it is important to use many ways of learning about the cultural dimensions of those involved in a conflict, especially indirect ways, including stories, metaphors, and rituals.
Cultural influences and identities become important depending on context. When an aspect of cultural identity is threatened or misunderstood, it may become relatively more important than other cultural identities and this fixed, narrowidentity may become the focus of stereotyping, negative projection, and conflict. This is a very common situation in intractable conflicts. Therefore, it is useful for people in conflict to have interactive experiences that help them see each other as broadly as possible, experiences that foster the recognition of shared identities as well as those that are different. Since culture is so closely related to our identities (who we think we are), and the ways we make meaning (what is important to us and how), it is always a factor in conflict.