Different Cultures around the World
The need for greater cultural understanding is steadily gaining awareness in schools and universities all over the world for various reasons. Sweeping global issues continuously dominate our radios, televisions, newspapers, and internet portals on a daily basis. For mankind to fully gain a sound perspective on all the dynamics surrounding these events, they must first acquire complete understanding of the diverse cultures and societies from around the world globe. Humans need to comprehend how the different cultures around the world helped contemporary global issues as well as how it affects their future.
Examples of different world cultures
The purpose of this piece is not only to inform on the different cultures around the world, but to also educate on common misconceptions that some may have.
• African culture: Most Westerners treat Africa as if it were a single country. Most Africans believe in many gods, alongside practicing Christianity or Islamic religions. Africa is also famous for its diversity in music and dance styles which include Afro-beat, Mbalax, Makossa, Soukous, among others. Polygamy is accepted in some African tribes. • Hispanic culture: The Hispanic population encompasses Mexicans, Cubans, Spaniards, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Guatemalans, and any other groups that consider Spanish their first language. Hispanics are well known for having close-knit family groups which they consider their most important social unit. Their family units usually extend beyond just the nuclear family. Hispanic people also place great value on their overall appearance to symbolize their sense of honor, pride, and dignity, or Machismo, in short. Religion is a significant influence in their daily lives, and more than 90% of Hispanics are Roman Catholics.
• Indian culture: India is the birthplace of Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Its citizens also practice Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity to a lesser extent. Hindus revere the cow, which they consider sacred and are not allowed to eat. Indian cuisine is famed for its curries and versatile vegetarian dishes. Indian curry is included as a national dish in countries like South Africa and the United Kingdom due to the large number of Indians residing there.
• Japanese culture: There are two major religions observed by the Japanese: Buddhism and Shintoism. Popular martial arts like Judo, Karate, and Jujitsu also originated from Japan and have today spread to literally every corner of our planet. Sumo wrestling is the National Sport of Japan. Due to being an island nation, Japanese cuisine consists mostly of seafood varieties popularly represented by sushi.
• Arab culture: From a cultural and linguistic perspective, the term “Arab” is used to refer to people who speak the Arabic language as their vernacular, and who mostly live in the Middle East and North Africa. All Arabs are united both culturally and historically, although they are not considered members of a single race. A majority of Arabs practice Islam, with small pockets of Christian and Jewish Arabs being found in some areas.
Conclusion
All cultural history, no matter how remote, can help in explaining how our world evolved into what it is today. This can enhance our understanding on why modern global influences are generally looming larger than ever before. Cultural issues are at work everywhere, because globalization and immigration have made our planet a melting pot of people from diverse heritages. Hopefully, the few cultural tidbits detailed above will be enough to get you curious enough to investigate further aspects of the different cultures around the world.
Originally published at www.newmusicco.com on February 4, 2014.
