Culture and Society
Reflective Writing
Clarissa Naidu
14876082
When I started
to do this Culture and Society assignment I realized how important different
aspects of my life is, that’s in terms of how I view certain issues in society
and how I define myself. Though I was confident in the way I portrayed myself as
a person it was refreshing to go through my past and visually view how I was
raised to the person I am today. I wouldn’t say I’m a person that strongly
enforces certain beliefs or authorities. But through this individual task I found
that I have strong opinions on certain areas in society.
My
first post was a photo of my brother and me when we were younger. It showed us
dressed in traditional Indian clothing. The reason behind the post was a
background on my upbringing and how I identify myself today. When having both culturally
diverse parents it opened opportunities in embracing many different outlooks on
life that includes values, traditions, education etc. “The notion of identity hinges
on an apparently paradoxical combination of sameness and difference” as said by
Steph, L (2008). This quote helps me signify my childhood growing up by that I mean
growing up in Fiji you would have majority of people be Indian or Fijian, in my
case I didn’t look anything like the other children. Though I looked different I
still felt special because of culturally diverse background.
My
second post included a photo of my trip to Fiji in 2014. It was a great
cultural experience because I got the opportunity to visit a local school.
Being back in Fiji where I am originally from brought back memories of my
childhood, which was having such a free spirited life. Like I included in the
post, it was difficult moving to a different country because of many different
ideas of living. “Culture is inseparable from human life” as said by Ryan, M (2010).
This is a great quote because it identifies my life. Though I live away from
where I’m originally from the cultural aspect of how Fijians live still follows
my family and I. And I personally think that’s something to be proud of.
My
third post was on equality within society. I argued that is almost impossible
in society now days for every individual to have the same rights as any other
person. A supporting image that I put up was Malala Yousafzai’s quote that says
“We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back” this quote rightfully
signifies how we as individuals can’t simply move forward from the past to
better our future. I personally think that if acts of unfairness through gender
equality as well as racial equality would widely affect the majority of the
worlds’ human rights, hindering chances of world peace.
My
final post was a staple historical event, that being 9/11. I argued the majority
of Muslims in America and various different areas around the world are getting
discriminated against on the daily bases. It is quite sad that 15 years on wards
it is still hard for those to understand that Muslims are human to and not one
person. Harassment against Muslims is undeniably an act of unfair human rights.
An image I used was a Muslim girl with an American flag as a burka. It
symbolized that Muslims are just as equal to Americans.
In
conclusion, I got various different ideas and outlooks from different
researches and the community itself. Not only have I gained an understanding of
influences in society, I have also learnt a bit about myself.
References
Ryan, M. (2010). Preface. In Cultural studies: A practical introduction. Hoboken: Wiley, pp.viii-xii
Lawler, S. (2008). Introduction. In Identity: Sociological
perspectives. Malden, MA: Polity, pp.1-9.
