An interesting point raised
by Michael (2010), was that yes, culture makes up every aspect of our lives,
but culture is commonly brushed aside as we often do not notice our own culture
until we have witnessed another. Being born and raised in New Zealand, I did
not know what to write, as I did not think I had a culture. This was me
thinking culture was strictly based on one's ethnicity. After learning about
culture in class I soon learnt that this was not the case. and that one’s
personal culture can be anything that makes up who they are. For me that was my
family. In attempt to explain my personal culture I chose a photo of a family
eating dinner together. This photo depicts the idea of personal culture for me
specifically as it is an example of what I associate with my personal culture
and it shows this clearly.
Lawler
(2008) states that there are many different definitions and beliefs of what
identity is. The second photo that I chose depicts a family tree. I chose this
photo to represent my identity, because my family has shaped me to be the
person I am today. Huisman (2014) said that we are greatly influenced by the
people we communicate with most often- for myself that would be family. Sharing
this photo helped me to understand that I was not alone in this belief, as I
saw that many of my classmates also referred to their family in terms of their
identity, it reminded me to never neglect family, as they make up such vast amounts
of my identity.
The third photo that I chose, to represent my views on
Human Rights, comes from the very first article of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, which states that all humans
are born equal, and should all have the same fundamental rights. I instantly
took a liking to my chosen photo because it represents my exact beliefs of
human rights, that it does not matter who you are or what you believe, everyone
should be treated the equally. My view on human rights has not much changed
since sharing this photo, however it did reinforce the importance of equality
and the necessity of human rights for all.
When I think of historical influences on society today, I
first think of women, and how far women have come in society, particularly
regarding the suffrage movement. Despite the 21st article in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, declaring that everyone has the right to
participate in political matters, and to vote, this was not always the case for
minorities. My chosen photo shows Kate Sheppard on New Zealand's $10 note, I
chose this because it shows just how influential she was and how much she
progressed women’s rights. Penelope J. Corfield stated that “History is
inescapable, it studies the past and the legacies of the past in the present” this
reflects the importance of history in today’s society, and taught me the importance
of learning about history, because our lives would be drastically different,
had people like Kate Sheppard not existed.
Corfield,
Penelope J. (2008). All people are living histories – which is why History
matters. Making History: The changing face of the profession in Britain.
Retrieved from:http://www.history.ac.uk/makinghistory/resources/articles/why_history_matters.html
Huisman,
D. (2014). Telling a family culture: Storytelling, family identity and cultural
membership.Interpersona, 8(2), pp.144-158, doi:10:5964/ijpr.v8i2.152
Lawler, S. (2008). Identity:
Sociological perspectives. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press
Ryan, M. (2010). Preface. In Cultural
studies: A practical introduction. Hoboken: Wiley, pp.viii-xii.
Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (1948). Retrieved 28 March 2016, from
http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/
