Cultural diversity
Cultural diversity is nothing other than coexistence in more or less harmonious terms of two or more human cultural aspects in the same political territory or the same nation. This supposes the reciprocal acceptance between the cohabiting cultures, jointly generating a variety (linguistic, gastronomic, religious, artistic, etc.) that increases the cultural capital of the country or region. In this article we will elaborate the In this article we will discuss the Cultural diversity with characteristics and distinctive features
Hence, cultural diversity is celebrated and appreciated by most countries, despite the fact that in many cases it is the product of unhappy historical processes, such as emigration, wars, military occupations, or others like that.
According to UNESCO, an organization in charge of safeguarding the cultural heritage of the entire humanity, cultural diversity is as necessary for human civilization as biological diversity is for life itself.
The concept of cultural diversity is closely related to interculturality and multiculturalism, as well as to the so-called cultural identities.
Characteristics of cultural diversity
below are some Characteristics of cultural diversity
multiple cultures
In cultural diversity there are multiple cultures, since this is a strictly necessary particularity. For there to be diversity, several cultures must be present, each one developed by different groups.
It is possible that these cultures have interrelated in past times or are doing so today. In any case, as long as cultures with different characteristics coexist at a given time, cultural diversity can take place.
distinctive features
Each culture must have unique specificities, such as ethnicity, gender, race, language, religion, history, art, music, among others.
The original elements of each culture are what will guarantee that they can interrelate while maintaining their essence, while receiving the influences of the other cultures involved.
Cultural difference
Within a dynamic framed in cultural diversity, it is possible to experience clashes of conceptions and ways of seeing life that are typical of one culture or another.
The differences that arise between one group and another are an inherent consequence of cultural diversity.
Preservation
It is about the conservation of knowledge to prevent myths, languages, religions and other peculiarities from being lost over time and through contact with other stronger cultures.
To the extent that there is greater preservation, there will be cultural diversity with better sustenance.
Interculturality
Within a context of cultural diversity, giving greater prominence to one society or culture over another should be avoided. In these scenarios, the ideal is for the different cultures to coexist and base their interaction on dialogue, communication and respect for their expressions.
Types of cultural diversity
There are different ways in which cultural differences are expressed.
religious diversity
It refers to the peaceful coexistence of different religions in the same country.
Linguistic diversity
It refers to the different languages spoken in the same region or nation.
Ethnic diversity
It is one where there is a presence of various ethnic groups in the same country.
Distinctive features
Cultures are distinguished in fundamental features that serve to define their primary characteristics, namely:
- Race. In many cases, the racial (phenotypic) similarity is part of the values of a culture, which recognizes its peers based on physical similarity. However, as history progresses and racial mixing occurs, or in the case of nations that are the result of miscegenation , this criterion is increasingly difficult to identify in a supposed “purity”.
- Language . The language in which a culture expresses itself is loaded with the culture that engendered it (or the one that imposed it) and the historical and cultural accidents that have occurred since then to the societies that speak it.
- Religion. Religiosity, mysticism, and rituality, as well as specific worldview, are distinctive features of a culture‘s way of seeing the world.
- Gastronomy. The way of eating, the methods of preparation, the favorite dishes and the forbidden foods are all part of the culture.
- Art and folklore. The artistic and folkloric manifestations of a specific community , their clothing, their initiation rites, in which they reflect their beliefs, values and idiosyncrasies, are part of their cultural manifestations.
- History . The own stories, the traditional myths , as well as the official history of the ethnic group, nation or region, also constitute an indispensable element for the culture.
Areas of cultural diversity
There are regions with greater cultural diversity than others, among which are:
Certain Latin American countries. Such as Peru, Bolivia or Mexico , countries in which much of the pre-Columbian cultural wealth remains , which in other regions was razed by the Spanish conquerors or merged in a mestizo melting pot, as in the Caribbean.
The Balkans. The Eastern European region is rich in diverse cultures and varied languages, once brought together by totalitarian governments (such as that of communist Yugoslavia) and today they can more freely express their differences.
Asia Minor. Another region of extremely high cultural diversity, where different religions such as Buddhism , Hinduism and the various traditions of Eastern philosophy converge .
The former USSR. The territory formerly occupied by the Soviet Union of Socialist Republics (USSR) is today a diversity of nations with different histories, cultures and languages.
Cultural difference
Cultural difference is a concept different from cultural diversity since it supposes the existence of a “norm”, from which “other” cultures differ, often the product of migration or, worse still, as in the case of Latin America, of original occupants of the region, whose culture was made invisible through conquest and colonization.
Cultural preservation
Many diverse institutions are dedicated to the preservation and propagation of so-called “minority” cultures, that is, those that statistically cannot cope with the media imposition of the most robust or hegemonic cultures. Thus, many rites, languages , and traditions are lost over the years. Cultural diversity with characteristics and distinctive features
Against diversity
There are various ideological or political positions of resistance to cultural diversity, which advocate the imposition of a central culture or the conservation of the “purity” of a specific culture, without understanding that cultures are living entities that change, grow, mutate. and they are transformed, making it impossible to “preserve” them intact except in a museum.
Interculturality
Interculturality is a concept similar to that of cultural diversity since it assumes the ability of a set of individuals or groups made up of different cultural identities to negotiate a common understanding without prevailing culture or point of view that is notoriously above the others, through dialogue and horizontal communication. Cultural diversity with characteristics and distinctive features
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism or multiculturalism, in a similar way, proposes the coexistence of numerous different and specific cultural entities in the same geographical space, such as a specific country. This does not mean that they cohabit in a healthy and respectful, horizontal way, but it does mean that they share living space among all.
International Day
The May 21 is the International Day of Cultural Diversity for Development and Respect.
Cultural diversity with characteristics and distinctive features
