Culture
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Source: www.public.iastate.edu |
Overview:
Culture encompasses the values and traditions of a group of people. It includes beliefs about family, education, religion, government, society, and simple daily life routines. To truly understand and communicate effectively with a person, one must understand their culture. Definition:
John H. Bodley, Chair of the Department of Anthropology at Washington State University, writes that culture involves at least three components: what people think, what they do, and the material products they produce. Thus, mental processes, beliefs, knowledge, and values are parts of culture. Culture also has several properties: it is shared, learned, symbolic, transmitted cross-generationally, adaptive, and integrated. Food:
Source: www.elmonterey.com Holidays:
Mexican American Families:
According to Celia Jaes Falicov, Mexican American families can be nuclear, extended, “blended,” single - parent, or comprised of never married, divorced, or widowed persons. Nuclear families usually live near, but separate from, extended family members. Families usually are large, consisting of the parents and four or more children. Birth rates among Mexican Americans are close to 25% higher than among most other ethnic groups at all socioeconomic levels. Parent-child lifelong connectedness and respect for parental authority are valued over the husband-wife bond emphasized by the Western nuclear family. Women’s status rises when they become mothers, because it is believed that maternal love is greater than spousal love. Typically, the father disciplines the children and the mother protects/defends them. Family collectivism and inclusiveness are essential to Mexican Americans (Ramirez & Arce, 1981; Keefe, 1984; Vega, 1990). Families include grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Strong sibling ties are encouraged from a young age and through life. Close friends of one’s parents of ten are called “uncle” or “aunt.” Familismo or family interdependence, involves extended family members both nurturing and disciplining children. Mexican’s are dedicated to family unity and honor. The individual, highly regarded in American culture, is not as important as family, regardless of age, gender or social class. Both the mother and father are owed respeto (respect). In families, the status of the parent is high and the status of the child is low, regardless of age. Parents typically enjoy their children, but they do not wish to be their friend. Due to this hierarchy, punishment and shaming are sometimes used in discipline. There are two important types of godparents – those of baptism and of marriage. Baptismal godparents assume responsibilities throughout the child’s lifetime, and the marriage godparents contribute to wedding costs and may help in marital disputes. Family values, respect for authority, and Roman Catholicism influence Mexican American family life. Examples of life differences between Anglo American norms and Mexican American norms include a longer state of interdependence between mother and children, a more relaxed attitude about children’s achievement of self – reliance skills, the absence of an independent living situation for most unmarried young adults, the absence of an “empty-nest” syndrome, and a continuous involvement and respected position of parents and grandparents in the family. |
