Cultural Diversity

With our ability to travel great distances, connect digitally with each other, and the gradual breakdown of social barriers, we are able to learn more about different cultures than ever before. Cultural diversity is increasing, and this is in large part due to the fact that access to information about this is more abundant than it has ever been. In areas where social policies reflect an appreciation for cultural diversity people may feel a new incentive to identify themselves in more diverse ways than previously. Interracial couples, for example, felt intense pressure to avoid drawing attention to themselves prior to the establishment of laws that provided some protection for them. Overall, we have more opportunities than ever to seek out information about different cultures.

In the first place, it is worth examining what “culture” means to sociologists. While we may speak of groups of people, like “Americans,” as a culture, this is somewhat oversimplified. More specifically we see the larger group that “… permeates the society and that represents the ideas and practices of those in positions of power…” as the dominant culture, and those groups associated with the dominant culture, but that have distinct norms, as the subculture (Croteau and Hoynes 71). This understanding reflects the fact that cultures include diverse groups of people who may not have very much in common beyond shared citizenship or levels of education for example. Nevertheless, diverse groups of people can still share a distinct culture.

Culture is also a set of social relationships that govern how we interact with each other. Even more specifically, we may define culture as a set of expectations and relationships that are shaped by religion, nationalism, sexuality, or class status just to name a few criteria. In short, there is no single agreed-upon definition for culture. Additionally, geography and historical periods can seriously impact one’s own concept of culture. For example, Kurds in Iraq may see their culture as distinct from Arab Iraqis when there is conflict within the nation. Likewise, they may seem their culture as intimately bound up with Islam when there is a conflict between their nation and another. Notions of culture shift given time and place.

Given that “culture” is a fluid concept, it makes sense that “cultural diversity” is itself a concept that expands and contracts depending upon how people identify themselves. For example, American immigrant groups occasionally wish to downplay their cultural differences in order to Americanize. Similarly, cultural groups in the US may occasionally wish to emphasize their different cultural traditions. Examples such as ethnic food, or holidays and rituals that do not appear to directly challenge US nationalism are means for celebrating cultural diversity that will not detract necessarily from a group’s contribution to US culture. In contrast, cultural groups may occasionally wish to deemphasize cultural diversity. For example, in the wake of the attacks in the US on September 11, 2001, Arab-American groups felt pressure to downplay their cultural differences. At the same time, Arab-Americans who are Christians had the incentive to highlight their perceived similarity to other Americans. Cultural diversity is something that individuals and groups can highlight or downplay in order to fit in with a larger group.

There are other reasons groups may wish to deemphasize cultural commonalities. People who view the dominant culture as oppressive, or somehow not representing their interests may work to form social habits and relationships that are in part meant to critique the dominant culture. These groups are called “countercultures,” and they reflect “…values and lifestyles distinctly opposed to those of the dominant culture” (Croteau and Hoynes 74). Whatever the reasons that compel people to form countercultural groups and values, this remains yet another instance in which people increase cultural diversity. Part of criticizing the dominant culture includes a call for more representative social norms, and that is what countercultures have the ability to do even if their stated aim is simply to protest.

Countercultural movements typically begin as a reaction against a dominant culture (Croteau and Hoynes 74). These movements, including hippies in the 1960s, or punks in the 1970s, had serious social critiques of the dominant culture. Their push for cultural diversity included a more inclusive social world in which racial intermarriage was permitted, women had access to birth control, and people in the US seriously considered the social costs of the war in Viet Nam (Croteau and Hoynes 74). Of course, countercultural movements can also push for decreased access to rights and opportunities. Racially prejudiced counterculture movements, for example, are an ironic form of increased cultural diversity that pushes for decreased representation for other groups. Thus, while countercultures and subcultures represent increased cultural diversity, they are not always a positive or inclusive addition to a culture.

There are numerous additional ways in which cultural diversity is increasing. Access to information about different cultures and the degree to which we interact with people outside of our cultural groups are all on the rise. Given this, sociologists are concerned with the ways in which this shapes our interactions. For example, business owners have an interest in understanding how managing cultural diversity can help them expand their businesses or ways in which they may accidentally lose business because they do not understand how to interact with diverse groups. Business is based on social relationships and understanding what appeals to people. Additionally, businesses have an interest in ensuring that their employees feel loyalty to the company. This is achieved in part by creating a “corporate culture” (Croteau and Hoynes 74). Corporate cultures promote an identity with which workers can identify. Loyalty and hard work certainly come from pay, but work is also based on a social relationship between employer and employee. Language and jargon specific to a job, inside jokes, and common experience all contribute to a subculture among employees (Croteau and Hoynes 74).

Culture is not simply a set of rules. It is always a set of social relationships that guide how people interact with each other. For these complex reasons, culture and norms have important connections to economic inequality (Croteau and Hoynes 74). Subcultures can include economic class as part of their criteria. For example, middle-class Americans are part of an American culture, but are further diverse in their subcultural participation as workers, members of a particular community, participants in certain social clubs, or interests and hobbies. These interests are culturally shaped to some extent: those who enjoy yachting, for example, are likely of an economic class that can afford such a hobby. These social pursuits, in turn, are culturally significant. Sociologists conceive of the dominant culture’s values that enjoy widespread acceptance or admiration as “high culture,” while subcultural values are called “popular culture” (Croteau and Hoynes 74). These both represent diverse cultural forms.

Acceptance of high culture by a majority of people can lead to the commercialization of culture as people participate in high culture through economic consumption. For example, consumers may opt to purchase an expensive vodka because a favored celebrity endorses it. The consumer not only validates the social importance of the celebrity but also shares a commonality with the celebrity because they both consume the same products. This is both an economic and a social relationship. As discussed above, businesses have already come to understand the importance of integrating culture and diversity. Thus, the commercialization of culture is another way that cultural diversity increases as businesses appeal to our cultural values and norms.

In conclusion, cultural diversity is increasing owing to expanded access to information as well as subcultural groups pushing for a voice and representation. Increased cultural diversity is beneficial when oppressed groups achieve rights. However, cultural diversity can be bad if subcultures actually push for the oppression of others. Cultural diversity is an enormous category that includes class, level of education, gender, and even age. Overall, the degree to which individuals may view themselves as participating in different cultures is infinite.

Work Cited

Croteau, David, and William Hoynes. "Culture." Experience Sociology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.