2-1 Defining Culture

Definitions and characteristics

Take a moment to think about the following questions:

• What is culture?
• What qualities make up a culture?

Here’s one definition of culture: a group of people who share common understandings, experiences, or skills attributed to an identity or identities they hold. What was your definition?

There are many facets of a person’s identity that are also part of their culture. For instance, the languages you speak, your racial identity, your religion, your gender identity, your age, your socioeconomic status, your body shape and size, and much more are all part of your identity and the culture(s) to which you belong.

Culture and power

Be aware that all the aspects of your identity and culture are also linked to systems of power in our society that assign value and privilege to certain characteristics. For example, the United States legal system, education system, media institutions, etc. are all rooted in a Eurocentric, White supremacy perspective. Consequently, White people are collectively protected economically, mentally, and physically in their everyday lives. On the contrary, Indigenous people, for example, continue to experience land theft, genocide, erasure, misrepresentation, lack of recognition, broken treaties, and exclusion from traditional schools. They are not protected by systems of power.

Culture can show up everywhere. Recognizing this helps us look at our learning settings with a new perspective and understand that every part of the curriculum and pedagogy either sustains or discourages a culture.