Firstly we must have a clarification over terms equivalent to culture, identity and cultural identity which leads us to the American cultural identity and its elements. Culture is a very complicated time period to define. „It has more than a hundred definitions.” (1) To offer a easy definition and no to confused with the hundred of the definitions we are able to define tradition as follows: culture refers to the customs, practices, languages, values and world views that define social teams comparable to these based mostly on nationwideity, ethnicity, region or widespread interests.
Identity is one other term we should know about earlier than understanding cultural identity. „The condition or character as to who an individual or what a thing is.”(2) The perfect way to define the time period identity is an answer to the query who am I? We can say that identity is about our self-perception and perception of others. There are completely different types of identity in response to completely different ways of categorizing of aspects. Personal identity, social identity and collective identity are essentially the most recognizable ones. „The concept of a collective identity refers to a set of individuals’ sense of belonging to the group or collective. For the person, the identity derived from the collective shapes a part of his or her personal identity.” (3) The master forces of collective identity are nationwideity, ethnicity, religion, gender, profession and decadent culture.
Cultural identity is the identity of a gaggle, culture or of an individual as far as one is influenced by one’s belonging to a group or culture. Then cultural identity is a collective identity.
The American cultural identity could be merely defined as the sets of values, norms and beliefs that make the American people because the Americans. Collective identity shouldn’t be in battle with personal identity as each American has its own identity while the whole People has a selected collective identity by which they are distinguished from the British people.
Talking in regards to the elements of the American cultural identity is difficult, because there are many parts that form it. To depend a number of the most important components I’m going for the next ones.
• Language
English language is one of the components that in my opinion have shaped the American cultural identity. It gives the Individuals a way of getting a British origin and a sense that the language their ancestors spoke was English like them and I think it makes them think of their Anglo-Saxon background. English language as the most importantity of the Individuals speak has had a great influence on shaping their collective identity.
• Egalitarianism
The thought of egalitarianism or having equal opportunities makes the second factor of the American cultural identity. This sense that all of us live in a land of opportunities, while others do not and all of us are equal to have opportunities to live has integrated Individuals as a whole.
• Exceptionalism and Nationalism
The concept of exceptionalism has instilled in People mind by way of the history and as a result it has made them think that they’re distinctive and particular folks residing in a land of opportunities. They believe in American Dream and they think that they’ve had this chance to live on this land not some other people. People consider that they and only they are distinctive and this concept provides them a way of nationalistic point of view. Being patriot is a very common image of being an American and it has a lot to do with exceptionalism and nationalism. For example, US flag is considered a national symbol and a symbol that integrates all Americans to a whole.
• Liberalism
Liberalism is undoubtedly the most influential ingredient of American cultural identity. The concept of liberalism in America is as old as the United States where in accordance the US Constitution the people are free to work, worship, live, travel and so forth so forth so long as they respect every others’ rights. Liberalism limits the affect the government has on the personal lives of the citizens as well. When people see that they are free to decide on no matter they want under the liberalism umbrella, then they feel they are Americans and they acknowledge themselves as Americans.
• Individualism
Individualism has had a terrific impact on being an American. It has a Puritan background. Individualism has helped the creation of property ownership and what’s called privacy. Ownership in America is of great significance and it offers the owner a way by which he/she feels American because they consider it a results of dwelling in America and believing in American beliefs. Individualism shouldn’t be only about economic phrases like property ownership. By way of tradition, cultural individualism is the idea that the entire People see themselves as a person from which the thought of Americanism comes from.
• Pragmatism
Pragmatism, like individualism, has a Puritan origin. People work very hard to achieve their goals. The query „What do you do?” is a quite common query in American culture. It signifies that hard-working is a very important factor among Americans. People work very hard they usually always think in regards to the results undermining the tools by which they’ll achieve the ends. In accordance with the American multicultural context, pragmatist ideas which refuses any absolutes turned quite common because „rather than believing in absolutes it is believed that these ideas are changeable and rely on the context in which they’re being discussed.” (four)
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