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"CULTURAL IDENTITY"

Culture is the state of civilizations or customs. It includes language, beliefs, values, behaviour, religion, rituals, music, lifestyle, art and food. Our culture has been passed on to us from our ancestors. Cultural identity is the feeling of a group. We either maintain our cultural identity or dominate some of our cultural values for the time being when there is a clash in our culture. There are many factors, which can influence a person's sense of cultural identity. Some people who immigrate to a different country, gradually change their cultural identity and some people have a hard time adapting a new culture due to their relationship with their family, the environment in which they live and one's interests.

A person's relationship with family can affect that person's cultural identity. Most teenagers want more freedom and independence and believe that their family tries to restrict them unnecessarily. When a family recently has been transplanted into a new culture, there is a clash between two cultures and the tensions between parents and children may be even greater. The outcome of the desire for independence and freedom can be behaviour that appears to reject their culture. Some dominate their cultural values such as the way of living, clothing, music and food for the time being so they are acceptable in the new society. Growing up in a place that is different from where their parents have grown up makes it very difficult for teens to communicate with parents. Some teens that have grown up in the West are unable to communicate with parents because they start speaking, writing and listening in English and gradually forget their mother tongue. They often feel lost between two cultures and angry with parents for forcing them to be what they are not. However, even growing up in a place where their parents did not grow up, some people do follow the customs and traditions that their family and ancestors have followed. Family relationships can play a very important role in a person's sense of cultural identity.

The environment in which a person lives can also affect the person's sense of cultural identity. Young people immigrate to a new country such as North America and Europe. Their hardest times come in school, where they learn not only English but also the country's life style; consequently, their own customs change a lot and they are exposed to new customs. Some people have to face the confusion of adapting to a new world, but also to keep their culture and heritage alive. Some people change their own cultural values to fit into a completely different society, feeling impelled to follow what others do, rather than being themselves. For example, a new immigrant to Canada would want to fit in with all the other Canadians and be more like a Canadian, without understanding that Canadian culture is really a blend of different cultures and traditions of different people living in Canada. When young people arrive to a new country, in their first year, they are particularly interested in the many cultural differences. Some of these please and excite them, while others disappoint them. Some young students feel lost and confused as they try to understand who they are and how they fit into that country. In the process of trying to adapt a new culture, they have changed significantly. The environment in which a person grows up can affect that person's sense of cultural identity.

A person's interests can influence a person's sense of cultural identity. A person's interests may not be acceptable to their traditional culture and society. Cultures in Asian countries are sometimes very strict and disciplined. If a place where one's living has a different culture in which a person is very interested in, that person would dominate his or her culture and eventually would want to be more like others in that culture. For example in our country, if both genders spend time together, their reputations would be ruined in the society. In order to keep a good reputation, our people always keep their distance from those of the opposite gender, but in the West, people can have a relationship with whomever they like. If a young person from the East living in the West likes the Western culture better than his or her own culture, he or she would eventually want to be more like the Western people and would start following the western culture. Some Asian parents want their children to become doctors or be in highly paid jobs, but the children may not be happy with that. It is not what they are interested in or want to be, so that affects their sense of cultural identity.

Overall, certain factors such as environment, one's interests and people's relationship with family and friends influence a person's sense of cultural identity. Some overshadow their cultural values for the time being when they immigrate to a new country to be acceptable in the new society. Some have a hard time adapting a new culture or are not interested in changing their cultural values. Every place has a different culture and following your own culture is not something to be ashamed of, but it is something to be proud of.

Sehrish Khan
Islamabad