CULTURE 

What is "Culture"? 
 
The word “Culture” is impossible to define. “Culture” is a concept which is completely a part of us and the way we think - and hence any definitions would, to some degree, be influenced by that. Very loosely one can say that “culture” consists of all the shared products of human groups. 

Culture consists of a wide range of topics, material and non-material, in fact, the word culture includes so much that you are only conscious of 10% of the “Culture iceberg” - or your cultural heritage. 

The parts of culture of which we tend to be aware are games, holidays, language, music and obvious differences.  The rest is buried in our sub-consciousness, and includes norms, values, what is considered polite, what is considered insanity, how hygiene is regarded, food and eating habits, school system, how the raising of children is done, taboos, what is considered indecent, etc., etc., etc. 

The way a culture is today depends on many factors. For instance, the climate plays a role in which clothes are worn; which crops can be farmed; which animals can live there, where the people meet (If it is a warm area they usually stay outside, but not if it’s a very cold area). 

The geography, geology and typography of a nation can make agriculture, mining, transportation and industrialization easier or harder. Folk tales and legends will be influenced by the physical conditions of an area. Myths and legends often try to explain how a certain landmark was made. 

History and politics, with its rulers and its wars through the years, can determine not only physical borders, but also develop rules, customs, holidays and norms. Speaking of norms, religion has a huge saying in what is right and wrong. 

Each culture is unique, you won’t find any other culture that is exactly like another culture. However, you are very likely to find similarities between cultures, and even shared customs (such as Christmas). Cultures also influence one another through movies, fashion, music, and art - and not to mention that people moving from one culture to another will bring their culture with them in addition to adapting to new traditions in the new country. 

In The Global Gazette, we will focus on “the visible part of the iceberg”, the conscious part, but the subconscious parts of culture will surface at times. Although we have selected various subjects to write about, this online newspaper is by no means a complete guide to any of our cultures. 

We hope reading The Global Gazette will give you more knowledge about culture and inspire you to learn more - about a specific topic of interest, about your own or another culture, about the world you live in. We also hope that the Global Gazette, in its own little way, can help reduce ethnocentricity in the world and decrease the notion that some cultures are better than others. Each culture is unique, but all are equally worthwhile. Cultural diversity is enriching! 

Happy Reading! 

 
Contents of the Global Gazette 
 

Arts and music:  Composers, painters, popular music  Everyday life: School, leisure, sports, religion, food.  Government: Ruling powers, elections, parliament  Language: Language history, media, writers, written works (short stories, book reviews)  Legal system: Special laws, Courts. legal system  Norms: How norms and values differ, being polite  Symbols & traditions: Special symbols, holidays, traditions, celebrations, pieces of history  Short facts: Maps, facts and figures of each country Photo Album: A collection of photos: everyday life, special symbols and celebrations

Links:  A collection of links to culture related sites.  Feedback Forum: Give feedback to the editors.  Showcase: Get your work showcased in the Global Gazette or have a look at others'.  Culture Quiz: Test you knowledge  Teacher's Corner: How to use the Global Gazette as an educational tool.  Sitemap: Sitemap and Index of all the articles.   Team 18802: Find out more about the people behind this site.  Acknowledgments: A list of resources used to make the Global Gazette.

 

The Sun is 
A giant playground ball 

It bounces once 
Then silently moves 
Closer to the ground 
To the other side 
For another kid to bounce 
Again 

Nicola (Nicki), Hong Kong, China/Germany 

Alizabeth (Ali), USA 

Kjersti (Kiki),  Norway 
 

Where are we in the world? Have a look at a map. 
 

To return to this page, click the globe in the upper left corner. 
 

Find examples of material products of culture. 

Two examples of non-material products of culture are family patterns and language. Find other examples. 
 

Society - a group of people who live within a specific geographic area and who share a common culture and feeling of unity. 

Ethnocentrism - Means that one pictures one's own ways of acting as the standard, and measures other cultures by how much they are alike one's own. Ethnocentrism often leads to being unable to understand another culture.