Describe a cultural product or practice and reflect upon the cultural perspective(s) it illustrates.
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Describe a cultural product or practice and reflect upon the cultural perspective(s) it illustrates.
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In Iran, cinema and film are highly popular. Western films are still technically banned in Iran, although easily available illegally, and so many films are produced each year in Iran. Globally, Iranian cinema is hailed as some of the most important, artistically.
Iranian cinema naturally reflects the culture of Iran. For example, they are extremely conservative romantically, with even chaste kissing considered too racy for the public by the theocratic government. The government censors and bans many films, and has the power to heavily edit films that are shown on television, as many of the channels are government-run. In fact, the government just recently declared the country's largest professional organization for filmmakers illegal, and many films were prevented from being produced after the 2009 post-election protests. The availability of cinema in Iran is very directly connected to the government, although piracy is prevalent.
This year, I was able to view an Iranian film in a movie theater near my home with my mother, titled A Separation, which won the Oscar award for Best Foreign Film. A Separation highlighted many of the conflicts in modern Iranian culture, like the desire to escape Iran for more opportunities in the West, and the amount to which the elderly are revered in Iranian society. It portrayed Iranians that are relatable to people from a Western culture who have been conditioned by the media to think all Iranians are like the government officials from Iran that they see on TV. Cinema is something that can be used to help people of different cultures understand each other while appreciating each others' differences and similarities.
The topic I chose to do this cultural post on is on K-Pop music. It started becoming more known in the 1990's and had influences from other countries such as the U.S and Japan. The debut of Seo Taiji and Boys marked the turning point in South Korean popular music. K-Pop is now very popular all over South Korea and it has actually grown rapidly to become known internationally in countries such as China, Japan, and much of Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. To name examples, BigBang and 2NE1 are two of the more popular groups out right now. In 2010, solo artist Taeyang from BigBang and girl group 2NE1 began topping various music charts throughout the United States and Canada with the release of various albums and hit songs. K-Pop even has their own official channel on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/music/kpop) and has their own chart on billboard.com called "Korea K-Pop Hot 100 Music Chart". K-Pop is an important part of the Korean culture because K-Pop artists are increasingly working with other artists outside of Korea to further globalize the genre. In mid July, a YouTube video called "Gangnam Style" was released and became a hit within days. The video went viral and most of it's views came from the United States. The rapper, Psy became extremely popular within a month and broke the record for most likes on YouTube. Psy's video got over 6 millions views per day beating popular artist Justin Bieber. K-Pop music is mostly directed for teens but it is a big part of their daily life.
I love talking to my language partner about Indian culture. I am an auditory learner and I learn from interaction and through discussions. My language partner is from south India, whereas, I am from the western part of India. As Sanya and I dwell further into Indian culture, I realize how big India really is. Gujarati culture is extremely different from the culture of south India.
I am learning the Hindi language which is the national language of India. Hindi is spoken all over India and every Indian state has its own culture. Despite being born and raised in India, I feel as though I don’t know Indian culture at all. Talking to all Indian friends on campus confirm my doubts. I know the Guajarati culture inside out; however, I don’t know the proper Indian culture.
My obstacle during this semester is embracing all of the Indian culture. I would like to look at all parts of India, North, South, East and West, and learn about as many different cultures as I can.
It seems to me that the real question is whether there is one 'Indian culture' common to everyone despite the great diversity that exists. One can ask the same thing of the US, of course, but I think most Americans would agree that there is an 'American culture' that can be discerned despite regional and ethnic differences. Is that true of India as well?
This post would be much improved by some examples of the differences between Gujarati and Hindi culture.
I am actually in the midst of figuring out what exactly Indian culture is as a whole. I will keep your suggestions in mind as I write my future posts.
A specific culture practice in Pakistan that I have learned about is, the way they greet with each other. Usually when women greet with each other they kiss on the cheeks three or four times.
The same, when men greet each other, they hug and kiss. hugging and kissing while greeting among women and men are very common in Pakistan and there is no shame or any other secret behind it.
It is really interesting to know that the culture in Pakistan is so closed to my culture and what I have been learning so far. People in Afghanistan greets the same way.
It is interesting to know that families in Pakistan is so closed to each other and they value relationships and bonds more than anything else.
A particular cultural practice that I observed was the touching of feet of the elderly in order to show respect. For example, I recently watched a Bollywood movie, Mohabbatein where the main actor Shahrukh Khan refused to touch the feet of his father in law because he did not respect him. By the end of the movie, only when he gained respect for his father in law did he bend down and touch his feet.The practice of touching feet is very common not only in the Gujarati community but also in the greater Indian population, with a few exceptions.
I found this very strange as in the Western community feet are regarded as dirty and unsanitary. I have also found it disgusting to touch anybody’s feet purposely, so to touch anyone’s feet out of intentional desire was an abstract idea to me. This practice is usually carried out by children to parents, grandparents, and other elders, but oftentimes the wife is required to touch her husband’s feet too.
I admire the value and emphasis that Indian culture places on respect for those who come before us and are more knowledgeable and experienced than us. This is an attribute that would greatly benefit Western society and the upcoming generation of Westerners.