Firstly, I would love to thank Claire, Ashley, Ata and Jeremiah for a beautifully written lecture about Mapuches peoples. If you read my post please go read their lecture because it is definitely worth it! 🙂
As I was reading the lecture three concepts started connecting to each other: these concepts were globalization, tourism and culture.
Mapuches people have been influenced by tourism in a negative but also a positive way. They lost their food sovereignty but also thanks to tourism they got to maintain their culture and land. This made me think of globalization in a broader perspective and what it does to the world around us. It changes our cultures. It combines cultures together and partly makes them disappear. As more and more globalization happens more and more we start to lose track of our cultures so well defined before globalization happened. As Mapuches peoples incorporate Western food in their life, they let go of their traditions. As they let go, culture tends to fade. We accept different lifestyles, we stop practising the traditions and customs we used to and we start including new ones.
When I look at my own life I can see that generation after generation my own culture is slipping through my fingers. I learnt how to live Canadian lifestyle at the expense of letting go of my Czech one. Letting go of cultures is not necessary a bad thing it is just new. It has its bright sides but also its sad sides. It gives us more diversity and variety and more alternatives, yet at the same time it replaces what in the past was such a big part of our lives.
Hence, the lecture about Mapuches made me think a bit deeper about my own life. I know globalization is inevitable, losing a little bit of your culture too but at the same time it gives me motivation to try harder to preserve my own and help others preserve theirs and what a better way there could be than through learning the recipes our mums, grandmas, dads, grandpas or aunties and uncles have been preparing for us since we were little children.
Figure out something about your culture that you know you never want to let go of and pass it onto other people, share it and be proud because your culture is something that makes you you! 🙂
Thank you everyone!
Have a wonderful day and let me know what you love about your culture the most please! I would love to know!
Kat 🙂
Hey Kat!
Thanks for your kind words about our group project 🙂 I had a similar experience when I left Turkey, which is my home country. I had the privilege of living in different places in North America, however I too felt like missing out on my culture. I asked my grandparents about their experience because they were also immigrants hailing from Eastern Europe. After hearing a bit about their experience I felt very lucky because I didn’t have to relocate because of a terrible event like war. I hope one day you will get to experience your own culture. I always try to visit Turkey every year, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to go this year due to Covid. I think what I miss most about Turkish culture is the social gatherings and enjoying the food while getting drunk with friends 🙂
-I look forward to reading what other people have to say about their culture too 🙂
Hi Kat!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the lecture. We really did try and do the Mapuche peoples justice, and I’m glad that it made you think about your own life experiences. It’s interesting to think of the future of our cultures. As an Argentine person I don’t really see my country as having too many cultural traditions, but whenever I go back home I feel so comfortable back with my family and customs.
What I am seeing with the Mapuche peoples and Taino for example is that they are reclaming their traditions back after so many generations of them being oppressed and silenced. It’s really nice to see these communities fighting back to their local governments and getting together once again to practice their own customs. I think it’s important that this is happening, and it makes me really happy that so many people who are a part of these communities finally feel like they have a sense of identity back with them.
As for your Czech/Canadian identities, don’t push yourself too much. I also find myself losing some of my Argentine-ness but I promise you that once you’re back you’ll snap right into your Czech self, or at least that’s what I’ve experienced!
Hi,
I think its really cool that you added some personal experience into your post in regard to globalization and the effects it has. I am from Greece and I remember visiting my maternal grandmother in her mountain village and noticing the difference in lifestyle and priorities which have been shifted due to capitalism and the effects made to increase urban living. It is all too common to feel that stark difference between traditional heritage and the reality of assimilation in present culture. Very thoughtful words. Thanks for sharing.