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Culture and Immigration in Canada, 2008.
This paper discusses the different views of Himani Bannerji and Neil Bissoondath relating to the Canadian approach to immigration.
1,072 words (approx. 4.3 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 37.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer looks at the approaches taken by Himani Bannerji and Neil Bissoondath when discussing the Canadian model vis-a-vis immigration. In comparing and contrasting the two, the writer notes that it becomes evident that Bannerji, while she may very well have solid grounds for her vehement stance with regards to Canada and its treatment of new immigrants, is also guilty of being very selective in terms of how she defines the Canadian society of which she is a part. On the other hand, the writer points out that Bissoondath offers a rebuke that, because of its moderate tone and use of example strikes a chord with the reader; more than that, he explains how Canadian approaches to culture institutionalize incompetence and make race a criterion in matters where it should have no place. The writer maintains that in the end, Neil Bissoondath's belief that Canadian multiculturalism encourages omission and self-deception is a stirring critique that resonates.
From the Paper
"At this point, a number of things must be said. First of all, being designated a "visible minority" in Canada does not necessarily have the pejorative connotation Bannerji applies to it. For one thing, "visible minorities" are viewed favorably for affirmative action programs in both the workplace and in post-secondary institutions; secondly, given the aggressive, interventionist nature of Canadian multicultural policies (something Neil Bissoondath will discuss later), it is difficult to countenance the idea that being designated a minority in Canada makes one automatically marginalized - or subject to special "control" by the state. After all, Canada has some of the strongest anti-discrimination and workplace harassment laws in the world; therefore, if anything, being designated a "visible minority" grants someone protection from abuse and (if the wording of federal hiring policies is to be taken seriously) a "leg up" in the scramble for society's spoils."
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Literary Symbolism in Novels of Exile, 2008.
A review of the books "A Bend in the River" by V.S. Naipaul and "The Wide Sargasso Sea" by Jean Rhys.
1,396 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 46.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes the symbolism behind two distinct novels that deal with issues of exile, political strife and social turmoil - V.S. Naipaul's "A Bend in the River" and "The Wide Sargasso Sea" by Jean Rhys. The paper explains how both books utilize nature in many ways as an association and correlation to the themes in their respective novels. The paper also looks at how there is a sense of duality in both books, as nature can depict a tide of change in addition to a resistance by a people to maintain tradition and a way of life that is invaded by unnatural intruders. The paper also discusses how the interpretation of literary symbols in classic novels has always been imperative to understanding the full scope of an author's message. Additionally, the paper shows that both Naipual and Rhys utilize nature to formulate strong symbolic meanings and associate them to the domination of European culture and the notion that colonization fragments Africa from its way of life.
From the Paper
"Naipaul's main character Salim in A Bend in the River takes a ritual journey through Africa which is loaded with numerous metaphors and 'coming of age' events. Salim's realization of the neurosis during colonization and the indigenous social conflict is especially realized when he travels outside of Africa. In his education, he encounters a great deal of realities that shape his perception of Westernization and he quickly begins to realize the pending abomination that is to result from Western influence in his homeland. To further indicate this importance, Naipaul utilizes water to paint a picture of stillness and change. This duality extends to the natural resources that surround the river, similar to the journey of Conrad in The Heart of Darkness. The contrast here is not the personal battle against Africa, Salim is more cognizant of his native surroundings and understands the futility and destruction that will be realized with the synthesis of two conflicting ideologies."
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Diabetes and Culture, 2008.
This paper provides a review of the article: 'Living with Diabetes: Holistic Experiences of Nigerians and African Americans" by M. Popoola.
754 words (approx. 3.0 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 26.95
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Abstract
In this paper, the writer notes that the article 'Living with Diabetes: Holistic Experiences of Nigerians and African Americans" portrays diabetes as a cultural issue as well as a holistic issue. The writer maintains that confronting and coping with diabetes is a cultural matter. and not just a health issue. The writer presents a personal perspective and notes that the writer's own culture perceives diabetes in much the same way as Popoola's article presents it. The writer maintains that the most important point about diabetes is that it is a holistic experience that changes every aspect of the person's life. The writer concludes that because of the way it is dealt with, diabetes is first a very negative experience but is then changed into a positive force through spirituality.
From the Paper
"My personal perception of the cultural issue of diabetes is that such a disease is seen as occurring for several reasons. It may be God's will for the person, or sometimes it is viewed as a matter of bad luck. Medical approaches may be ignored and almost always are delayed because of fear of Western medicine. In any case, home remedies will be first attempted. Folk practitioners are common and their advice is very often sought. When medical care finally is sought, the home remedies will usually not be mentioned because people are afraid they will be criticized."
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What is Culture, 2006.
A review of the articles "Theories of Culture" by Roger M. Keesing and "Marking Boundaries - Culture as Category Work" - Qualitative Inquiry by Anne Ryen and David Silverman.
1,848 words (approx. 7.4 pages), 2 sources, APA, $ 59.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses articles by Roger M. Keesing and Anne Ryen and David Silverman on what culture is, and how we study it, and see what is different in one culture, as opposed to a different culture, or in a small aspect of culture. The paper explains that Keesing seems to be more inclined to see culture in dynamic ways, as always changing or developing, or that has to do with thinking processes, where Ryen and Silverman discuss culture in more material terms that can affect how people of different cultures understand each other. The paper also discusses how Keesing looks at cultures as structural systems so that the scholar will look at how a culture or a structure began and how it continues to influence human life. The writer believes that Ryen and Silverman seem more tied up in how an outsider looks at a culture, the dynamics of importance of what go on between human beings, as individuals, as opposed to the cultural system that Keesing tried to understand. The writer concludes that both articles manage to get across the care that must be taken when researching cultures that are not one's own, but the writer feels that Keesing's work is still not out-dated.
Outline:
Introduction
Theories of Culture
The Human Factor
Last Remarks
From the Paper
"A culture may adapt because new technology or kinds of organization have come along, or it may change so that a people survive, as in cultures that begin to conserve something so that they can survive in their environment. A desert people, for instance, may show a culture that is protective of water, does not waste water, or whose art shows themes of happiness as the coming of the rain, or safely getting to a place where water is available. Keesing then begins to look at ideational theories of culture that have to do with cognitive systems and how people decide what is special, appealing or what must be done, as all can influence culture. (1974:77f)."
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Male and Female Cultures, 2008.
This paper looks at the male and female gender as different cultures.
1,220 words (approx. 4.9 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 41.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses that two cultures that are quite different, but that have historically been compared and contrasted to one another, exist in the male and female genders. The writer notes that females have consistently struggled to be equal partners within the social order, while males have had the freedom to control the lives of those within their families, community and the larger governmental arena. The writer maintains that differences in culture have shaped the beliefs of those within them and constructed a society that supports the ideology that different genders should have different social standings. The writer concludes that regardless of the battles for equality that have taken place throughout history, the female gender is still a culture that is oppressed and that is fighting to be considered as equal partners with their male counterparts in the social order.
From the Paper
"While women's rights improved to some degree, they have never equaled the rights known to men, nor have women been capable of being viewed as complete equals in the social order. At the current time there are more women controlling major companies in the United States and it is believed that the "glass ceiling" that exists for women in business is being removed. Yet, this situation pertains to only some women and the culture of women is continuing to be oppressed in multiple ways. This includes women that have been left as single parent mothers, supporting the household alone; the extensive numbers of women that are forced to exist in poverty because of a lack of opportunities to change their economic standing in the social order; and the minimal representation of women in the government."
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Gendered Cultural Identity, 2007.
This paper is a personal narration of a female student living in Canada, which explores the author's gendered cultural identify and relates it to anthropological and sociological theory.
2,640 words (approx. 10.6 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 79.95
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Abstract
This paper expresses the belief that a gendered, cultural identity narration plays a useful role in finding or defining one's own identity with the caveat that identity is constantly evolving and being dynamically recreated. The author uses the falsity of the assumption that "all Canadians are peaceable" as an example of a ludicrous theory that a particular trait can represent the culture of an entire nation of people. The paper discuses the author's different experiences of being a woman and notes that economic discrimination against women in Canada is far more subtle than in Third World countries because women have the protection of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The paper relates that, growing up in a Third World country as a white, where she was assumed to be 'Westernized', resulted in experiences unlike Black and Chicana feminists. The paper includes quotations.
From the Paper
"As I have had the experience of being both a Third-World feminist and a First-World feminist, am I now a Third-World feminist or a First-World feminist? Narayan states that she chooses to call herself a Third-World feminist because many of her formative experiences took place in this context. This seems to me to be a valid point of view. While I cannot reduce my identity to simply "Third-World feminist," I can certainly see that many of my experiences growing up moulding me into a feminist - and perhaps more of a committed feminist than I might otherwise have been, ..."
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Colliding Cultures, 2008.
This paper looks at the concept of colliding cultures in 'Master Harold... and the Boys' by David Hoegberg, 'Dream on Monkey Mountain' by Derek Walcott and 'No Sugar' by Jack Davis.
4,126 words (approx. 16.5 pages), 14 sources, MLA, $ 110.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses that the concept of colliding cultures, as illustrated in 'Master Harold... and the Boys', 'Dream on Monkey Mountain', and 'No Sugar' contains both negative and positive implications. The writer notes that all three plays demonstrate that when cultures collide, the inevitable result is domination and oppression, which originate in racism because competing ideologies also are at work. The writer maintains, however, that the plays also are based on an alternate meaning of colliding cultures which involves illumination of one culture by another, as well as exposure of the value and dignity of the oppressed by comparison with the lack of humanity by the other. The phenomenon of changing identity as one of the main outcomes of colliding cultures is an important theme in all three plays, and this is explored along with strategies to indicate altered identity such as shifting forms of language.
Outline:
Introduction
The Meaning of Colliding Cultures
Manifestations of Colliding Cultures
Consequences of Colliding Cultures
Symbolism and Imagery
Conclusion
Works Cited
From the Paper
"Hally is situated in a privileged class since he just happens to be the son of the proprietors, and so he can lord it over the black men. Hally has been culturally and socially conditioned to be the men's master but, in fact, he relies on them for emotional support. In an ironic reversal, they are the boys while he is the master. While Hally illustrates white dominance, he is too immature for the segregation but is quite capable of extreme racism against his friend Sam. There is a mutual emotional bond between Sam and Hally, and Sam is Hally's intellectual equal so that segregation is not possible."
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The Indians of Trinidad, 2008.
This paper discusses the Indian population's influence in Trinidad.
1,169 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 8 sources, MLA, $ 40.95
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Abstract
The paper relates that in Trinidad, a country far from India, the largest ethnic population group is of Indian descent. The paper describes the history of the influx of Indians to Trinidad. The paper discusses how the Indians brought with them strong traditions of song, dance, music, food and religious practices that they continue to adhere to today.
From the Paper
"The tiny two-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago is nearly as far physically removed from India as any nation can be. Yet surprisingly, the largest ethnic population group in Trinidad is of [East] Indian descent. ("Trinidad and Tobago 2006") Having traveled literally half way around the world, and rising from indentured servitude to freedom, the Indians of Trinidad overcame crushing obstacles to transplant their culture largely intact on this Caribbean island. (Manas) They are, as writer V. S. Niapaul describes, East Indians from the West Indies. (Review) They have brought with them much of their culture, music, cuisine, and religion and customs. Their ability to do this has allowed them to become one of the dominating forces in Trinidad, carving out and sustaining a space which they held as their own. This space is reflected in the names given to many of the streets in the towns of Trinidad and to many of the major civic monuments. (Manas)"
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Decoding the Object of Desire, 2008.
This paper studies how different items of clothing may be considered as a status symbol.
1,065 words (approx. 4.3 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 37.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer states that she has noticed something curious about one item of clothing worn by the women who study in the university library, which is conscientiously worn as a badge of their status. Specifically, the writer maintains that the women's shoes are almost a badge of their status. At the college library, the women wearing casual shoes by and large wear canvas sneakers. The writer points out that this style is so commonplace that it is almost a uniform for the women in the library, although everything else about them suggests that these are not uniform people. By contrast, the writer notes that at a local gymnasium, women generally come and go wearing running shoes of one sort or another, the popular brands being Nike, Reebok, and Saucony. The writer then discusses what these women's images and dress codes portray.
From the Paper
"Given this, I believe that the preference of the library women for sneakers reflects a cultural orientation rather than any practical need.
"The library women call their shoes "sneakers." I find this a very apt term, because it has a bit of a sinister connotation, and while these women are university students, they bear a sense of being rebels, of cutting against the grain. They have an air of breaking the stereotype that a university student is male. Their bearing suggests a firm intention not to have their career paths limited to being merely secretaries, teachers, nurses, or any other sort of subservient role, particularly not that of a traditional housewife."
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Cybernetics, Cyborgs and Human Beings, 2008.
An analysis of technology and culture with relation to cyborgs, cybernetics and human beings.
1,277 words (approx. 5.1 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 43.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the meaning and application of the term "cyborg." It argues that human beings who use the Internet, machines, pacemakers, heart implants or prosthetics are not cyborgs. Instead, it suggests that the contrary assertion is indicative of a corruption of language and thought as human beings enter the new world of 21st century neuronic technology. The paper analyzes this thesis and assertion.
From the Paper
"It is both curious and instructive that the Greek origin of the word "organic" means "tool" or "instrument", hardly relevant to the current sense of "organic foods" or an organic lifestyle. In fact it construes closely to the definition of a cyborg, "a term condensed from 'cybernetic organism'...typically defined as an entity comprising organic as well as machine parts and information circuits" (Soufoulis, 2002, p.88). The definition co-opts the modern invasive meaning that enables Donna Haraway to "proclaim[s] the cyborg as an identity: "By the late twentieth century, our time, a mythic time, we are all chimeras, theorized and fabricated hybrids of machine and organism; in short we are cyborgs. The cyborg is our ontology; it gives us our politics" (Soufoulis, 2002, p.88)."
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Language, Thought and Perception, 2008.
An analysis of the influence of language upon thought and perception, and the influence of thought and perception upon language.
1,968 words (approx. 7.9 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 62.95
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Abstract
How much does our language influence what we can think and perceive? Indeed, does our language control what we can think and perceive? Conversely, do our thoughts and perceptions influence or even control our language? This paper explores these questions, and shows that - while it is difficult to say which comes first, as the process is clearly somewhat circular - it does seem that culture influences language more than language influences culture.
From the Paper
"Theories such as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which combine linguistic relativity and linguistic determinism, are useful in that they remind us of the relationships between culture and language. For example, in Canada the many aboriginal languages have died - and in terms of this hypothesis, this is one of the important reasons why aboriginal cultures are under threat. On the other hand, in South Africa, despite decades of colonial rule and then apartheid, the indigenous languages, such as Zulu and Xhosa, remained very strong. This was reflected in the fact that the indigenous cultures remained very strong - so it is certainly possible that the survival of the languages enabled the survival of the cultures. "
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Cultural Considerations, 2008.
This paper briefly explores the article "Cultural Considerations in End-of-Life Care" by Polly Mazanec and Mary Kay Tyler, about the significance of appreciating cultural considerations in end-of-life care situations.
814 words (approx. 3.3 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 28.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses a scholarly article, "Cultural Considerations in End-of-Life Care" by Polly Mazanec and Mary Kay Tyler, which touches upon the issue of cultural considerations in the nursing profession. The paper provides a rough outline of the article, re-defines it in terms of how the writer understands the practice, and illustrates the relationship between the practice of cultural sensibility and the client system of which the patient is but one part. In the end, the paper insists that cultural competence is one of the new core skills that any nursing practitioner will be expected to have as the twenty-first century proceeds along.
Outline:
Abstract
Cultural Considerations in End-of-Life Care
References
From the Paper
"While cultural sensitivity may not be the first skill nursing practitioners think of when they are asked to contemplate the abilities they will most need in order to be successful in a tough, challenging profession, there can be little question that an increasingly diversified society has made it essential that nurses know how to deal with those whose cultural background differs from their own.
"Reviewing the aforementioned article, a number of things spring to mind. First of all, Mazanec and Tyler report that a clinician cannot possibly provide effective care without a strong understanding of the different cultural backgrounds of those with whom they will come into contact. Part of achieving this greater understanding entails eschewing the "ethnocentrism" that often pervades one's world-view; it is also considered appropriate that a nurse be well-aware of the family structures, communication styles, and ways in which different cultural groups respond to illness."
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