Culture, Identity & Lifestyle
Key Concepts
• Culture:
– Is the characteristics of a particular group of
people, defined by everything from language,
religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.
– Influenced by the many groups of people that
make up a country
• Traditions:
– A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down
within a society, still maintained in the present,
with origins in the past.
Key Concepts
• Identity:
– A person’s conception and expression of their individuality or
group affiliations (such as national identity and cultural identity)
– Self-identity is the sum of a person’s knowledge and
understanding of his or her self. It can be broken into the
following:
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•
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Cultural identity
Ethnic and national identity
Religious identity
Gender identity
– Inter-personal identity development is achieved through:
• Categorisation: labelling others (and ourselves) into categories
• Identification: Associating others with certain groups
• Comparison: Comparing groups
Key Concepts
• Lifestyle:
– Typical way of life of an individual, group or
culture.
– What are some characteristics of modern
lifestyle?
Read the passages in your content pack to find more out and
gain a better understanding of some of these concepts.
Some Issues to Consider
• Individual Level:
– Artistic / Aesthetic Expression – purpose, degree of
freedom
– Sense of self-identity – individuality, interests
– Link to a larger community – we are social animals and
want to belong
• Community / Interpersonal:
– Transmission of socio-cultural values – traditional
practices, traditions etc
– Economic value – commodification of culture (eg: tourism,
popular culture)
– Building of a shared identity – youth culture etc
Related Issues
• National Level:
– Social – Building of national identity (heritage,
conservation)
– Economic value – commodification of culture,
commercialisation of the arts
– Political – freedom of expression / censorship / culture as a
political tool (Ideological productions - from patriotism to
propaganda) Community / Interpersonal:
• Global Level:
– Political - Rise of soft power
– Socio-cultural - Interaction amongst different cultures –
homogenization of cultures / preservation of indigenous /
local cultures
Food for Thought
• Production (Consider who produces culture
and why)
• Consumption (Consider who consumes
culture and the impact on them)
Related Agencies in Singapore
Do you know these
agencies’ mission, function
and role?
Major Cultural Events in Singapore
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•
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Various racial and religious festivals
Chingay Parade
Dragon Boat Festival
Singapore Art Festival
Singapore Food Festival
Singapore Heritage Festival
Architecture in Singapore
How many can you name? Do you know their significance?
B
Food for Thought
• Read the descriptions of Singapore in the following websites.
What are some common features / characteristics about
Singapore that they highlight? What are some differences?
Can you account for these (consider the target audience,
purpose of website etc)? Are your impressions of Singapore is
different from that of a tourist?
– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Singapore
– http://www.yoursingapore.com/content/traveller/en/browse/aboutsi
ngapore/people-lang-culture.html
– http://www.mapsofworld.com/singapore/culture.html
– http://www.singaporeexpats.com/about-singapore/culture-andlanguage.htm