what is the interplay of culture society and political identities
Answers
Different kinds of social institutions, ranging from the family to the market,
can bring people together, create strong collective identities and strengthen
social cohesion, as you learnt in Chapters 3 and 4. But, on the other hand, as
Chapters 4 and 5 showed, the very same institutions can also be sources of
inequality and exclusion. In this chapter, you will learn about some of the
tensions and difficulties associated with cultural diversity. What precisely does
‘cultural diversity’ mean, and why is it seen as a challenge?
The term ‘diversity’ emphasises differences rather than inequalities. When
we say that India is a nation of great cultural diversity, we mean that there are
many different types of social groups and communities living here. These are
communities defined by cultural markers such as language, religion, sect, race
or caste. When these diverse communities are also part of a larger entity like a
nation, then difficulties may be created by competition or conflict between them.
This is why cultural diversity can present tough challenges. The difficulties
arise from the fact that cultural identities are very powerful – they can arouse
intense passions and are often able to moblise large numbers of people.
Sometimes cultural differences are accompanied by economic and social
inequalities, and this further complicates things. Measures to address the
inequalities or injustices suffered by one community can provoke opposition
from other communities. The situation is made worse when scarce resources –
like river waters, jobs or government funds – have to be shared.
If you read the newspapers regularly, or watch the news on television, you
may often have had the depressing feeling that India has no future. There
seem to be so many divisive forces hard at work tearing apart the unity and
integrity of our country – communal riots, demands for regional autonomy,
caste wars… You might have even felt upset that large sections of our population
are not being patriotic and don’t seem to feel as intensely for India as you and
your classmates do. But if you look at any book dealing with the history of
modern India, or books dealing specifically with issues like communalism or
regionalism (for example, Brass 1974), you will realise that these problems are
not new ones. Almost all the major ‘divisive’ problems of today have been there
ever since Independence, or even earlier. But in spite of them India has not
only survived as a nation, but is a stronger nation-state today.
As you prepare to read on, remember that this chapter deals with difficult
issues for which there are no easy answers. But some answers are better than
others, and it is our duty as citizens to try our utmost to produce the best
answers that are possible within the limitations of our historical and social
context. Remember also that, given the immense challenges presented by a
vast and extremely diverse collection of peoples and cultures, India has on the
whole done fairly well compared to most other nations. On the other hand, we
also have some significant shortcomings. There is a lot of room for improvement
and much work needs to be done in order to face the challenges of the future …
Culture affects the everyday state and course of society, while politics determine the nature and mode of culture and its transformation. Politics therefore has a decisive role to play in determining what direction the culture will take. Culture is the foundation for the development of social normalcy. Politics change this foundation only fundamentally, while culture reflects its reality and interior. It has nurtured social characteristics, such as nationality, the characteristics of general people, customs and habits. Nevertheless, culture and politics affect and connect. Although politics determines culture, culture also subtly influences politics.
EXPLANATION:
- Identity is the "similarity" and identification belonging. In a real sense, cultural identity is frequently associated with ethno-cultural identity, while political identity is more often inseparable. Cultural identity lays certain stress on the group destiny of an individual or ethnic group from which its members cannot pull out.
- On the other hand, political identity reflects the ideals and goals identified, interpreted and evaluated by the members of society as subjective. Political identities have been shown, ever more serious conflict and perplexity since modern times, and the loss of political identity has increasingly developed into a social phenomenon on the surface of the social structure.
- Given that cultural identity and political identity are highly complementary and stimulating, cultural identity should be taken as a pivotal point for entry in community policy to facilitate systemic creativity, adapt interest rates and strengthen the sense of belonging of community members. These are particularly important for enhancing a community's political identity.
To know more
Relationship between individual and society essay
https://brainly.in/question/1588318
Discuss the social economic and political condition in Russia before 1905?
https://brainly.in/question/1359920