Which culture did you choose and why? (Answer should be one sentence long)
The culture that was selected for this task is the Spanish culture, chosen for its diversity and rich heritage and thus making it the ideal culture to study its various aspects to understand cultural ethnography.
Describe the assumptions you had about the culture before you began your observations? Assumptions may include, but are not limited to: clothing, landscape, mannerisms, food, drinks, drugs, traditions, hobbies, sense of family, sense of self and etc... Do NOT leave this blank, Do NOT state that you have “no assumptions” (Answer should be one paragraph, at minimum, in length)
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Before my observations on various aspects concerning the Spanish culture, I had many assumptions running in my mind. For instance, it never ringed in my mind that Spain is composed of many ethnic groups. After the observation, I noted that Spain is composed of various ethnic groups in the region. The main group includes Castilian, Catalan, Basque, and Galician. Castilian is the officially recognized language. The other three languages are considered minorities and are spoken only in the regions that they are predominant. This is a clear demonstration of the fact that the political class in Spain understands that there are many other nations within the State of Spain, and therefore allowing them the space to use their minority language shows appreciation of the several cultures that exist in Spain.
Which videos did you watch to make your observations? Please include a 2-3 sentence summary of each video you watched. If they are online videos please include the links. The links needs to be cited in APA format. (Your answer should include all citations + 2-3 sentence description PER citation
CGTN (2016, October 4). Spain’s traditional bullfighting sparks controversy [YouTube]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3bhUumFgSM
This source shows a bullfighting contest. It is one of the most predominant cultural activities in Spain. However, in recent times the sport’s popularity has been waning away.
Spain Revealed - James Blick. (2019, January 29). 10 Spain culture shocks | Expat life in Spain [YouTube]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOCmLG1m8pM
The narrator explains some unique cultures that are practiced in Spain. One of them is the importance of maintaining personal distance while in conversation. Spanish culture values personal space.
Langfocus. (2016, February 20). The Spanish language and what makes it the coolest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSfCDdTtBn0
The source explains the languages that are used in Spain. It recognizes Castilian as the primary language but also recognizes other minority languages that exist, such as Catalonia.
Describe the culture’s political system and the people’s relationship to the political system . For example: who is the leader? How is the leader chosen? How are policies passed? How are policies written? How long has the country had this type of political system? Is the political system successful? How involved are everyday citizens in the political process? Does the government allow political speech, action, involvement? How much does the government allow? All of the preceding questions should be answered. Need to provide in-text citation or you risk receiving a 0 for copying
Spain is a state that is made up of several nations. There has always been tension between the factions that profess the minority languages in the region, including Catalan, Basque and Galician, and the Castilian, which is the primary language spoken in Spain. During the reign of Dictator Franco, he had made Castilian the supreme language in Spain without the recognition of the other minority groups ( Arango, 2019). This led to much political unrest in Spain as the minority groups fought for their voices to be heard. With his death in 1975, the political landscape was to take a new direction with a democratic government coming in place. A new political dispensation that recognized the existence of the several minority groups was put in place, with the helm of I being the enactment of the new constitution in 1978 that gave the framework upon which the State of Spain and the various nationalities in Spain will be governed.
The newly formed constitution promised to uphold the diverse linguistic rights of various groups. Castilian is the officially recognized Spanish language with the other languages recognized as official in their respective nations. The recognition of such languages brought peaceful coexistence in the State. However, in recent times there has been political unrest in Catalonia as the Catalans have been demanding autonomy from Spain. With the population of Catalan being around seven million people, and 90% of this being able to understand and speak Catalan, the calls for autonomy has been intensifying. There have been demonstrations all over Catalan, calling for this to be effected. For instance, in October 2017, the region went into a referendum to vote for cessation from Spain. However, even though the referendum was passed, the Spanish central government had outlawed the referendum (Teruel & Barrio, 2016). Thus, the government responded by making arrests on the political group that was pro-independent and led to the exile of many others, including the Catalan president then, Carles Puigdemont, to go to exile Belgium. Further, the Catalonia region government was dissolved, with the Spanish central government taking charge over it for a few months.
Currently, the Spain central government is headed by Mr. Sanchez, who took over from Rajoy. Sanchez’s assumption into office coincided with the tenure of Catalonia’s new leader, Torra, taking a chance ( Teruel & Barrio, 2016). Though there have been talks between them on how to end the political stalemate witnessed in the two regions, a long-lasting solution has not been found. Catalonia appears to be still be polarized, and the calls for cessation have not ceased.
References
Arango, E. R. (2019). The Spanish political system: Franco’s legacy. Routledge.
Teruel, J. R, & Barrio, A. (2016). Going national: Ciudadanos from Catalonia to Spain. South European Society and Politics , 21 (4), 587-607. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/13608746.2015.1119646
Describe the varying roles and expectation of members in the group. For example: gender roles/expectations, family roles/expectations, societal roles/expectations and etc... You only need to mention two different roles and two different expectations; to be clear, this means there are a total of 4 described at minimum. (Answers must be descriptive. Emphasis on descriptive. Stating, “Women raise the children and men work” is NOT, I repeat NOT descriptive. It is lazy writing. Be descriptive and college-like. Don’t be lazy-like. Need to provide in-text citation or you risk receiving a 0 for copying
Over time, there has been a drastic change in gender roles in Spain. In the 1930s, there were so many strict rules that discriminated against women. For instance, during that time, women were not allowed to work and also to own property rights. Concerning marriages, it was also expected that every marriage that would be conducted in Spain was to be sanctioned by the Catholic Church, and this was the only way that marriages could be annulled. It was also a requirement for women to attend a six-month class if they wanted to become mothers ( Kuznetsova, 2019). Such restriction was hard and they made it difficult for women as it was time-consuming and unwarranted.
The enactment of the new constitution in 1978, together with the civil code of 1981, was a reprieve for many Spanish women. Women were given more rights to make their own decisions. For instance, women were allowed to pursue their career goals in addition to being wives and mothers. As such, this aspect changed the age at which most women were getting married, with most of them being married at a later age as they concentrate on pursuing their careers first before they can think of marriage. Unlike in the past, today, there are many women in leadership positions and they also own property ( Kuznetsova, 2019). There should be support on women to enable them to pursue their career goals while at the same time, ensure that they do not abandon the prospect of having a family as well.
References
Kuznetsova, L. (2019). Cultural traditions as part of Spanish national identity. SSRN 3512823 . https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3512823
Name 2-3 traditions and/or cultural practices you found interesting. This section can include: holidays, manners, rites of passage, and etc... Need to provide in-text citation or you risk receiving a 0 for copying
Cultures are unique in different societies. Culture explains the way of life that a particular community exhibits. One of the interesting cultures that I found in Spain was the manner of conduct during which individuals conduct themselves during meal times. As a practice, when one is invited for a meal, they should not start eating before the hosting hostess begins ( Kuznetsova, 2019). One should also not get up before the guest of honor does so. This is an admirable practice as it shows how respect is upheld in the Spanish culture.
Another interesting cultural practice that I found in Spain regarding the use of non-verbal communication. They value personal space while they are talking.
References
Kuznetsova, L. (2019). Cultural traditions as part of Spanish national identity. SSRN 3512823 . https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3512823
Describe 2-3 food dishes that are unique to that culture. Make sure you explain how the food is prepared and how it is consumed and why it is unique to that culture. Example 1, rice is not unique to any culture; however, stick mango rice is unique to Thai culture. Example 2, wine is not unique to any culture; however, sangria is unique to Spain. Need to provide in-text citation or you risk receiving a 0 for copying
Tortilla Espanola is one of the most popular and unique food dishes in Spain. It is prepared by slowly preparing up onions and potatoes on boiling olive oil before adding eggs. It can be used as a main dish as well as for breakfast (Roden, 2016). Children also eat the dish as a sandwich.
Gazpacho is another popular and unique food dish that is served in Spain. It is prepared by blending tomatoes with peppers, cucumbers, garlic, and herbs and served together with toasted bread. It is a popular meal during the hot summer season ( Roden, 2016).
References
Roden, C. (2016). The food of Spain . Penguin.
What language do they speak? Do they have a national language? Describe one verbal code and one nonverbal code. (Answer should be three sentences in length)Need to provide in-text citation or you risk receiving a 0 for copying
There are many languages in Spain, including Catalan, Basque and Galician, and the Castilian, which is the primary language spoken in Spain. The other languages are used in the respective nations as the official languages, and the regional government can even converse in them instead of the State’s official language. The verbal communication in Spain is mostly direct but in a polite manner, with much other non-verbal communication like greeting being prevalent in the culture.
Apply two cultural dimensions from the any of the cultural taxonomies (Globe, Hofstede, and etc...). Please rate the dominant culture as low, mid, or high and provide two examples for each cultural dimension to help support your claim of low, mid, or high. Length: 2-4 paragraphs. Please provide your in-text citation or risk a 0 for copying.
Taxonomies are used as a tool that explains the behavior of people. Spain is a lo-context culture because, in the communication of the people, the majority of the information is vested in the explicit code ( Sauer & Riede, 2019). However, due to globalization, where people interact and exchange cultures, this might change with time.
According to Hofstede’s cultural Taxonomy perspective, some of the cultures in Spain feels threatened by uncertainties ( Jung, 2020). This explains why regions like Catalonia have been pushing for autonomy from Spain. In order to preserve cultures, they are supposed to fight for their political space.
References
Jung, H. (2020). Cultural differences or political differences? Flipping over the Hofstede’s 6-d model of culture in terms of conservatism and political views. https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1013&context=urspsych
Sauer, F., & Riede, F. (2019). A critical reassessment of cultural taxonomies in the Central European late palaeolithic. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory , 26 (1), 155-184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-018-9368-0
Name one subculture OR counter culture that are part of the society . Please discuss 3-4 cultural components of the sub/counter culture. Explain how or why they are a sub/counter culture. Provide a specific, descriptive example to help support your claim. (Answer should be a minimum of one paragraph)Need to provide in-text citation or you risk receiving a 0 for copying
In Spain, various subcultures can clearly be seen. This is regarding the languages and the regions where such cultures are based. One of the most predominant cultures in Spain is the Catalans. With the group being the second largest after the Castilian, they are significant in the overall Spanish culture. The group is predominantly based in Catalan, with a population of over seven million ( Kuznetsova, 2019). In recent years, they have always been pursuing autonomy from Spain.
References
Kuznetsova, L. (2019). Cultural traditions as part of Spanish national identity. SSRN 3512823 . https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3512823
Please attach all the notes you made for the 3+ videos you watched here. Please make sure you have your notes titled for each section. For example, “Notes from watching Atlantis Documentary: Voodoo Culture” and etc...For all the videos. Basically, I just need to know when I look at your notes which video they pertain to.
Notes from watching the documentary Spain’s traditional bullfighting sparks controversy
The video shows a bull fighting contest. It is one of the most predominant cultural activities in Spain. However, in recent times the sport’s popularity has been waning away.
Notes from watching the documentary 10 Spain culture shocks | Expat life in Spain
The narrator explains some unique cultures that are practiced in Spain. One of them is the importance of maintaining personal distance while in conversation. Spanish culture values personal space.
Notes from watching the video The Spanish language and what makes it the coolest
The video explains the languages that are spoken in Spain. It recognizes Castilian as the primary language but also recognizes other minority languages that exist, such as Catalonia .
