Culture is as culture does.

As it turns out, culture was as difficult to define this week as home was last week. Although it may seem as though we are getting caught up in mere semantics, I agree that it is important to have some sort of handle on what 'culture' is, in order to recognize and appreciate it, especially when encountering different cultures. In other words, if we realize that what we are assuming to be 'culture,' we can see how the differences between such affect our interactions and relationships with others from a different culture.

For me, the most crucial aspect of culture to consider is the essential element; in other words, what, if removed from a group of people, would prevent them from functioning normally and perhaps alter their identity as they previously knew it. This requires a critical examination and perhaps full immersion within the culture, as it is most likely not a surface-level or clearly recognizable element. However, this element is the key to the healthy functioning of that culture, and if manipulated or otherwise removed could result in the total dissolution of order. Consider the Iraq war and Paul Bremer's decision to declare that anyone with ties to the Ba'athist party could no longer hold a job – this literally left the Iraqi economy in shambles, as a great majority of the population had some relation to this party and now was unable to work and support their families. This, in conjunction with his follow-up move to disband the military ultimately disrespected the essence of the Iraqi culture and fueled the impending insurgency. I truly feel that a lack of understanding culture and appropriating one's own cultural understandings onto another society is cause for many current day issues; if we are to live in peace and harmony in a global society, a call for recognizing cultural differences and understanding how they play a role in the workings of that group is necessary, even if it requires a lengthy immersion within that culture. 

Wrapping up our discussion brought us back to the concept of globalization and how it is impacting cultures. It seems as though this worldwide trend is affecting how 'pure' a culture is (if you can define such a term) in regards to that culture's historic roots. The increased impact of dominant cultures on otherwise rural or remote cultures is causing them to adapt and stray further from what they were before digital technologies, increased commercialization, and rapid globalization. As with most design problems, I think this ties in well to understanding one's audience and how this is crucial to the success of a design. Although once hidden cultural groups are now more visible and accessible, this does not make them similar to ourselves; in fact, it is necessary now more than ever to understand the audience and how their needs differ from others in order to create solutions that are purposeful, meaningful, and above all functional.