8/14/2019 The supposed Civilizational Communication & Cultural Diversity

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Cultural Diversity and the supposedCivilisationl Communication

Cultural diversity has fueled a hot controversy more than ever before. The world has

become such a small castle because of several rampant scientific revolutionsdiffusing all over

the world and making communication so complex, fuzzy, and multi-dimensional.

In regard to this breathtaking state of human life, it appears that human existence is in need of many

metaphysical conditions like safety, happiness, tolerane, and understanding; otherwise, Man willhave to pay a costly price due to the huge gap between nations in all parts of the universe: Different

religious beliefs, intensive disagreement between political allies, social troubles with a higher proportion

of starvation, thirst, health disorders, misery, economic depressions bringing about more social

problemsetc. All these headaches lead us feel more nervous, tense, and unable to cope

with our societal roles and daily duties.

Apart from this figure that gives culture a horrible portrait, several intellectuals view that

cultural diversity might bea symbol of unity.Yet, how could thiscome true? How can one bridge

clashing cultures together? Is it possible to put up withthe other? How can we keep up our native

culture while coexisting with foreigners? Isnt there any threat to our identities on the account of otherworldidentities? Is it conceivable to talk about a culture afarfrom others? All these questions, as one shall argue,

follow from the cloudy conception of culture, notably its characteristics and functions. So, what

isculture used to mean? What does it consist of? And what is it for?

Culture is a combination of material and non-material elements shared among a particular society or

group of people. It is learned and transmitted, formally or informally, from a generation to another via

language, school, family, institutions, educational centers, festivals, celebrationsetc. The presence of culture

in the individual results in what we call cultural identity. Among the material elements of culture are clothes,

food, artifacts, fossils, books, musical instruments, housesetc. Yet, the elements such as values, beliefs,

thought, ideology, conceptionconstitute the abstract side of culture.

People often draw on culture either to enhance communication or to impose power. Culture can

therefore function as a means of communication; it consists of uncountable communicative mechanisms that

enable people to effectively, easily, and effortlessly exchange messages. For instance, a Christian can let others

know his religious or cultural identity by just putting on a cross around his neck. An other would express her

agreement or disagreement by just moving her head up and down or on both sides. Such conversational devices

provide people with effort-and-time-saving communication facilities. A combination between both forms of

communication can also give much emphasis and beauty to the messages we convey.

Culture does not only enhance communication, but it imposes power as well. For example, Marxism,

Liberalism, Sufism, Darwinism, relativity, and many other ideologies or scientific theories impose a particular

kind of power on the receiver: it is simply the power of knowledge. At the world economic level, culture

surrounds societies with a powerful financial system. Many parts of the world have been compelled to follow

the US globalization and system of economy. Others have been forced to adopt its educational system and way

of life, falling into what many intellectuals call Americanisation or Westernization.

Thus, culture remains a complex system of which the individual and society are a part. It differs from an

individual to another, from a community to an other community, and from a nation to another. Yet, there exist

many similarities and points of intersection that link between all the members of the human community, who

have a real possibility to overlook their areas of disagreement and rather draw on their shared human essence to

further consolidate the ties of mutual understanding, learning, respect, justice and tolerance among each other.

Written by:

Abdelouahed OULGOUT