Cultural Reporter Blog #1, Hispanic Women

Culture is not defined easily.  There are many interpretations of culture amongst scholars, society and individuals.  “Because there are many acceptable definitions of culture, and because it is a complex concept, it is important to reflect on the centrality of culture in our own interactions” (Martin and Nakayama 2013, pg. 88).  Martin and Nakayama are trying to say that culture should not be defined only by general observations but the context in which culture is used.  Culture is a part of everyday life from different foods eaten to different languages spoken all across the world.  It may be easier to think of culture as consistent behavior by society where customs or traditions are established and implemented by society.  As ambiguous as the word culture is, many cultures are being practiced every single day by many different people.

For this Cultural Reporter Project I have decided to study the culture created by Hispanic women.  As stated earlier, traditions or customs practiced over time help define culture and a common one known across many different cultures in regards to Hispanic women is a quinceañera.  A quinceañera is a special birthday party for Hispanic women on their fifteenth birthday.  This special celebration has a deep meaning in the Hispanic community as a whole and is something that is not taken for granted.  “I remember that in public that children always seem to be accompanied by someone older, usually a family member.  People went around in family groups---children with older siblings, grandparents, aunts---not nearly so age-segregated as it is here in the U.S.” (Martin and Nakayama 2013, pg. 104).  This is an excerpt from the textbook from where a visitor from Mexico commented on the collectivism in the United States.  This example covers Hispanic culture as whole so it does apply to Hispanic women as well which is just another example of how Hispanic women have their own culture.

            Two of the major methods for observation concerning the interpretive approach are participant observation and the rhetorical approach.  Participant observation is where a researcher interacts extensively with a specific cultural group and the rhetorical approach is the process of analyzing texts and public speeches (Martin and Nakayma 2013, pg. 60).  It is Hispanic heritage month so there may be some events sponsored by the Gaughan center that I could participate in and use the participant observation method.  I would like to go to the library and learn more about important Hispanic women in today’s society and throughout history, this would incorporate the rhetorical approach.  Overall I think there will be plenty of opportunities to research the Hispanic women culture.

References

 
Martin, J.N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2013). Intercultural communication in contexts (6th ed.) New York, NY: McGraw Hill.