Culture

What is culture? How do you define it? Our discussion today focused on changes within the Samoan culture, but reading through the articles I couldn’t help but wonder. What is it that makes one people different from another? Is it even possible to put your finger on the differences? Or can you only see the outward manifestations? How do you map the changes in a culture? I’ve spoken so much about American culture and Western culture and Samoan culture and Catholic culture. But what do those really mean? Culture deals with people- and people are so individual, how do you group them all into one. These are questions that are so hard for me to answer right now. It’s easier to just absorb and do then it is to contemplate and try and understand sometimes.

Speaking of people, I’ve been asked about the other members of my group. As I may or may not have mentioned earlier there are currently eleven of us in the program. They come from around the country and everyone is from a different school. I’m the only economics major. Most of the others are sociology or anthropology majors although there is a linguist and maybe history major as well. You’d think I’d know better but we’ve all been taking the exact same classes for the past two months. The only thing that will be different is our research, but even that will sometimes be hard to tie directly back to what they are studying back home. The topics are also quite varied: effects of Westernization on the language, remittances, waste management, the church, discipline, views on death, composting toilets, small village stores, land tenure, alcohol/clubs, and of course alternative energy. The reasons for coming are also quite varied. Some are here because they have always been interested in Samoan culture or because it provides a really great place for them to do original research in their field. Others are here most because it just seemed like a cool place to go and it fit in with their school schedules. There’s even a guy who came because his ancestors were missionaries in the Pacific. Overall I think we have a really varied and well-rounded group. According to our Academic Director we are also one of the better groups she’s ever had. We’ve told her she should consider retiring after us because we will be impossible to follow. 