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Cultural Analysis Essay: Topics, Tips, & Example

Writing an essay on cultural issues is an exciting yet a challenging task to complete. Cultural analysis essays are assigned to those who study literature, business, marketing, and social work.

What is a cultural analysis? How to choose a topic for such an assignment? How to write a cultural analysis essay? You’ll find the answers to these questions below. This article contains cultural analysis essay topics, writing tips, together with cultural analysis example added as a bonus.

📝 What Is a Cultural Analysis?

🖊️ how to write a cultural analysis.

• 📃 Choosing a Cultural Analysis Topic?
• 📋 Cultural Analysis Essay Topics

📑 Cultural Analysis: Example of an Essay

🔗 references.

A cultural analysis essay focuses on social and cultural aspects of life : the ways people interact with each other, create communities, etc. It also explains how these interactions are based on the backgrounds and common practices of the participants.

Your cultural analysis essay can be short – for example, a 500-word essay . Or you can go for a long piece of writing. It depends on your topic and the number of arguments you want to cover.

In terms of the style, you can pick an expository , a descriptive , a narrative, or a persuasive type of essay. Your decision will depend on what you aim at when writing this paper.

You might be wondering: how to write a cultural analysis essay? And what exact steps should you take?

• First of all, you need to choose a topic you’re going to explore. It shouldn’t be too broad, as, for example, ‘Culture of Islamic countries.’ It will be best to focus on a particular event or a custom and explore it. Further, we’ll provide you with cultural analysis essay topics.
• Then you can focus on researching, formulating a thesis statement , and creating an outline . The outline is an essential part of your writing, as it helps you to ease the process.
• In the introduction, you should mention your thesis statement and cover what you’re going to discuss in your paper. Remember that it’s vital to intrigue a potential reader in your intro!
• Next, you’re going to focus on the main body . You can split it into several paragraphs. The number of paragraphs will depend on the length of your essay and the number of arguments.
• The conclusion is the last paragraph of your paper. Here, you should confirm your thesis statement by summing up your arguments.

Here , you can learn more about a step-by-step plan for your analytical essay.

📃 Cultural Analysis Topic Ideas: How to Choose

Here, you’ll find three important points that will help you to choose the right topic for your paper.

Cultural Analysis Topics: Point 1

First, choose a society or culture that you want to talk about . Let us take American culture and society as an example.

Cultural Analysis Topics: Point 2

Cultural traditions are reflected in many ways: in literature , cinema, etc. We suggest you use films (this is not boring). You can even write the cultural analysis essay based on your favorite movies .

Cultural Analysis Topics: Point 3

Now, you have to decide on the central issue of your cultural analysis essay . What particular aspect of American culture do you want to discuss, e.g., men/women, drugs , minorities, etc.?

Finally, you need to watch a movie (better twice) that depicts the problem you want to consider . Your major goal boils down to analyzing the film and making the final decision. The question is whether this or that cultural aspect is depicted as it is. This is exactly why the article is called “reflecting the reality.”

As you know, truth is not always shown correctly, especially in movies. For instance, many African Americans living in the United States are depicted as drug pushers or members of some gangs. However, this is not precisely what happens in reality.

Sure, you can take any culture or even sub-culture as the basis of your paper.

📋 80 Cultural Analysis Essay Topics

We’ve prepared 80 exciting topics for your cultural analysis essay. Let’s dive in!

• Changing role of the institution of the family in modern Western society.
• Social Media Role in Promoting Social Change .
• Male and female roles in American society: In the past and nowadays.
• Cultural Changes in America After World War II .
• Cultural stereotypes: How have they occurred?
• A Family System and Social Care Service Users .
• The role of marriage: Western and Eastern countries.
• Cultural Diversity Among the Hispanics .
• How are cultural minorities presented in American media nowadays?
• Cross-Cultural Management Problems .
• The role of traditions in modern American society.
• Role of Social Media in the Curriculum .
• Does the media help in promoting social tolerance?
• Culture and Diversity in Education .
• Origins of racism and discrimination in American society.
• Importance of Social Responsibility .
• The role of migration in modern American culture.
• Intercultural Communication Breakdown .
• New professional ethics in the United States: What has been changed in the last decade?
• A Development of American Society .
• Role of religion in modern American society.
• Social Problem, Its Components and Stages .
• Impact of Latin American culture on US culture.
• Social Media’s Effect on Democracy .

• Cultural unification mechanisms: How does it work? 
• The Meaning of Theology for the Present Society .
• Social media and global culture: A myth or reality? 
• Gender & Society. Intersectionality and Feminist Activism .
• The role of national cultures. 
• Why Make a Step Family a Real Family?
• How is culture used in advertising? 
• Hip-Hop in Japan and Cultural Globalization .
• The role of holidays and celebrations in American culture. 
• Direct and Indirect Social Influences on a Person .
• Multicultural societies: Positive and negative aspects. 
• Gun Control: Social Contract Broken in the US .
• The role of subcultures in American society. 
• Freedom Significance: Social and Political Aspects .
• American Revolution and its role in American culture. 
• Social Issues: The Uses of Global Poverty .
• World War II and its influence on world culture. 
• Effects of Technology on Society .
• The role of religion in Islamic countries. 
• Cultural Safety and Transcultural Nursing .
• The role of feminism in American culture. 
• American Culture Reflection in Sport .
• The role of feminism in post-Soviet countries. 
• Social Media: Ethical Issues and Theories .
• Female and minorities in politics: Why it becomes important nowadays? 
• The Effect of Music on Culture .
• Hip hop culture and its influence on American society. 
• Effect of Gaming on People’s Social Lives .
• Gender and Social Movements .
• Race relations in the United States: Has the situation improved in the 21st century? 
• Heritage and Culture in African American Literature .
• Do social networks support personal identity or suppress it? 
• Culture Diversity and Healthcare Delivery in Australia .
• What are the roots of international culture? 
• Foreignism, Media, Imperialism Influence on Culture .
• Social networks and its impact on national cultures. 
• Family Support and Intervention in Substance Abuse Among Adolescents .
• Mexican culture and its influence on American society. 
• Nuclear family : What has changed in the 21st century? 
• Science, Technology and Society: Implications for Education .
• Freedom of information and its impact on international culture. 
• Popular Music in the Modern Culture .
• Do national cultures lose their significance in the rise of international culture? 
• “Religion in Society: A Sociology of Religion” by Ronald Johnstone .
• How did the technological revolution change European culture? 
• Rap in American Culture .
• Changing female roles in Islamic countries. For this topic, you can choose two Islamic countries: the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia . And discuss and compare the way female roles are changing. 
• Canadian Political Culture .
• Indigenous people and their impact on American culture . Here you can pick one particular area of American culture that indigenous people influenced. It could be, for instance, literature or cinema.
•   Social Media Helps to Bridge Divides .
• The influence of religion on modern American politics . For this topic, you can focus on how Bible teachings are reflected in contemporary American laws. 
• Social Groups and How They Work .
• American popular culture and reasons for its acceptance worldwide . You can discuss the origins of this phenomenon and why American culture got accepted all over the world. 
• Family Structure and Its Effects on Children .
• Fighting gender stereotypes in mass media . For this topic, you can choose European Union and discuss how it fights gender stereotypes and sexism in the media. 
• Teen Pregnancy Prevention in Modern Society .

In this section, we’ve prepared a cultural analysis essay example for you.

You’ll see excerpts from an essay on social networks and their influence on national cultures in the table below. We hope you’ll get inspired by your paper!

Social networks and their impact on national cultures

• Ideas for culture essay & paper topics – California State University, Fresno
• Use of social media to promote national culture worldwide – URFU
• Guidelines for academic papers in Literary or Cultural Studies – Stiftung Universität Hildesheim
• The Practice of Cultural Analysis – Stanford University Press
• Film Analysis – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Write Your Essay | UNSW Current Students
• Writing Across Cultures and Contexts: International Students in the Stanford Study of Writing – Stanford University
• Cross-Cultural Analysis – The University of Alabama

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151 interesting cultural analysis topics for students.

October 6, 2021

As a broad concept, cultural analysis is an area of study that looks at the social and cultural aspects of everyday living and life in general. It focuses on the analysis of all the ways we develop interactions and relations with human society.

When writing a cultural analysis paper, students should remember that it affords them an excellent opportunity to explore various experiences through their chosen cultural themes.

Students are often assigned cultural analysis paper writing in school because it serves to conduct extensive research. Through selected topics and research, students are enabled with the ability to analyze global topics, investigate topics on various issues, as well as to understand the significance of different cultural backgrounds.

When assigned to write a cultural analysis essay, the first approach is to research topics filled with rich experiences and ideas, as this gives you room for so many things to write on. While writing your cultural essay, your abstract, introduction, main body, and conclusions are relevant. For more context, your article has to be detailed, flowing seamlessly for easy reading and understanding.

Interesting Analytical Essay Topics for Students

When writing an analytical essay paper, emphasis is paid majorly on the topic you are selecting because your topic affords you the level of depth necessary to carry out the needed analysis. Analytical topics writing demands interesting analytical topics to come out well. Here are some analytical essay topics to consider for your essay writing assignment:

• Analyze the impact of religion on our thinking and perception of life
• Analyze the core distinction between Islam and Christianity
• Write extensively on the health importance of Marijuana
• How is technology influencing human inertia
• What is the cultural symbolism of Halloween
• Analyze the effect of the Spooky season over time
• Explore the origin story of Halloween
• Explore the social impacts of religious doctrines and how it impedes growth
• Analyze the limitations of spiritual principles and how they negatively impact social life
• Analyze the importance of self-care practice to developing one’s mental health
• Analyze the effect on cultural differences and how it affects people’s perception of various subjects
• Analyze fast fashion as an unsustainable social lifestyle
• Effects of fast fashion on an economy
• Explore ways through which the social impact of fast fashion can be curbed
• Analyze the importance of therapy and why it’s essential for better mental health
• What factors promote peace and unity in multicultural states
• Why does Christianity frown on intermarriage between Christians and Muslims
• Exploring the limiting social and cultural beliefs of Christianity
• Exploring the cultural limitation of religion
• Analyze in well-constructed details the modern-day effects of slavery
• Analyze how technology is taking over the educational sector
• Explore the benefits of marketing beyond digital marketing

Critical Analysis Essay Topics for College Essays

There is a significant distinction between analysis paper topics and critical analysis topics. It is in its complexity. Your analysis topic changes shape the moment it requires you to carry out criticism. In this situation, your work on the topic moves beyond analyzing the work but also mirroring your work from a critical lens. In your critical analysis essay, you are not just exploring but picking up salient points and facts to help you form a solid judgment.

• Exploring in detail the inherent racism of the Olympics
• Exploring misogyny, misogynoir and racism in the entertainment industry
• A critical outlook structural racism
• Ways through which the implementation of gender roles confines genders in boxes
• A look into how excessive video game impacts health
• Exploring how video games influence children’s mental health
• A look into addiction, how it affects a system, and possible ways through which it can be curbed
• An exploration on how technology impacts educational growth
• Critically evaluate the pros and cons of the gradual decline of traditional learning and the burgeoning development of online learning
• Assess the benefits of single-parent families
• Critically evaluating the effects of global warming
• A look into how social media promotes freedom of speech
• Exploring in detail the importance of virtual communities
• Atheism: a form of religion on its own?
• Veganism and its social effect on healthy living
• Anti-drug campaign and the study of drug abuse and addiction
• Critical research on the concept of body positivity
• Interracial marriages and the origin of its social perception
• Inter-religious marriage and the challenges associated with it
• Study into the inherent nature of homophobia in the human society
• A study into how homophobia and religion connect
• The distinction between the positive and negative impacts of social media in young adults.

Good Cultural Criticism Essay Topics to Explore

As an integral part of human living, culture is multifaceted. What this entails in any essay writing or criticism through a cultural lens is that there are many subjects to touch on. To conduct and write a good essay on this topic, attention should be drawn towards exploring the complexity of culture and the various dimensions of living. Here are some cultural criticism topics to look into:

• The history of racism and how it has continued to affect healthy coexistence in Western societies
• Understanding the limitations of religion
• A look into the distinction between spirituality and religion
• A study of the history of the Olympics and its impacts on sports over the years
• A survey of literature and how it impacts various aspects of human lives
• Critical analysis on the subject of black hair
• How safe abortion ban translates to dictatorship
• Dictatorial tendencies prevalent with Western philosophies and ideas
• The cultural impact of Brexit on Europe
• The cultural impact of Brexit on the United Kingdom
• Critically evaluating structural racism in the workplace
• A study of overt and implicit racism
• Analyzing the influence of colonial rule on Africa
• How imperialism morphs into new slavery
• Exploring the concept of ethnicity
• The cultural impact of literature
• Analyzing the role of literature in shaping human consciousness
• A study of misogyny and how it affects human relationships
• Analysis of the cultural aspects within the literature
• A study of the importance of situating a literary work within a cultural context
• Importance of cultural context in writing
• Exploring literature from a cultural lens

Controversial Cultural Analysis Essay Topics

Your cultural analysis essay topics will differ slightly from your critical analysis topic. Unlike your critical analysis paper, the cultural analysis only requires that you situate your topic within a cultural context and does not require the bringing up and exploration of facts. It just simply requires you to analyze your topic within a cultural context.

• Discuss the impacts of Interracial marriages
• Discuss the strength and weaknesses of inter-religious marriages
• A study on the popularity of Tiktok today
• A study on how Tiktok culture has influenced music promotion
• How Tiktok and Instagram Reels is rewriting the terms of social engagement
• Does social media have an impact on culture?
• The cultural effect of fast fashion culture
• A study of the social preference of Ape products
• A study on the weakness and strengths of Apple products
• What Apple products have to say about capitalism
• The effects of television on society
• How Television sitcoms have effects on culture
• A discussion on how TV builds and promotes the culture
• The importance of representation in popular culture
• The influence of classical literature on life to date
• The cultural impacts of social media trends
• Effects of classical movies today
• Social media blackout: How social media blackout has been ingrained into society
• A cultural analysis of social media in creating bandwagons
• Exploring the impact of psychology on culture
• The cultural implications of following trends
• Elaborate on social media herd culture

Exceptional Literary Analysis Essay Topics for your Quality Essays

Just like in culture analysis essay topics, in literary analysis essay topics, the goal is to situate your essay topic within an academic context. It means that what you’re writing and what you’re going to write on must be drawn from a literary work. Here are some topics that fit within the category:

• A study of the symbolic nature of the “green light” in the Great Gatsby
• Understanding ethnicity within literary work of Langston Hughes
• The cultural impact of James Baldwin’s literary works
• The Harlem Renaissance literature and how it shaped the future of literature in America
• The symbolic depiction of the title “The Invisible Man” from Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man
• Discuss Queerness through the study of Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
• An intensive review of the negro movement through the works of W.E.B Dubois.
• A comprehensive literary analysis of Double Consciousness by W.E.B Du Bois
• From a cultural perspective, a literary analysis of Audre Lorde’s collection of essays I am your Sister
• The continued relevance of Jane Austen’s literary works to date
• A realistic study of D.H Lawerence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover
• Explore the concept of realism and romanticism in the novel Jane Eyre
• The social relevance of James Baldwin’s Just Above my Head
• Social implications of Toni Morrison’s Sula
• An overview of the racist connotation in Joyce Cary’s Mister Johnson and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.
• Detail how The Great Gatsby pictures came to be in the 1920s America.
• A cultural analysis of Bell Hooks All About Love
• The cultural impact of black literature
• A literary study of Samuel Selvon’s Ways of Sunlight
• A cultural analysis of Edwidge Danticat’s Breathe, Eyes, Memory
• The Societal relevance of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women

Textual Analysis Essay Topics on Engrossing Subjects

A textual analysis essay looks into the analysis of the writing technique of an author. The student pays attention to the language of the literary work and, in turn, draws out ideas from it to elaborate on the inherent message of the work or how the author’s language influences ideas. All of this is done using the student’s thoughts. Here are some topics within this category.

• Analyze the plays written by William Shakespeare
• Analyze the recurring theme within the various works of James Baldwin
• Discuss the theme of “the American Dream” that is prevalent within The Great Gatsby
• The theme of race and hardship in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun
• The theme of a quest for belonging in Langston Hughes’s poem I Too
• A textual analysis of James Baldwin’s Another Country
• The exploration of the effects of racism in James Baldwin’s Go Tell it on the Mountain
• A study on the subject of marriage in the 19 century through Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
• Write a textual essay on any literary work of choice
• Write a textual analysis of any artwork of choice
• Analyze the characters in Baldwin’s Another Country
• A textual analysis of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple
• A textual analysis essay on the New Testament
• Analyze the characterization in any selected literary text of choice
• Write an analysis of any of Obama’s past speeches
• A textual reading of the work of Alice walker
• A study of the writing style and identity representation in Toni Morrison’s works.
• The use of language to draw attention in Toni Morrison’s novels
• The use of language to compel action in the literature of the Harlem Renaissance
• Write an essay on the importance of Zora Neale Hurston’s works
• A textual study of James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time

Critical Response Essay Topics for Study

A critical response essay is a more in-depth version of a textual analysis essay. Although you’re summarizing and analyzing the author’s works, at the same time, you’re making critical remarks and arguments through the various points you earn by highlighting outstanding things from the work. Here are some of them:

• Jane Austen literature is as relevant today as in the 19th century
• A study of salient points highlighted from Baldwin’s essay The Fire Next Time
• Write a critical personal response to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
• Write a critical personal analysis on selected Obama’s speeches.
• Using contemporary measures in the study of The Merchant of Venice
• Critical analysis of Alice Walker’s inclusion of lesbianism in The Colour Purple
• The portrayal of society in Oliver Twist
• The exploration of human desires in Lady Chatterley’s Lover
• A response to the depiction of black lives in Mister Johnson
• How care is portrayed in Audre Lorde’s The Cancer Journals
• A critical analysis of Audre Lorde’s poem “A Litany for Survival.”
• A critical overview of the role of art in human lives
• A study of how literature influences the perception of reality
• An analysis of the cultural context of literary works
• A critical response to the need for representation in literature
• The impact of art on revolution
• A critical study of revolutionary art
• An analysis of identity politics in literature
• Study of race relation in The Fence
• A critical overview of Toni Morrison’s Beloved
• The study of the cultural impact of revolutionary literature.

Need Help With You Cultural Analysis Assignment?

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Cultural Analysis

Volume 22.1, forum series 1: pandemics & politics, stephen olbrys gencarella.

Folk Research: A Query and a Critique

Sarita Ray Chaudhury

“Laugh like Surpanakha:” Modern Literary Re-Imagining of a Famous Villainess in Indian Folkloric Traditions

Tiago Pires

Ethnopsychiatry of the Devil: Demonic Possession as a Cultural Language for Subjective Suffering in Contemporary Italy

Book Review

Gregory Hansen Handbook for Folklore and Ethnomusicology Fieldwork (Gilman and Fenn)

Mary L. Sellers Midwestern Strange: Hunting Monsters, Martians, and the Weird in Flyover Country.

The Editors

Introduction: Changing Landscapes

Dom Tartaglia, Kaitlyn L. Kinney, Christine J. Widmayer, Annamarie Morel, Daisy Ahlstone, & Jared L. Schmidt

Becoming Folkwise: Sustaining Digital Community While Socially Distant (Essay)

Juwen Zhang

Making Sense of the Pandemic of Racism: From the Asian Exclusion Act in 1924 to the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act in 2021

Response by: Fariha I. Khan

Lucy M. Long

Refrigerators, Cupboards, and Canning Jars: Emergent Meanings and Subversive Practices in Food Preservation and Storage During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Response by: Janet C. Gilmore

Andrea Kitta

God is My Vaccine: Religious Belief and COVID in the United States (Essay)

Levi Bochantin & James I. Deutsch

The Folkloric Roots and Pandemic Popularity of the QAnon Conspiracy Theory (Essay)

Interrogating Social Distancing: Pandemic and Farmers’ Protest in India

Adam Hinden, Ziying You, & Zhen Guo

Online Activism and Grassroots Memorialization in the Age of COVID-19: Dr. Li Wenliang's Virtual Wailing Wall

Response by: Frederik Schmitz

Volume 21.2

Approaching Climate Change Adaptation: Knowledge, Power, Communication

Volume 21.1

Creative Methodologies

Volume 20.2

Approaching Trauma through Laughter, Betrayal, and Othering

Volume 20.1

Volume 19.2

Tracking Knowledge

Volume 19.1

Ethnographies of Silence

Volume 18.2

Various Topics

Volume 18.1

Comparison as Social and Cultural Practice

Volume 17.2

Gesar Epic & The Punisher

Volume 17.1

Volume 16.2

Volume 16.1

Inheritance of the Digital

Volume 15.2

Volume 15.1

Everyday Practice and Tradition

What's in a Discipline? 50th Anniversary of SIEF

All Previous Volumes

Vol 1 to Vol 20.2

About Cultural Analysis

Established in 2000 in the Berkeley Folklore Archives, Cultural Analysis has published over 19 volumes and hosts a global editorial board and collective.

Cultural Analysis is global in scope, with an international editorial board. EDITORIAL BOARD

Submission Guidelines

Authors should submit research articles of approximately 8,000-10,000 words in length, in accordance with the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition, and include an abstract of 100 words and a "Works Cited" section. Authors must provide either an electronic or a paper copy of their article. Microsoft Word is the preferred format for all electronic copies. Electronic copies may be sent as e-mail attachments to [email protected] . Essays (2,500 to 3,500 words) are also welcomed.

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3.6: Modes of Cultural Analysis

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• Jennifer Hasty, David G. Lewis, & Marjorie M. Snipes

Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Explain how evolutionary theories have been applied to the study of human culture.
• Identify two critiques of evolutionary approaches.
• Describe how anthropologists have studied the functionality of culture.
• Distinguish Malinowski’s functionalism from Radcliffe-Brown’s structural functionalism.
• Explain how ontological anthropology defines the study of reality.

Anthropologists have a number of ways of studying the elements and aggregates of culture. Some approaches emphasize the development of a particular aspect of culture over time, while other approaches examine how the different parts of culture fit together.

Evolution, Adaptation, and Historical Particularism

Some anthropologists are interested in the origins of human cultural forms and how these forms have changed over long periods of time. Just as Charles Darwin applied the notion of evolution to explain how biological species change over time, many 19th-century anthropologists used evolution to explain how cultures changed over time. This approach is called cultural evolutionism . Like Darwin, these anthropologists believed that simple forms evolved into more complex forms. Comparing different cultures of the world, they assigned the ones they considered more rudimentary to earlier evolutionary stages, while the ones they considered more complex were assigned to the more advanced stages. For example, British anthropologist Edward Tylor argued that human culture evolved from savagery through barbarism to civilization. He identified savagery with people who used gathering and hunting to meet their basic needs. The domestication of animals and plants was associated with barbarism. Civilization resulted from more advanced forms of farming, trade, and manufacturing as well as the development of the alphabet. Not surprisingly, British scholars identified their own culture as highly civilized.

Elaborating on Tylor’s scheme, American anthropologist Lewis Henry Morgan subdivided each of these three stages into an even more elaborate model and proposed a mechanism for moving from stage to stage. Morgan focused on technology as the primary driver of cultural evolution. New and better ways of making things, according to Morgan, resulted in new patterns of social practice and thought. Advanced technology was associated with advanced civilization.

But is technology the only measure of cultural accomplishment, or even the best one? Members of societies in which people gather and hunt for a living have vast stores of knowledge about their environments. Typically, they can name hundreds of plant species and tell when and where to find each of them. Many hunters can examine animal tracks to discern the species, sex, age, and condition of the animal as well as how long ago the tracks were laid. People in these societies also actively sustain and nurture diversity in their environments, careful to avoid depleting important resources. Is it really accurate to think of such cultures as simple? All cultures are complex, though in different ways. Technology is highly valued in American culture, while environmental knowledge and sustainability have historically been less valued. Is it any wonder that early American anthropologists ranked other cultures according to one of their own most cherished values? Perhaps people in more environmentally sustainable cultures might consider the United States to be an example of environmental savagery.

Both Tylor and Morgan, like most anthropologists of their day, thought that all cultures passed through this single set of stages in the march toward civilization. This kind of theory is called unilineal evolution . Disagreeing with this way of thinking, anthropologists such as Franz Boas argued that there is no single line of cultural evolution but that each culture changes according to its own unique historical trajectory. Moreover, cultures evolve not in isolation but in constant interaction with one another. Rather than focusing on technological changes within a culture, Boas highlighted the diffusion of material objects, practices, and ideas among cultures in complex relations of trade, migration, and conquest.

Though theories of unilineal cultural evolution have been largely abandoned, some anthropologists are still interested in discovering regular patterns that might govern how human cultures change over long periods of time. In the 1950s, American anthropologist Julian Steward developed an approach called cultural ecology , recognizing the importance of environmental factors by focusing on how humans adapt to various environments. Steward’s approach showed how humans in each environmental zone develop a set of core cultural features that enable them to make a living. Central to each cultural core are ways of getting or making all the resources necessary for human survival—in particular, food, clothing, and shelter. Similarly, anthropologist Marvin Harris developed a theory called cultural materialism , arguing that technology and economic factors are fundamental to culture, molding other features such as family life, religion, and politics.

Though recognizing the importance of cultural change, many anthropologists reject the notion that all cultures change according to a general universal model, such as cultural materialism. Drawing from the Boasian notion that each culture follows its own historical path; many cultural anthropologists analyze change in terms of historical particularism . In this approach, contemporary processes are understood as products of the unique combination of internal and external forces unfolding over time in a particular culture.

Functionalism

Rejecting the comparative unilineal models that assigned each culture to an evolutionary stage, a number of cultural anthropologists developed a radically different approach that attempts to understand each contemporary culture in its own terms. Functionalism seeks to understand the purpose of the elements and aggregates of culture in the here and now.

Bronislaw Malinowski, an early proponent of this approach, argued that the function of culture is to meet human needs. All humans need to satisfy the need for food, clothing, and shelter. The fundamental purpose of culture is to provide a means of satisfying those needs. In the course of meeting those basic needs, humans in all cultures develop a set of derived needs—that is, needs derived from the basic ones. Derived needs include the need to organize work and distribute resources. Family structures and gender roles are examples of cultural elements addressing these derived needs. Finally, cultures also address a set of integrative needs, providing people with guiding values and purpose in life. Religion, law, and ideologies fulfill these integrative needs. Malinowski sought to understand both the biological and psychological functions of culture.

At first glance, this approach may not seem all that different from evolutionary approaches that identify the core set of cultural features devoted to human survival. What was so different in Malinowski’s approach was his attempt to show that even so-called primitive societies had functionally complex cultural systems for meeting the full array of human needs. Malinowski’s three-volume ethnography of the economics, religion, and kinship of the Trobriand people of Papua New Guinea demonstrated this fact in striking and elaborate detail.

A second version of functionalism, advocated by British anthropologist Alfred R. Radcliffe-Brown, identified the functions of various elements of culture in a slightly different way. Rather than looking for the way culture satisfies biological or psychological needs, structural functionalism focused more on how the various structures in society reinforce one another. Culture is not a random assortment of structural features but a set of structures that fit together into a coherent whole. Common norms and values are threaded through the family structure, the economy, the political system, and the religion of a culture. Structural functionalists conceptualized culture as a kind of machine with many small parts all working in tandem to keep the machine operating properly. While recognizing the value of this approach, contemporary anthropologists have complicated the mechanistic model of culture by pointing out that the various elements of culture come into conflict just as often as they reinforce one another. Although few anthropologists would now identify themselves as structural functionalists, the holistic approach to culture as an integrated system is derived from this important theoretical foundation.

Structuralism

In the previous paragraph, you learned about structural functionalism, an approach that marries functionalism with social structure. In a different sense, the term structure can refer to patterns of thought embedded in the culture of a people—that is, conceptual structure. French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss pioneered this approach, sometimes called French structuralism . Lévi-Strauss considered culture to be a system of symbols that could be analyzed in the various realms of culture, including myths, religion, and kinship. In these realms of culture, objects and people are organized into symbolic systems of classification, often structured around binary oppositions. Binary oppositions are pairs of terms that are opposite in meaning, such as light/dark, female/male, and good/evil. For example, kinship systems are varied and complex, but they are fundamentally structured by oppositions such as male versus female, older versus younger, and relation by blood versus relation by marriage. Lévi-Strauss examined myths as well, showing how the characters and plots emphasize binary oppositions. Consider the many European folktales featuring an evil stepmother (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty), a character that combines the opposition of good versus evil with the opposition of blood relation versus relation by marriage. Lévi-Strauss argued that myths operate as public arenas for conceptually pondering and processing the fundamental categories and relations of a culture.

In recent decades, some cultural anthropologists have come to focus on the nature of reality, including but not limited to human perspectives and experiences. Ontology is the study of the true nature of existence. In some cultures, for instance, the social world consists not only of embodied persons but also of spirit beings, such as ancestors and witches, who interact with people in mysterious ways. And in some cultures, people are not just bodies but assemblages that include souls, spirits, characters, or fates. Ontological anthropology explores how culture constructs our social and natural realities, what we consider real, and how we act on those assumptions. Reaching beyond human realities, ontological anthropology also attempts to include nonhuman perspectives, relationships, and forms of communication.

For instance, in his provocative ethnography How Forests Think (2013), anthropologist Eduardo Kohn describes how the web of life in the Amazon rainforest consists of continual communication among plants, animals, and humans. He examines how Amazonian peoples engage with dogs, spirits, the dead, pumas, rivers, and even sounds. Humans and these nonhuman beings are both antagonistic and interdependent in this interactive web. Predators and prey read one another’s behavior, interpreting intentions and motivations. Kohn’s effort is to get beyond conventional modes of human thought and language to understand how humans are embedded in nonhuman ecological realities.

Profiles in Anthropology

Dame mary douglas (1921–2007).

Dame Mary Douglas .

Personal History: Mary Douglas was born in San Remo, Italy; her British parents had stopped off on their way home from Burma, where her father had been working as a colonial civil servant. As children, Mary and her younger sister lived with their mother’s parents in England until they were old enough to be sent to Catholic boarding school—a fairly common practice for the children of colonial officers. After the death of her mother and her dearly loved maternal grandfather, young Mary found security in the order and routine of the convent school (Lyons 2011). This respect for rules and order combined with a reverence for the Catholic Church to shape her lifelong commitment to studying the sacred aspects of the social order.

Area of Anthropology: At Oxford, Douglas studied with the prominent structural functionalist E. E. Evans-Pritchard. From him, she learned that African belief systems such as witchcraft were structured by an underlying logic. In this approach, the goal of fieldwork is to examine oral forms of culture as well as ritual and social practice in order to discern the underlying logic that governs culture as a whole. Douglass went to the Kasai region of what was then the Belgian Congo, where she studied how the Lele people used animals in practical and symbolic ways. She was particularly interested in a strange animal called the pangolin. Though a mammal, the pangolin has scales and no teeth.

Douglas described how the Lele observed a fundamental distinction between edible and inedible animals. Animals who lived among humans, such as rats and domesticated chickens, were considered part of society and therefore inedible (most of the time). Only wild animals were considered food. Pangolins are wild animals, but the Lele did not eat them (usually). Why? Douglas argued that the weirdness of the pangolin made people single it out for special consideration. Pangolins have scales like fish, but they live on land and climb trees. They look vaguely reptilian, but they do not lay eggs, instead giving birth to live young. Rather than teeth, they have long snouts that they use to vacuum up small insects. Thus, the pangolin defied the conventional categories the Lele used for dividing up the animal world. This breach of categories made the pangolin both repellent and sacred to the Lele. Members of a special fertility cult engaged in rituals in which they ate pangolins to ingest the power of this anomalous animal.

As this examination of cultural categories and anomalies suggests, Douglas was also influenced by Claude Lévi-Strauss and the approach of French structuralism. Like Lévi-Strauss, Douglas viewed culture as a coherent system of categories that were expressed in oral culture and social practice.

Accomplishments in the Field: Following her work on the Lele people, Douglas went on to conduct a broadly comparative study of objects, practices, and people that were considered ritually dangerous, subject to rules of prohibition called taboos. She showed how the subjects of taboos are often “matter out of place” (Douglas 1966, 44), things that defy conventional categories for dividing up the social and natural world. In her most famous work, Purity and Danger (1966), Douglas examines a wide range of taboos, such as rules against eating certain foods or engaging in sex at certain times or with certain persons. She examines the set of social and dietary rules established by ancient Hebrews, detailed in the book of Leviticus in the Old Testament. According to these rules, the Jewish people were forbidden from eating pigs, shellfish, and certain wild animals. They were not allowed to wear garments made of cloth that combined different fibers—such as, for example, a linen-cotton blend. Men were prohibited from having sex with menstruating women. In fact, women were considered so unclean during menstruation that anyone or anything that touched a menstruating woman became contaminated for the rest of that day.

What do all of these prohibitions have in common? Douglas shows how each forbidden object or condition produced discomfort because it transgressed conventional categories. Shellfish, for instance, are sea animals, but they don’t have fins or scales, and many of them do not swim. Menstruation is blood loss, but it does not indicate injury. Moreover, menstruation is hidden and connected to the dangerous states of pregnancy and childbirth. In Hebrew law, menstruation itself was considered a dangerous and contaminating exception to the purity of persons and objects.

In her later work, Douglas applied this style of analysis to a variety of other social phenomena, including humor and trickster figures. She argued that humor functions as a release for thoughts and actions that might threaten the social order. Whereas taboos regulate and prohibit interaction with dangerous objects, animals, and people, humor seeks to sap them of their dangerous power by making light of them.

Importance of Her Work: After more than 25 years of teaching at the University of London, Douglas moved to the United States, where she held positions at the Russell Sage Foundation and Northwestern University. She continued to publish widely on such topics as consumerism, environmental risk, and decision-making in bureaucracies. When she retired, she moved back to England. In 2006, she was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She died in 2007 at the age of 86.

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How cultural analysis helps you understand people better

Sociocultural and urban anthropologist Rosalyn Negrón shares her expertise on cultural domain analysis to provide insight into the shared understandings within a group. This type of cultural analysis focuses on how people in a group think about and understand things in the social and natural world, which has wide application in anthropology, marketing, public health, education and other fields.

What is cultural domain analysis?

Cultural domain analysis is a set of methods for collecting and analyzing data about how people in cultural groups think about things and concepts that are related to one another. Cultural anthropology researchers glean insights from these data to gain a better understanding of different cultural worldviews. “Cultural domain analysis provides insight into the shared cultural knowledge that underlies people's choices, behavior and beliefs,” said Rosalyn Negrón, an instructor of a cultural domain analysis course in ASU Continuing and Professional Education. “It’s often difficult for people to articulate the cultural knowledge that influences their routine actions and many are not explicitly aware of the particular perspectives on the world they may share with other members of their cultural groups.” When researchers conduct a cultural domain analysis, they can discover “the hidden obvious” that is so important for anthropological research and is applicable across a range of fields. Further, a cultural domain analysis can reveal nuances in how people perceive different concepts or whether they share the same concepts in the same ways. Cultural domain analysis has been around for at least six decades. This type of cultural analysis was developed within anthropology, integrating theory and methods from cognitive psychology. Advances in computing from later decades made cultural domain analysis more widely accessible and applicable.

How do you define a cultural domain for analysis?

Researchers typically start with lists to define a cultural domain. A key way to elicit items for a domain is through free listing. Free listing is an easy, yet powerful way to discover the concepts most salient in people’s mind about a given topic. “In cultural domain analysis, lists can be of physical, observable things like plants, colors, animals and symptoms of illness or conceptual things like occupations, roles and emotions,” said Negrón, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. “You can get lists in many different ways, such as through interviews or by gathering curated lists that people create online, such as on sites like Pinterest.” In her course, Negrón walks learners through what to do with those lists to map out shared knowledge within a group. This includes pile sorting, multidimensional scaling, cluster analysis and cultural consensus analysis. These assist in understanding what items people associate with each other, exploring the structure of collective cognitive and semantic associations and determining if and how members of a cultural group share knowledge about a cultural domain.

Why is understanding cultural domains useful in various fields?

Cultural domain analysis reveals a deeper understanding of people in different cultural groups and how they view the world. While anthropology students would benefit from adding these methods to their research toolkit, the insights from these methods have become increasingly important in environmental science, marketing public health, web design, user experience and other fields. “In these fields, ethnographically grounded insights about people's perspectives can make all the difference in whether a product or service can actually meet people's needs,” said Negrón. “For example, understanding cultural knowledge differences can help improve and target behavior change programs, such as in public health.” Environmental science Cultural domain analysis can illuminate how concepts about nature and the environment vary across cultures. These insights prove to be useful for environmental conservation and natural resource management. “Understanding, for example, the cognitive salience of certain plants or other natural resources within indigenous or traditional knowledge systems may help shape strategies for managing those resources,” said Negrón. “Such insights can also help to bridge gaps in consensus between relevant stakeholders about the nature of environmental issues.” Marketing research In the field of marketing, rather than the term “cultural domain analysis,” researchers use terms like “concept mapping” and “brand mapping” to describe similar methods that collect and analyze data about people’s perspectives. “These methods are excellent for gathering the knowledge and perspectives that people have about products, brands and what sorts of associations people have about them,” said Negrón. “Through cultural consensus analysis, you can get a sense of the extent to which there is a shared understanding about a particular product or marketing campaign.” Public health Cultural domain analysis has been used extensively in public health. Cultural awareness can help researchers understand people’s knowledge about health and well-being to create more effective health policies. “Public health researchers have used these methods to better understand how to develop cross-culturally relevant communication materials and health interventions that respond to local understandings about health and illness concepts,” said Negrón. “Further, these methods help researchers understand the divide that might exist between expert knowledge and non-expert knowledge about health, its causes and its consequences.” Web design In web design, cultural domain analysis can determine what groupings of content make sense to users. These insights can inform the layout of website navigation, the structure of information and the hierarchy of content on a website or webpage. “If, for example, you’re developing a website for a bookseller, you might do ‘free lists’ to discover the different genres or subgenres that users know of and present content that is consistent with the shared understanding of possible genres out there,” said Negrón. “Some of these might not square with the developer's understanding of what people are doing, using or reading.”

Is cultural domain analysis only important to researchers?

The topics and skills covered in Negrón’s cultural domain analysis course are primarily for research settings, such as in the aforementioned fields. However, the methods used in cultural domain analysis are transferable to other roles, such as teachers and managers. “Teachers may find free listing is an easy and fun way to teach to their students how to develop cultural awareness,” said Negrón. “Managers can use pile sorting exercises as an icebreaker and team-building activity or use multidimensional scaling mapping to do deep dives about their team's collective mental concepts about a given domain, such as a company mission.”

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5.8: Strategies for Starting Your Cultural Identity Paper

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This chapter summarizes a range of different ideas about literature that all center on the identity of authors, their characters, and (in part) their readers. In each paper we find a close consideration of the way different groups interact: how they perceive and represent each other, how they talk to and about each other, and how they exert power against each other. Whether discussing the effects of colonialism in nineteenth-century Africa, the perils of assimilation for Native Americans in the early twentieth-century United States, or the economic parallels between slavery and whaling in nineteenth-century America, each paper takes seriously the cultural and political realities that underlie the creation of literature, and each sees literature as a force that can shape those cultural and political realities. When reading literary works, you should be attentive to issues of identity, power, assimilation, and/or prejudice.

If you follow these steps, you’ll be well on your way to writing a compelling paper on racial, ethnic, or cultural themes:

• Consider the racial, ethnic, or cultural background of the author. Do the characters in the work come from a similar background? Does the author come from a colonized or minority population? Conversely, does the author come from an imperial or majority population? Does the work seem intended to address issues particular to the author’s background?
• Consider the history of the work’s setting and/or composition. What were the major political realities of the day? Were there major conflicts, settlements, or economic realities that would have shaped the author’s or his or her contemporary readers’ worldviews? Are the settings in the work familiar to the author’s experience, or are they “other” or exotic settings? How might the politics of the day shape the work’s themes, images, settings, or characters?
• Research the reactions of previous critics to the work. Have they noticed particular attitudes toward race, ethnicity, or culture in the text? Do you agree with their assessment, or do you see ideas they have missed? Can you extend, modify, or correct their arguments?
• Consider the possible readers of the work. How do you think members of the groups represented in the work would feel about the way their race, ethnicity, or culture is represented? If you come from a group depicted in the work you’ve chosen, how does that depiction make you feel?

In short, you want to ask how the work you are studying represents the identities of the groups it depicts. If you can begin to answer these questions, you’ll be well on your way to a cultural analysis of a literary text. Remember that you can write a cultural analysis in many modes: you can celebrate a work’s progressive representation of race or you can critique a work’s problematic complicity in negative social attitudes. Either way, you can write a compelling argument about race, culture, and ethnicity in literature.

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• Cultural Analysis Essays

Cultural Analysis Essays (Examples)

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Cultural analysis what values attitudes.

Also reception of criticism and feedback is necessary since it contains information that can assist people to achieve the necessary goal. What is further important is that, by giving subordinates feedback will make them feel that they are part of the work process; consequently they fight back to complete the job systematically (Boddy, 2008). In my view this is the mainly sensible theory but its disadvantage is that every so often bosses tend to set too hard goals which are unclear or out of employees' strength and capabilities. The theory is vital of course, but extra hands-on approach is essential to encourage employees in the work procedure. For example, programs like Forrest hills done in the Lancaster University can be helpful for organizations to apply if they want to motivate their employees to the most (Boddy, 2008). How might your own culture's version of ethical behavior clash with the ethical standards of the chosen….

Adler, N. And Gundersen, A. (2007). International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior 5th ed. Cengage Learning Publications.

Butler, P. (2012). India Business Etiquette, Manners, Cross Cultural Communication, and Geert Hofstede Analysis. International Business Etiquette and Manners. Cyborlink  http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/india.htm 

Boddy, D. (2008). Management: An Introduction. Harlow: Prentice Hall.

Doh, J., and Luthans, F. (2009). International Management: Culture, Strategy, and Behavoir. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Cultural Analysis Activity 1 - Discuss the

Cultural Analysis Activity 1 - Discuss the two societal cultures that you will use to develop your GLOBE Paper. Why these two? I will discuss the Germanic and Latin European Cultures. Each of these divergent cultural paradigms has had a strong effect upon globalism in the 21st century based on hundreds of years of influence in Europe and the New World as far back as the 1600s, and perhaps before. Both cultures are rich in literature and historical development, and both language groups have had a seminal influence on culture. My husband is in the Army and we now live in Europe, I need to make myself aware of these cultural attributes so that I can be aware of the leadership styles and cultures. Activity 2 -- The Germanic culture really arose out of the merge between the Ancient omans and the Germanic peoples during the 3-5th centuries AD. This was primarily….

Grove, C. (2005). Worldwide Differences in Values and Practices: Overview of GLOBE Research Findings. Grovewell LLC. Retrieved from:  http://www.grovewell.com/pub-GLOBE-dimensions.html 

Mandle, J. (2008, April). How Political is the Personal? Retrieved from umbc.edu:  http://userpages.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/identity_pol.html 

Riucci, N. (2002). Managing Diversity in Public Sector Workforces. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Stumpf, E. (2011). The Globe Research Project. Norderstedt, Germany: GRIN Verlag.

Cultural Analysis the Subject Is

8-3.4 Achievement 5.8-3.4 Concealment of vulnerability 3.8-3.2 Willingness to expose vulnerability 2.2-1.8 Based on these figures, the analyst can compare the scores and see differences between these two persons on each dimension, noting how these differences might either facilitate or limit communication and the counseling process. Some of the dimensions are more important for that professional interaction than others, and these can be noted in particular. Time orientation involves whether the individual looks more to past or future and how that might affect his or her attitudes and behaviors. The Client in this case ha a stronger time orientation than does the Social Worker, which may indicate a greater concern with time on the part of the Client, perhaps making her less patient with the time a successful process may take. The Social Worker is more keyed to achieving the goal in a worthwhile manner. It is this issue of how much time the Client….

Ministering Cross-Culturally. Provided.

Philips, W. (1997). Culturally competent practice: Understanding Asian Family Values. Provided.

Cultural Analysis Brazil & New Zealand Comparative

Cultural Analysis: Brazil & New Zealand Comparative Cultural Analysis Brazil & New Zealand In today's robust business world, the boundaries between the countries are showing contractions at an exponential pace. Having a multinational business model is considered as a usual addition to the existing business practice. However, where the world has turned into a global village, cultural forces have not lost their influential power. As a matter of fact, it is important for business enterprises that the impact of the cultural norms and values of the countries where they are currently operating and are planning to operate, should be considered before actually initiating the business expansion. For the purpose of business restructuring, ABC & Co. which is a leading EP solutions provider in New Zealand, has decided to expand its business to Brazil. However, before actually commencing the expansion process, a preliminary observation of Brazilian culture (in terms of business dealings) is….

Army Logistics University. (2012). New Zealand Customs, Retrieved from http://www.almc.army.mil/ALU_INTERNAT/CountryNotes/PACOM/NEW%20ZEALAND%20CUSTOMS.pdf

Butler, S. (2006), New Zealand - Culture Smart!: the essential guide to customs & culture, Kuperard Co.

Ediplomat. (2012). Cultural Etiuquettes: Brazil, Reterieved 11 October 2012 from  http://www.ediplomat.com/np/cultural_etiquette/ce_br.htm 

Kwintessential Intercultural Communications. (2012). Brazil - language, culture, customs and etiquette, Reterieved 11 October 2012 from  http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/brazil-country-profile.html

Cross-Cultural Analysis of the Republic of Colombia

cross-cultural analysis of the epublic of Colombia and the epublic of Cuba reveals a group of similarities between the cultures, as a result of the postcolonial status of both nations. Both nations are plagued with political and social strife that has altered the landscape of the culture, to a large degree resulting in a fragmented society. The rich are very rich and the poor are very poor, not unlike many Latin American nations yet, between these two we find the most similarities in nationalism in addition to the pervasive effects of a relatively recent independence from Spanish rule. One frequently cited difference between the Cuban population and that of Colombia is the existence of indigenous populations in Colombia. While Colombia is large enough to have offered refuges for indigenous people from the diseases and oppression of the colonizers Cuba offered no refuge and was quickly wiped clean of indigenous survivors….

Burdick, J. (1992). The Long Night of Slavery. Report on the Americas, 25(4), 38-39.

Davis, D.J. (1998). Nationalism and Civil Rights in Cuba: A Comparative Perspective, 1930-1960. The Journal of Negro History, 83(1), 35. Retrieved November 22, 2004, from Questia database,  http://www.questia.com .

'Colombia" Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia 6th edition, 2003

CIA World Fact Book

Zimbabwe A Cultural Analysis the Work of

Zimbabwe: A Cultural Analysis The work of Hall (1982) relates how primary message systems in a culture serve to communicate the values and norms of that culture and are the instructions that everyone in that culture receives on what is considered within that culture to be acceptable in terms of dress and behavior. Also included in the primary message systems of a culture are the traditional survival methods and the use of time and how, when playing, it is acceptable to play and relax and the use of thing or objects in the culture is another identified primary message system within a culture which includes the use of money, weapons, transportation, homes and the like. Included as well in the culture of Zimbabwe, as in any other culture are rituals, networks, symbolism, values, stories, heroes, and heroines. There is also a differentiation of culture by the assignation of control, which may….

Kambarami, Maureen (2006) Femininity, Sexuality and Culture: Patriarchy and Female Subordination in Zimbabwe. ARSRC. 2006.

Chirimuuta, C. (2006) Gender and the Zimbabwe Education Policy: Empowerment for Perpetuation of Gender Imbalances? Quiet Mountain essays 2006.

Chirimuuta, C. (2006) Gender and the Zimbabwe Education Policy: Empowerment or Perpetuation of Gender Imbalances? Quiet Mountain Essays.

Okome, O. (2003) What Women, Whose Development in Oyewumi, O. African Women and Feminism: Reflecting on the Politics of Sisterhood. Trenton: Africa World Press.

Japan's Global Business Cultural Analysis

Global Business Cultural Analysis: JAPANAbstractThis paper primarily examines the global business culture evaluation of Japan and its repercussions on businesses. Communication, ethics, social structure, attitude, values, and religion are some of the cultural aspects that leverage Japan's business activities. Modulation and complexity substantially typify communication in Japan. A person's way of dressing, communication, and presenting themselves significantly influence business negotiation. The Japanese ordinarily gratify communal unity and hard work to avoid competing amongst themselves. This is why the businesses' operation in groups whereby individual group members stress the other group members' needs when carrying out their duties. The social principle of collectivism plays a major role in ensuring the success of Japanese business enterprises. American companies contemplating venturing into Japanese markets must, therefore, adopt this culture to succeed. Moreover, the Japanese embrace the spirit of nationalism. THrough nationalism, Japanese consumers have been loyal to consuming their internally manufactured products. Japanese….

\\\\\\"Japan.\\\\\\" Office of the United States Trade Representative (2020). Retrieved from  https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/japan-korea-apec/japan 

Akita, S. (2010). World history and the emergence of global history in Japan. Chinese Studies in History, 43(3), 84-96.

Bergiel, E. B., Bergiel, B. J., & Upson, J. W. (2012). Revisiting Hofstede\\\\\\'s dimensions: Examining the cultural convergence of the United States and Japan. American Journal of Management, 12(1), 69-79.

Marketing Cultural Analysis of Italy

It is important to reconcile the seemingly opposing extremes. It is a best practice to satisfy customer needs by learning from the diversity of adopting, adapting, and combining the best of what already works (Trompenaars and Woolliams, 2004). In regards to the soft drink market in Italy, the best approach would be to utilize adaptation. It appears that standardization would not work as sales in this sector for the same ole product are down. Introducing a healthy drink aimed at the aging population through an adaptation scheme would seem to be the best approach. Italy has a bicameral political system that is composed of a Senate and a Chamber of Deputies. Both of these are directly elected and have equal authority. The Speakers of the Senate and Chamber are second and third in command to the President of the epublic. The government consists of the President of the Council of Ministers….

Reference List

Carbonates in Italy. (2009). Retrieved September 17, 2009, from Euromonitor International Web

site:  http://www.euromonitor.com/Carbonates_in_Italy 

Culture Italy. (n.d). Retrieved September 17, 2009, from Costasur Web site:

 http://italia.costasur.com/en/culture.html

Global Business Cultural Analysis Russia

his paper helped in identifying the differences and similarities between the two nations and their cultures. he paper also presented the fact that theories and studies hold true for all the business environments. Gratchev, M., Rogovsky, N., & Rakitski, B. (2007). Leadership and culture in Russia: he case of transitional economy. Culture and Leadership across the World: he GLOBE Book of In-Depth Studies, 25, 803-831. his paper gives a detailed analysis on the Russian economy and how it has progressed from the decline by the break of Soviet block and failure of the super power. he paper identifies Russia as a changing economy which is moving towards development at a fast pace. he paper also give brief details about the statistical data of the country. he paper explains that although economic crisis and decline has greatly affected the country but there is full potential in the country to grow and develop….

This is presentation given as a lecture to the students of San Francisco University. The presentation highlights and explains various aspects of Russian culture. It gives an insight on the existing economic and political environment of the company as this is one major determinant of culture. Hofstede's dimensions of culture and the score / determination of Russian culture on that basis also forms a part of this lecture. This helps in understanding the method to determine a country's culture on the basis of these determinants / dimensions. The paper also contains a detailed evaluation of the economic development of Russia as a nation. The customers' lifestyle and portfolio is also explained. Most importantly this paper also discusses and explains the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of Russian economy. This is a comprehensive presentation that helps a lot in understanding the concepts required for answering the questions of my paper.

The World Bank. (2012). Doing Business in Russia 2012. Washington, DC: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank.

This business report is the second in its series first was published in the year 2009 comparing the statistics of 10 (ten) cities. In this report the statistics and data for 30 (thirty) Russian cities is presented and compared with different economies of the world and among themselves. While selecting the cities for this evaluation and comparison a lot of factors were considered including the population, economic activity, political stability, etc. The business regulations are compared with various cities of the globe 9 representing 52 countries). The report highlights and compares with other countries Russian regulation for starting a new business, dealing with different legal requirements and permits, getting utilities and then finally getting registered as a business. This report helps in identifying the aspects that the U.S. businessmen should consider before starting a business in Russia. It also helps in determining the differences that exist in business laws and regulation in force in both the countries.

The Cross Cultural Analysis of Gender

Men are made, not born" encapsulates the principle that gender is socially constructed. Therefore, women are also made and not born. Gendered rituals and rites of passage inculcate the gender roles and norms in society. For example, Herdt's analysis of the gendered initiation rites in Papua New Guinea shows how superstition guides belief about gender. Moreover, a cross-cultural analysis reveals the arbitrariness of gender roles and norms. Gender is completely proscribed, as judgments are placed on children from the time they exist the womb until the moment they die. In "The Cultural Construction of Gender," the author shows how various rituals and rites of passage serve to define gender roles, norms, and personal identity, but that "the transition to womanhood is often part of a more subtle and continuous process of enculturation and socialization," (p. 160). Both men and women are "made, not born," but male control of rituals….

Global Business Cultural Analysis on New Zealand

business culture and expansion trends that exist for American companies within New Zealand. The paper focuses on answering the following questions: 1. What are the major elements and dimensions of culture in this region? 2. How are these elements and dimensions integrated by local conducting business in the nation? 3. How do both of the above items compare with U.S. culture and business? 4. What are the implications for U.S. businesses that wish to conduct business in that region? The paper also tackles the following aspects: Dimensions of Culture, Communication. Different Meaning of Words across Languages, Verbal, Nonverbal, High Context vs. Low Context and eligion -- Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Shinto and Ethics; Definitions, The Issue of Corruption, Corporate Social esponsibility, Values and Attitudes, Variances in Attitudes across Cultures, Concept of Time, Dealing with Change, The ole of Gender, Social Status, Business Manners and Customs across National….

Adsera, A. And Chiswick, B.R. (2007). Are there gender and country of origin differences in immigrant labor market outcomes across European destinations? Journal of Population Economics, Vol. 20, pp. 495-526.

Ahdar, R. (2003). Indigenous Spiritual Concerns and the Secular State: Some New Zealand Developments. 23, Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 611.

Akresh, I.R. (2007). U.S. immigrant's labor market adjustment: additional human capital investment and earnings growth. Demography, Vol. 44 No. 4, pp. 865-81.

Arts, W. And J. Gelissen (2002). Three worlds of welfare capitalism or more? In Journal of European Social Policy, 12, 2, pp.137-158.

Global Cultural Analysis Nigeria

Global Business Cultural Analysis Nigeria Nigerian History Synopsis of Nigerian government Nigerian monarchy to presidential system The evolution of Nigeria from British control to a civilian democratic government Nigerian major commodities Oil Food The major elements and dimensions of culture in Nigeria Cultural dimensions Individualism Power distance Masculinity Uncertainty Model of culture Universalism or Particularize How is the integration of elements and dimensions that Nigerians doing business in the country? The effects of governments on the prospects for its business around the world How the elements and dimensions compared with the United States, culture, and business? The role of women in the workplace Business visitors must be dressed in an elegant and tie (for men!) Cross-cultural business transactions between the United States and Nigeria Conclusion eferences Abstract Thurstan Shaw and Steve Daniels, who are the founder for archaeological research proved in their research that Nigeria has been developed since 9,000 BC. At that time, people were living particularly in the low-Eleer region and even earlier that that, in the southeastern region of Nigeria known as Ugwelle-Utruru….

Afolayan, T.E. (2011). Coming To America: The Social and Economic Mobility of African Immigrants in the United States. Inquiry (University of New Hampshire), 6-11. Retrieved from EBSCO host.

 http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=60705725&site=ehost-live&scope=site 

Alutu, O.E., & Udhawuve, M.L. (2009). Unethical Practices in Nigerian Engineering Industries: Complications for Project Management. Journal of Management in Engineering, 25(1), 40-43. Doi: 10.1061 / (ASCE) 0742-597X (2009)25:1(40)

 http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=35745908&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Cultural Distance How Is it Measured and How Does it Impact on Global Marketing Operations

Cultural Distance: How Is it Measured, And How it Impact on Global Marketing Operations The persistence of cultural distances is relevant for the global multinational marketing operations exposed to multiple cultures in their everyday activities. This indicates that marketing across border introduces complexities because it forces global marketers to tailor their approaches and practices to each cultural context they carry out their business activities. As a result, this paper will discuss concepts applicable to different aspects of cross-border operations. The primary focus of the paper is on multinational business corporations (Baumann, 2007). This study shows how Hofstede's model is still the most relevant piece of reference for a successive cross-cultural analysis despite it being a widely criticized. The paper compares and contrasts Hofstede's famous concepts with Turner and Schwartz, Trompenaars and Hampden's valued inventory. It will attempt to provide empirical evidence of how cultural diversity influences the global markets by giving illustrations….

Baumann, A. (2007). Influences of culture on the style of business behavior between Western and Arab managers. Mu-nchen: GRIN Verlag GmbH.

Baumu-ller, M. (2007). Managing cultural diversity: An empirical examination of cultural networks and organizational structures as governance mechanisms in multinational corporations. Bern: Lang.

Cavusgil, T. & Ghauri, P.N. (2009). New challenges to international marketing. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Curry, J.E. (2009). A short course in international marketing: Approaching and penetrating the global marketplace. Petaluma, CA: World Trade Press.

Global Business Cultural Analysis

business culture and expansion trends that exist for American companies in India. The paper focuses on answering the following questions: 1. What are the major elements and dimensions of culture in this region? 2. How are these elements and dimensions integrated by local conducting business in the nation? 3. How do both of the above items compare with U.S. culture and business? 4. What are the implications for U.S. businesses that wish to conduct business in that region? The paper also tackles the following aspects: Dimensions of Culture, Communication. Different Meaning of Words across Languages, Verbal, Nonverbal, High Context vs. Low Context and eligion -- Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Shinto and Ethics; Definitions, The Issue of Corruption, Corporate Social esponsibility, Values and Attitudes, Variances in Attitudes across Cultures, Concept of Time, Dealing with Change, The ole of Gender, Social Status, Business Manners and Customs across National Cultures,….

Bose, P. And Lyons, L.E. (2010). Cultural Critique and the Global Corporation. Tracking Globalization, Bloomington, IN.

Butler, Patty. (2012). India Business Etiquette, Manners, Cross Cultural Communication, and Geert Hofstede Analysis. International Business Etiquette and Manners. Cyborlink  http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/india.htm 

Doh, J., and Luthans, F. (2009). International Management: Culture, Strategy, and Behaviour. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Business in Japan Cultural Consideration

Cultural Analysis of Japan for Expansion of Postmates Before any business into a new market, it is essential the marketplace itself is considered. Postmates is looking to expand. This organisation is an on demand delivery service established within many areas of the United States, making more than 100 deliveries a month utilising the model of crowdsourcing most commonly associated with the. The mission of the organisation is to be "the on demand delivery infrastructure for every major city in the world" (Postmates, 2016). With successful establishment within the United States, the company is likely to seek out new markets where there will be sufficient demand for the service, as well as a sufficient supply of individuals willing to work as post mate "partners." One potentially valuable market is Japan; Background to Japan Japan is a developed market, which may benefit Postmates with its high level of concentration in metropolitan areas increasing the potential….

CIA. (2016). Japan. Retrieved from  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ja.html 

Flath, D. (2005). The Japanese Economy (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Gioeli, A. (2014). International Business Expansion. Los Angeles: Over And Above Press.

Investigating Japan. (2016). Political Culture & Socialisation. Retrieved from  http://investigatingjapan.weebly.com/political-culture  -- socialization.html

Could you offer some ideas for titles for my essay examining Traditional and new media

1. The Evolution of Traditional and New Media: A Comparative Analysis 2. The Impact of Digital Technology on Traditional Media 3. The Role of Social Media in Modern Journalism 4. Traditional Media vs. New Media: Bridging the Generation Gap 5. The Changing Landscape of Mass Communication: From Newspapers to Facebook 6. Adapting to the Digital Age: Challenges and Opportunities for Traditional Media 7. The Influence of New Media on Political Discourse and Public Opinion 8. Exploring the Power of Visual Storytelling in Traditional and New Media 9. The Convergence of Traditional and New Media: Prospects and Challenges 10. The Future of Media Consumption: Trends in Traditional and New Media....

Could you provide some suggestions for titles for my essay on Dream Psychology

1. Exploring the Hidden Meanings of Dreams: A Journey into Dream Psychology 2. The Power of Dream Analysis in Understanding the Mind: A Psychological Perspective 3. Dream Interpretation: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Subconscious 4. The Role of Dreams in Processing Emotions and Memories: A Psychological Exploration 5. Freud vs. Jung: Contrasting Perspectives on Dream Psychology 6. Dreams as a Window to the Soul: Examining the Symbolism and Meaning Behind Dream Imagery 7. The Science of Sleep: How Dreams Contribute to Mental Health and Well-being 8. Lucid Dreaming: Harnessing the Power of Consciousness in Dream Psychology 9. The Influence of Culture and Society on Dream Patterns and Interpretations 10.....

Can you offer assistance in devising suitable titles for my essay about what is integrity

1. Unveiling the Essence of Integrity: A Comprehensive Examination 2. The Pillars of Integrity: A Philosophical and Ethical Exploration 3. Integrity in Action: Exploring the Role of Character in Human Conduct 4. The Imperative of Integrity: Its Significance in Personal, Professional, and Societal Life 5. The Paradox of Integrity: Balancing Personal Values and External Expectations 6. The Erosion of Integrity: A Cultural Analysis of Moral Decline 7. The Restoration of Integrity: Strategies for Rebuilding Trust and Ethical Behavior 8. Integrity as a Moral Compass: A Guide for Ethical Decision-Making 9. Integrity in the Modern Era: Challenges and Opportunities in a Changing World 10. The Power of Integrity: Its Impact....

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Cultural Analysis: Brazil & New Zealand Comparative Cultural Analysis Brazil & New Zealand In today's robust business world, the boundaries between the countries are showing contractions at an exponential pace. Having…

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his paper helped in identifying the differences and similarities between the two nations and their cultures. he paper also presented the fact that theories and studies hold true…

Men are made, not born" encapsulates the principle that gender is socially constructed. Therefore, women are also made and not born. Gendered rituals and rites of passage inculcate…

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Cultural Distance: How Is it Measured, And How it Impact on Global Marketing Operations The persistence of cultural distances is relevant for the global multinational marketing operations exposed to multiple…

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Cultural anthropology.

Cultural Anthropology publishes ethnographic writing informed by a wide array of theoretical perspectives, innovative in form and content, and focused on both traditional and emerging topics. It also welcomes essays concerned with ethnographic methods and research design in historical perspective, and with ways cultural analysis can address broader public audiences and interests.

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Log in or create an account to submit a manuscript to Cultural Anthropology.

Vol. 39 No. 1 (2024)

We present six original papers in this issue as well as the inaugural guest commentary.

When the Society for Cultural Anthropology selected our distributed, international editorial collective to lead Cultural Anthropology , they did so in part to support our commitment to opening channels of this crucial platform of our discipline beyond the scope of privileged, endowed higher educational institutions in the United States. As one step of this process, in this issue we provide space to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma to describe their work since the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) in 1990. As Deanna L. Byrd, the NAGPRA Liaison-Coordinator and Research and Outreach Program Manager of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, and Ian Thompson, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, writes, since that time, “Native American communities gained a measure of say in how ancestral burials are treated on federal lands. The law also established a mechanism to help Native American, Alaskan, and Native Hawaiian communities have open dialogue with institutions across the country about the return of their ancestors, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony.” 

In dialogue with critical disability studies, Eliza Williamson zooms in the everyday practices of Bahian mothers with children diagnosed with Congenital Zika Syndrome. Mothers, she shows, assert their children’s personhood by refusing their medically diagnosed lack of futurity through what she defines as habilitative care: “a bodymind potentializing set of practices” involving a myriad of “substances, technologies and techniques understood to encourage maximum potential development of embodied abilities in young disabled children.”

Leniqueca Welcome delves into unaccounted forms of violence on and in those “who occupy the category of poor black woman in Trinidad” to develop a “capacious, relational and historically layered” approach to entangled forms of gender-based violence and life searching. In so doing, a sharp critique of the masculinist state and legacies of colonial extraction emerges.

By spending time with loggers, timber industrialists, and state technocrats across Peru’s Amazonian region of Loreto, Eduardo Romero Dianderas tracks technical maneuvers and political controversies around timber volumetric calculation. Far from a mathematical abstraction, his ethnography invites us to think that the practice of volume-making—scaling, standardizing, and accounting for timber—is a contact zone in which “power, history and bodily experience” saturate a crucial operation for global environmental governance.

Focusing on demonstrations held outside Yangon, Myanmar, in favor of a plan to build a New Yangon City, Courtney Wittekind’s article intervenes in the binaries of “truth” versus “falsity” and “genuine” versus “fake” to advance an anthropological theorization of demonstration, speculation, and spectacle.

For centuries, the Curse of Ham, the originary anti-Black myth of the Abrahamic faiths, functioned as the foundational and legitimating narrative of white supremacist ideology across the African continent. To Justin Haruyama’s disconcertment, this was also the narrative invoked by some of his Zambian informants to explain the predicament of Black people today. In his paper for this issue, Haruyama stages a conversation with Black liberation theology to suggest that these narratives articulated, however, a profound refutation of liberal egalitarianism and, from the situated premises of a transnational Zambian perspective, put forward an alternative vision for a decolonial abolitionist anthropology.

In his article, Ramy Aly interrogates the anthropology of ethics and revolution in dialogue with a phenomenological and situated account of the 2011 January Egyptian Revolution. He does it through the experiences and narratives of those that were too young to take part in street protests and political movements but for whom the revolution still takes precedent in everyday practices of self-making.

Cover and table-of-contents image by Eduardo Romero Dianderas.

Guest Commentary

No stone unturned.

Habilitating Bodyminds, Caring for Potential: Disability Therapeutics after Zika in Bahia, Brazil

On and in their bodies: masculinist violence, criminalization, and black womanhood in trinidad, volumes: the politics of calculation in contemporary peruvian amazonia, “take our land” : fronts, fraud, and fake farmers in a city-to-come, anti-blackness and moral repair: the curse of ham, biblical kinship, and the limits of liberalism, the ordinariness of ethics and the extraordinariness of revolution: ethical selves and the egyptian january revolution at home and school, curated collections.

War on Palestine

Sovereignty

Reclaiming Hope

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Free Cultural Studies Essay Examples & Topics

There is a field in academia that analyzes the interactions between anthropological, political, aesthetic, and socioeconomic institutions. It is referred to as cultural studies . This area is interdisciplinary, meaning that it combines and examines several departments. First brought up by British scientists in the 1950s, it is now studied all over the world.

The scope of cultural studies is vast. From history and politics to literature and art, this field looks at how culture is shaped and formed. It also examines the complex interactions of race and gender and how they shape a person’s identity.

In this article, our team has listed some tips and tricks on how to write a cultural studies essay. You will encounter many fascinating aspects in this field that will be exciting to study. That is the reason why we have prepared a list of cultural studies essay topics. You can choose one that catches your eye right here! Finally, you will also find free sample essays that you can use as a source of inspiration for your work.

15 Top Cultural Studies Essay Topics

The work process on an essay begins with a tough choice. After all, there are thousands of things that you can explore. In the list below, you will find cultural studies topics for your analytical paper.

• The role of human agency in cultural studies and how research techniques are chosen.
• Examining generational changes through evolution in music and musical taste in young adults.
• Does popular culture have the power to influence global intercultural and political relationships?
• Different approaches to self-analysis and self-reflection examined through the lens of philosophy.
• Who decides what constitutes a “cultural artifact”?
• The difference in religious and cultural practices between Japanese and Chinese Buddhists.
• Exploring the symbiotic relationship between culture and tradition in the UK.
• Do people understand culture nowadays the same way they understood it a century ago?
• Which factors do we have to take into account when conducting arts and culture research of ancient civilizations?
• Día de Los Muertos: a commentary on an entirely different perspective on death.
• American society as represented in popular graphic novels.
• An analysis of the different approaches to visual culture from the perspective of a corporate logo graphic designer.
• What can French cinema of the 20 th century tell us about the culture of the time?
• Narrative storytelling in different forms of media: novels, television, and video games.
• The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the direction of pop culture.

In case you haven’t found your perfect idea in the list, feel free to try our title generator . It will compose a new topic for your cultural studies essay from scratch.

How to Write a Cultural Studies Essay

With an ideal topic for your research, you start working on your cultural analysis essay. Below you will find all the necessary steps that will lead you to write a flawless paper.

• Pick a focus. You cannot write an entire essay on the prospect of culture alone. Thus, you need to narrow down your field and the scope of your research. Spend some time reading relevant materials to decide what you want your paper to say.
• Formulate your thesis. As the backbone of your assignment, it will carry you through the entire process. Writing a thesis statement brings you one step closer to nailing the whole essay down. Think “What is my paper about?” and come up with a single sentence answer – this will be your statement.
• Provide context for your intro. The introduction is the place for setting the scene for the rest of your paper. Take time to define the terminology. Plus, you should outline what you will talk about in the rest of the essay. Make sure to keep it brief – the introduction shouldn’t take up longer than a paragraph.
• Develop your ideas in the body. It is the place for you to explore the points you’re trying to make. Examine both sides of the argument and provide ample evidence to support your claims. Don’t forget to cite your sources!
• Conclude the paper effectively. The final part is usually the hardest, but you don’t need to make it too complicated. Summarize your findings and restate your thesis statement for the conclusion. Make sure you don’t bring in any new points or arguments at this stage.
• Add references. To show that you’re not pulling your ideas out of thin air, cite your sources. Add a bibliography at the end to prove you’ve done your research. You will need to put them in alphabetical order. So, ensure you do that correctly.

Thank you for reading! Now, you can proceed to read through the examples of essays about cultural studies that we provided below.

616 Best Essay Examples on Cultural Studies

Raymond williams’ “culture is ordinary”.

• Words: 1248

What Is Popular Culture? Definition and Analysis

• Words: 1399

Cultural Comparison: The United States of America and Japan

“never marry a mexican”: theme analysis & summary.

• Words: 2244

Comparing the US and Italian Cultures

• Words: 2217

Similarities of Asian Countries

• Words: 2356

Power and Culture: Relationship and Effects

• Words: 2783

The Influence of Ramayana on the Indian Culture

Chinese traditional festivals and culture.

• Words: 2763

Philippines Dressing Culture and Customs

• Words: 1454

Nok Culture’s Main Characteristic Features

• Words: 1483

Traditions and Their Impact on Personality Development

• Words: 1131

UAE and Culture

• Words: 1210

Pashtun Culture: Cultural Presentation

• Words: 1083

The United States of America’s Culture

• Words: 1367

Culture and Development in Nigeria

• Words: 2718

The Beautiful Country of Kazakhstan: Kazakh Culture

• Words: 1644

The Luo Culture of Kenya

• Words: 3544

Art and Science: One Culture or Two, Difference and Similarity

Trobriand society: gender and its roles.

• Words: 3118

Three Stages of Cultural Development

• Words: 1165

Polygamy in Islam

Saudi arabian culture.

• Words: 1486

Meaning of the Machine in the Garden

Indian custom and culture community.

• Words: 2207

Kazakhstani Culture Through Hofstede’s Theory

• Words: 1480

Impact of Globalization on the Maasai Peoples` Culture

• Words: 1736

“Signs of Life in the USA” by Maasik and Solomon

The nature of people and culture, saudi traditional clothing.

• Words: 1815

Culture of the Dominican Republic

• Words: 2229

Culture, Subculture, and Their Differences

• Words: 1157

Football Impact on England’s Culture

• Words: 1096

Culture Identity: Asian Culture

• Words: 1101

Culture and Health Correlation

Taiwan and the u.s. cultural elements.

• Words: 2265

African Cultural Traditions and Communication

• Words: 1114

What Role Does Food Play in Cultural Identity?

• Words: 1199

Anthropological Approach to Culture

American culture pros & cons, filial piety.

• Words: 1120

Society, Culture, and Civilization

Differences in culture between america and sudan, chinese manhua history development.

• Words: 5401

The Jarawa People and Their Culture

• Words: 1438

Cultural Diversity and Cultural Universals Relations: Anthropological Perspective

Culturagram of african americans living in jackson, gothic lifestyle as a subculture, traditional and nontraditional cultures of the usa, cultural prostitution: okinawa, japan, and hawaii.

• Words: 2370

The History of the Hippie Cultural Movement

• Words: 1485

Implications of Korean Culture on Health

• Words: 1439

Time in Mahfouz’s “Half a Day” and Dali’s “Persistence of Memory”

• Words: 1092

Discussion: Cultural Roots and Routes

• Words: 1469

Cultural Change: Mechanisms and Examples

Anne allison: nightwork in japan.

• Words: 1548

Dubai’s Food, Dress Code and Culture

• Words: 1124

Non-Material and Material Culture

Wheeler’s theory and examples of pilgrimage, the bushmen: culture and traditions, hells angels as a motorcycle subculture, stereotypes about the french caribbean, perception of intelligence in different cultures.

• Words: 1137

The Role of Chinese Hats in Chinese Culture

• Words: 2307

Indigenous Australian Culture, History, Importance

• Words: 2102

Punjabi: the Culture

Korean popular culture: attractiveness and popularity, late shang dynasty: ritualistic wine vessel – zun.

• Words: 1108

The Māori Culture of New Zealand

• Words: 1326

Popular Culture in the History of the USA

• Words: 1119

Hofstede’s Study: Cultural Dimensions

Singapore’s culture and social institutions.

• Words: 1288

African Civilizations. The Bantu Culture

Birthday celebrations in the china.

• Words: 1664

“High” and “Low” Culture in Design

• Words: 2560

Cosplay Subculture Definition

Ballads and their social functions.

• Words: 3314

Etiquette in Traveling at Home and Abroad

History of mexican festival, theory of the aryan race: historical point of view.

• Words: 2770

Analysis of Culture and Environmental Problems

The essence of cultural ecology: the main tenets, caribbean culture and cuisine: a melting pot of culture.

• Words: 1601

Japanese Popular Culture: Anime, Video Games, and the Film Industry

Italian heritage and its impact on life in the us.

• Words: 1111

“Cargo Cult Science” by Richard Feynman

Greetings in etiquette in society by emily post, folklore of nova scotia: traditions and culture.

• Words: 2287

The Counterculture of the 1960s

Positive psychology and chinese culture.

• Words: 2975

African American Culture: Psychological Processes

• Words: 3031

The geisha and western “orientalism”

• Words: 1451

Angelou Maya’s Presentation on the African Culture

• Words: 1107

Comparison Between the Body Rituals in Nacirema and American Society

African-american cultural group and the provision of services to african americans, the importance of cultural values for a society, the mysteries of samothrace and its cultic practices.

• Words: 2846

African American Heritage and Culture

The university of west indies, the caribbean identity, and the globalization agenda.

• Words: 1393

The History of Guqin in Chinese Culture

• Words: 1652

Expanding Chinese Cultural Knowledge in Health Beliefs

• Words: 2291

British Punk Zines as a Commentary on the Sociopolitical Climate of the 1970s

• Words: 2223

Exegeses-Ruling Class and Ruling Ideas by Karl Marx

The power of a symbol, art of the abbasid caliphate analysis.

• Words: 1482

Cultural Studies: Ideology, Representation

• Words: 1704

World Society and Culture in Mexico

• Words: 2775

The Sub-Culture of the American Circuses of the Early 20th Century

• Words: 3909

Theodor Adorno’s “Culture Industry” Analysis

• Words: 1489

Culture for Sale: The National Museum in Singapore

• Words: 1806

Body Piercing in Different Cultures

• Words: 1589

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Subculture

• Words: 2000

Cultural Background: Personal Journey

What is chinese culture.

• Words: 1493

The Phenomenon of Queer Customs

Role of food in cultural studies: globalization and exchange of food, india’s cultural heritage: individuality and behavior.

• Words: 1379

Mi’kmaq Culture: Basket Weaving

• Words: 2837

Face Concept in Chinese Culture: A Complication to Intercultural Communication

• Words: 1897

Syncretism in the American Culture

Cultural Analysis Essays: What to Focus on

Are you struggling with a cultural analysis essay? Can you not understand where to start and what to focus on? It is pretty weird that a teacher has not provided necessary specifications, because cultural analysis essays can actually be devoted to many different issues.

Yet, the main principle of writing cultural analysis essays remains the same. You need to analyze something referring to its cultural aspect. Let us introduce you a couple of examples and pointers for writing your cultural analysis essay.

📝 Essays on cultural diversity

📃 essays on cultural differences, 📄 deaf culture essays, 📑 analyzing cultural aspects in movies.

This is one of the popular topics today that students have to address. Our society and world in general become more and more culturally diverse and cosmopolitan. How do all these cultures interact? Answer this question in your essay on cultural diversity.

If you choose this option, you will have to compare two particular cultures. For instance, you may discuss cultural differences between America and India or America and China.

Explain what deaf culture is all about, signs deaf people use, schools they go to, their entertainment, and so on. By the way, some people believe that deaf culture does not exist. Express your opinion about this issue in the deaf culture essay.

This is one of the most fascinating ways to complete cultural analysis essays. It is not a secret that films reflect culture of different countries. What movies do you think are best at reflecting American culture?

Take them as examples for your cultural analysis essay, explain what particular cultural aspect they are about (men or women in society, drugs, or any other social problem), and finally tell whether it is really so in reality.

Probably, you will find our next articles about “Proud to Be a Canadian” essays and a Geography essay useful too.

Essay 1: Cultural Analysis

Basic Assignment . This assignment asks you to write a critical essay that provides a cultural analysis of a multicultural American literary text written before World War I, something prior to literary modernism and on our syllabus.

Cultural Analysis . For the purposes of this assignment, "cultural analysis" means making connections between a text we've read and the cultural contexts in which that text emerged or circulated. It does not exclude the formal analysis of a text (indeed some of the very best cultural criticism uses analysis of form); but cultural analysis moves beyond the boundaries of the text itself to establish links among texts, values, institutions, groups, practices, and people.

 Here are some examples of the questions that a critic developing a cultural analysis might ask:

 •    What kinds of behavior does this text seem to encourage or enforce?

•    What are the social purposes or functions of this text?

•    Why might readers at different times and different places find this text compelling?

•    What are the differences between my values and the values implicit in the text?

•    Upon what social understanding does the text depend?

•    How might this text affect the freedom or movement of a person or groups of persons?

•    How is this text connected to larger social groups, beliefs, structures, issues, ideas, events, habits, customs, practices, or communications?

 These are just examples. The specific questions, form, and content of you paper should be tailored to your own talents and interests. In other words, you will develop your own topic for this paper. It also means that some of these papers may be deeply informed by cultural theory; others may not. Some will want to develop a very precise idea of what “cultural analysis” means; others will not. Some will use a great deal of historical research; others only a little. Some papers will use mostly primary documents to construct an understanding of an early American cultural context; others will rely on secondary sources; and others may use a mix of both. All these papers, however, must use documents and sources beyond the literary text itself.

Proposals . I will need a proposal from everyone sometime before September 24 . I will accept three different kinds of proposals: 1) a paper conference with me; 2) a one-page, typed explanation of the option you’ve selected and a preliminary indication of what you would like to do with the topic; or 3) an e-mail version of #2.

What-I’m-Really-Looking-For. Just so you know, when I’m reading these papers, I’ll be asking myself the following questions:

•    Does the paper move beyond an analysis of a text in isolation, the text itself?

•    Does it focus on a multicultural American literary text written before World War I, something prior to literary modernism and on our syllabus?

•    Does it make links between the text and its culture (i.e., values, institutions, groups, practices, or people)?

•    Does the paper make specific and interesting claims about the text and culture examined?

•    Does it explain in a clear and persuasive manner its interpretation of the text and its cultural contexts?

•    Does it support that interpretation with judiciously chosen evidence, including most importantly appropriate, direct references to the text?

•    Is it organized in a way that makes clear (rather than detracts from) the argument’s major claims and emphases?

•    Does it acknowledge its primary and secondary sources using a bibliography and a clear and consistent style of documentation?

•    Would the paper be interesting to others in the class? Does it avoid saying the obvious?

Revisions . After I return your papers (on October 8th probably), please read my comments. If at that point, you would like to revise your paper, please do so. Revisions will be due one week after papers have been returned (October 15th). A revision does not automatically receive a better grade. The revision must be substantially improved. It must demonstrate significant change in ideas and focus, arrangement and organization, or evidence and development. Simply correcting typos or making editing corrections will not change the grade.

To submit a revision, please: 1) Write a summary explaining why and how you revised—for example, how and why you decided to change the focus and organization; why you deleted or added a certain part; why and how you rearranged information; and so on. 2) Hand-in your revision, your original paper, and my original comments along with your summary explaining the changes.

Due Date . Friday, October 1

Length . 5-8 typed, double-spaced pages

Greg's Home | Department of English | Graduate Studies | Cultural Studies | Visual Culture | Kansas State University |

This page was updated on 18 August 2004. Other pages on this site may have been updated more recently. These pages are copyright © 1995-2004 Gregory Eiselein.

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List of Interesting Cultural Research Paper Topics

Cultural research paper topics allow students to explore people’s historical aspects, actions, ideas, and narratives that they have copied or altered over time. People express their cultures via various symbols and language. Additionally, different aspects of culture affect people’s mindsets.

When pursuing cultural students, students write research papers, essays, and articles on varied topics. However, most learners struggle to select the best titles for their papers. That’s because the topic that a student selects influences the path they take when completing this assignment. For this reason, we’ve come up with this guide with a list of interesting cultural research topics for learners to consider.

Discover a vast array of captivating cultural research paper topics with the expertise of our professional dissertation writers . Our dedicated team is ready to assist you in selecting compelling topics and crafting high-quality research papers that meet the highest academic standards.

How to Choose Cultural Research Topics

The internet is awash with cultural research ideas from which students can choose what to explore. However, not every topic you come across will be suitable for you. For that reason, consider the following aspects when choosing your cultural topic for research.

• Select a topic that meets your writing assignment requirements
• Settle on a topic you find interesting
• Pick a topic that meets the scope of your assignment

In addition to these criteria, check the available research to select a topic you will find sufficient information for before you start writing your paper. Also, brainstorm concepts and create a research question around the topic. Here are different categories of cultural research paper topics from which you can choose your favorite title.

Cultural Anthropology Research Topics

If you find cultural anthropology interesting, pick your topic from the following ideas.

• How traditional food can reflect a nation’s history
• Analysis of the refugees’ impact on the cultures of the European countries
• How Christian traditions differ from one culture to another
• How countries in the Soviet Union moved from communism
• Effects of liberalism on the education system
• Analysis of a communistic nation’s cultural values
• Causes of political division in the United States
• Why most people in the Netherlands love cycling
• How people view the death concept in Africa
• How the English language influences the American culture as the common language

Cultural Diversity Research Paper Topics

Perhaps, you’re interested in cultural diversity. In that case, consider these ideas for your research paper.

• Analysis of cultural diversity’s role in schools
• How cultural diversity influences modern society
• How significant is cultural diversity in this century?
• How multiculturalism and pluralism affect the American citizens’ lives
• Psychological counseling associations to cultural diversity
• How cultural diversity affects the medical industry
• How migration affects cultural diversity of the Asian land
• How cultural diversity affects people’s interactions
• Demonstrating critical thinking with special attention to diversity and multicultural issues
• Cultural diversity as a reason for not tolerating racism

Cross-Cultural Communication Research Topics

Cross-cultural communication is among fields with excellent topics for cultural research. Here are some of the best ideas in this field.

• Approaches to cross-cultural information exchange
• Practical cross-cultural dialogue strategies
• Intercultural dialogue and translation
• Teaching cross-cultural communication and culture
• Cross-cultural information exchange artifacts
• Factors enhancing cross-cultural dialogue competence
• Cultural and health-related issues between ethnic minorities and healthcare providers
• The adaptation of international students to American campuses
• Low-context cultures versus high-context cultures- Cross-cultural perspective
• Assessing cross-cultural effectiveness

Cultural Psychology Research Topics

If interested in cultural psychology research, consider these ideas for your papers and essays.

• How cultural psychology has evolved over the years
• How cultural psychology affects diversity
• Filial piety and personality among the British citizens
• Impacts of famous artists on the global culture
• Impacts of COVID-19 on the US political atmosphere
• Comparing women’s emotions and gender stereotypes as exhibited by men’s superior thinking
• Influences of cross-cultural psychology
• Social and self behavior among the United States’ Red Indians
• Analyzing the unemployed graduates’ experiences in the United Kingdom
• How parenting stress relates to the stigma of a mother with an autistic child

Cross-Cultural Research Topics

Cross-cultural research paper topics cover psychological behavior and processes across different cultures. Here are topic samples in this category.

• Communication styles among different cultures
• How attitudes towards conflicts differ among cultures
• How people from different cultures approach the same task differently
• How different cultures approach knowing
• Why humans should respect and work with people from different cultures
• The attitudes of different cultures towards disclosure
• How decision-making styles differ among cultures
• How non-verbal communication promotes a culture
• What determines business communication across cultures?
• How history and social organization affect modern society

Cultural Studies Research Paper Topics

When pursuing cultural studies, writing research papers is unavoidable. Here are cultural research paper topics to consider for your papers and essays.

• How stigma affects the efforts to prevent sexually transmitted diseases from spreading
• Challenges encountered by people with social disorders and anxiety
• How films influence the audiences’ cultures
• How songs promote feminism
• Coping mechanism for culturally different people
• How cultural studies facilitate the promotion of brands in global markets
• How people perceive the old and the youths in their cultures
• How cultural studies can help in promoting businesses internationally
• Cultural traits exhibition in exotic and indigenous animals
• Influence of associating with a particular language on a person’s culture

Cultural Geography Research Topics

Cultural geography focuses on cultural changes in various geographical settings. Here are topics to explore in this category.

• Explaining the cultural concept
• Analyzing a culture area and the culture itself
• Analysis of cultural landscapes
• Cultural ecology and culture history
• Focusing on the institutions
• Understanding cultural geography
• The history of cultural geography
• Understanding feminist geography
• Explain the evolution of urban geography
• Analysis of the geography of space and sexuality

Chinese Cultural Research Topics

Are you interested in studying Chinese culture? If yes, this list has the best cultural topics for research paper that you can explore.

• Evaluating Cultural Revolution in China
• The Chinese government and Tibet
• Culture-bound psychiatric syndromes in China
• The Chinese culture and silk road
• Cross-cultural competency in China
• How culture influences the Chinese politics
• Effects of Buddhism on the Chinese culture
• Chinese medicine and culture
• Childhood illness treatment in traditional China and religion
• The cultural perspective of the human stomach in China

Research Topics on Community-Centered Cultural Adaptation

Are you interested in community-centered cultural adaptation research? If yes, here are topics to consider for your papers.

• Stage-setting and professional consultations for cultural adaptation purposes
• Preliminary cultural content adaptation
• Iterative cultural content adaption with members of the community
• Cultural adaptation with meetings and community feedback
• Role of language during cultural adaptation
• The concept of cultural adaptation
• Factors that limit community-centered cultural adaptation
• How conflict of interest can hinder community-centered cultural adaptation
• How gender influences community-centered cultural adaptation
• How to enhance community-centered cultural adaptation

Cultural Analysis Topics for Research

Perhaps, you’re interested in analyzing a cultural aspect or phenomenon. In that case, consider these ideas for your research paper.

• Analysis of cultural phenomenon in your community
• Analyzing the influence of TikTok on local culture
• Analysis of “the dab” popularity
• Analyzing the effects of bandwagon on the culture
• Analysis of the normalization of the holocaust in some cultures
• Analyzing religious beliefs as a cultural phenomenon
• Analyzing the popularity of sitcoms
• Analyze the fan base of your favorite celebrity
• Analysis of social media as a cultural phenomena
• Analyzing cross-cultural fashion trends

Cultural Analysis Essay Topics

If interested in analyzing the culture, pick the idea to write about in this list.

• Analyzing drug use by sportspeople
• Analyzing homelessness in America
• Communication differences between males and females
• Analyzing obesity trends across age brackets
• How sports influence culture
• Analyzing multicultural identity
• Analysis of modeling and body size aspects of a culture
• Effects of multicultural families on the involved parties
• Analysis of gender role changes over time
• How being raised by a single parent affects a child- A cultural perspective

Unique Cultural Analysis Paper Topics

Are you looking for a unique topic for cultural research? If yes, this section has a good idea for you.

• Why are cultural studies essential?
• How society treats people based on their cultures
• How the minorities cope in a different culture
• How feminism affects the culture
• How isolated communities can conserve their cultures
• How religion influences culture- Use the Muslim community as a case study
• Describe the cultural commonalities among human beings
• Explain the correlation of sex and attitude as cultural tools
• The influence of associating with a particular language on a person’s culture
• How exotic and indigenous groups exhibit cultural differences

Pick your topics from this list and then take your time to develop them through research to come up with solid papers or essays that will earn you the top grades.

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Film Analysis

What this handout is about.

This handout introduces film analysis and and offers strategies and resources for approaching film analysis assignments.

Writing the film analysis essay

Writing a film analysis requires you to consider the composition of the film—the individual parts and choices made that come together to create the finished piece. Film analysis goes beyond the analysis of the film as literature to include camera angles, lighting, set design, sound elements, costume choices, editing, etc. in making an argument. The first step to analyzing the film is to watch it with a plan.

Watching the film

First it’s important to watch the film carefully with a critical eye. Consider why you’ve been assigned to watch a film and write an analysis. How does this activity fit into the course? Why have you been assigned this particular film? What are you looking for in connection to the course content? Let’s practice with this clip from Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958). Here are some tips on how to watch the clip critically, just as you would an entire film:

• Give the clip your undivided attention at least once. Pay close attention to details and make observations that might start leading to bigger questions.
• Watch the clip a second time. For this viewing, you will want to focus specifically on those elements of film analysis that your class has focused on, so review your course notes. For example, from whose perspective is this clip shot? What choices help convey that perspective? What is the overall tone, theme, or effect of this clip?
• Take notes while you watch for the second time. Notes will help you keep track of what you noticed and when, if you include timestamps in your notes. Timestamps are vital for citing scenes from a film!

For more information on watching a film, check out the Learning Center’s handout on watching film analytically . For more resources on researching film, including glossaries of film terms, see UNC Library’s research guide on film & cinema .

Brainstorming ideas

Once you’ve watched the film twice, it’s time to brainstorm some ideas based on your notes. Brainstorming is a major step that helps develop and explore ideas. As you brainstorm, you may want to cluster your ideas around central topics or themes that emerge as you review your notes. Did you ask several questions about color? Were you curious about repeated images? Perhaps these are directions you can pursue.

If you’re writing an argumentative essay, you can use the connections that you develop while brainstorming to draft a thesis statement . Consider the assignment and prompt when formulating a thesis, as well as what kind of evidence you will present to support your claims. Your evidence could be dialogue, sound edits, cinematography decisions, etc. Much of how you make these decisions will depend on the type of film analysis you are conducting, an important decision covered in the next section.

After brainstorming, you can draft an outline of your film analysis using the same strategies that you would for other writing assignments. Here are a few more tips to keep in mind as you prepare for this stage of the assignment:

• Make sure you understand the prompt and what you are being asked to do. Remember that this is ultimately an assignment, so your thesis should answer what the prompt asks. Check with your professor if you are unsure.
• In most cases, the director’s name is used to talk about the film as a whole, for instance, “Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo .” However, some writers may want to include the names of other persons who helped to create the film, including the actors, the cinematographer, and the sound editor, among others.
• When describing a sequence in a film, use the literary present. An example could be, “In Vertigo , Hitchcock employs techniques of observation to dramatize the act of detection.”
• Finding a screenplay/script of the movie may be helpful and save you time when compiling citations. But keep in mind that there may be differences between the screenplay and the actual product (and these differences might be a topic of discussion!).
• Go beyond describing basic film elements by articulating the significance of these elements in support of your particular position. For example, you may have an interpretation of the striking color green in Vertigo , but you would only mention this if it was relevant to your argument. For more help on using evidence effectively, see the section on “using evidence” in our evidence handout .

Also be sure to avoid confusing the terms shot, scene, and sequence. Remember, a shot ends every time the camera cuts; a scene can be composed of several related shots; and a sequence is a set of related scenes.

Different types of film analysis

As you consider your notes, outline, and general thesis about a film, the majority of your assignment will depend on what type of film analysis you are conducting. This section explores some of the different types of film analyses you may have been assigned to write.

Semiotic analysis

Semiotic analysis is the interpretation of signs and symbols, typically involving metaphors and analogies to both inanimate objects and characters within a film. Because symbols have several meanings, writers often need to determine what a particular symbol means in the film and in a broader cultural or historical context.

For instance, a writer could explore the symbolism of the flowers in Vertigo by connecting the images of them falling apart to the vulnerability of the heroine.

Here are a few other questions to consider for this type of analysis:

• What objects or images are repeated throughout the film?
• How does the director associate a character with small signs, such as certain colors, clothing, food, or language use?
• How does a symbol or object relate to other symbols and objects, that is, what is the relationship between the film’s signs?

Many films are rich with symbolism, and it can be easy to get lost in the details. Remember to bring a semiotic analysis back around to answering the question “So what?” in your thesis.

Narrative analysis

Narrative analysis is an examination of the story elements, including narrative structure, character, and plot. This type of analysis considers the entirety of the film and the story it seeks to tell.

For example, you could take the same object from the previous example—the flowers—which meant one thing in a semiotic analysis, and ask instead about their narrative role. That is, you might analyze how Hitchcock introduces the flowers at the beginning of the film in order to return to them later to draw out the completion of the heroine’s character arc.

To create this type of analysis, you could consider questions like:

• How does the film correspond to the Three-Act Structure: Act One: Setup; Act Two: Confrontation; and Act Three: Resolution?
• What is the plot of the film? How does this plot differ from the narrative, that is, how the story is told? For example, are events presented out of order and to what effect?
• Does the plot revolve around one character? Does the plot revolve around multiple characters? How do these characters develop across the film?

When writing a narrative analysis, take care not to spend too time on summarizing at the expense of your argument. See our handout on summarizing for more tips on making summary serve analysis.

Cultural/historical analysis

One of the most common types of analysis is the examination of a film’s relationship to its broader cultural, historical, or theoretical contexts. Whether films intentionally comment on their context or not, they are always a product of the culture or period in which they were created. By placing the film in a particular context, this type of analysis asks how the film models, challenges, or subverts different types of relations, whether historical, social, or even theoretical.

For example, the clip from Vertigo depicts a man observing a woman without her knowing it. You could examine how this aspect of the film addresses a midcentury social concern about observation, such as the sexual policing of women, or a political one, such as Cold War-era McCarthyism.

A few of the many questions you could ask in this vein include:

• How does the film comment on, reinforce, or even critique social and political issues at the time it was released, including questions of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality?
• How might a biographical understanding of the film’s creators and their historical moment affect the way you view the film?
• How might a specific film theory, such as Queer Theory, Structuralist Theory, or Marxist Film Theory, provide a language or set of terms for articulating the attributes of the film?

Take advantage of class resources to explore possible approaches to cultural/historical film analyses, and find out whether you will be expected to do additional research into the film’s context.

Mise-en-scène analysis

A mise-en-scène analysis attends to how the filmmakers have arranged compositional elements in a film and specifically within a scene or even a single shot. This type of analysis organizes the individual elements of a scene to explore how they come together to produce meaning. You may focus on anything that adds meaning to the formal effect produced by a given scene, including: blocking, lighting, design, color, costume, as well as how these attributes work in conjunction with decisions related to sound, cinematography, and editing. For example, in the clip from Vertigo , a mise-en-scène analysis might ask how numerous elements, from lighting to camera angles, work together to present the viewer with the perspective of Jimmy Stewart’s character.

To conduct this type of analysis, you could ask:

• What effects are created in a scene, and what is their purpose?
• How does this scene represent the theme of the movie?
• How does a scene work to express a broader point to the film’s plot?

This detailed approach to analyzing the formal elements of film can help you come up with concrete evidence for more general film analysis assignments.

Reviewing your draft

Once you have a draft, it’s helpful to get feedback on what you’ve written to see if your analysis holds together and you’ve conveyed your point. You may not necessarily need to find someone who has seen the film! Ask a writing coach, roommate, or family member to read over your draft and share key takeaways from what you have written so far.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Aumont, Jacques, and Michel Marie. 1988. L’analyse Des Films . Paris: Nathan.

Media & Design Center. n.d. “Film and Cinema Research.” UNC University Libraries. Last updated February 10, 2021. https://guides.lib.unc.edu/filmresearch .

Oxford Royale Academy. n.d. “7 Ways to Watch Film.” Oxford Royale Academy. Accessed April 2021. https://www.oxford-royale.com/articles/7-ways-watch-films-critically/ .

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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What is Popular Culture Definition and Analysis

This essay about popular culture likens it to a kaleidoscope, illustrating how it continuously reshapes our collective identity through music, humor, fashion, and more. It explores how pop culture not only entertains but also reflects societal values, fears, and aspirations. The discussion extends to how popular culture serves as a battleground for influence and as a platform for societal change and resistance. It emphasizes the role of pop culture in fostering global connections and challenging norms, ultimately celebrating human creativity and resilience.

How it works

Popular culture is akin to a kaleidoscope—each turn introduces a mesmerizing mix of colors, forms, and designs that captivate our senses and mold our shared identities. It’s the music we hum, the jokes we share, and the fashion that spells our style. Defining this concept, however, is akin to grasping a vanishing dream: it’s elusive, ever-evolving, and perpetually intriguing.

Imagine wandering into a lively urban plaza where street performers dazzle onlookers with their daring and musicians weave melodies from across the globe.

This bustling scene mirrors the essence of popular culture—a dynamic arena where ideas, trends, and influences merge and morph.

Popular culture beats with the rhythms of our daily lives. It includes the TV shows that gather families, the blockbuster films that whisk us to other worlds, and the social networks that knit us into digital communities. From ancient folk tales to the latest social media dance, popular culture reflects our collective hopes and lived realities.

Yet, popular culture does more than entertain; it offers a lens into society’s soul, reflecting our principles, fears, and ambitions. For instance, the surge of dystopian narratives in books and films speaks to our worries about technology, surveillance, and privacy in our digital lives. Similarly, the resurgence of retro trends in music and fashion signals our longing for the simplicity of past times amid today’s complexities.

To analyze popular culture is to apply a multifaceted approach that incorporates sociology, anthropology, psychology, and more. It involves delving into the meanings embedded in cultural products and appreciating their roles within larger societal frameworks. The depiction of gender and sexuality in media, for example, can either perpetuate stereotypes or challenge old norms, sparking vital discussions on representation and diversity.

Moreover, popular culture is an arena of contestation, where different entities compete for influence and control. From corporate giants to grassroots movements, these actors shape popular culture with varying goals. While commercial forces may commodify creativity, sidelining unconventional voices, grassroots efforts strive to recapture cultural narratives and empower underrepresented groups.

Popular culture also serves as a platform for resistance and change, where suppressed voices gain strength and solidarity. From civil rights to LGBTQ+ rights, it has been an instrumental medium for societal transformation, amplifying silenced voices and challenging prevailing norms. Through artistic and activist expressions, individuals reclaim their power and advocate for justice, thereby altering the cultural fabric.

In a world that is increasingly connected, popular culture crosses borders and builds bridges, fostering a sense of global community and shared humanity. From the international popularity of Korean pop music to the worldwide appeal of Hollywood films, cultural outputs cross linguistic and cultural barriers, influencing tastes and identities globally. This worldwide flow of culture, however, also prompts debates over cultural imperialism and authenticity, underscoring the complexities of cultural interactions in a global context.

Ultimately, popular culture serves as a reflective surface, showing the aspirations, dilemmas, and paradoxes of human life. It celebrates creativity, diversity, and resilience—a tribute to our imaginative spirit and our ability to innovate. As we chart the fluid landscape of popular culture, we should cherish its depth and breadth, acknowledging its potential to enlighten, challenge, and connect us in our collective human journey.

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How Pew Research Center will report on generations moving forward

Journalists, researchers and the public often look at society through the lens of generation, using terms like Millennial or Gen Z to describe groups of similarly aged people. This approach can help readers see themselves in the data and assess where we are and where we’re headed as a country.

Pew Research Center has been at the forefront of generational research over the years, telling the story of Millennials as they came of age politically and as they moved more firmly into adult life . In recent years, we’ve also been eager to learn about Gen Z as the leading edge of this generation moves into adulthood.

But generational research has become a crowded arena. The field has been flooded with content that’s often sold as research but is more like clickbait or marketing mythology. There’s also been a growing chorus of criticism about generational research and generational labels in particular.

Recently, as we were preparing to embark on a major research project related to Gen Z, we decided to take a step back and consider how we can study generations in a way that aligns with our values of accuracy, rigor and providing a foundation of facts that enriches the public dialogue.

A typical generation spans 15 to 18 years. As many critics of generational research point out, there is great diversity of thought, experience and behavior within generations.

We set out on a yearlong process of assessing the landscape of generational research. We spoke with experts from outside Pew Research Center, including those who have been publicly critical of our generational analysis, to get their take on the pros and cons of this type of work. We invested in methodological testing to determine whether we could compare findings from our earlier telephone surveys to the online ones we’re conducting now. And we experimented with higher-level statistical analyses that would allow us to isolate the effect of generation.

What emerged from this process was a set of clear guidelines that will help frame our approach going forward. Many of these are principles we’ve always adhered to , but others will require us to change the way we’ve been doing things in recent years.

Here’s a short overview of how we’ll approach generational research in the future:

We’ll only do generational analysis when we have historical data that allows us to compare generations at similar stages of life. When comparing generations, it’s crucial to control for age. In other words, researchers need to look at each generation or age cohort at a similar point in the life cycle. (“Age cohort” is a fancy way of referring to a group of people who were born around the same time.)

When doing this kind of research, the question isn’t whether young adults today are different from middle-aged or older adults today. The question is whether young adults today are different from young adults at some specific point in the past.

To answer this question, it’s necessary to have data that’s been collected over a considerable amount of time – think decades. Standard surveys don’t allow for this type of analysis. We can look at differences across age groups, but we can’t compare age groups over time.

Another complication is that the surveys we conducted 20 or 30 years ago aren’t usually comparable enough to the surveys we’re doing today. Our earlier surveys were done over the phone, and we’ve since transitioned to our nationally representative online survey panel , the American Trends Panel . Our internal testing showed that on many topics, respondents answer questions differently depending on the way they’re being interviewed. So we can’t use most of our surveys from the late 1980s and early 2000s to compare Gen Z with Millennials and Gen Xers at a similar stage of life.

This means that most generational analysis we do will use datasets that have employed similar methodologies over a long period of time, such as surveys from the U.S. Census Bureau. A good example is our 2020 report on Millennial families , which used census data going back to the late 1960s. The report showed that Millennials are marrying and forming families at a much different pace than the generations that came before them.

Even when we have historical data, we will attempt to control for other factors beyond age in making generational comparisons. If we accept that there are real differences across generations, we’re basically saying that people who were born around the same time share certain attitudes or beliefs – and that their views have been influenced by external forces that uniquely shaped them during their formative years. Those forces may have been social changes, economic circumstances, technological advances or political movements.

When we see that younger adults have different views than their older counterparts, it may be driven by their demographic traits rather than the fact that they belong to a particular generation.

The tricky part is isolating those forces from events or circumstances that have affected all age groups, not just one generation. These are often called “period effects.” An example of a period effect is the Watergate scandal, which drove down trust in government among all age groups. Differences in trust across age groups in the wake of Watergate shouldn’t be attributed to the outsize impact that event had on one age group or another, because the change occurred across the board.

Changing demographics also may play a role in patterns that might at first seem like generational differences. We know that the United States has become more racially and ethnically diverse in recent decades, and that race and ethnicity are linked with certain key social and political views. When we see that younger adults have different views than their older counterparts, it may be driven by their demographic traits rather than the fact that they belong to a particular generation.

Controlling for these factors can involve complicated statistical analysis that helps determine whether the differences we see across age groups are indeed due to generation or not. This additional step adds rigor to the process. Unfortunately, it’s often absent from current discussions about Gen Z, Millennials and other generations.

When we can’t do generational analysis, we still see value in looking at differences by age and will do so where it makes sense. Age is one of the most common predictors of differences in attitudes and behaviors. And even if age gaps aren’t rooted in generational differences, they can still be illuminating. They help us understand how people across the age spectrum are responding to key trends, technological breakthroughs and historical events.

Each stage of life comes with a unique set of experiences. Young adults are often at the leading edge of changing attitudes on emerging social trends. Take views on same-sex marriage , for example, or attitudes about gender identity .

Many middle-aged adults, in turn, face the challenge of raising children while also providing care and support to their aging parents. And older adults have their own obstacles and opportunities. All of these stories – rooted in the life cycle, not in generations – are important and compelling, and we can tell them by analyzing our surveys at any given point in time.

When we do have the data to study groups of similarly aged people over time, we won’t always default to using the standard generational definitions and labels. While generational labels are simple and catchy, there are other ways to analyze age cohorts. For example, some observers have suggested grouping people by the decade in which they were born. This would create narrower cohorts in which the members may share more in common. People could also be grouped relative to their age during key historical events (such as the Great Recession or the COVID-19 pandemic) or technological innovations (like the invention of the iPhone).

By choosing not to use the standard generational labels when they’re not appropriate, we can avoid reinforcing harmful stereotypes or oversimplifying people’s complex lived experiences.

Existing generational definitions also may be too broad and arbitrary to capture differences that exist among narrower cohorts. A typical generation spans 15 to 18 years. As many critics of generational research point out, there is great diversity of thought, experience and behavior within generations. The key is to pick a lens that’s most appropriate for the research question that’s being studied. If we’re looking at political views and how they’ve shifted over time, for example, we might group people together according to the first presidential election in which they were eligible to vote.

With these considerations in mind, our audiences should not expect to see a lot of new research coming out of Pew Research Center that uses the generational lens. We’ll only talk about generations when it adds value, advances important national debates and highlights meaningful societal trends.

• Age & Generations
• Demographic Research
• Generation X
• Generation Z
• Generations
• Greatest Generation
• Methodological Research
• Millennials
• Silent Generation

Kim Parker is director of social trends research at Pew Research Center

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