1.3 Who Are You?


To what extent does globalization enrich your identity?

To what extent does globalization threaten your identity?


Factors Influencing Who We Are


Marshall McLuhan believed that through electronic media human beings would become more unified. As a result of the connections provided by technology, he stated we are able to regain a stronger sense of ourselves globally and become stronger members of a global village. Globalization presents both opportunities and challenges for us as individuals and as members of a global village. The degree to which we embrace globalization depends on our values and beliefs which have had many influences.

Identities

Throughout your Social Studies education, you have investigated your identity and been asked to consider who you are as an individual. We create unique identities and express them in many ways. We also have identities as members of groups and communities. Therefore, you might have an identity as a son or daughter, a student, a teammate, or a member of a band, but you can also have an identity as a member of a religion, a city, or a town. How you interact in those groups and communities is influenced by values, belief, and behaviours which result from your personal identities.

We learn and display our identity in many ways;

  • language

  • traditions

  • religion and spirituality

  • the arts

 

  • attire

  • role models

  • relationship to land

  • ideologies


In this section, you will investigate the factors which influence our identities and shape our perspectives about globalization.

An important part of our identity is formed as part of the culture around us. You have learned about culture previously in social studies. Culture is a term with many definitions. There are, in fact, 160 different definitions given for the word culture.


In your previous investigations of culture, you learned that it was a way of life built by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to another. In addition to this, culture can be a system of beliefs, assumptions, sentiments, and perspectives held in common by a group. This group demonstrates common customs, routines, roles, and rituals. Culture, furthermore, contributes to how we see ourselves and the group to which we belong. These groups whether they are a community, cultural group, or ethnic group have their own values, beliefs, and ways of living.

Some parts of culture we can easily see such as food, clothing, celebrations, religion, and language. But these are only one part of our cultural identity and heritage. We also share values, customs, and histories. These shared factors help to create strong cultural bonds. Through these strong cultural bonds humans create a sense of belonging to a group.

For example, the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team is the most famous rugby team in the world. They have forged an identity as a group by blending the culture of the Maoris warrior with the modern game of rugby. At the beginning of each of their games, the All Black team greets their opponents with the Haka, a traditional war dance.

Watch the video to see the All Blacks perform the Haka and a translation of the meaning.

Just as in Canada, where it is the dream of every young hockey player to don the red uniform with its distinctive maple leaf logo and play for Canada, so it is for every young rugby player in New Zealand to play for the All Blacks. This group has forged a strong identity as a group, but it also claims some of the most highly thought of individual players in the world.

So, while our unique identity is important, membership in larger groups is also a crucial part of our identity. We do not live in isolation—we are part of a group which has a unique identity. Consequently, our identities are shaped by our individuality and our membership in groups.