What is culture?

This term can be problematic, because the word ‘culture’ means different things to every individual, but undoubtedly it can be agreed, I believe, that it is both ‘complex and intricate’ (Nieto, 1999: 48). It is something that all human beings have in common, because everyone has a culture and in general all cultures are neither totally ‘good’ or totally ‘bad’, embodying ‘values that have grown out of historical and social conditions and necessities’ (Nieto, 1999: 58). Additionally, it needs to be understood that cultures are not static and are changed as a result of people from different cultures coming into contact with one another. A good example of how one culture influences another is Rap music. The style of dancing, speak, dress and movement that accompanies Rap is seen in young people from many diverse cultural backgrounds currently. Thus, I am going to use the definition Nieto gives to describe culture:

the ever - changing values, traditions, social and political relationships, and worldview created, shared, and transformed by a group of people bound together by a combination of factors that can include a common history, geographic location, language, social class, and religion.  (Nieto, 1999)

If you accept the points above, it can be seen how complex it is to fully understand culture and thus cultural diversity.