SC2001C Community Culture and Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

SC2001C Community Culture and Change - Essay Example and religious identities was constantly contested.† However, a dynamic British State was established out of a manifold of economic, ethnic, religious commitments. This is due to the different Acts of Union, from 1536 to 1800 were formulated for political homogeneity rather than an actual unification of diverse cultures (ibid). In this paper, it will be argued that diversity and cultural differences in contemporary British society actually disrupt or weaken the cohesion of British community and its larger society. This argument will be supported by various allusions on historical and current developments in Britain through initially establishing a distinctive British culture and identity. Culture and identity are very intricate phenomena. Identity can come from various origins and show itself in various ways. An individual can feel a strong sense of distinctiveness as a person, as a member of a community interest group, or a social group, or a racial and ethnic group, or the same sex, through community bonding or through a shared national legacy. According to Linda Colley (1992) identities are not similar to hats. Most individuals can and do assume different identities simultaneously. Identity is frequently identified through allusion to others. As Cohen (1995) asserts, â€Å"You know who you are, only by knowing who you are not† (36). A sense of identity is rooted from and is strengthened through cultural features such as food, music and others that shape the unprocessed material for constructing identity symbols. Mackenzie (1978) believes that identity is based on diversity and can be rooted from state, race, religion and class. Culture and identity can be e ducated by history forming ancestral origins and by geography advancing a sense of membership. As Smith (2000) illustrates, a soon-to be Englishman requires two elements as identifiers, a football team and a tone of voice. People, hence, become conscious of their culture through their identities whereas