Cultural Variation in Africa: Role of Mechanisms of Transmission and Adaptation (Cultural Transmission/Demic Diffusion/Environmental Adaptation/Cultural Diffusion) C

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Cultural Variation in Africa: Role of Mechanisms of Transmission and Adaptation (Cultural Transmission/Demic Diffusion/Environmental Adaptation/Cultural Diffusion) C Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 92, pp. 7585-7589, August 1995 Anthropology Cultural variation in Africa: Role of mechanisms of transmission and adaptation (cultural transmission/demic diffusion/environmental adaptation/cultural diffusion) C. R. GUGLIELMINO*, C. VIGANOTt, B. HEWLETT4, AND L. L. CAVALLI-SFORZA§ *Dipartimento di Genetica e Microbiologia, Universita di Pavia and Istituto di Genetica Biochimica ed Evoluzionistica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 27100 Pavia, Italy; tlstituto di Analisi Numerica del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 27100 Pavia, Italy; tDepartment of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164; and §Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 Contributed by L. L. Cavalli-Sforza, January 17, 1995 ABSTRACT Cultural inheritance can be considered as a Table 1. Major mechanisms of sociocultural transmission and mechanism of adaptation made possible by communication, theoretical expectation of their dynamics in ref 1 which has reached its greatest development in humans and can Type of Culture allow long-term conservation or rapid change of culturally mechanism Description change Comments transmissible traits depending on circumstances and needs. Conservativeness/flexibility is largely modulated by mecha- Vertical Parent-to-child or Unlikely Conservative nisms ofsociocultural transmission. An analysis was carried out through family and by testing the fit of three models to 47 cultural traits (classified slow in six groups) in 277African societies. Model A (demic diffusion) Group Concerted effort Very Highly is conservation over generations, as shown by correlations of pressure of many (older) slow conservative cultural traits with language, used as a measure of historical people on each connection. Model B (enviroumental adaptation) is measured by person correlation to the natural environment. Model C (cultural dif- Horizontal Person-to-person Can be Frequent route fusion) is the spread to neighbors by social contact in an (unrelated) rapid of innovation epidemic-like fashion and was tested by measuring the tightness One-to-many Teacher or leader Most Prevalent route of geographic clustering of the traits. Most traits examined, in to group rapid of innovation particular those affecting family structure and kinship, showed Mathematical treatment (1) has shown that cultural traits are highly great conservation over generations, as shown by the fit ofmodel conserved when parents transmit culture to children. Actions of A. They are most probably transmitted by family members. This parents and extended family members on children take place when is in they are young and more easily influenced. Even more conservative is agreement with the theoretical demonstration that cultural the action of a homogeneous social group (also social, political, and transmission in the family (vertical) is the most conservative one. religious groups) exercising pressure on all (usually younger) individ- Some traits show environmental effects, indicating the impor- uals one by one (e.g., during initiation). Since under these conditions tance ofadaptation to physical environment. Only a few ofthe 47 innovations have little chance of acceptance, we call these mechanisms traits showed tight geographic clustering indicating that their oftransmission "conservative." Innovations may affect an entire group spread to nearest neighbors follows model C, as is usually the through contact with unrelated individuals, which we called "horizon- case for transmission among unrelated people (called horizontal tal" transmission. They often originate from outside social groups. transmission). Their spread through teachers, powerful authority, or high-prestige individuals has been called "one-to-many" or "teacher/leader- directed" mechanisms [including that called "imposition" by Durham It is known that cultural behaviors, practices, and beliefs (2)]. (cultural traits) in human societies are variable in space and time. We are interested in the forces involved in cultural Is It Possible to Dissect, on the Basis of Synchronic Spatial conservation and change. A theoretical treatment of the Variation of Cultural Traits, the Action of the Above dynamics of conservation and change was given by Cavalli- Different Forces Affecting Cultural Evolution? Sforza and Feldman (1). Conservation is the result of trans- Appropriate data would be necessary for a satisfactory analysis mission over generations. Change involves (i) the occurrence of cultural variation in space and time. But while detailed of an innovation-usually an event sparked by an individual- diachronic data on culture seldom exist, cultural variation in often in response to a challenge caused by a new situation in space is documented by several collections of data, among the social or physical environment that is spontaneous or is due which those of Murdock's early Ethnographic Atlas (5), al- to migration and resettlement in other regions or other events; though imperfect, have been chosen for the present prelimi- (ii) transmission of the innovation to other individuals of the nary analysis. Three models of spatial cultural variation are social group, first through communication and then through first defined (Fig. 1) and then tested with a collection of acceptance, which usually is conditioned by its function (its statistical approaches to interpret the geographic distribution perceived or real adaptive value) and other factors [prestige, of cultural diversity in sub-Saharan Africa. This approach is imposition (2), etc.]; and (iii) possible transmission of the new different - from, but in a sense is complementary to, that behavioral trait over future generations. This is the least suggested by Mace and Pagel (9). It does not try to reconstruct studied part ofthe process, which is essential for understanding the history of the origins of innovations in the tree of descent; long-term conservation. Major mechanisms of cultural trans- this is sometimes a difficult proposition, given that the spread mission summarized in Table 1 have a profound influence on of a group in a new area rarely can be represented by a tree the rate of cultural change and resulting spatial variation branching without reciprocal connections. Methods to test the within and between groups (1, 3, 4). above models are described briefly below. Cultural Trait Analysis, Classification, and Correlation The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in We consider the nature and sources of variation of 47 cultural accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. traits (given in ref. 5), which are ordered in six groups (see 7585 Downloaded by guest on September 27, 2021 7586 Anthropology: Guglielmino et at Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92 (1995) Time 7) Origin between the six groups are given. We tested the significance of correlations in contingency tables of all possible pairs of traits by means of G2 (11). We also calculated the distribution of G2 from 100 contingency tables, each obtained from resampling Genreacttlseyto| with replacement of the original data (bootstrap analysis) (12). (~~~~~ae so,>3fa Significance levels in the right upper part of Table 3 are based on the standard deviation of the distribution of bootstrapped G2 values. Since this procedure generated a lower number of significant values than the normal procedure using the x2 distribution, further analyses are referred to these more con- servative results. Table 2 summarizes the correlations signif- icant at the 5% level from Table 3. The traits within four groups-Family and Kinship, Economy, Social Stratification, and House-are correlated to each other in 67%, 79%, 67%, and 60% of trait pairs, respectively. This high correlation is expected (13). The two other trait groups (labor division by sex and various others) are less compact (24% and 7% of associ- ation within the groups, respectively). Thus, a sexual division of labor in one task is almost uncorrelated with that in another task. The "various others" group of traits shows no correlation Duk Ecological Cultural between members of the group and with traits from other dlfaulon adaptation dlfuion groups. This is expected, as this group is a collection of miscellaneous traits remaining after forming the first five groups and has no a priori internal coherence. Fewer asso- 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 ciations (30% on average) occur between traits of different xxx Y Y XXyY x Y XXX Y groups than within groups. Even though this occurrence is FIG. 1. Models of evolutions of a cultural trait (X) undergoing more frequent than expected (5%), it is clear that the grouping change X -- Y. (Model A) Radiation of people and the accompanying made is confirmed to be useful by this correlational analysis. spread of their cultural practices and beliefs. This model is called "demic diffusion" and is usually the result of repeated expansion due Demic Diffusion and Environmental Adaptation: to population growth and migration after local saturation (6, 7). with Similarities in cultural traits may exist even though the cultures may Correlation of Cultural Traits Language and Ecology live at great distances from one another because the two groups share a common history. In this case cultural similarities may be maintained To try to determine which cultural traits in Africa were by the two highly conservative sociocultural transmission mechanisms consequences of demic diffusion (see legend
Recommended publications
  • Cultural Distance, Perception of Emotional Display Rules, And
    CULTURAL DISTANCE, PERCEPTION OF EMOTIONAL DISPLAY RULES, AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON SOJOURNER ADJUSTMENT A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science Nicole L. Gullekson August 2007 2 This thesis titled CULTURAL DISTANCE, PERCEPTION OF EMOTIONAL DISPLAY RULES, AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON SOJOURNER ADJUSTMENT by NICOLE L. GULLEKSON has been approved for the Department of Psychology and the College of Arts and Sciences by ________________________________________________ Jeffrey B. Vancouver Associate Professor of Psychology ________________________________________________ Benjamin M. Ogles Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 Abstract GULLEKSON, NICOLE L., M.S., August 2007, Experimental Psychology CULTURAL DISTANCE, PERCEPTION OF EMOTIONAL DISPLAY RULES, AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON SOJOURNER ADJUSTMENT (109 pp.) With increased globalization, more individuals temporarily leave home to work and study in foreign countries. These sojourners are confronted with societal norms different from their home cultures. The present study investigated the extent to which international student sojourners perceive differences in emotional display norms between their home and host cultures, as well as the influence of such perception on adjustment. Although accurate perception of the host culture’s emotional display rules was not related to adjustment, a “guest” effect existed. Specifically, international student participants reported that one should
    [Show full text]
  • Buddhism and Holistic Versus Analytic Thought
    CULTURE, RELIGION AND COGNITION: BUDDHISM AND HOLISTIC VERSUS ANALYTIC THOUGHT by Alain Samson A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 2007 University of London The London School of Economics and Political Science Institute of Social Psychology UMI Number: U615882 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U615882 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the MPhil/PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of the author. I warrant that this authorization does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of 2 British ity<;(.
    [Show full text]
  • Cultural Neuroscience: a Historical Introduction and Overview Nicholas O
    Unit 9 Biological Psychology, Neuropsychology and Culture Article 1 Subunit 2 Neuropsychology and Culture 8-1-2014 Cultural Neuroscience: A Historical Introduction and Overview Nicholas O. Rule University of Toronto, [email protected] Please address correspondence to: Nicholas O. Rule, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, [email protected]; this work was supported in part by NSERC 491593. Recommended Citation Rule, N. O. (2014). Cultural Neuroscience: A Historical Introduction and Overview. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1128 This Online Readings in Psychology and Culture Article is brought to you for free and open access (provided uses are educational in nature)by IACCP and ScholarWorks@GVSU. Copyright © 2014 International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology. All Rights Reserved. ISBN 978-0-9845627-0-1 Cultural Neuroscience: A Historical Introduction and Overview Abstract The integration of cognitive neuroscience with the study of culture emerged from independent ascensions among both fields in the early 1990s. This marriage of the two previously unconnected areas of inquiry has generated a variety of empirical and theoretical works that have provided unique insights to both partners that might have otherwise gone overlooked. Here, I provide a brief historical introduction to the emergence of cultural neuroscience from its roots in cultural psychology and cognitive neuroscience to its present stature as one of the most challenging but rewarding sub-disciplines to have come from the burgeoning growth of the study of the brain and behavior. In doing so, I overview some of the more studied areas within cultural neuroscience: language, music, mathematics, visual perception, and social cognition.
    [Show full text]
  • Migration, Acculturation, and the Maintenance of Between-Group Cultural Variation’
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/234807; this version posted June 13, 2018. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY 4.0 International license. 1 Migration, acculturation, and the maintenance of 2 between-group cultural variation ∗ 3 Alex Mesoudi 4 12 June, 2018 5 Abstract 6 How do migration and acculturation (i.e. psychological or behavioral change resulting from migration) 7 affect within- and between-group cultural variation? Here I answer this question by drawing analogies 8 between genetic and cultural evolution. Population genetic models show that migration rapidly 9 breaks down between-group genetic structure. In cultural evolution, however, migrants or their 10 descendants can acculturate to local behaviors via social learning processes such as conformity, 11 potentially preventing migration from eliminating between-group cultural variation. An analysis 12 of the empirical literature on migration suggests that acculturation is common, with second and 13 subsequent migrant generations shifting, sometimes substantially, towards the cultural values of the 14 adopted society. Yet there is little understanding of the individual-level dynamics that underlie these 15 population-level shifts. To explore this formally, I present models quantifying the effect of migration 16 and acculturation on between-group cultural variation, for both neutral and costly cooperative 17 traits. In the models, between-group cultural variation, measured using F statistics, is eliminated by 18 migration and maintained by conformist acculturation. The extent of acculturation is determined 19 by the strength of conformist bias and the number of demonstrators from whom individuals learn.
    [Show full text]
  • An Introduction to Cultural Neuroscience Lyndac.Linandevah.Telzer
    An Introduction to Cultural Neuroscience LyndaC.LinandEvaH.Telzer This chapter’s goal is to serve as a brief introduction to the emerging feld of cultural neuroscience. It does not intend to provide an extensive review but rather a brief overview of the feld. We start by defning cultural neu- roscience and follow by providing important reasons for doing research in this feld. Next we explain some key terms and methodologies. We then highlight important studies in the feld and provide recommendations for designing a study. Finally, we make suggestions for future directions. Throughout this chapter, we choose a few specifcexamplestoillustrate ways in which cultural neuroscience researchers have utilized the concepts and tools described here. What Is Cultural Neuroscience? Cultural neuroscience is an emerging interdisciplinary feld that combines theories and methods from cultural and social psychology, anthropology, and social and cognitive neuroscience to investigate the interactions between culture, psychological processes, brain, and genes at diferent timescales (for reviews, see Chiao, Cheon, Pornpattananangkul, Mrazek, & Blizinsky, 2013; Han et al., 2013; Kim & Sasaki, 2014). Because of the broad interdisciplinary nature of the feld, describing all of the diferent ways in which cultural neuroscientists do research in this area is beyond the scope of this chapter. Here we will be focusing on the most common method, which is representations in the brain through neuroimaging techniques. Because this feld lies at the intersection of many areas of study, we begin by describing how cultural neuroscience derives from each of these The Handbook of Culture and Biology,FirstEdition.EditedbyJose´ M. Causadias, Eva H. Telzer and Nancy A.
    [Show full text]
  • Society and Culture
    03 CHAPTER Society and Culture America is the only culture that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. —Oscar Wilde LEARNING OUTCOMES The request “May I take your order, please?” is familiar to everyone in the world today. Obviously you are in a McDonald’s, Burger King, 01 Define society and culture and Starbucks, or some other fast-food restaurant, where global corpo- give examples of different types of rations have programmed worker greetings, worker routines, and societies. even worker attitudes to a standardized formula. You can be assured that the menu, the food, and the service will be the same no matter 02 List and give examples of the major where the particular restaurant is located, but things are not what they components of culture. seem. Many people believe that McDonald’s, for instance, is such a potent source of American fast-food culture and American culture in 03 Define and give examples of general that when it transplants itself overseas, “American values” ethnocentrism and cultural are widely disseminated. In effect, this thesis holds that no matter relativism. the cultural setting, the arrival of the Golden Arches inevitably leads 04 Explain globalization and cultural to cultural homogenization on the American model, a trend that is diversity. supposedly sweeping the globe (Ritzer, 2018). Once again, however, things may not be what they seem. Although McDonald’ s relies on 05 Discuss society and culture from standardization and emphasizes that a person always knows what each of the major theoretical to expect from McDonald’s anywhere in the world, local franchises perspectives in sociology.
    [Show full text]
  • Cultural Diversity and Conformity
    Cultural Diversity and Conformity Chapter 2: Cultural Diversity and Conformity Case Study: Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Section 1: The Meaning of Culture Section 2: Cultural Variation Section 3: The American Value System Lab: Applying What You’ve Learned Original Content Copyright © Holt McDougal. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor. Cultural Diversity and Conformity Case Study: Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Ceremonies and rituals are an important part of any culture. In the 1950s, Horace Miner examined some of the rituals of the Nacirema culture. His description of the culture included a portrait of an average Nacirema and his or her daily body ritual. Although the language Miner used made the culture seem exotic and strange, the description was a truthful representation of the American (Nacirema spelled backwards) morning ritual. Original Content Copyright © Holt McDougal. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor. Cultural Diversity and Conformity Section 1 at a Glance The Meaning of Culture • Culture is made up of the material and nonmaterial products of human groups. • A society is a group of interdependent people who share a common culture and feeling of unity. Society differs from culture in that societies are made up of people and cultures are made up of products. • All cultures share certain elements: technology, symbols, language, values, and norms. Original Content Copyright © Holt McDougal. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor. Cultural Diversity and Conformity How did the car influence American culture? Original Content Copyright © Holt McDougal.
    [Show full text]
  • Universals and Cultural Variations in Emotional Expression by Daniel Thomas Cordaro a Dissertation Submitted in Partial Satisfac
    Universals and Cultural Variations in Emotional Expression By Daniel Thomas Cordaro A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Dacher Keltner, Chair Professor Iris Mauss Professor Cameron Anderson Spring 2014 1 Abstract Universals and Cultural Variations in Emotional Expression by Daniel Thomas Cordaro Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology University of California, Berkeley Professor Dacher Keltner, Chair One of the most fascinating characteristics of emotions is that they have universal expressive patterns. These expressions, which are encoded through multiple bodily channels, allow us to identify distinct emotions in ourselves and others. After groundbreaking theorizing by Charles Darwin and early empirical work by Ekman and Izard, further research in emotion science revealed evidence in single cultures for more emotional expressions above and beyond the well- studied set comprising of anger, contempt, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise. Some of these new emotions were displayed using nonfacial modalities, such as the voice, touch, and posture. Following the logic set forth by these methods and findings, we tested two hypotheses: 1) there are more than seven universal expressions of emotion; 2) expressive universality is not limited to facial expression. Findings from three cross-cultural experimental studies yielded support to the above hypotheses. Our first study collected 5500 expressions of twenty-one emotions from five different cultures. Spontaneous behavioral analysis revealed core facial and bodily patterns for each of the 21 states across all five cultures. Additionally, we uncovered over 100 cultural variations to the universal patterns and hundreds of individual variations.
    [Show full text]
  • Cultural Diversity, Geographical Isolation, and the Origin of The
    Cultural Diversity, Geographical Isolation, and the Origin of the Wealth of Nations Quamrul Ashrafy Oded Galorz November 2011 Abstract This research argues that variations in the interplay between cultural assimilation and cultural di¤usion have played a signi…cant role in giving rise to di¤erential patterns of economic devel- opment across the globe. Societies that were geographically less vulnerable to cultural di¤usion bene…ted from enhanced assimilation, lower cultural diversity, and more intense accumulation of society-speci…c human capital. Thus, they operated more e¢ ciently with respect to their production-possibility frontiers and ‡ourished in the technological paradigm that characterized the agricultural stage of development. The lack of cultural di¤usion and its manifestation in cultural rigidity, however, diminished the ability of these societies to adapt to a new technological paradigm, which delayed their industrialization and, hence, their take-o¤ to a state of sustained economic growth. The theory thus contributes to the understanding of the advent of divergence and overtaking in the process of development. Consistently with the theory, the empirical analysis establishes that (i) geographical isolation prevalent in pre-industrial times (i.e., prior to the advent of airborne transportation technology) has had a persistent negative impact on the extent of contemporary cultural diversity; (ii) pre-industrial geographical isolation had a positive impact on economic development in the agricultural stage but has had a negative impact on income per capita in the course of industrialization; and (iii) cultural diversity, as determined exogenously by pre-industrial geographical isolation, has had a positive impact on economic development in the process of industrialization.
    [Show full text]
  • Menopause As a Social and Cultural Construction Bre'on Kelly
    XULAneXUS Volume 8 | Issue 2 Article 4 4-1-2011 Menopause as a Social and Cultural Construction Bre'on Kelly Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.xula.edu/xulanexus Recommended Citation Kelly, Bre'on (2011) "Menopause as a Social and Cultural Construction," XULAneXUS: Vol. 8 : Iss. 2 , Article 4. Available at: https://digitalcommons.xula.edu/xulanexus/vol8/iss2/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by XULA Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in XULAneXUS by an authorized editor of XULA Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Kelly: Menopause as a Social and Cultural Construction ! ! Volume 8, Issue 2, April 2011. Scholarly Note. 29-39. <http://xulanexus.xula.edu/textpattern/index.php?id=114> ! Menopause as a Social and Cultural Construction Bre’on Andrice Kelly, Sociology Faculty Mentor: Dr. Christopher Faircloth Abstract When the word “menopause” is mentioned in this modern age, too often a picture appears of an unstable, mature woman, fragmenting her family with her emotional instability. This essay explores this image as a social and cultural construction. Drawing initially from the medicalization model exposed in sociology, I discuss the social construction of menopause and the related medical versus feminist Bre’on Kelly is a Sociology debate. Lastly, using studies of menopause from various cultures, major with a minor in this literature review explores how women of different cultures Psychology from New Orleans, define, give meaning to, and experience menopause, as well as the LA. Upon graduating from personal, societal, and cultural implications of these.
    [Show full text]
  • Culture and Culture Change
    M02_EMBER1208_13_SE_C02.QXD 10/21/09 9:05 PM Page 14 Culture and Culture Change e all consider ourselves to be unique individuals with our own set of per- sonal opinions, preferences, habits, and quirks. Indeed, all of us are unique; and yet most of us also share many feelings, beliefs, and habits with most of the people who live in our society. If we live in North America, we are likely to have the feeling that eating dogs is wrong, have the belief that bacteria Wor viruses cause illness, and have the habit of sleeping on a bed. Most peo- ple hardly ever think about the ideas and customs they share with other people in their society, assuming them to be “natural.” These ideas and be- haviors are part of what we mean by culture. We only begin to become chapter 2 aware that our culture is different when we become aware that other peo- ples have different feelings, different beliefs, and different habits from ours. So most North Americans would never even think of the possibility of eat- CHAPTER OUTLINE ing dog meat if they did not know that people in some other societies com- Defining Culture monly do so. They would not realize that their belief in germs was cultural if they were not aware that people in some societies think that witchcraft or Cultural Constraints evil spirits causes illness. They might not become aware that it is their cus- Attitudes That Hinder tom to sleep on beds if they were not aware that people in many societies the Study of Cultures sleep on the floor or on the ground.
    [Show full text]
  • Dying the Good Death: Cultural Competence and Variance in Hospice Care
    Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identities Volume 8 Issue 1 Resisting Borders: Rethinking the Limits Article 9 of American Studies 2019 Dying the Good Death: Cultural Competence and Variance in Hospice Care Lydia Koh-Krienke Macalester College, [email protected] Keywords: Death, Hospice, Cultural competence, Culturally relevant, Pluralism, Universalism Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/tapestries Recommended Citation Koh-Krienke, Lydia (2019) "Dying the Good Death: Cultural Competence and Variance in Hospice Care," Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identities: Vol. 8 : Iss. 1 , Article 9. Available at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/tapestries/vol8/iss1/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the American Studies Department at DigitalCommons@Macalester College. It has been accepted for inclusion in Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identities by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Macalester College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Dying the Good Death: Cultural Competence and Variance in Hospice Care Lydia Koh-Krienke nun-chi. While I would still most likely be Introduction dying in my house, it may have a greater What do you want your death to significance to me as an act of “returning look like? home”. In both of these cases, I die a good I am at home, in a familiar bed with death, even though the setting and process may the nostalgic scent of simmering chicken broth differ. wafting up my nose. Four generations of my This paper will interrogate what it family surround me; the throng of means to “die well” by examining the grandchildren, too young to understand, play intersections between death and culture.
    [Show full text]