User:Comm315/Cultural spaces

According to Martin and Nakayama (2004), cultural spaces are defined as a particular form of communication that builds meaning of various places. In addition, cultural spaces are not just physical, tangible locations, but metaphorical ones as well. People are associated with many social locations. These spaces can have a heavy influence on one’s own culture and persona and affect the manner in which we view others (Martin and Nakayama, 2004)

Home
As Martin and Nakayama (2004) state, one of the earliest cultural spaces that an individual experiences is his or her home. Home is viewed as addresses, states, cities or even regions. It is a place where we identify ourselves. The home is also however, a strong indicator of social status (Martin and Nakayama, 2004) This is apparent from the physical appearance of the home, type of furniture, how it is decorated, accessories within the home etc. People often model their own homes after their childhood ones, as it is a place of identification and comfort as well as security. However, not everyone has the same relationships or meanings associated with a certain place; sometimes, it can be a negative one (Martin and Nakayama, 2004).

Neighborhood
Neighborhood is another type of cultural space that developed in U.S. cities in the early 20th century (Martin and Nakayama, 2004). Many neighborhoods are organized according to race or ethnicity and thus segregation occurs within the city. For example, in the 1960’s during the height of racism, there were “white-only” areas where only whites were permitted to reside. Therefore, some groups dicated what other cultural groups could and could not do (Martin and Nakayama, 2004). Neighborhoods demonstrated how power comes into play and influences intercultural contact. Today, due to historical forces and power relations, there are patterns of cultural groups that reside across the U.S. such as Irish Americans in South Boston, Italian Americans in South Philidelphia and African Americans in Harlem in New York City (Martin and Nakayama, 2004).

Regionalism
People often idenfiy themselves with a particular region, such as the South, New England or Midwest areas of the U.S. Some identify more strongly with a region than they do with their country as a whole. In addition, people of a region can have their own rituals, flags, or holidays that contribute to their identity (Martin and Nakayama, 2004).

Changing Cultural Space
Travel and migration are two things that can alter cultural space. Travel allows the individual to experience new spaces and people and often transforms him or her in some way. Migration is more associated with relocation, when people are forced to move. Unlike travel, it is more permanent and can be especially difficult to adjust, especially when language barriers and foreign customs come into play (Martin and Nakayma, 2004).

Postmodern Cultural Space
Martin and Nakayama (2004) define postmodern cultural space as places defined by certain cultural practices like language or rituals. These places are constantly altered when new people come and go. They are of a dynamic nature and often change with time. They are not associated with a particular territory and are not permanent. Postmodern cultural spaces can be metaphorical spaces as well (Martin and Nakayama, 2004).