Today I discussed with my colleagues in coffee shop about ” what is your identity”. I asked 3 colleagues they are all from European cultural background. 2 of them would first think of what I aksed is their “prons”. This is very interesting because I found that it is quite different from my understanding and definition of “identity”.
Then I explained to them about my project is to explore how can individuals (someone like us as international students or immigrants or working or living in London in some purpose find their identity and establish a sense of self-belonging in a globalization context. After that, they realised that what I want to ask is their “cultural identity”. ( I realized that I should clearly put “cultural identity” in my research question, so that my target audiences could understand what I refer to.
So what is “cultural identity”? According to Hall, S. (1996), cultural identity refers to a person’s sense of belonging to a particular cultural group, shaped by factors such as language, customs, beliefs, and shared history. It acts as a lens through which individuals perceive the world and are perceived by it. Cultural identity is often complex, as people can identify with multiple cultural groups simultaneously, especially in a globalized world.
Reference:
Hall, S. (1996). “Introduction: Who Needs Identity?”. In S. Hall & P. Du Gay (Eds.), Questions of Cultural Identity (pp. 1-17). London: Sage.
I got a very interesting feedback of the “identity” from my french colleague as below:) Lovely~
At the same time, another colleague, whose national identity is Lithuannia told me as an imigrant people in London, he can find his self-belonging in his current home in London because he is living with his family (sister). At the same time, the workplace (coffee shop) is another place makes him feel the connection of self-belonging, because he works here and earn money and can make a better life in the future.
And another Italian colleague, when we talked about London and identity, she said she loves London because London gave her space to find her identity (the real her, it’s related to her cultural identity about her interests in Concert).Just like the book ” Look Here, On the pleasures of observing the city” says:
“It’s strange when you go home. It feels like it’s difficult sometimes to bring your “London self” with you.
London must be the best place for people to just be however they are. It’s not about being accepted for who you are. It’s just about the British culture of not caring, multiplied by people being too busy in their own lives to care about you.
All of these factors make it perfect to just do what you want, were what you want, be what you want.”
“Look Here, On the pleasures of observing the city” by Ana Kinsella
Of course, it cannot be denied, she hates London’s high living cost which makes everyone feel stressful.