Cultural Dynamics and Forms of Violence Explained

Culture

Culture: All modes of life and habits, knowledge, and the level of artistic, scientific, and industrial development of a social group at a specific time.

Acculturation

Acculturation: The reception by a people or social group of cultural forms from another, leading to a more or less complete replacement of their own culture. Today, this is a very common phenomenon due to the technological development in telecommunications and the almost immediate and rapid exchange that has occurred in the era of the so-called (or misnomer) "global village." The term transculturation was coined in 1940 by the Cuban anthropologist Fernando Ortiz, intending to describe a process where one culture creatively incorporates elements from another, implying both deculturation and neoculturation.

Colonization

Colonization: The contact between cultures where one group occupies territory with the intention of implementing its political domination or economic exploitation.

Reception Distance

Reception Distance: In contrast to colonization, this contact does not originate from territorial occupation but from distance, exercised through economic or political exchanges in which the indigenous group adopts concepts, lifestyles, or values from a more advanced culture.

The Renaissance

The Renaissance: Cultural forms and contact with a missing or older people whose culture is taken as a model. This involves studying and adopting cultural works to integrate the values of this past civilization into society. This phenomenon occurs to a lesser degree here with renewed interest in the recovery of indigenous traditions and language.

Immigration

Immigration: This type of contact occurs in one country due to the massive influx of human groups from another culture, regardless of whether it is more or less developed. This is a particularly interesting and contemporary case for our country, with the constant legal and sporadic returns of more than one-seventh of our population to the United States. Our immigrants have created a kind of cultural corridor between the two countries, forming landing points at both ends to establish their own cultural enclaves with varying degrees of impact on their environment.

Violence

Violence: An action perpetrated by one or more individuals where people are subjected to abuse, pressure, pain, manipulation, or other actions that threaten the physical, psychological, and moral integrity of any person or group of people. It is the psychological pressure or abuse of force against a person with the purpose of achieving objectives against the victim's wishes.

Family Violence

Family Violence: Violence within the family, mainly due to a lack of respect for its members, machismo, the disbelief in women, and/or the perceived importance of these factors.

Psychological or Mental Violence

Psychological or Mental Violence: Includes verbal abuse, repeated harassment, imprisonment, and deprivation of physical, financial, and personal resources.

Manifestations of Violence

• Domestic Violence: Psychological and physical violence involving a spouse, child abuse, and elder abuse.
• Everyday Violence: Violence experienced daily, characterized by disrespect for rules, abuse on public transport, long waits for treatment in hospitals (where indifference to human suffering is shown), public safety problems, and accidents.
• Socio-Economic Violence: Reflected in situations of poverty and marginalization among large population groups, unemployment, underemployment, and informality. This is largely due to a lack of opportunity or inequality of access to education and health.
• Political Violence: That which emerges from organized groups, whether in power or not.
• Criminal Violence: Robbery, fraud, drug trafficking—behaviors that involve illegitimate means to obtain material goods.
• Cultural Violence: Distorts the values of national identity and facilitates unhealthy lifestyles.

Causes of Violence

• Alcoholism
• Lack of awareness among society's inhabitants (e.g., strikes, walkouts)
• Inability to control impulses
• Lack of understanding of children's needs
• Drug addiction

Consequences of Violence

• Health implications (physical and psychological)
• Homicide
• Serious injury
• Injury during pregnancy
• Injuries to children
• Unwanted pregnancy at an early age
• Vulnerability to disease