Blog for Peers |
After watching a Ted Talk by Wade Davis about cultures that are no longer being practiced and becoming endangered, I was able to make a connection between biodiversity and cultural diversity. Biodiversity is strongly related to the threats of cultural diversity because without biodiversity there would be fewer cultures created and reduced cultural diversity. For example, the biodiversity of our animals and plants can be incorporated into many cultures. In American Culture, a bald eagle represents freedom and great strength and is the emblem of The United States of America. The culture of American Thanksgiving uses a turkey to represent abundance while it was the pilgrim’s first meal.
Davis reminds us that it is not only biodiverse symbols that are implemented in culture, but also cultural values that are based on biodiversity and the natural environment. Davis states through time and ritual, people have “forged a traditional mystique of the Earth that is based not on the idea of being self-consciously close to it, but on a far subtler intuition: the idea that the Earth itself can only exist because it is breathed into being by human consciousness”. This means that culture allows individuals to form varying relationships with their natural environment. If one grew up believing there was a sacred spirit in a rock, he or she would do more to protect it, than if one’s culture made he or she believe rocks are only for mining or using as raw materials. Unfortunately, many popular cultures that are practiced now do not place emphasis on protecting the planet, unlike the Kogi of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. American culture is more focused on consumption, creating material wealth and assimilation than conserving the biological and cultural diversity that we have left. Thus, because most mainstream larger cultures do not actively protect the environment and the plants and animals living there. It is up to governments to create laws and fund projects to protect cultural diversity, so that the culture of the smaller groups like the Penan of Southwest Asia and the Inuit can continue to protect the Earth through their values, and responsibly use Earth’s natural resources in ways other people can learn from. But, how exactly can the government protect cultural diversity? In Australia, and my country, Iceland, the government has been taking steps towards promoting cultural diversity that other politicians and world leaders can learn from. Davis states we need to ensure “that all peoples and all gardens find a way to flourish” so I believe that the government is one way do achieve this. In Australia, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship launched the Diverse Australia program that gives funding and educational resources to accomplish inclusion, fairness, and give all Australians a sense a belonging. These resources include “opportunities for people to participate equitably in Australian society and to understand the rights and responsibilities that we share as part of that society” and why living in a multi-cultural society is important to the citizens and the nations wellbeing. Another way, the government protects cultural diversity is through the Community Liaison Officer network which encourages diversity and harmony through creating relationships between the government and community organizations. The Community Liason Officer focuses on community relation issues, and such as social justice issues. This role is crucial because the officers have the power to make sure ethnic and racial minorities are not getting undermined and taking advantage of, their unique cultural identity is protected, and they feel cohesiveness with the rest of the community. In Iceland, the government takes different steps to protect cultural diversity. In Reykjavik, they have intercultural day, where people have a parade for peace and nonviolence while they celebrate multiculturalism. This fosters a sense of belonging for recent immigrants to Iceland. Another example is an Icelandic government advertising campaign that shows appreciation to immigrants for choosing Iceland and it is shown in different languages, conveying the message that immigrants are able to keep their own cultural identity and not just assimilate into Icelandic culture. Iceland also chooses to participate in a European-wide Action Week against racism where events are organized to combat prejudice and celebrate a society that contains many different cultures. All these events that Iceland creates allows diverse kinds of languages, music, dance and arts to fill the streets and go on display in front of other Icelandic citizens to learn about. Further, because Iceland’s economy is fueled by tourism and the millions of students’ that study abroad and visitors that come to Iceland, climate change and other environmental changes could have a large affect on the cultural diversity in the country. If Iceland’s natural environment and landscapes are not conserved, this would correlate to a reduced amount of tourists and international people coming into the country to experience the beauty and wonders of Iceland’s nature. In other words, an environmental change, such as climate change could disrupt Iceland’s ecosystem and volcanoes. This could correlate to a reduction in cultural diversity because the visitors that participate in activities with the natural environment would no longer visit Iceland and bring their culture with them. Citizens who use Iceland’s natural landscape and implement it into their culture, such as the hot springs, would also lose some of their cultural due to environmental changes. Therefore, it is partly up to lawmakers and politicians to “actively endorse or passively accept the massive destruction of both biological and cultural diversity on the planet” as Wade Davis states in his Ted Talk. However, I disagree with the argument of Wade Davis that says “we believe that politicians will never accomplish anything” and a magazine like National Geographic is the solution to protecting and encouraging cultural diversity. My argument could be wrong in the minds of people who read the magazine, and media sources that tell stories about other cultures and have interesting anthropological topics. These people such as Wade Davis may not see the active work in maintaining inclusion and cultural diversity that governments such as Australia and Iceland do everyday and the effectiveness of the politicians work. These people who believe government is not the answer to protect cultural diversity do not realize that a lot of the government’s work is behind the scenes. It may take months to put legislation to protect a certain group of people or culture into effect, so these people may not see the instant effects of government, unlike the rapid effects that the magazines produce. On the other hand, it takes one day in our globalized age to distribute a million copies of National Geographic. Rather than dismiss lawmakers and government and state they do not get anything done, I believe it takes both media sources, like magazines, and government to promote and protect the thousands of cultures in the world. Companies, like National Geographic, can work with the government to accomplish tasks. For example, if the magazine publishes an article about a disappearing language, readers of the magazine can encourage the government to take action and lobby to produce legislation that will reduce the disappearance of the language. By collaborating together, this is one efficient way we can work to create a pluralistic world that celebrates and protects differences, both in cultural diversity and biological diversity.
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I just finished creating a report on the status of education in Iceland which you will find on my Political and Economics page. Feel free to make comments here on this report!
My definition of globalization would be the process of moving international organizations, ideas, people, businesses, and culture including languages around the world. Globalization is an increasingly important as our population has grown exponentially in the last 200 years, and this phenomenon integrates the world through economic, political, and socio-cultural interdependence. Most people may refer to globalization as strictly an economic term because almost every country in the world now economically operates on an international level. For example, in the United States, employees sell t-shirts in a store where the cotton fabric was grown in South America, the t-shirts were cut using an industrial cutting machine in India, and were designed by employees who are not native to the area and send their wages home. However, globalization also encompasses people’s ideologies, education, traditions and customs, and even the way we eat. I think globalization will continue to affect billions of people in terms of the way people work, their activities in daily life, and how family is connected as well as our environment. Beginning with the industrial revolution, technologies such as high speed trains and airplanes that transport goods more efficiently, and later the digital revolution and the creation of the World Wide Web all sparked and encouraged globalization to the wide extent that we see today.
Thus, it is important to find some examples about globalization in my country, Iceland, and analyze this information to find the ways in which globalization is positively and negatively affecting Iceland. Economic globalization affects Iceland in helpful and hurtful ways. The tourism industry is booming and many travelers and international students help the Icelandic economy by increasing economic growth through tourist activities, which “is the countries fastest growing foreign currency earner” (Svansson, 2011). So, Iceland earns money from tourists purchasing goods and services within the country, but Iceland also produces many products for international markets. One of the products that account for about one third of foreign currency earnings are marine products due to Iceland’s fisheries and coastal regions (Svansson, 2011). (In fact, I actually just found out the fish treats I feed my dog are made in Iceland, which I purchased in a local Arizona pet store!). Unfortunately, globalization can also hurt Iceland’s economy. When the three national banks in Iceland began to extensively borrow and lend money in European countries such as England, they loosened up their credit regulations. The banks eventually became depleted of reserves in the early 2000’s, and did not know how to match how much equity they had versus the reckless loans the banks were giving. When the 2008 global financial crisis occurred, Iceland’s economy was in huge trouble. According to the BBC News, “97% of the banking sector collapsed in a matter of three days”, and unemployment went up while the stock market crashed (BBC, 2016) . The Icelandic banking system has now undergone a system of reforms and regulations, but Iceland’s economy as a whole, such as their tourism and exports that are produced are mainly dependent on the global economy. If Iceland’s banks invested in a number of foreign acquisitions, the economy could be negatively affected if the national banks lost money. A second example of globalization in Iceland relates to their arts and culture. Icelanders love to learn about other cultures through a variety of media. In 2007, Iceland had the highest number of museum visits, highest number of theater visits, and highest number of books published when compared to the other Nordic countries, such as Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland (Einarsson, 2011). A reason for this may be that the Icelandic government spends more money on cultural activities compared to forty-nine other countries as shown in a study from 2006-2008, showing the value that the government and Icelanders place on global culture and arts (Einarsson, 2011). On the other hand, some parts of Icelandic culture is known around the world. The Icelandic Sagas are found in many libraries across the country. In fact, the United States Library of Congress occasionally holds conferences about them. SigurRos is a famous Icelandic music group that has international concerts. Anita Briem is an Icelandic actress that many people internationally recognize for her role in The Tudors. I think people love Icelandic culture and art as much as Icelanders love learning about other cultures. A third example of globalization involves Iceland’s political interdependence. Iceland has been a member of the European Free Trade Commission since 1994, which regulates Iceland’s free trade with other countries (EFTA, n.d). Iceland is one of the founding members of NATO, which is essentially a military alliance between twenty eight countries. Iceland has even applied to become a member of the European Union in 2009 after it’s economic crisis. It currently is not a member but Iceland wants to maintain, “close ties and cooperation” with the EU (The Gaurdian, 2015). Political interdependence positively affects Iceland and this is one pro of globalization. Iceland does not have a military and because of its small size, I believe Iceland may need help from its allies to safeguard its freedom or in times of war. Overall, I think globalization in Iceland is generally beneficial. Some of the cons could include how Iceland has high economic volatility because it is largely dependent on the well being of international economies. Another con is that the tourism industry is employing people in low wage and unskilled jobs, instead of promoting highly skilled jobs such as doctors, and CEO’s that drive up the nation’s GDP. On the other hand, since Iceland is a small isolated island, the global economy and amount of airplanes that ship international products and raw materials to Iceland is needed to keep Iceland afloat and keep fair competition with other European countries that are land-locked. I think globalization that brings other cultures and multinational influence to Iceland is helpful because it generates diversity, new traditions, and different perspectives in this largely homogenous country. Yet, globalization may weaken the national characteristics and customs of Iceland. Icelanders may feel that their domestic culture is vulnerable as other businesses, such as McDonalds and foreign holidays, like the Fourth of July, which could take root in Icelandic culture. Based of what I learned in my research, I believe that Icelanders value culture, knowledge, education and worldly endeavors so it is quite possible that in the future Icelanders will incorporate small fragments of culture from all around the world in their rituals, arts, and daily life. Sources BBC News. (2016, February 10). How did Iceland clean up its banks? Retrieved March 15, 2017, from http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35485876 Einarsson, A. (2011, February 18). The Extraordinary Extent of Cultural Consumption in Iceland. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from https://www.bifrost.is/files/rannsoknir-og-utgafa/rannsoknarsetur-i-menningarstjornun/skra_0047393.pdf EFTA. (n.d.). The EFTA States. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from http://www.efta.int/about-efta/the-efta-states Svansson, E. (2011, March 18). Iceland & Globalization. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from http://www.academia.edu/3304274/Iceland_and_Globalization The Gaurdian. (2015, March 12). Iceland drops EU membership bid: 'interests better served outside' union. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/12/iceland-drops-european-union-membership-bid Men and women are born into different roles that they are expected to adhere to and sometimes these gender roles are unequal economically and/or socially. Does this country have determined gender roles, and are men and women treated equally in society? In Iceland, men and women have a fair amount of gender equality because according to the World Economic Forum, this small island country is the most gender equal in the world with Norway and Finland in second and third place respectively (BBC News, 2015). When looking at this report in depth, one can see how Icelandic men and women are more equal than in other countries. The literacy rate, and enrollment in education from primary to secondary school are 98 percent for both men and women, and 89 percent for men and women enrolled in secondary school. At university level, more women are enrolled then men, with a ratio of 103 females to 60 males. (World Economic Forum, 2015). Women score a 71 percent in their political empowerment in this report because many women have been in parliament and ministerial positions, and Iceland has only had 10 more men head of states than women head of states. In the economic sector, about as many women are employed as men and for every EUR 100 an Icelandic man earns a women earns EUR 86. There still is a wage gap, but the wage gap in Iceland is smaller than most countries. According to the World Economic Forum report, women are estimated to have earned five thousand dollars less than men yearly. Specifically, Iceland ranks number five in the world for men and women's equal economic opportunity and participation. The country's health does not rank among the top countries for men and women, but women have about two children, which indicates there is birth control or contraceptives that is easily accessible. Iceland supports women's rights, and was the first nation to legalize abortion in 1935 (Rotham, 2015). So why does this report matter and why should we care about these numbers? This report is important because it tells us how Iceland can be further reformed, and the progress in terms of gender equality that the country still has to make. It also tells us about the political, educational, economic opportunities and health of men and women so that we can further discover the government policies and social norms that allow men and women to advance and prosper. The gender equality between men and women could still improve in a variety of ways. The pay gap between men and women is 20%, and is far from being equal with men still earning more than women. Icelandic women have organized strikes beginning the 1970's to try to change the pay gap so they will receive the same incomes as men do. In 2016, thousands of women went on strike to protest this pay gap, by leaving 14 percent early which is the estimated pay gap between men and women last year (WITW Staff, 2016). The pay gap has been slowly decreasing over the last few years, but the with the current rate of decrease it would take about fifty two years before men and women get paid equally. According to the Centre for Gender Equality in Iceland, "the finically situation of women and single mothers has gotten worse" (2012). Retired women are also receiving less pension payments and more women have been turning to shelters and organizations for help with the finances, while gender-based violence has been increasing in times where women have less income. Perhaps these issues could stem from economic decisions such as tax cuts, housing and industrial projects that "give more opportunities and employment of men than women" (Centre for Gender Equality, 2012). Another issue that relates to womens decreased finances may come from the lack of women in upper level management, and women who are CEO's and business executives where only "only 22% of managers are women" (Hertz, 2016). Women in Iceland still need more opportunity for promotion and career advancement. However, I believe that Iceland will continue being the most gender equal country in the world because of the recent policies and actions that the government and other organizations are taking to make sure women and men have equal rights and protection. I also think the culture of taking care of the youth, by providing child care and public schooling, and giving parents generous paid leaves from work to take care of their family, makes a significant impact in maintaining gender equality and family cohesiveness. In 2008, Iceland passed the the "Act on Equal Status and Equal Rights of Women and Men" which aims to do a number of tasks, including working against wage discrimination, gender-based harassment, negative gender stereotypes while increasing research, education and awareness in gender equality. (Ministry of Welfare, 2012). One of the things outlined in this act, aims to "work towards equal influence of women and men in decisionmaking and policy-making in the society", and I think this should be the main goal of the act because both genders need to be involved in making policies that affect them. I believe that if one gender is not involved then that gender may be left out of important decisions that affects their daily life. Other recent policies that the Icelandic government has passed include: "full rights for gays and lesbians, a law banning the purchase of prostitution, a law prohibiting strip-dancing clubs, and a law that will obligate public corporations to have minimum 40/60 ratio of women and men in their boards" (Centre for Gender EQUALITY, 2012). Some of these new laws may be unknown to the people outside Iceland, but people worldwide think of Iceland as a progressive country in the realm of employee maternal and paternal rights, parental support, childcare and schooling. The parental leave system equally gives mothers and fathers a total of nine months of paid parental leave, three months each for the mother and father, and three months of shared leave (Centre for Gender Equality, 2012). In fact, Iceland has the "longest parental leave entitlement for fathers in the world" (Rúdólfsdóttir, 2014). This creates a more equal atmosphere in the household because men are more likely to do housework and take on responsibilities, and women are able to go back to work faster and work the same hours as before they had a child. Men and women can equally divide up the childcare because of Iceland's equal parental leave. More than three quarters of child care is paid for by the government and is highly subsidized, which is another reason why there is "a norm of gender equality in that child care duties in Iceland are not exclusively the domain of mothers but are expected to be performed by both parents" (Kaufman, 2015). From researching these policies, Iceland is far ahead of the United States in terms of offering support and working towards equality for families, and single men and women. I think the United States should adopt some of these policies because it would improve the quality of life for U.S citizens. I was surprised to discover how focused the Icelandic parliament is on improving gender equality, so much so that it has formed committee to work on this issue, laying out new plans of action to engage men and international leaders to ensure equality between men and women and creating gender responsive budget plans.
Lastly, the historical social roles of men and women have contributed to the culture of gender equality that Icelanders experience now. In the Viking age, men and women had distinct traditional roles that could not be changed without being excluded from society. Women had domestic roles such as clothes making and child care, while men would work outside of the house and be involved in fighting wars, or government and political activities. Women could not wear mens clothes in the viking age or carry weapons. To me, this seems like typical gender roles of any European country in this time period. However, what stands out and is interesting to me, is that even in this early settlement period, women were respected as human beings and less likely to be treated as property. Women had some independence as they "managed the finances of the family... ran the farm in their husband's absence. In widowhood, they could be rich and important landowners" and women could easily divorce (Short, 2017). In Norse literature and family sagas, women had the same character traits as men including courage, strong will and honor, and it was forbidden for a man to be violent to a women. Women had to be brave pioneers as their husbands would leave for expeditions on or near the ocean, and women would have to "play the roles of farmer, hunter, architect, builder" (Hertz, 2016). From these observations, I think that some system of gender respect and appreciation from early Icelandic literature and the culture in Icelandic settelements led to a large amount of gender equality in present-day Iceland. I think the two main things that has changed over thousands of years is the transition to women's work outside of the house, where 88% of Icelandic women are now in the workforce, and women are no longer taught to be humble as in old Norse culture where women had to stay away from attention. Feminism is celebrated in public schools, and social media and grassroots activists encourage women to publicly express their opinions. Reflecting on the gender equality report, government policies, and a brief history of women and men's roles in Icelandic society, I can understand how this formed the progressive and liberal culture in Iceland that let this country rise to the top in equality for men and women. Sources BBC News . (2015, November 19). How equal are you? Retrieved February 15, 2017, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-34808717 Centre for Gender Equality Iceland. (2012, January). Information on Gender Equality Issues in Iceland. Retrieved February 16, 2017, from https://www.velferdarraduneyti.is/media/rit-og-skyrslur2012/Gender-Equality-in-Iceland.pdf Hertz, N. (2016, October 24). Why Iceland is the best place in the world to be a woman. Retrieved February 16, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/oct/24/iceland-best-place-to-be-women-equal-gender-maternity Kaufman, P. (2015, October 5). The Country with the Most Gender Equality in the World. Retrieved February 16, 2017, from http://www.everydaysociologyblog.com/2015/10/the-country-with-the-most-gender-equality-in-the-world.html Ministry of Welfare. (2012, January). Gender Equality. Retrieved February 16, 2017, from https://eng.velferdarraduneyti.is/departments/gender-equality/ Rotham , L. (2015, January 28). Abortion Laws: Was Iceland the First Nation to Legalize? Retrieved February 15, 2017, from http://time.com/3679288/iceland-abortion/ Rúdólfsdóttir, A. G. (2014, October 28). Iceland is great for women, but it's no feminist paradise. Retrieved February 16, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/28/iceland-women-feminist-paradise-gender-gap-pay Short , W. (2017 ). Hurstwic: The Role of Women in Viking Society. Retrieved February 16, 2017, from http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/society/text/women.htm WITW Staff. (2016, October 25). Women in Iceland protest country’s 14 percent pay gap by leaving work 14 percent early. Retrieved February 16, 2017, from http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/10/25/women-in-iceland-protest-countrys-14-percent-pay-gap-by-leaving-work-14-percent-early/ World Economic Forum . (2015). Economies. Retrieved February 15, 2017, from http://reports.weforum.org/global-gender-gap-report-2015/economies/#economy=ISL Welcome to my informational website about Iceland. Please post some comments about any insights, suggestions or responses you have! Have a great semester and I hope you learn some useful things about Iceland. |
AuthorMy name is Annawade Stevenson and I am a elementary education major at ASU. I just recently moved to Tempe, AZ. Archives |