Transitions of Culture and Identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Transitions of Culture and Identity - Essay Example Proctor quotes James Clifford who said that â€Å"Once traveling is foregrounded as a cultural practice then dwelling too, needs to be reconceived†. The concept of traveling has redefined the ways in which home is an influence. As well, the difference between where one declares to be home and where one has traveled must be defined in order to situate the way in which one’s culture will be expressed. The difference depends on the identity that one decides to live within. If one has been raised on a Caribbean Island and has then moved to Britain, the question of identity has no real relevance to the official and legal place of residence.In contrast, it is possible to abandon the beliefs and traditions of home and to decide to adopt British traditions in order to fully integrate. Most often, it is somewhere in-between. The questions then become: Where does the naturalized culture stop and the adopted culture begin? What now defines the identity?The attachment to the concep t of home is married to the concept of the fear of homelessness. The need for home is as much about the fear of not having a home as it is about the existence of the dwelling itself. The problem with being ‘homeless’ is more than just not having an adequate roof and a place to put one’s things, but it is a sense of disconnection, the existence without roots and foundation. To be ‘home’ is to be in a place where one belongs, but to be homeless is to be within a space where there is not real social connection to the world.