Webs of Significance
A couple years ago I took a course on language and culture. I was intrigued by the questions and issues surrounding our interpretation of each and how it impacts human relationships. Specifically, the class focused on how issues of language and culture impact teachers and school classrooms.
A quote which stood out to me depicts culture in a word picture. Geertz (1973) says, “… man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun…” Geertz goes on to say that culture is the webs, and “the analysis of it to be therefore not an experimental science in search of law but an interpretive one in search of meaning.” He reminds us that our
analyses of cultures can never be complete. I have heard many scholars of language and culture echo this idea when they comment how complicated the issues surrounding language and cultural differences are, since they are so interwoven.
A web woven by a spider under
the influence of caffeine.
I am fascinated with the "web" each of us spins in our lives. I love the idea of culture being a web constructed in reaction to the influences around us. But the more I think about it, there is no one who can say he/she has had the exact experience as the next person, even if he/she has been part of the same culture, family, country or school. The truth is that we, as humans, spin our webs of significance based on our personalities, how we perceive situations, the stage of life we are in, our previous experiences, etc. Each person comes with his/her own story. If we take time to listen, our stories reveal how significant points have shaped us and made us who we are. I think that if we choose to at least try to understand the culture(s) which have shaped those with whom we connect, it can help us become more intuned to and appreciative of the uniqueness we each carry and offer to our communities.
Geertz quote taken from:
Ovando, Coller & Combs. Bilingual and ESL Classrooms: Teaching in Multicultural Contexts (3rd edition). Boston: McGraw Hill, 2002, p. 189.
A quote which stood out to me depicts culture in a word picture. Geertz (1973) says, “… man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun…” Geertz goes on to say that culture is the webs, and “the analysis of it to be therefore not an experimental science in search of law but an interpretive one in search of meaning.” He reminds us that our
analyses of cultures can never be complete. I have heard many scholars of language and culture echo this idea when they comment how complicated the issues surrounding language and cultural differences are, since they are so interwoven.A web woven by a spider under
the influence of caffeine.
I am fascinated with the "web" each of us spins in our lives. I love the idea of culture being a web constructed in reaction to the influences around us. But the more I think about it, there is no one who can say he/she has had the exact experience as the next person, even if he/she has been part of the same culture, family, country or school. The truth is that we, as humans, spin our webs of significance based on our personalities, how we perceive situations, the stage of life we are in, our previous experiences, etc. Each person comes with his/her own story. If we take time to listen, our stories reveal how significant points have shaped us and made us who we are. I think that if we choose to at least try to understand the culture(s) which have shaped those with whom we connect, it can help us become more intuned to and appreciative of the uniqueness we each carry and offer to our communities.
Geertz quote taken from:
Ovando, Coller & Combs. Bilingual and ESL Classrooms: Teaching in Multicultural Contexts (3rd edition). Boston: McGraw Hill, 2002, p. 189.
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