Written by Over these past few months, we’ve talked about the 10 Cultural Universals.
These are the ten themes that every culture has in common.
Let’s run through these themes one more time and sum up what we’ve covered.
Geography
From the geography of the Inca culture and how it impacts all other aspects of life in the Andean Mountains.
Language
To the way words and language can color our world – like it does for Russian culture in shades of blue.
Family
From the varied family structures in collectivist and individualist cultures.
Food, Clothing, Transport, Shelter
To the dignity of food with Anthony Bourdain.
From fashion, its trends, and social movements that advance culture.
To how transportation can shape a city and its embrace of greener alternatives.
From how shelters tell stories of culture to the stories told by the nomadic homes of Mongolian yurts.
Values, Beliefs, Rituals
From how we become who we are through the values we consume.
To how cultural beliefs can impact everything from gender roles to healthcare to education.
From how rituals can make death a celebration.
Economics
To how cultural values can influence economic output and shape government for better or worse.
Education
From how educators serve as the front-line in disseminating our culture’s values to our children.
Politics
To how “collapsing events” in politics can inform those very values and provide context to the evolution of our culture.
Technology
From how social media movements are being used as a vehicle of change across the world.
Cultural Expression
To how art, literature, dance, music, sport, and other forms of creative expression have always been used as vehicles of sharing and understanding both the familiar and the foreign.
What’s So Beautiful About These Universals?
The fact that each and every culture around the world has these themes in common.
Regional surroundings help define culture, language and cultural expression communicate to others who we are, politics provide culture structure.
Although from East to West, individuals, societies, governments, and their values are different – very different – we all share these ten aspects of culture in common.
And sharing commonalities is as beautiful a thing as appreciating our differences.
Next week, we’ll talk about the dangers of assuming sameness. Stay tuned.
Success Across Cultures 