Social groups and institutions

Caribbean Culture

The culture of a country or region is shown by many things, including the customs, ceremonies, religions, festivals, music, food, dress and language that can be found in that place.

Cultural Diversity

People who come from the same part of the world and share the same culture are known as an ethnic group. If ethnic groups from different parts of the world come to live together in one area and aspects of their different cultures are evident we say that area has cultural diversity. the longer these different ethnic groups live together, the more the culture mix. As this happens, a new culture develops. So a Caribbean culture is forming that is made up from elements of the different ethnic cultures of its people.

Historical , Geographical and Social Factors

A number of factors have led to the Caribbean having one of the most culturally diverse societies in the world, We are a people whose forefathers came from parts of South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

The people who we call Amerindians came from South and Central America and arrived in the Caribbean region in about  4000 BC. In about 500 BC.  the Taino people  came from the area of South America's Orinoco river. As Amerindian societies developed, so did agriculture, houses, permanent settlements, and ways of ruling and keeping order

The Amerindians lived in the Caribbean until the arrival of the Europeans in 1492. The Europeans destroyed the Amerindian settlements, and wanted to enslave the people. The diseases that the Europeans brought with them also killed many Amerindians because they had no resistance to them.

The coming of the Europeans also saw the arrival of another ethnic group in the region: the people brought as slaves from Africa. This began as early as  1518 but, as the colonies developed and the importance of certain crops increased, so did the demand for slaves. Hundreds of thousands of slaves were transported over a period of about 300 years until the abolition of slave trade in the nineteenth century.

Following the end of slavery, people from India and China came to work as cheap or indentured labourers . This happened from the 1830s onwards and, although these people were free to return home after their period of indenture, many chose to stay and became the nucleus of the Indian and Chinese communities in the Caribbean today.

The immigration process continues and some countries have seen significant arrivals of other groups from, for example, Syria, Lebanon and other Middle Eastern states.

Promotion of ancestral customs and crafts 

The descendants of the Amerindian populations have settled in parts of St. Vincent, in the Carib territory on the east coast of Dominica and the Arima in Trinidad. The younger Kalinago are keen to promote their culture by:

• recreating dances, music and song
• using art to tell the stories of their way of life and their myths
• discovering the uses of their traditional herb medicine
• designing and selling traditional basket work 

There are also initiatives to celebrate and remember African culture and heritage which have influenced Caribbean music, food literature and art.

The Amerindians were the first people
to settle in the Caribbean. Their traditional
 are crafts are still being practised today.

Tolerance Of Different Cultural Patterns

Given the varied histories of the people who make up the Caribbean, it is not surprising that there are many different cultural patterns within the region. This diversity  of cultures is one of the regions most exciting features, but it also presents one of its greatest challenges. It can sometimes be difficult for people from different cultural backgrounds to live alongside one another. We all want to be free to enjoy and celebrate our own culture. In a healthy society, citizens can appreciate different cultures and allow all people to follow  their own cultural traditions.

Commercialization of culture

Some aspects of Caribbean culture are becoming commercialized . particularly through the tourist industry.  Foe example people are drawn to religion because of the many festivals that celebrate aspects of our culture such as music, dancing or food. Once in the region , tourists are often interested in traditional artefacts. producing and selling these artefacts provides an income for traditional craftspeople. 

Social Groups

What is a social group?

A social group consists of two or more people who: 

• interact frequently
• share common interests
• share a feeling of unity
• work towards a common goal or objective
• have common expectations of behaviour that conform to established guidelines.

Other groups that do not have these characteristics are not classed as social groups. For example , a group gathering at a sports fixture is not a social group since it does not meet all or any of the above criteria. Such a group would not be a transitory ( temporary group).

Primary and Secondary Groups

Social groups can be categorized by size  the frequency and quality of interaction between members. Families and friendship groups are examples of primary groups. Schools political parties or trade unions are examples of secondary groups.

Primary and secondary groups

Informal  and formal groups

Social groups  can be classified as formal or informal, depending on how they are organised. Schools , Girl Guides and trade unions are examples of formal groups. Many such groups help in the socialisation of children and young people. A group of friends within a church, office or school would be an example of an informal group. 

 

Informal and formal groups

Peer Groups

A peer group is made up of people of a similar age who share a similar social status and have similar experiences, interests and value. People might be friends with their peers but a peer group does not always consist of friends. Peer pressure is the influence a peer group places on an individual to conform to the values and behavior of the group. Children and adolescents  are often said to be very vulnerable to peer pressure.

Interest Groups 

An interest group is a group of individuals who share an interest. The group may exist to protect the interests of its members and, when this is the case, it might be involved in activities that are intended to influence public opinion or policy. National Associations of hotel owners, farmers or manufacturers are examples of such groups.

Pressure groups

Pressure  groups seek to influence public opinion or policy and are usually involved with issues that affect people outside their membership. For example, a group may form to protest about a major road development that will destroy an area of unspoilt natural beauty.

Institutions

the word institution has has two distinct meaning:

• In one sense, an institution  means an established custom or pattern of behavior in a society, sometimes called norm. 
• In another sense, an institution is a formal, specialized organization such as the church.   

Social Control

The norm of society are unwritten rules or standards that are generally accepted and that regulate behaviors in any given situation. Norms are passed on from one generation to the next as part of the process of socialization . They can vary in importance and significance and some have sanctions that also vary in severity.

Some norms are known as folkways  which is the behaviors that have developed among groups of people overtime, Examples of folkways include behaviors such as shaking hands when greeting a person, or saying "please" "and thank you". there might be mild sanctions for individuals who do not follow these practices. Other folkways include such events as birthday celebrations, funeral rites and wedding ceremonies.

Other norms are called mores - these are more serious and are closely associated with reinforcing moral values and behavior. important mores can become institutionalized , which results in them becoming subject to law. Violating such a more may result in a severe penalty.

Social norms reflect the agreed values of a group or society. Values are to do with ideas and   principles that a group or society has regarding what is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable , important or unimportant.