How do we understand culture of others?
Society
It can not be denied that studying major cities is an effective way of understanding a culture. A large proportion of major cities around the world are places where ancient capitals are located. Therefore, lots of historical heritages can be seen in these cities. The forbidden city in Beijing and the Palace of Versailles are nice examples. Through exploring these magnificent historical sites and museums, one can gain many insights into society’s history. Moreover, major cities are oftentimes commercial and political centers. Traveling around the city provides one with much information about economic development and the political atmosphere of the society. Major cities exhibit various aspects of a culture, and thus people can gain a basic understanding of a society through studying its major cities.
However, it is impossible to acquire a comprehensive picture of culture by simply studying major cities. Few would disagree that major cities around the world are homogeneous to a certain extent. Talents with diverse backgrounds are attracted to these cities by their economic prosperity and abundant opportunities. More than 80 percent of Dubai’s population are foreigners. Each year, the governments appropriate a large amount of funds to the major cities to improve the facilities and environment.
These cities are all featured by modern skyscrapers, educated elites, and well-developed infrastructure, and thus, not representative of a culture.
Small towns and rural areas, on the other hand, have less access to the outside world, thus preserving more traditions. One can go deeper into society and gain an understanding of ordinary people’s mindsets by exploring smaller cities. Apart from studying different places, reading books and communicating with local people is also an effective way to study a community. In general, although studying major cities provides a superficial understanding of a society, other means should also be applied to gain a deeper insight into that society.
Furthermore, whether the major cities reflect the most important characteristic of a society also depends on the society’s size. For small countries like Singapore where the city is the whole society. It is definitely enough to study the city. On the other hand, the way doesn’t work for countries like the U.S. where cultures differ significantly across the spreading territory. The features of a society are also an indicator of how it should be studied.
Overall, for people who have no prior knowledge about a society. Studying its major cities will give them a general view of that society. However, other aspects like more peripheral areas would better be studied if one wants a wholesome picture of a culture.
