Cultures can be described as “societies that have commonly accepted laws, laws that are in some respects implicit. These are social norms and rules that are shared among the members of society” (‘Kinship: An Introduction’). Fundamentally, a culture follows a set of guidelines that is agreed amongst most of the members. In contrast, society provides the structure to organize and compromise those individuals that share the same beliefs and customs. Moreover, there are different societies that have different cultures; the culture embodies the beliefs of the group, whereas society serves as the representation of the people who share the set of beliefs. Yet, in some circumstances individuals in those cultures and societies present different views and behaviors about the agreed social norms, beliefs and practices. In order to understand how a person can be shaped by the culture and society they have grown up in I interviewed two individuals who have been raised in the same culture and society, but have taken different paths for their future.
To start off, I would like to briefly introduce the Honduran culture and society. Honduras is a non-modernized third world country, individuals can be categorized as a mixture of fearful and resentful people with the neighboring territories. Apart from what is commonly expressed in the news (drug traffic, dangerous, poverty, authority problems) it can also be categorized as a tourist destination, and it is why individuals are categorized as welcoming, they are proud Hondurans. People that visit Honduras say that Hondurans have a deep sense of national identity. Apart from their deep connection with their country Honduran culture is family-oriented. Their kin groups often make an effort to keep in touch with their extended family. Their belief system, their education, and overall influences are acquired from family, so it can be believed that it is the most important factor in their life. Their kinship is a sign of respect by knowing where they come from, they are able to relate and know where the individual fits in the whole structure and therefore understand the culture and society.
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As mentioned before, in order to understand how a person's life can be shaped by culture and society, I decided to interview two individuals who have been born and raised in Honduras but have been exposed to different experiences across their life. The first individual is 20 years old, born and raised in Honduras, but who know currently lives in Spain. She expresses how she feels her personality is not shaped by her culture, but definitely has been influenced by the society in which she used to live in. She mentioned how when she was little and up to this date, she has been familiar with traveling to new places and being exposed to their different cultures. She found herself often traveling and comparing the different views each society had and found that they all clashed. She believes that her personality is not shaped by the Honduran culture, rather than by her kin-family, the values shared, which do not always match the values Honduras has. She expressed how she believes that Honduran culture is conservative. Honduras does not like to mix with other nationalities, they are welcoming, but not often do you find Honduran forming relations with someone from ‘outside’. “Kinship and marriage are about the basic facts of life. Man is an animal, but he puts the basic facts of life to work for himself in ways that no other animal does or can” (Fox, 1996 [1967]: 27). In a way, the Honduran culture can be identified as individuals who put their wellbeing and their ‘family’ (blood connections) at firsthand. To a certain degree, she believes that Hondurans can be egocentric when it comes to the benefits each person as an individual can have over others. She concluded how she believes Hondurans lack personhood. As human beings we have our own natural characteristics, we bring rage anger, sadness. Personality, on the other hand, is fabricated. It has been built up based on experience from people in the surroundings. She discussed how being alive is not the same as being a human being. Only a human being is able to have control over their emotions. What she meant was Hondurans are human beings with emotions, they control their emotions, but they do not regard their personality. She believes Hondurans do not show their own unique self because they worry too much about their relations with others. The interviewee discussed in depth how being a Honduran has enabled her to focus more on herself and be able to differentiate from others in her society.
On another note, as expected, the second individual was far more centered on the culture Honduras offers rather than the individual self (personhood) and the kinship shared. The second interviewee is a Honduran who is also 20 years old, but who currently lives in Honduras. She was asked the same set of questions but expressed more about the touristic aspect in Honduras (culture). She talked about agriculture, the beaches, the culinary, among other factors that build up the culture in Honduras. She expressed how those factors shape the person she has grown up to be. She shared optimistic comments on the Honduran culture because she has not lived other experiences to which she can compare them to. In general, she described her role in the country rather than how playing the role she plays has influenced the individual she has turned out to be.
Discussed before, Honduran kinship is far more than just, “the bond of blood or marriage which binds people together in a group” (Fisher, 1967). In Honduras kinship defines the relationship that individuals will have among the whole society. Depending on your connections and your relationships with individuals is that each person will be respected and valued among others. Kinship will define your education, your work experience, and to extent some people may say it can define your overall life success. On another hand, personhood in Honduran society can be viewed in different ways. Humans are not acknowledged as being part of society (human beings), in other words, ‘accepted’, if they are not agreeing with the other members in society. People do not think of themselves as individuals of the same society if they do not receive the acceptance by the other members. That is why most people view Honduran society as judgmental, and extremely conservative. Last, but not least, when it comes to belief systems and the common values Hondurans share, the majority of Hondurans feel identified as Catholics, which has never been questioned nor challenged by the society, and has been cultivated in their culture. Although there are multiple influences that individuals in Honduras undergo due to the culture and society they live in, there is no doubt Honduras offers a well-rounded and balanced sense of belonging to each individual. For the most part, a Honduran can be able to find itself without the influences of society and culture.
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