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Hall1. How does Hall define the existence and the future of cultural identity? And where does he
position history and culture in relation to cultural identity?
According to Hall, cultural identity is an imagined concept that sees its origins in the past, namely a common set of
values, traditions and customs which have been transmitted by the same group of people from generation to
generation.
It might be argued that cultural identity is is an innate soul of a nation, shared by a group of people that base their
beliefs and behavior on a set of paradigms which is similar to the members of the same cultural group, and
different beyond the cultural borders of the nation. Nonetheless, if cultural identity is a product of history, it can
also be argued that it undergoes constant change and mutation. The roots of the past where the cultural identity
originates are composed of myths, fantasy, memory and narrative.
2. How do you compare Hall's discussion to Said's Orientalism?
The ideas laid down in Said’s Orientalism can be regarded as highly resembling the theories of Hall. Indeed, Said
argued that the Western societies framed a completely Eurocentric and incorrect representation of what the Eastern
World consists of. The issue at the core of his research is this configuration of a cultural identity which does not
reflect reality. Hall states that the image that Caribbean people have about their own culture can be also considered
as misconstrued, given the fact they those peoples regard themselves as ‘African’, thereby having a stereotypical
image of Africa which does not take into consideration the multiplicity of cultural diversities in the African
continent.
3. Which philosophers/thinkers/writers does Hall consult/quote in his quest for a definition of identity?
Please exemplify.
Hall refers in this text to Frantz Fanon, Saïd, Foucault, Derrida, Benedict Anderson. Fanon indeed highlighted the
difficulties that nations encounter when trying to build their national identity. Said, as already cited in the previous
answer, argued that images of far-away continents can be misleading and incorrect. Foucault’s notion of
power/knowledge is essential in Hall’s discourse, given that the knowledge that people have about themselves
often derive from an institutional context which imposes values and ideas thanks to their power. Derrida’s theory
of difference is fundamental in order to understand that building a national identity derives from the comparison
and the difference with others, and Anderson is important to mention due to his notion of ‘imagined community’.
4. How does he relate his discussion to Benedict Anderson's "imagined community"?
Imagined community is a instillation in the national thought of a country of symbols, stories and narratives which
serve to easily fuel nationalism thanks to daily practices and acts. The Caribbean nationalism can be considered as
imagined as none of the Black peoples knew about their ancestors/past, and nonetheless they go back to an
imagined common ‘African’ nationalism.
What is the key term that Hall defines identity in diaspora? Explain. (235)
Diaspora means the continuous transformation and renewal of a culture, which constantly redefines itself in a new
set of values and paradigms.
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