2 coments each one 150 words (CITATION AND REFERENCE)

reply1

Culture refers to the material traits, norms, and beliefs of social, religious, or racial groups. It consists of either implicit or explicit patterns of behavior transmitted and acquired by symbols, constituting the achievements of certain individuals or groups of people (Spencer-Oatey, 2012). Ethnicity typically refers to a shared way of life and culture, which includes common religion, language, and history. In broader terms, it may also include some physical traits, claimed kinship, religious affiliations, past linguistic heritage, or sense of common ancestry (Donovan, 2019). Lastly, acculturation is a term that refers to the process of cultural contact and exchange; it causes psychological and social transformation, which results in adaptation to the values and practices of another culture (majority culture). At the group level, it can range from the inclusion of another culture’s cuisine to adoption of its ideology, beliefs, and ideas (Cole, 2019). These three terms are somewhat interrelated, as they all are crucial to understanding one's identity.

Based on the information above, it is possible to state that culture and ethnicity are close to each other in their meaning. An ethnicity shares the same cultural background, and one's ethnic identity is an important predictor of their cultural values. At the same time, ethnicity has more to do with nationality, common ancestry, and heritage, while culture is an issue that one is taught by other people; it includes traits, social forms, and customary beliefs. However, both ethnic identity and culture may change due to the transformation in one's self-perception. This process is called acculturation, or evolution of identity. It occurs when a person grows to recognize that the surrounding society’s norms, values, and beliefs are discordant with his/her own. In other words, acculturation is a search of a new ethnic identity. All the three terms, in one way or another, impact one's cognition and behavior.

Cole, N.L. (2019). Understanding acculturation and why it happens. ThoughtCo. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/acculturation-definition-3026039

Donovan, J. (2019). What's the difference between race and ethnicity? How Stuff Works. Retrieved from https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/genetic/race-vs-ethnicity.htm

reply2

Culture, ethnicity and acculturation are often confused yet they have different meanings. Culture refers to characteristic pattern of beliefs, customs and behaviors shared by a certain population group. This means that each group has a culture that differentiates them from other groups. Culture is important to create boundaries and generally accepted behaviors. For example, the culture of Bronx city is different from that of Arizona city. In other words, the two are different in terms of how people relate, behave and even do their activities. Ethnicity is embodied in the culture. Ethnicity refers to common social and heritage that is passed from one generation to another. People can have similar ethnicity but different cultures. Ethnicity therefore classifies a person founded on common ancestry, social and cultural identity, language or race. For example, the US has different ethnicities such as African-Americans, Pacific Islanders, Cherokee community, non-Hispanic whites, among others. These different ethnicities of the US could have similar cultural belief, practices and customs (Romero et al.,2018). For example, people living in the new York City have similar social and cultural beliefs and practices although they belong to different ethnicities. Acculturation is closely related to the culture but completely different from ethnicity. Acculturation is defined as the process by which a person adapts to new cultural beliefs, customers and behaviors. It is however important to note that degree of acculturation of an individual depends on a number of factors. In the US, acculturation is very common especially among immigrants and Mexican Americans. An individual must fully commit to adhering to a particular culture before acculturation.

Reference

Romero, C. B. A., Laroche, M., Aurup, G. M., & Ferraz, S. B. (2018). Ethnicity and acculturation of environmental attitudes and behaviors: A cross-cultural study with Brazilians in Canada. Journal of Business Research, 82, 300-309.