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I.CultureataCrossroads
IdentityinaMulticulturalWorld:MarginalMan
Reflectionsonidentitybasicallyamounttotwoworlds:individualandgroup
(social,collective)identity.Socialidentitydescribesagroupbymeansofconti-
nuityandcontinuation(collectivememory,history,tradition),aswellasbythe
articulationofelementsdistinguishingthegroupfromtheexternalenvironment.
Teidentityoftheunit,inturn,includesmainlythecore,thatis,theidentity
oftheindividualunitwhichallowshimlhertoremainhimselflherself.Itisa
self-conceptionofaman,whichissubjectedtomodificationsasaresultofthe
discoursewiththeoutsideworld.Itissomethingthatdefinesanindividual,
createshislherself-imagewhichcontainsbothfixedandvariablecharacteristics.
TestabilityofindividualidentityistheresultofErickson)stradition,which
isbasedonthesenseofbeingthesameperson.Tevariationelement,onthe
otherhand,belongstotheinteractionisttradition,thatis,themodificationof
identitybytheinteractionwithothers.Inthissegment,thesubjectiveandthe
reflectedegooftheunitisincluded,bothofwhichshapetheunit)sself-image
andmodifyhislherbehaviour.Teidentityoftheunitalsoconsistsofsocial
identities,whicharenumerousandconnectedwiththeperformanceofspecific
socialrolesandwithparticularreferencegroups.Tesearevariableproperties,
formedmainlyintheprocessofsecondarysocialisation.Yet,theidentityof
theunitisalsoethnic(national)identity,whichresultsfromone)sbelongingto
ethnicornationalgroup.Tistypeofidentityisformedbybirth.Itisafeature
assignedtoandassociatedwiththeethnicgroupthatstrivestomaintainthe
culturalandhistoricalcontinuity,aswellastoreproducetheculturalcanon
(budyta-budzyńska2010:91)which,inthemodernworld,maybesubjectedto
revision.Tissimultaneouslyleadstotherevisionofidentity.
Terefore,theidentityoftheunitconsistsofthreelevelsoffactorsthatpro-
videananswertothequestion:WhoamI?Teshapeofindividualidentityis
significantlyinfluencedbythesocialgroupandethnic(national)group,inthe
structuresofwhichtheunitoperates.Inthemonoculturalandstableworld,the
socialstructuresshowedconsistency,harmony,andsocialorder,andtheidentity
oftheunitonceshaped,hadatendencytolast.Temodernworldofvarious
culturesconfrontingoneanotherinaparticularsocialspacedestroysthissimple
ruleand,instead,raisestheneedforthereconstructionofknowledgeregarding
identity-theidentityinamulticulturalreality.
WolfgangWelsh,aGermantheoristofculture,inhisconsiderationsabout
theworldofcontemporarycultures,startedwiththecriticismofthenotionof
nationalculturedefinedbyJohannGottfriedvonHerder.Terepresentativeof
theGermanEnlightenmenttreatedeverycultureasamonolithicandclosed
sphere,andassumedthatdińerentspherescannotexchange,communicate,or
mixwitheachotherinanyotherwaythanbymeansofcollidingwitheachother
(Welsh2004:33).Tisclearlynationalisticconceptofculture,whichestablished
