Peculiarities of Culture: African Civilization in the United States

This essay examines the peculiarities of African culture in the context of the United States, focusing on the impact of globalization and the challenges faced by African immigrants. It discusses the issue of assimilation and the importance of maintaining cultural identity, drawing on the ideas of Confucius and exploring the impact of racial discrimination. The author, an African American, shares personal experiences of facing racism and limited opportunities, highlighting the difficulties in integrating into American society. The essay concludes by emphasizing the influence of civilization on modern society and the impact of migration on cultural values. The essay references articles discussing African geography, Confucius's teachings, and the importance of education.

Running head: PECULIARITIES OF CULTURE
Peculiarities of culture
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1PECULIARITIES OF CULTURE
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Discussion........................................................................................................................................2
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................3
References:......................................................................................................................................4

2PECULIARITIES OF CULTURE
Introduction
Every civilization across the globe, have their own peculiarities in terms of their culture
and societal organization. However, in the contemporary world, with the inception of
globalization, the individuals are seen to migrate from one civilization to that of another. The
purpose of this paper is to understand the peculiarities of the African civilization as seen in the
context of the United States.
Discussion
The issue of assimilation is one of the greatest concerns of the present time period. The
aspect of globalization has led to the rise in the idea of migration whereby people are seen to
travel from their native countries to a place where they can find a better standard of living. This
has led to the assimilation of the people belonging to different societies and civilizations.
Within the article titled “The Peculiarities of Geography: Africa”, it can be seen that the
author has mentioned about the nationalistic feelings that is seen to emerge amongst the Africans
who have migrated to the United States of America for their educational purposes1. Although,
the United States provides ample opportunities to an individual to improve on their standard of
living and find those working opportunities which might not be provided to them in their home
town, the individuals migrating to the host country does not lose affiliations with their
motherland.
1 Hagberg, Gordon P. "The Peculiarities of Geography: Africa." The ANNALS of the American Academy of
Political and Social Science 335, no. 1 (1961): 66-70.

3PECULIARITIES OF CULTURE
This issue has been talked in detail in the thoughts of Confucius. Confucius has stated
that a human being is quite similar to each other in terms of their identity2. However, this identity
undergoes a change when a practice is undertaken to reiterate such identities3.
For instance, it can be seen that the individuals of the United States are similar to the
individuals hailing from a country of Africa, in terms of their physical appearances, the nature of
their appetite and their ability to distinguish between right and wrong. However, the issue of
their nationality is one differing point whereby they undertake different practices to reiterate
such practices. During such a scenario, it can be seen that due to the influence of colonial
hangover, the inhabitants of the United States of America practices racial discrimination. This
essentially means that they discriminate against the individuals migrating from an African nation
based on their skin tone and perceived secondary position they are entitled to in the society.
The article also talks about the various adjustments which an African immigrant needs to
make in order to ensure the seamless integration of oneself in the culture of the West. Being of
an African American origin, in my daily life, I have to face a lot of challenges. My worldview is
highly influenced by such challenges of racism and intolerance. I have observed that it is quite
difficult for the natives of the United States to accept anyone who is not of their origin. This has
degraded my quality of life in the sense that I do not receive the same respect as given to a native
of America. Furthermore, I am given a low preference in employment opportunities when an
American is also competing in the same field.
2 Ma, Ying. "Becoming a teacher does not come that easily: Aristotle, Confucius and education." PhD diss.,
University of British Columbia, 2018.
3 Tan, Charlene. "Confucius." In International Handbook of Philosophy of Education, pp. 91-101. Springer, Cham,
2018.

4PECULIARITIES OF CULTURE
The situation is seen to be arising from the kind of civilization which has gave birth to the
modern societies. Confucius has talked about the importance of education in this regard. He has
opined that any educational knowledge should be reciprocated with critical analysis and
observation4.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be observed that the civilization of any place largely characterizes
the modern society which is present in the contemporary world period. The individuals of such
civilizations are guided by the values and the customs which have developed over the years
through the efforts of their ancestors. The migration of an individual is therefore, affected by
their civilizational values.
4 Zhang, Maoze. "The Religious Thought of Confucius: Exploring the Place of Heaven, Destiny, and Spirits in the
Analects." In Reconceptualizing Confucian Philosophy in the 21st Century, pp. 75-86. Springer, Singapore, 2017.

5PECULIARITIES OF CULTURE
References:
Hagberg, Gordon P. "The Peculiarities of Geography: Africa." The ANNALS of the American
Academy of Political and Social Science 335, no. 1 (1961): 66-70.
Ma, Ying. "Becoming a teacher does not come that easily: Aristotle, Confucius and education."
PhD diss., University of British Columbia, 2018.
Tan, Charlene. "Confucius." In International Handbook of Philosophy of Education, pp. 91-101.
Springer, Cham, 2018.
Zhang, Maoze. "The Religious Thought of Confucius: Exploring the Place of Heaven, Destiny,
and Spirits in the Analects." In Reconceptualizing Confucian Philosophy in the 21st Century, pp.
75-86. Springer, Singapore, 2017.