Maintaining Cultural Identity in Design

There are rich and diverse cultures all around the world, each unique compared to other cultures. Culture is expressed as "the characteristics of a group of specific people defined by language, religion, food, social customs, music, art" (Zimmermann). Each of these features is a unique characteristic of each society and it is a factor that affects their design expression. Through the course, we have seen how planning and design has changed throughout history.

what is that? Cultural identity means recognition or affiliation to a specific group based on various cultural categories (nationality, race, race, sex, religion, etc.). Build and maintain cultural identity by sharing collective knowledge on tradition, heritage, language, aesthetics, norms, customs. Because individuals are often part of multiple cultural groups, cultural identity is complex and multifaceted. Earlier scholars believed that the identity of a cultural group is obvious and stable, but most people today think that it is a background and depends on changes in time and space. In the globalized world, through the practice of communication, intercultural exchange is taking place more and more, constantly developing, negotiating, maintaining and challenging cultural identity.

If two or more cultures coexist in very close places, problems arise especially in the same country. Who decides the cultural identity? A person can belong to a specific country sharing another culture while maintaining the cultural identity of a person. Then you can belong to more than one culture at the same time. Interestingly, Vroom (1996: 121) believes that cultural exchanges are more general than maintaining cultural identity. Conflict may occur in the struggle for adaptation and avoidance to different cultures. Goodenough (1957: 167) defines culture as a process. According to this definition, exact exclusion is printed. He can accept that person only when he knows in a way familiar, and believes in the community and acts. Some of the knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors is the structure of meaning accepted by the community (Geertz 1973: 12).