Code switching and contextual culture: The Indian model of stability maintenance

Humans are capable of simultaneous individual cultural multiplicity. In many parts of the world individuals may not be encouraged to manifest this capability, or to perceive this trait in others who do manifest this capability. In India, however, there are at least two separate cultural systems, a cosmopolitan system, and a traditional system. Many individuals in India are competent in cultures drawn from each of these systems, and many of these individuals switch between these different cultures frequently and at very short notice. This simultaneous individual cultural multiplicity and cultural code switching allows the co-existence of these two cultural systems, and reduces the possibility that any one of these cultures will displace the other. An outgrowth of this argument is that the relative peace and stability which characterizes India in the face of this great diversity is a result of this personal acquaintance with diversity, and an understanding that the ascendence of one culture or cultural system need not signal an equivalent decline in some other culture or cultural system, since one individual can be, as it were, a host or carrier of more than one culture at a time.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Anthropology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Heinrich, Steven Allan

Contributors dc:contributor

• Shimkin, Demitri B.

• Anthropology, Cultural
• Sociology, Ethnic and Racial Studies
• Sociology, Social Structure and Development

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 1991 Heinrich, Steven Allan

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

AAI9210833
(UMI)AAI9210833

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/22302