Bahamian Culture

Introduction

The Bahamian society is an elaborate and beautiful blend of different races and ethnic groups which plays an important role in the construction of the Bahamian culture. The diversity present in our community influences our social and cultural identity which is constructed through our realities. The racial and ethnic components of the Bahamian population consist of 85% Black, 12% White and 3% Asian and Hispanic. The nationalities present in the country include Haitians, Jamaicans and other West Indians, Cubans, Greeks, Lebanese and Chinese. But despite this reality, there are racial attitudes, prejudice and stereotypes present in our society. Racial attitudes and prejudice can be defined as an unjustifiable negative attitude toward

As a society that claims to be more accepting and moving forward in regards to diversity, it seems as if the prejudice and stereotypes are stagnant and remain concrete in the Bahamian upbringing and even in the culture itself. In order to break the barrier of ignorance and inexperience, the Bahamian society as diversified nation, must take steps towards accepting other groups which will consequently increase societal cohesion. Firstly, society must realize and understand concepts which will aid in the better understanding of diversity. The concepts include principles that were formulated by Watts which include Value of relativism, sociopolitical orientation, ecological and social systems approach and participant focused methodology. The value of relativism simply states that a culture can only be understood within itself. Therefore, individuals within a culture understand and comprehend the customs, beliefs, and practices within that culture. Consequently, Bahamians must understand this concept and refrain from making judgments based on their reasoning due to the fact that they will not fully understand the culture of others who appear to be different from them. The sociopolitical orientation is realizing that it is unjust for a population to place their standards and will on another population. It must be recognized that the standards held in our society must not be placed on others which is highly unethical. As it relates to the ecological and social systems approach, one’s culture, historical and social realities aids in formulating the thoughts and behavior of an individual. As a result, these aspects which relates to one’s thoughts and behaviors must be taken into account to reduce prejudice and negative attitudes. Lastly, the participant focused methodology is recognizing that one’s