Family Cultural Intergenerational Analysis

Family Cultural Intergenerational Analysis
Name
Institution

ABSTRACT
The world revolves around sociological concepts which shape up and simplify the activities incorporated in a society. Understanding how certain concepts portray themselves in society is fundamentally vital. Nonetheless, the African American society revolves around some concepts that define its extensive growth and its well-being over the decades. It defines a culture that has evolved, despite all odds, to thrive in a world that seems to demean their sole existence. Also, the article defines how the church has revolutionized the African American society and its power in bringing unity across races, inclusive of respect of color, background and significant diversities. African American Catholics have been part of the American history since their time of settlement, and their contribution to the church has been substantial. Most of them were initially of the Protestant domain but progressively transitioned to the Catholic religion. It is also essential to understand that adopting Christianity did not necessarily mean that one had to neglect their culture
Family Cultural Intergenerational Analysis
Multi-generational
The society today fails to emphasize this concept since children tend to grow without any knowledge to whom they are related to, primarily through blood. In the African descent, families grow together and form unbreakable bonds. Families, as explained in the African culture, are units consisting of people, related either by blood or marriage.

Nonetheless, these family units are expected to have children whose primary purpose is to maintain the lineage and to ensure the customs of the family are maintained if any. “A family that prays together, stays together” is the norm that modifies a household and the Christianity aspect makes them stronger and bolder (Hudson, 2003).
Families were torn apart during the slave trade, and the much necessary extension of a generation was affected with ties being broken. However, the current generation perceives the family from a whole new perspective. A family can be anyone who will ensure that you stay focused towards achieving set goals and take care of your personal needs. Ebo, an African American has been in foster care for eight years, so it will be absurd to try and link him to a blood-tied family relationship since the only family he is familiar with are the foster kids and probably the caretaker(s). Moreover, he is a victim of the slave trade. Therefore, he never had the chance to know his extended family, especially his grandparents, as he grew up.
Fictive Kinship
This concept can be defined as a relationship or bond created without necessarily involving any blood ties. Such bonds create relations that are deeper, in some cases sentimental, than even normal family bonds linked by blood. The African Americans regard the Catholic Church as their family. They highly consider its existence as the baseline of many kinship ties. The church is a second home to many African Americans as they consider it a place of solace and relief from the woes faced by the society. Moreover, the bonds created in such environments tend to be strong, with the advantage of relying on God as the provider of all things, and the lessons taught concerning interrelationship make kinship ties meaningful. Furthermore, Christianity is a highly respected ‘culture,’ dating back to previous generations. However, it took effort for it to be established in the African society since most if not all, people used to worship self-made gods.
The missionaries who introduced Christianity, especially Catholicism, packaged with a Bible that signified the “Good news” had a rough time trying to convince people on the existence of only one true God in the entire universe. Ancestors tend to believe that many gods had their unique responsibilities and they could attest to this through a series of significant events. Ebo has been to foster care, and through this, he got to know people from different backgrounds and diversities.
As a result, he got to get into a deeper relationship with the new environment as compared to his ideal and real blood family. Moreover, such ties tend to dominate the level of interaction one has with his family. Relatives are a vital part of a person’s life, but they tend to be of minimal impact, especially for someone who has been under foster care, then the fictive relationship bonds. Nonetheless, the phrase “society is the best teacher” tends to fit best for such individuals who have seamlessly been hardened up by living without their direct ties. The whole concept of kinship ties has evolved with time, with people resolving to rely on their friends nowadays rather than their own families. Some with the assumption that friends make you view the world from a different perspective, with the aim of challenging you to strive for more and have the urge to conquer the world.
Mutual aid
This can be defined as the way organisms; this case individuals can co-exist together whereby the actions and benefits equally benefit either of the respective individuals. Mutual aid can be through a society or systematic voluntary insurance, meant for health care and maintenance of income. The mutual aid further offers protection socially with a significant return in the form of a contribution. Example, Ebo took care of his father when he suffered from stroke for eight years until the time he left for foster care, leaving the assumption that his father’s demise led him there. This form of bond is critical among the African American, especially those linked to the Catholic Church which highly advocated for mutualism.
Nonetheless, this concept has led to further development of ties since they help an individual identify healthy relationships and vice versa. This means that people can understand who will stand by them in times of need, rather than when in euphoric and prosperous periods. The current society, however, tends to misuse this concept whereby an individual has to be assured of something in return before offering to help. It has created the aspect of individualism where one has to consider their needs first rather than being considerate and offering their aid without the urge of getting any payments back. Mutual aid is a concept that has been in existence since the evolution of human culture. Mutual aid can be expressed through the exchange of knowledge, experience, wisdom, and information. People aid each other through sharing different experiences, histories, feelings, and attitudes. Moreover, people require a platform that will enable them to express themselves freely about factors or things that cannot be expressed in a free world such as money, authority, death, sex, dependence, mental illness, etc. Helping people express their taboos is vital to their social well-being.
Racism
Growing in a society that seems to disregard people by the color of their skin, instead of failing to consider the context of their character, has made the world a living hell for the African American. Amuneke failed to secure a job basically due to racism since the place he had gone to seek employment denied him the chance cause of failing to pronounce his name right. African Americans are made to believe that God does not judge human beings by their either by color nor background and that every human being is equal. Moreover, the church becomes a platform where equity and equality are portrayed no matter one’s place of origin. The belief of superiority, whereby an individual feels that they are better or should be considered first has led to prejudice and discrimination.
However, education has made the society to respect the diverse culture and origin of people. Despite it being a slow process, significant results are being showcased by the level of education portrayed by respective African Americans in the current society as compared to the past generations. This enlightenment has led to frequent revolutions and civil rights movements with the pure intention of fighting for the less privileged races in society, inclusive of the church. Moreover, the church creates hope and gives individuals the will to live and love the world no matter the harsh experiences faced.
Patriarchy
The society respects advice, especially if it comes from an older adult. In the past, elders were highly regarded in society, and they took part in making most decisions, inclusive of critical situations that needed a breakthrough. In African societies, the father figures were mostly regarded as the ones with the wisdom to tackle a situation, and it was expected that male child to follow suit. It was a chauvinistic society that did not regard the thoughts of the feminine “counterparts.”
Moreover, it was expected that children should be able to grasp things at a fast rate rather and act maturely from a tender age. Case example, a child would be severely punished if they made a pronunciation mistake and would be disregarded further by his peers. This concept further assumes that the male is the dominant being in a family unit. In the past, the patriarch has been showcased in political, legal, economic and religious societies. The church comes in to create the analogy that all human beings are equal, both male and female. Each one of them is entitled to make a decision and equally has the right to take part in one. Females were rather assumed to be the laborers in society, especially in an African setting but with the world’s exposure their minds and capacities have been awakened. They have been given the power to take part in critical matters of the society.
References
Hudson, L. (2003). A family that prays together stays together: The religious implications of cohabitation, divorce, and remarriage. In the annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Miami, FL.