Cultural analysis
We can trace the dominant presuppositions in ourselves and the way we organize the society, by analyzing the narratives of our culture. In building new hopeful narratives we can choose what to keep from our cultures and what we want to let go off.
A cultural analysis can be conducted in dialogue with people that grew up in the same culture or by conducting desk research.
Helpful questions to address, are:
- Introduction: how did this culture came into existence in the world? Where is it active now?
- What are the most common characteristics?
- What are dominant stories in this culture?
- Who are the heroes?
- What are taboos?
- What narrative about the world is shared in these stories?
- How is a good life viewed from the culture's perspective?
- Through which habits and rituals is the cultural view on human and world shared?
- What is the price of letting go of the narrative?
- Where is the collective wisdom documented?
- Growing up in this culture, my environment told me who I was: