Megan Merrill- CAPS #1

            Martin and Nakayama’s look at the significance and understanding to one’s identity begins with the three following approaches: Social Science, Interpretive, and Critical. The Social Science approach, also known as the functionalist approach), is based on the assumptions that there is a describable, external reality, humans behaviors are predictable, and culture is a variable that can be measured. This approach aims to identify and explain cultural variations in communication and to predict future communications. The second approach is the interpretive approach. This is an approach to intercultural communication that aims to understand and describe human behavior within specific cultural groups based on the assumptions that human experience is subjective, human behavior is creative rather than determined or easily predicated, and culture is created and maintained through communication. The third and final approach perspective is the Critical approach. It is a metatheoretical approach that includes many assumptions of the interpretive approach but that focuses more on macro-contexts, such as the political and social structures that influence communication.

Months of peaceful protesting took a dramatic turn to violence over the past two weeks in Ukraine’s capital. The initial protests began when the country’s President, Viktor Yanukovych, pulled out of a trade deal with the EU last November in favor of a bailout from Russia. However, after months of largely peaceful demonstrations, the government enraged demonstrators by passing an anti-protest law. This change fueled protestors to turn violent, resulting in four deaths of Ukrainian citizens.

National Identity is a key social-cultural identity that is in play throughout the Ukraine protests. This is in reference the to nation’s citizens and one’s status in relation to that nation in which they live. By factoring in national identity into the government vs. citizen issues that are happening within the country of Ukraine, it leads to the citizens identity with there nation at weak point due to their frustration with the government. A second socio-cultural identity that is involved with the conflict is class identity. Like other nations, politics and the people they govern are often time separate into upper and middle-lower class. The groups of protestors are creating a sense of belonging because they share similar economic, occupational, and/or social statuses; the same applies to the Ukrainian government.

The socio-cultural identities at play within the Ukraine conflict provide an excellent example of how they are present within every aspect of culture and communication. The idea the class and nationality groups the citizens prove that communication between these groups happen by the cultures that define who we are. From this application, we can learn that country and national identity play a large role into one’s culture and how they shape one’s life into their future.

Reference:

Ukraine 'to scrap' anti-protest law. (2013, 01 27). BBC News Europe. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25922342

IACCINO, L. (Photographer). (2014, 01 27). [Print Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ukraine-conflict-five-things-you-should-know-1433985