Abstract

Cultural identity is the identity or feeling of belonging to a group. It is part of a person’s self-conception and self-perception and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture. In this way, cultural identity is both characteristic of the individual but also of the culturally identical group of members sharing the same cultural identity or upbringing. Cultural (and Ethnic) Identity is a subset of the communication theory of identity that establishes four “frames of identity” that allow us to view how we build identity. These frames include the personal frame, enactment of communication frame, relationship frame, and communal frame. The communal frame refers to the cultural constraints or the sense of “right” that people live by (which varies by cultural group). Therefore, Cultural (and Ethnic) Identity become central to a persons identity, how they see themselves and how they relate to the world.