How the Concepts of Cultural Identity and Representation Essay

How the Concepts of Cultural Identity and Representation - Essay Example Punk is a subculture movement that emerged in the 1970s and the 1980s by the appearance of punk bands such as The Sex Pistols, The Ramones and The Talking Heads. Before analyzing punk culture it is important that we define the concepts of cultural identity and representation so that we are able to use them coherently in our understanding of a brand of music that has been so often misunderstood. Cultural identity is referred to as self-definition with reference to a knowledge tradition or a set of ideas and practices that are shared or widely prevalent in a delineated population. When comparing cultural identity and collective identity, the construct of cultural identity may not conform to that of collective identity. In some instances, Kitayama and Cohen (2007) observe, both cultural and collective identity can represent the same thing; cultural can be regarded as a group when a particular knowledge tradition is completely shared in the designated group. However, even the most widely distributed culture is rarely followed completely by all members of the designated group. Even though cultural identity and collective identity may fail to equate, there is a strong line between cultural identification and collective identification. The degree of identification is associated with how much the individual relates himself to his or her identity. People who relate themselves strongly to a knowledge tradition or culture regard this cultural identity to be an integral component of their self-definition.