4 Theoretische Zugänge zu Ethnizität und Kultur

Combining Cultural Anthropology and Gerontology

“…Also, the criteria for these concepts are not explicit: It is unclear whether or not they are based on some kind of evaluation of data or merely on the common belief that nationality, religious beliefs, and ethnicity are suitable indicators for identifying “a” particular “culture.” To return to the example above, the question we must ask is this: Do we treat nationality/ethnicity and culture as correlating factors because there is initial proof of that correlation – or is the statistical investigation already based on this assumption? Assuming that people with a certain nationality have a certain “cultural background” and thereby certain attitudes and preferences is both inaccurate and inappropriate (Hahn, 2011) and in practical work with older immigrants can lead to various forms of misunderstanding, rejection, and exclusion (Kahn-Zvorničanin, 2016).…”