INTL 190 - Haiti in a Transnational Context

Introduction

The paper addresses the cultural differences and humanism relationship between Haiti and Chile. One of the cultural elements that demonstrate these differences is religion. Haitian culture is strongly influenced by the harmonious fusion of West African rituals and beliefs, while Chilean culture is shaped by the national authority of the Roman Catholic Church. Communication is the second element in which Creole is the overall language spoken while Spanish is the lingua Franca in Chile. Regarding social stratification, social class is the main cause of discrimination and not color but in Haiti color is the primary cause of inequity and not social class. Food and economy are other elements that portray cultural differences between Haiti and Chile. Haitian diet comprises starch staples. Chilean food has a unique place among people, containing heavy protein and vitamins. In terms of economy, income distribution in the Haitian economy faces high disparity, leaving 78 percent of the population with incomes below the absolute poverty level. Chile has the best-performing economy among Latin American countries. The humanism relationship between Haiti and Chile addresses the need for human dignity and values because they help people make the earth a better place to live well and attain personal growth. However, while Haitian humanism engages in religious or spiritual matters, humanism in Chile emphasizes the worth of human influences.

The objective of this paper is to provide the cultural differences and humanism relationship between Haiti and Chile. The cultural differences between the two countries can be based on religion, communication, social stratification, and food and economy. For example, in terms of religion, Michel (2012) noted that religion is life for Haitian. Haitian culture is strongly inspired by the harmonious fusion of West African rituals and beliefs known as Vodou while Castillo-Feliu (2016) noted that Chile is highly influenced by the national authority of the Roman Catholic Church.

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