Case Study → Cultural Unity inside Iceland vs Singapore

Iceland

● Until the mid 1900s, the physical isolation of Iceland ensured that is population
experienced a strong sense of common identity & cultural homogeneity
● Due to the tough life that early Icelanders experienced in the Volcanic & glacial
island that they lived on, it is believed that manu cultural traditions were born of
hardship in the earlier times that they had survived
○ Such traditions breed cohesion within the community
○ 📝 Eg. Icelandic people share rotten shark at parties • lack of food available so they used to eat shark. But the sharks contained fluids that allowed it to be
in cold without freezing but it is naturally poisonous. ∴ Icelandics used to have to bury the meat for months before eating it
● In 2008, McDs closed its restaurants in Iceland as its high prices had deterred
customers
○ Premises were taken over by a local group • sign that global culture is being made to retreat
● However, many young Icelanders are avid consumers of global culture
○ 99% of Icelanders are connected to the Internet
○ 2 million tourists each year (approx 5.5x their population) • the ratio of
tourists to inhabitants is amongst the highest in the world
■ Often leads to more visitors wanting to settle there permanently ∴
leading to ↑ in cultural diversity

Singapore

● Singapore, however is very culturally varied w/ Malay, Chinese, Indian and European
influences • produced 'Singlish'
● The coexistence of so many origins is mainly down to:
○ From 1926-1946 Singapore played a major strategic role as a military and
trading hub under British administration
○ The decision to make it a free port (no taxes collected) encouraged
migration from China, India, Indonesia, Malay and the Middle East
● After independence, Singapore became a fast growing 'Asian Tiger' economy and as
of 2019 has a per capita income GDP of $65,000
○ This prosperity has made it a magnet for new waves of migrants who bring
their customs, religions and festivals with them

                                                    Cultural Unity inside Iceland*

                                                   Cultural Unity inside Singapore*

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