Glasgow working class culture. Rented all my life. Lived in rough areas for pretty much of it, though now I live in a more affluent area. We argued and fought over religion (Catholic and Protestant) football (Celtic and Rangers) and politics (Labour versus Tories.) We have good baddies and bad goodies. We're straightforward and help each other a lot.
What cultures are you familiar with or inspired by?
- Thread starter Pik
- Start date
(doing a little more reflecting)
I never really made one culture a hobby or studied it in the sense of becoming an expert in that area/topic. But growing up, i was super interested in Greek and Roman culture. I remember visiting ruins in Sicily without knowing a thing about the culture as a small child, but coming back to the States and seeing similar ruins in books. So I latched on to learning about the architecture and memorizing the Greek pantheon and their Roman counterparts (never got into the wars and such).
then, all of a sudden, i just wasnt interested anymore and moved on to something else (dogs and cats, lol. I memorized the Eye Witness encyclopedias on dog and cat breeds and to this day, can recall breeds on sight)
In college, i wasnt interested in Catholicism or Christianity. even though i went to a catholic university and it was a requirement to have a certain amount of credits in religion.
So, the class that stood out to me the most was "Islam: Religion and Culture". I took that class for a semester and really enjoyed it! The instructor for the class was a Nun (seriously), but she felt like we would get the best experience if we immersed ourselves in the religion and culture. So, she took us to mosques where we attended a full service. we went to their school after service where the children were learning to recite passages of the Quran. we spent an afternoon with the Imam.
also in college, i took an Irish literature class. I also loved it. Wanted to study abroad in Ireland, too but couldnt afford it. My professor was Irish-American and the class felt immersive. We watched Irish films, read poetry, shorts, and novels (got into Roddy Doyle and Sebastian Barry). I fell in love with the terrain-- the cliffs and greenery. And also the writing styles.
Both of these classes stuck with me in the back of my mind because i have a soft spot for both without realizing. I seem to gravitate toward them.
a little after the pandemic, i got sucked in to "Islam: Religion and Culture" again and went down a rabbit hole of reading. Turkish writers, Afghan and Iranian writers, Nigerian journalists covering Boko Haram. There were 2 Nordic journalists who, 1, spent years living in Afghanistan with a host family in the country, and the other spent years researching a particularly hidden/avoided topic in society.
That went on for me for a couple of months before I was ready to move on.... and went back to Ireland lol.
Picked up the Irish Country Doctor series again (im on book 3, i think).
last year, i binged 2 of A.M. Shine's books. Just finished watching Derry Girls a few weeks ago. (@Shannon_H is lucky I cycled back into my "all about Ireland" phase
)
I never really made one culture a hobby or studied it in the sense of becoming an expert in that area/topic. But growing up, i was super interested in Greek and Roman culture. I remember visiting ruins in Sicily without knowing a thing about the culture as a small child, but coming back to the States and seeing similar ruins in books. So I latched on to learning about the architecture and memorizing the Greek pantheon and their Roman counterparts (never got into the wars and such).
then, all of a sudden, i just wasnt interested anymore and moved on to something else (dogs and cats, lol. I memorized the Eye Witness encyclopedias on dog and cat breeds and to this day, can recall breeds on sight)
In college, i wasnt interested in Catholicism or Christianity. even though i went to a catholic university and it was a requirement to have a certain amount of credits in religion.
So, the class that stood out to me the most was "Islam: Religion and Culture". I took that class for a semester and really enjoyed it! The instructor for the class was a Nun (seriously), but she felt like we would get the best experience if we immersed ourselves in the religion and culture. So, she took us to mosques where we attended a full service. we went to their school after service where the children were learning to recite passages of the Quran. we spent an afternoon with the Imam.
also in college, i took an Irish literature class. I also loved it. Wanted to study abroad in Ireland, too but couldnt afford it. My professor was Irish-American and the class felt immersive. We watched Irish films, read poetry, shorts, and novels (got into Roddy Doyle and Sebastian Barry). I fell in love with the terrain-- the cliffs and greenery. And also the writing styles.
Both of these classes stuck with me in the back of my mind because i have a soft spot for both without realizing. I seem to gravitate toward them.
a little after the pandemic, i got sucked in to "Islam: Religion and Culture" again and went down a rabbit hole of reading. Turkish writers, Afghan and Iranian writers, Nigerian journalists covering Boko Haram. There were 2 Nordic journalists who, 1, spent years living in Afghanistan with a host family in the country, and the other spent years researching a particularly hidden/avoided topic in society.
That went on for me for a couple of months before I was ready to move on.... and went back to Ireland lol.
Picked up the Irish Country Doctor series again (im on book 3, i think).
last year, i binged 2 of A.M. Shine's books. Just finished watching Derry Girls a few weeks ago. (@Shannon_H is lucky I cycled back into my "all about Ireland" phase
)
Last edited:
Shannon_H
New Member
That went on for me for a couple of months before I was ready to move on.... and went back to Ireland lol.
Picked up the Irish Country Doctor series again (im on book 3, i think).
last year, i binged 2 of A.M. Shine's books. Just finished watching Derry Girls a few weeks ago. (@Shannon_H is lucky I cycled back into my "all about Ireland" phase
Very lucky
If you're looking to continue with some further Irish crime, could I recommend Adrian McKinty's Sean Duffy series.
I'm pretty amateur when it comes to research, but I've got a wide scope for my main project.
I've cut my teeth on 19th century Germany for my main project (despite not knowing a single word of German, which makes my research a little harder). A sprinkle of England in there too.
Qing Dynasty China is also another focus. It's a very underrated period of Chinese history that doesn't get much time to shine in many historical dramas (unless it's those realistic political intrigue shows). Check out Ruyi's Royal Love In The Palace if you want a good one, but it does tend to drag and characters die like flies while decked out in spectacular Manchu court dress.
I've cut my teeth on 19th century Germany for my main project (despite not knowing a single word of German, which makes my research a little harder). A sprinkle of England in there too.
Qing Dynasty China is also another focus. It's a very underrated period of Chinese history that doesn't get much time to shine in many historical dramas (unless it's those realistic political intrigue shows). Check out Ruyi's Royal Love In The Palace if you want a good one, but it does tend to drag and characters die like flies while decked out in spectacular Manchu court dress.