We explain what context is, its characteristics and its different types: historical, social, political, linguistic and cultural.
What is context?
The context is the set of factors and circumstances that frame an event or an action. The context, from Latin with ("Globally or completely") and textus ("Woven" or "intertwined") indicates that an event has not occurred in isolation and, therefore, allows us to understand and interpret it comprehensively.
The context can be of character:
- Material. They are the tangible aspects.
- Symbolic. They are the intangible aspects.
For example, if a person They rob him on the street, the material context of the act ranges from the time of day to what was stolen; while the symbolic context involves issues such as social needs and lack of security public.
The notions of historical, social, political, linguistic and cultural context, which we will develop below, are frequently used.
Historic context
The historical context refers to the set of conditions that existed during the time or epoch in which an event occurred.
For example:
- In the historical context of feudalism In Europe, Columbus's voyages to America.
- In the historical context of the World War II the technology that allowed the creation of nuclear weapons.
- In the historical context of England in the 1960s, the Beatles emerged.
- In the historical context of the late twentieth century, the technology for the development of first-generation cell phones was created.
Social context
The social context has a direct impact on the possibilities of development.The social context refers to the influence exerted by the characteristics of a certain society about the decisions and actions of the people who form part of it.
For example:
- In the social context of the northern countries of Europe older adults enjoy greater quality of life than in developing countries.
- The social context of poverty is essential to understand the phenomenon of crime.
- The social context of lessons stockings favors the idea of education as a mechanism of social mobility.
Political context
The political context refers to the influence exerted by the systems of government, politics public and political ideas about a certain fact in a society.
For example:
- In the political context of the Cold War, the Vietnam War.
- In the political context of authoritarian regimes or dictatorial the use of social networks and of Internet it is very limited.
- In the political context of the United States, presidential re-election is limited to a second term.
Linguistic context
The linguistic context involves all the factors that surround the production of linguistic sentences, and that affect the meaning or interpretation of such sentences. The study of the linguistic context is an essential part of what is known as the pragmatics of language.
For example:
- If we say "she has short hair" through the linguistic context we can know that it is a woman who wears a certain haircut. But if we change the context of the word "hair" it acquires a very different meaning: "she was saved by a hair". In this case, the context tells us that it is a woman who survived a dangerous situation.
- A word like "key" can have multiple meanings and its interpretation depends on the context: it can be the key of the Water, the key that opens a door or the key with which a mechanic repairs a car.
Cultural context
The values and beliefs of the cultural context affect people's actions.The cultural context refers to values, the traditions and the beliefs of a social group that influence a certain fact.
For example:
- In the cultural context of the Arabian Gulf it is offensive to show the soles of the shoes.
- In the cultural context of the Middle Ages European some affections that today we consider of psychological origin were considered as a result of witchcraft.
- In the cultural context of the original peoples of America we find the belief that the earth is a living being to be respected and protected.