What is culture? Or, more importantly, why does culture matter? In the Middle East, archaeologists search for artifacts from ancient cultures in giant hills of dirt called tells. We can think of our lives as “hills” of culture: holistic, integrated, learned, linguistic and shared. Anthropologist Christina Fusch will lead a conversation about how elements of culture form, are learned and are shared. With a background in the study of Arab societies, Fusch will often use elements from this culture to ground the conversation and illustrate key cultural themes. If a community has a special interest in another culture – e.g., Latino, Native American, Korean, etc. – the conversation can be tailored to those groups. Cultures hold much in common, and we will explore how elements of culture permeate our lives.

About Christina Fusch Christina Fusch is an academic with a strong interest and experience in cultures and languages. Currently teaching Arabic and Anthropology at Everett Community College, she has taught at Whitworth University and been a consultant for Yale University Press. Fusch has a master’s in religious studies from Gonzaga University and is currently working on a master’s in business administration from the University of Washington. She is on the Board of Directors for the Arab Center of Washington and has directed local festivals in attempts to reveal the peaceful, hospitable culture of the Middle East not often seen in the news.