Imperial Culture

[jfetters]

Indeed, you RM beat me to punch about the culture - it is a hybrid of Vilani, Solomani and Sylean...that is the easy answer. As there are thousands of different combinations of those culture. Add to that localism caused by thousands of worlds interacting. There can never be a singular culture but thousands of memes. Just central tenents remain common.

It's also a very high-level, 100,000 foot view of the culture. That particular mix is the high-level common thread that binds the Imperium by virtue of it's history and governance. But the place is big enough that there are regional variations across sectors based on older political entities that are somewhat homogenous at a lower level, and then down to the sector level and so on.

In fact, (I don't have it readily accessible) but doesn't the MT Imperial Encyclopedia have a lot of that cultural clusters mapped out on the charted space map?

 

[aramis]

In fact, (I don't have it readily accessible) but doesn't the MT Imperial Encyclopedia have a lot of that cultural clusters mapped out on the charted space map?

No, it doesn't. Battlefields and major campaigns.

No such map is in MT's RM, PM, IE, RebSB, RefComp, COACC, nor Hard Times.

 

[rancke]

In fact, (I don't have it readily accessible) but doesn't the MT Imperial Encyclopedia have a lot of that cultural clusters mapped out on the charted space map?

No, it doesn't. Battlefields and major campaigns.

No such map is in MT's RM, PM, IE, RebSB, RefComp, COACC, nor Hard Times.

Referee's Manual, p. 102; "Cultural Regions of the Imperium". Lists regions which historically developed independent cultures and which have retained their cultural identity under the Imperium. The listed ones are Vland, Antares, Lancia, Sylea, Ilelish, Darmine, and Vega.

Points of interest:

* No regions of less than two subsectors are marked (Not even the Geonee). I take that as license to introduce smaller cultural regions in other places.

* Sylean culture has retained its identity under the Imperium. Doesn't that mean that Sylean culture is distinct from Imperial? I've always thought Imperial culture spread from Sylea the way British culture spread from Britain, but apparently not.

* The Sylean cultural area covers subsectors D, G, H, K, L, and P of Core and subsectors E and I of Fornast (Basically an oval offset to trailing from the center of Core and with Capital (i.e. Sylea) near the edge of the region). Was that the borders of the Sylean Federation? If not, how did Sylean culture spread to this particular area (twenty-odd parsecs to trailing of Sylea but only five or six to rimwards of it)?

* Solomani culture doesn't seem to rate as an independent culture. Huh?



Hans

 

[rancke]

I stumbled across this descriotion of Imperial culture in Rim of Fire (p. 5-6):

The Imperium is a vast interstellar civilization. At its highest level it includes a distinctive society, composed of those who engage in interstellar activities and politics: nobles, administrators, military officers, merchants, explorers, and so on. The "Imperial" culture built by these individuals is fairly uniform, but cosmopolitan and respectful of local diversity. It values science and technology, but is cautious in its approach to innovation.

It respects the rule of law as the best means for producing a healthy society. It considers a certain level of internal conflict to be healthy, but places limits on that conflict so that it does not bwcome too destructive. Its political structures are feudal in nature, with its most powerful members held to a strict code of honor and duty.

Hans

 

[jfetters]

Referee's Manual, p. 102; "Cultural Regions of the Imperium". Lists regions which historically developed independent cultures and which have retained their cultural identity under the Imperium. The listed ones are Vland, Antares, Lancia, Sylea, Ilelish, Darmine, and Vega.

Ah, thanks, Hans. I was sure I saw something like that in the MT source info.

* No regions of less than two subsectors are marked (Not even the Geonee). I take that as license to introduce smaller cultural regions in other places.

Sure, especially since a lot of the worlds within the Empire are their own culture

* Sylean culture has retained its identity under the Imperium. Doesn't that mean that Sylean culture is distinct from Imperial? I've always thought Imperial culture spread from Sylea the way British culture spread from Britain, but apparently not.

I think you can play this any way you see fit. I think it does do that, but in subtle ways - people's names, a common language (with regional dialects), but you have areas that retain their own identities even while under a common imperial banner.

* The Sylean cultural area covers subsectors D, G, H, K, L, and P of Core and subsectors E and I of Fornast (Basically an oval offset to trailing from the center of Core and with Capital (i.e. Sylea) near the edge of the region). Was that the borders of the Sylean Federation? If not, how did Sylean culture spread to this particular area (twenty-odd parsecs to trailing of Sylea but only five or six to rimwards of it)?

I don't look at it as necessarily a border of empire, but rather a border of influence. I'd venture to say that Imperial culture influences worlds across the border in many sectors.

* Solomani culture doesn't seem to rate as an independent culture. Huh?

The winners get to write the history books.

 

[aramis]

Damn. I missed it. Good catch Hans.

I'd argue that Solomani don't have a single culture; AM Solomani makes it clear that confed is a bunch of subsector and smaller local enclaves, not a unified culture, but all unified by SolSec and the Party. Much like the USSR and Soviet Block...

 

[epicenter00]

* No regions of less than two subsectors are marked (Not even the Geonee). I take that as license to introduce smaller cultural regions in other places.

I'm sure it's allowed - the larger areas (though I think there's too many myself - Like...Lancea? Darmine? Vega?) represent "macro-cultural" influences where the fashionable in a given region look to as the arbiter of taste. Smaller and equally (or more) vibrant cultures exist, but nobody goes to the effort of aping them as much...unless that is, aping that culture becomes fashionable at the "cultural capital."

* Sylean culture has retained its identity under the Imperium. Doesn't that mean that Sylean culture is distinct from Imperial? I've always thought Imperial culture spread from Sylea the way British culture spread from Britain, but apparently not.

Capital is probably not considered to be Sylean anymore by those who'd identify themselves as "Ethnic Sylean" - too many influences from other areas. Similar to friction in the US where rural and smaller-city Americans no longer consider large urban areas to be really "American" because of all of the immigrant influences. In the case of Capital, I'd imagine it's that there's been significant "Mandarinization" of Capital culture - first by it's dominance by Terran mores, then efforts to break the domination of Solomani nobles at court probably led to Vilani influence largely replacing Terran.

For example, the question of whether or not to serve sweets as desserts at Imperial state dinners is probably a dicey one - it was probably considered perfectly fine when the Solomani dominated the court, even after Vlani meals. But by 1110 or so, it's probably considered very bad form to serve sweet desserts after Vlani cuisine.

* Solomani culture doesn't seem to rate as an independent culture. Huh?

And Vega does. I'd bet you (and IMTU) that's 100% politics. It's all about the Solomani Rim War. Promoting a loyal, but less populous, influential, and ultimately less relevant culture over that culture that has all three of the earlier traits but is less convenient to the powers that be? I think we've heard of that happening a number of times in Earth's history.

The Imperium is a vast interstellar civilization. At its highest level it includes a distinctive society, composed of those who engage in interstellar activities and politics: nobles, administrators, military officers, merchants, explorers, and so on. The "Imperial" culture built by these individuals is fairly uniform, but cosmopolitan and respectful of local diversity. It values science and technology, but is cautious in its approach to innovation.

It respects the rule of law as the best means for producing a healthy society. It considers a certain level of internal conflict to be healthy, but places limits on that conflict so that it does not become too destructive. Its political structures are feudal in nature, with its most powerful members held to a strict code of honor and duty.

I don't know about anyone else, but that pretty much reads exactly like copy produced by some "Imperial Information Ministry." I'm sure that's what the 3I wants you to believe.

 

[mike wightman]

Chances are the nation states of old Earth colonised the area around Sol and maintained their distinct cultures - there isn't really a single culture on Earth is there?

Even the wars with the Vilani wouldn't have stopped the divergent cultures of old Earth from continuing their intollerance and bickering towards each other.

 

[Ran Targas]

Actually Sigg, I think the further from Earth you would get, your ethnic group matters less than an ability to communicate. From my own experience overseas, Anglophones tended to bunch together regardless of nationality or ethnicity, if only so we had someone to talk to.

I'm not sure it would go so far as this but mayber in the OTU, you could find pockets of Solomani on 3I worlds collecting in "Little Terra-towns" just like Vargr, Aslan, or Hivers sequestering themselves in their own neighborhoods or arcologies or what have you.

 

[mike wightman]

Good point Ran, but would these solomani be true terrans with their nationalistic tendencies still intact, or from some sort of cultural/ethnic colony world or a true homoginisation of old Earth cultures.

I just can't see there ever being only one culture on Earth, and if each of these nation states/cultures esablishes colony worlds then the nationalistic identity means there is no such thiong as a unified solomani cultural norm.

After the Interstellar wars I can see several types of terran colonised worlds becoming established.
First the vilani worlds taken over by the Terran military.
Next colony worlds established as military bases initially.
Then there are colony worlds established by large nation states - USA, EU, China, India, Brazil.
Smaller nations may have to pool their resources to establish colonies.
Private colony worlds - yes the very rich will do such things

 

[mike wightman]

The more I think about this the less sure I am that there will be an Imperial cultural norm either.

While the nobility may try to maintain their particular cultural identity, for the average world within the Imperium their culture is entirely up to them, the Imperium doesn't interfere with how member worlds govern themselves.

 

[epicenter00]

The more I think about this the less sure I am that there will be an Imperial cultural norm either.

There would be a mythical norm (or stereotypical norm) that taken as an average of the nobility would exist, but no single noble would actually fit it exactly. It would be subject of endless glossy coffee table books by popular cultural commentators with names like "Holiday on Capital" or "The Third Imperium In Holographs" or something. When the heir-designate gets married dozens of wedding planners watch the videos avidly to capture the dress of the bride and groom and close copies (and dress inspired by it) pop up throughout the Imperium at weddings - the groom is seeing wearing a tailed coat! Suddenly every naval wedding features a jacket with a tailed coat and so on.

It would be based around noble (and very well-to-do) culture on Capital itself. Their customs and pageants would be endlessly recorded. Noble visitors and noble (and well-to-do) sons and daughters who are being educated on Capital would bring it back to their home regions. "Exiled" nobles would follow it (be they exiled by politics or on some multiyear "mission"), and anyone who wanted to "up with the latest fashions" would watch and follow it avidly. This would establish a rough "Imperial" culture in various regions.

From there, the lower and local nobility would follow the trends of the "high" local nobility. The wealthy-and-powerful-but-not-necessarily noble would copy the local nobility to give themselves an air of exclusivity. And of course, the middle class, ever wishing to appear more like the upper class and not the lower class would ape the wealthy as they always do.

At every level there would be dilution of "Imperial" culture to be replaced by local norms and sensibilities. Of course, Imperial culture would also be marked by its willingness to embrace local customs as well - like some Illeish duke well known for his good taste and his appeal to the ladies might influence the entire young male set of Capital nobles into wearing vaguely Illeish styles.

You could even introduce some humorous custom that got started like that. For instance, perhaps at some Imperial reception for frontier nobles the Emperor, when he had a moment alone, was seen to raise his tea service towards the noon sun. As it was the summer solstice, many of the frontier nobles, not wanting to embarrass themselves copied the Emperor's gesture. This was, of course all recorded. The stately way which he did this caught on and soon the Archdukes were seen doing it locally. Various commentators attributed various meanings to the custom. By the present day in the game, perhaps it's a staple custom.

However, to those truly in know, it wasn't really intended to be a custom. The Emperor had noticed a lot of spilled tea in his saucer, and in an alone moment, was holding his teacup up to see if there was a crack in it as he didn't think he had spilled that much. Of course, when everyone else copied him, eager not to offend, he didn't want to embarrass anyone by calling people on their mindless copying.