Culture and Colossians question

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. - NASB

 
As I've worked through this week's sermon on Colossians 2, I have wondered how closely the "elementary principles of the world" and/or the "rulers and authorities" might include the idea of genius, particularly the household variety.  Is this too anachronistic? 

The reason for my question is that Colossians 2 might then address what we identify as culture - the family/national genius that determines what makes people acceptable.  If this is true, then Paul's (or Timothy's) line of reasoning demonstrates a way in which he is liberated from culture without becoming culture-less:  he is freed from Judaism yet remains a Jew.  Further, the powers in the world; the authorities which always are in power in part because they play upon cultural beliefs, are then paraded in front of the one resurrected God.  It also might allow for the redemption of cultures as powers (pace Wink) without simply trying to abandon/ destroy them.

So in conclusion and in summary:  How much of a resource is Colossians 2 in directly addressing ethnicity and culture as powers that Christ overcomes in redemption?  Biblically speaking, that is.  -I'm already there theologically, hehe.