Culture...

What is culture? It is something around us….something that makes us feel safe….something indescribable….almost impossible to define…it is…without a need to be described…

Our lecture was very interesting and useful, we had a great chance to find out more about culture in theory but also in practice. We were divided into 3 free teams, each team was obliged to gather information about three countries: Ireland, Poland and United Arab Emirates to prove the cultural differences.

The anthropologist, Clifford Geertz, defines culture as a “historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols…by means of which men can communicate, perpetuate and develop their own knowledge about and attitudes towards life.”

Differences between people within any given nation or culture are much greater than differences between groups. Education, social standing, religion, personality, belief structure, past experience, affection shown in the home, and a myriad of other factors will affect human behavior and culture.(Encina, 2007)

A good example of cultural difference is in the way different cultures view time. In traditional (i.e. most Eastern and African) cultures, trust and friendship is more important than time. One does not hurry on to business matters – first one chats with those one will be dealing with, even if this delays the start of the meeting. In this way, one builds trust and relationships. In the West (i.e. Western Europe, the U.S., Australia and much of South America) one’s schedule is to be adhered to strictly. (taken from Paul Hiebert’s book, Cultural Anthropology). Westerners feel that Easterners are dishonest and rude when they come 20 minutes to half an hour late to an appointment. But when an Easterner says ’11:00’ he or she means ‘between 11 and 12’. In contrast Westerners divide time into strictly-measured hours, minutes and seconds, into which one carefully arranges one’s plans, appointments, and activities so as to fit exactly and not cause delays to one’s own or anyone else’s plans. Neither is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ necessarily, but they certainly are different, and when persons with different assumptions come into contact there is great room for misunderstanding!(source: http://blue.butler.edu/~jfmcgrat/culture.htm)

It is important to recognize that people from different cultures have are different in a variety of ways, including

• different ways of looking at things
• different ways of dressing
• different ways of expressing personality/goodness

What is more there are many differences in gestures. These differences can cause problems interpreting what the other person is doing. Some simple examples:

• In the US, a firm, short handshake indicates self-confidence and (heterosexual) masculinity. A limp handshake by a man can be interpreted (usually wrongly) as a sign of homosexuality or wimpiness. But in most parts of Africa, a limp handshake is the correct way to do it. Furthermore, it is common in Africa for the handshake to last several minutes, while in the US a handshake that is even a few seconds too long is interpreted as familiarity, warmth and possibly sexual attraction.
• In Britain, men do not look at women on the streets. The French do. Recently, a French public figure mentioned in a speech that the Brits are all gay -- the evidence was their lack of overt interest in women.

These are three collages above, which show the results of our presentations about Polish, Irish and Arabic culture.

Great advice:

Breaking through status barriers can take time and effort. The amount of exertion will depend on many factors, including the skill of the manager (teacher, volunteer) on the one hand, and how alienated and disenfranchised from the main stream the person he is trying to reach feels.

There is much to be gained by observing how people of the same culture interact with each other. Don't be afraid to ask questions as most people respond very positively to inquiries about their culture. Ask a variety of people so you can get a balanced view. (Encina, 2007)