The Countries
and
Intercultural Sensitivity

The Countries

descriptions of each of the countries using these maps:

World Ethnic Groups map

How many ethnic groups do humans identify themselves as?

World Religions map

Islam is the religion. Muslims are the people. Muslims practice Islam.

The Arab World map

The Muslim World map

Which three countries have the most Muslims? Wikipedia's List of Muslim majority countries

The elephant in the room - the United States. How should we deal with the "home team" and feelings of disloyalty coming from inevitable comparisons to the U.S.?

intercultural sensitivity - whose burden?

tourist, temporary resident, ex-patriate

I got rid of the embedded video, because it wasn't working in both regular browsers and the non-standards compliant Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Did you know?

Intercultural Sensitivity

Why do some cultures have more stuff, more things, aka a "higher" (more expensive) standard of living than other cultures?

Because their people are smarter? Because their people are physically stronger, genetically superior? Because their people work harder? Because their values are better? Because they got lucky? Why?

Jared Diamond, a biologist who studies birds in New Guinea, was asked that question by Yali, one of the people of New Guinea who didn't have much stuff. Diamond's answer to Yali is in a book Guns, Germs, and Steel, which was also a TV series, most of which is available on YouTube in three 6-part episodes.

Episode One: Out of Eden, Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

"Why is it that you white people developed so much cargo, but we black people had little cargo of our own?"

Diamond realized that Yali's question penetrated the heart of a great mystery of human history -- the roots of global inequality.

Why were Europeans the ones with all the cargo? Why had they taken over so much of the world, instead of the native people of New Guinea? How did Europeans end up with what Diamond terms the agents of conquest: guns, germs and steel? It was these agents of conquest that allowed 168 Spanish conquistadors to defeat an Imperial Inca army of 80,000 in 1532, and set a pattern of European conquest which would continue right up to the present day.

Diamond knew that the answer had little to do with ingenuity or individual skill. From his own experience in the jungles of New Guinea, he had observed that native hunter-gatherers were just as intelligent as people of European descent -- and far more resourceful. Their lives were tough, and it seemed a terrible paradox of history that these extraordinary people should be the conquered, and not the conquerors.

To examine the reasons for European success, Jared realized he had to peel back the layers of history and begin his search at a time of equality -- a time when all the peoples of the world lived in exactly the same way.

Key terms

Ethnocentric

You believe that your native country, culture, language, and behavior is central or superior to all others.

Polycentric

You take the view that local people understand their own life and practices and that you are better off leaving them alone.

Geocentric

You accept that there are differences and similarities between home and foreign life and practices that you should use whatever techniques are most effective.

If you become an expatriate living or working in a foreign country — it is imperative you try to learn all you can about the local culture so you can understand the culture and avoid being beaten by your competitors

Bennett's 6 stages

The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) was created by Dr. Milton Bennett as a framework to explain the reactions of people to cultural difference. In both academic and corporate settings, he observed that individuals confronted cultural difference in some predictable ways as they learned to became more competent intercultural communicators. Using concepts from cognitive psychology and constructivism, he organized these observations into six stages of increasing sensitivity to cultural difference. One of his insights is that intercultural sensitivity is not innate. What's innate is to bond with and be loyal to a small group, family or larger, that shares the cultural values that you grew up with.

It is hard but not impossible to learn to be sensitive to other cultures. Study abroad students have special challenges when they go to another country for a time that makes them more than a tourist but not an ex-patriate. The first step is being aware of the process.

You can learn more at the web site for Bennett's consulting business: Intercultural Communication Institute.

The first three DMIS stages are ethnocentric, meaning that your own culture is experienced as central to reality in some way:

Denial of cultural difference

Your own culture is experienced as the only real one. Other cultures are avoided by maintaining psychological and/or physical isolation from differences. People in the Denial stage are disinterested (not uninerested or interested) in cultural differences, although they may act aggressively to eliminate a difference if it impinges on them.

Defense against cultural difference

Your own culture (or an adopted culture) is experienced as the only good one. The world is organized into “us and them,” where “we” are superior and “they” are inferior. People in the Defense stage are threatened by cultural difference, so they tend to be highly critical of other cultures, regardless of whether the others are their hosts, their guests, or cultural newcomers to their society.

Minimization of cultural difference

Parts of your own cultural world view are experienced as universal. Because these absolutes obscure deep cultural differences, other cultures may be trivialized or romanticized. People in the Minimization stage expect similarities, and they may become insistent about correcting others’ behavior to match their expectations.

The second three DMIS stages are ethnorelative, meaning that one’s own culture is experienced in the context of other cultures.

Acceptance of cultural difference

Your own culture is experienced as just one of a number of equally complex worldviews. Acceptance does not mean agreement—cultural difference may be judged negatively—but the judgment is not ethnocentric. People in the Acceptance stage are curious about and respectful of cultural difference.

Adaptation to cultural difference is the state

Your experience of another culture yields perception and behavior appropriate to that culture. Your worldview is expanded to include constructs from other worldviews. People in the Adaptation stage are able to look at the world through fresh eyes and may intentionally change their behavior to communicate more effectively in another culture.

Integration of cultural difference

Your experience expands to include the movement in and out of different cultural worldviews. People in the Integration stage often are dealing with problems related to their own “cultural marginality.” This stage is not necessarily better than Adaptation in most situations demanding intercultural competence, but it is common among non-dominant minority groups, long-term expatriates, and “global nomads.”

The sooner you can get yourself into the curious and respectful acceptance stage, the more you will get out of this course. In other words, can you get past your natural ethnocentricism to at least a temporary ethnorelativism?

Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

The most comprehensive, long-term study of culture is Geert Hofstede's 35-year study based on a survey of IBM's managers worldwide in the early 1970's. Subsequent broad, long-range studies have confirmed and focused the findings. Hofstede has a terrific web site and several books, of which I give Culture and Organizations my highest recommendation. He makes his money consulting with multi-national corporations, but the information is as applicable to what study-abroad students will find.

Americans studying abroad will tend to hang out with other international students. It takes more effort to venture out among the locals. Thus, while you must be sensitive to your host culture, you will also be relating to students from many different countries.

English will probably be the common language in a large, multi-cultural group. There will be side conversations in various other languages. But the English will be what native American English speakers might call broken English. There will be lots of "mistakes" that you will have to account for. In the other direction, you will become aware of how idiomatic your English is.

Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

International Business Etiquette and Manners's applications of Hoftede's dimensions to almost all of your countries or regions: Africa, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Eurpoean Union - EU, Asia, Europe/Russia, Latin America, Middle East, North America, South Pacific.

What cultural features do people in foreign cultures need to be sensitive to?

Dubai court sentences couple for sex on beach
By Jeffrey Fleishman
Los Angeles Times, October 16, 2008

A British couple whose drunken escapade led to sex on the beach, tabloid headlines and a clash between Western permissiveness and Islamic values were sentenced today by a Dubai court to three months in prison.

Academic Standards and Practices—school system, courses of study, roles and responsibilities of students and teachers, level of family support, disciplinary procedures, literacy rate; comparison to our schools

Behaviors—how to handle oneself in social and emotional contexts; eye contact, communications, touching, friendship, loyalty, honor, age differences

Climate—weather patterns, seasons

Diet—foods, delicacies, dining etiquette, recipes

Ecology—native plants and wildlife

Family Structure and Values—roles and responsibilities of family members, “typical” households

Gender Roles—social and private, men and women’s role and responsibilities; work, dress, concept of beauty and modesty

Health and Medicine—personal hygiene, attitude toward doctors and medicine, types of health care, exposure to diseases and other health concerns

Inventions—famous scientists, contributions to the field of science

Judicial System—crime and punishment, criminal process

Key Words—Hello, Goodbye, Please, Thank you, Yes, No, How are You?—and other words of praise; phonetic spellings for pronunciations

Languages—written and oral, orthography

National Heroes—role models for children and/or adults

Occupations—work ethic, employment opportunities

Politics and Economics—current events that shape the personal identity and the world view of people of other cultures; economic status in the world; currency

Religions and Holidays—beliefs, dates and traditions

Sports—favorite sports, teams, and athletes; attitudes of fans; notable athletic events

Taboos—faux pas; the gestures and procedures that we use that people of other cultures may consider improper or insulting

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Music—types of music and dancing, native instruments, influences on music of the world, famous musicians, performers

Visual Arts—types of visual arts, influences on art of the world, famous artists

Works of Literature—popular authors, popular stories and literature about or by the people of this country, types of poetry

Youth Culture—fashion, music, interests, trends and attitudes