YEO 2012_Confronting Ethnocentrism, Bangkok

Confronting Ethnocentrism:

The Key to Developing Cultural

Competence

Dennis White, Ph.D.

dkwhite@itol.com

This presentation is available on line at www.yeoresources.org

• A complete program that teaches the concepts of culture and culture shock using the film Outsourced is available on Drop Box

• Send me an email at:

Dkwhite@itol.com

This presentation is available on line at www.yeoresources.org

• A 45 minute training DVD on Understanding Cultural Differences (about 10 copies) for sale from NAYEN

• Two short YE promotional videos (10 minutes each) for sale from CSRYE

a. Recruiting Exchange Students

b. Recruiting Host Families (also with Spanish

subtitles)

The key to a successful exchange program is

understanding culture

The key to understanding culture is understanding

ethnocentrism

The keys to understanding ethnocentrism are: 1. Actively looking for cultural differences 2. Accepting those differences and3. Adapting to differences, without judgment

CultureAn integrated system of learned behavior patterns that are characteristic of any given society.

It refers to the total way of life, including how people think, feel and behave.

Any given society refers to any group to which we belong that teaches us how to behave.

Examples include: • Nations • Ethnic sub-groups• Religious groups• Geographic regions• Families• etc.

Why does culture matter?

The vast majority of failed exchanges have at their base the inability to understand and adjust to cultural differences

Why does culture matter?

But the reasons are often seen as something else – “personality differences” lack of interest from the hosting Rotary Club, “rude school classmates”, etc.

Why does culture matter?

Our inability, as YEOs, to understand and adjust to cultural differences can interfere with every aspect of managing exchanges

Why does culture matter?

• Selection

• Placement

• Orientation

• In-country problems

• Early returns

The best preparation I know is to try to understand the concept of culture and the idea of cultural differences

Think of culture as the lens through which you view the world

If you are color blind, you cannot see certain colors, no matter how hard you try

If you are “culture blind”, you cannot see many dimensions of other cultures, no matter how hard you try

Ethnocentrism:

The universal tendency for any culture to see its own values and practices as natural and correct.

Versailles

Ethnocentrism:

The universal tendency for any culture to see its own values and practices as natural and correct.

• In some ways, all people are alike

• In some ways, people are like others in their group

• In some ways people are unique

• Universal• Cultural

• Individual

The most common ethnocentric assumption is that we can translate literally from one language to another, which leads to both humorous and serious mistakes.

What do they mean?

• On the door of a Moscow hotel room:• If this is your first visit to Russia, you are welcome to it.

• Outside a Hong Kong tailor shop:

Ladies may have a fit upstairs.

What do they mean?

• The Minister unveiled the church's new tithing (giving) campaign slogan last Sunday:

"I Upped My Pledge (increased my promise to donate money)

- Up Yours."

• This afternoon there will be a meeting in the South and North ends of the church.

Children will be baptized at both ends

• In Mexico it was translated as “The Rebel Novice Nun”

• The Sound of Music• In the Czech Republic it was translated as

“Santa Is A Pervert”• Bad Santa• In China it was translated as “One Night,

Big Belly”

• Knocked Up• In Venezuela it was translated as “Vaselina”• Grease

At the very minimum, confronting ethnocentrism teaches us that there is almost always more than one way to see something.

This is readily demonstrated in optical or visual illusions

• Universal• Cultural

• Individual

Example: Eating Food

• Everyone eats – Universal

• Different groups eat different foods – in different ways – Cultural

• Some people don’t eat the way most of the people in their culture eat - Individual

Normal Distribution of Any Cultural Trait

Frequency

Amount of Trait

Comparing Two Cultures (on any given trait)

In this example, there is some overlap, but the two cultures are mostly different

Think of culture as the lens through which you view the world

The Cultural Iceberg

1/8th above the surface

7/8ths below the surface

Conscious behaviors

Unconscious beliefs and

values

• Universal• Cultural

• Individual

Dancing

Ethnorelativism:

The acquired ability to see many values, beliefs and behaviors as cultural rather than universal.

Universal vs. Cultural

• Greetings are universal• How we greet is mostly cultural

Shake hands

Wave

Bow

Hug

Kiss – One, two, or three times…

Universal vs. Cultural

• Greetings are universal• How we greet is mostly cultural

Shake hands

Wave

Bow

Hug

Kiss – One, two, or three times…

Wai

How high should one Wai

when greeting a Thai?

The answer that comes at us

Is it depends on their status

Bhichai Rattakul, RI President,Thailand

2002-03

Nationally famous Australian cricket player Dennis Lilee, when introduced to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth simply, and sincerely stated:

G’Day, mate, how ya goin’?

The Australians are really quite naïve when it comes to greeting people.

They treat everyone exactly the same!

“The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being like you. They are unique manifestations of the human spirit ”.

Wade Davis

Developing cultural competence means confronting the experience of difference

Not the experience of similarities

But in a new culture, with differences that make us uncomfortable …

That is exactly what we do!

In order to feel comfortable we:

1. Focus on other Inbounds (the Inbound Syndrome), and 2. Maintain excessive contact back home (the Homebound Syndrome)

Hidden Values beneath the surface

• Respect for age

• Proximity (personal space – closeness or distance)

• Informality

Assumption:

Informality = Comfortability.

Reality: In some culturesFormality = Comfortability.

• Respect for age

• Proximity (personal space – closeness or distance)

Culture Shock

The profound sense of disorientation and discomfort that comes with extended travel or living in a foreign culture markedly different from one’s own.

Kalvero Oberg• Finnish Parents• Born in Canada• Studied in USA

• Led a career as a teacher and international aid expert – became US citizen

• Assigned for a time in Brasil• Gave a speech in Rio De Janeiro – August

3, 1954• First recorded use of the term “culture

shock”

Stages of Culture Shock:

• Initial enthusiasm and excitement

• Irritability and negativism

• Gradual adjustment and adaptation

• Integration and bi-culturalism

Culture Shock.doc The Middle Wave of Culture Shock.doc

Because Ethnocentrism is usually unconscious, it is rarely intentional.

That is we rarely start out trying to be ethnocentric

Culture Shock

The profound sense of disorientation and discomfort that comes with extended travel or living in a foreign culture markedly different from one’s own.

Culture Shock is stressful

Under stress we fall back to old behavior - Ethnocentrism

When are we most stressed?

• Hungry• Angry• Lonely• Tired

H.A.L.T.

These principles apply to any intercultural experience, not just Youth Exchange

• GSE Training

• World Community Service

• General Rotary Awareness

Examples of Irritability and Negativism

• If they mean “no” why don’t they say “no”?• Why don’t they just tell me what something

costs?• Why can’t anyone stand in line?• Why do they drive so fast?• Why are they always hugging? or• Why don’t they ever hug?• Why are their signs so hard to read?

Example: Floor elevation (uneven surfaces)

• In the USA and Canada – floors going between rooms are almost always on the same level

• In Thailand, and many other countries, this is not necessarily so.

Example: Floor elevation (uneven surfaces)

• In the USA and Canada – floors going between rooms are almost always on the same level

• In Thailand, and many other countries, this is not necessarily so.

• We expect the surfaces to be even, so we often trip or stub out toes on the small step.

• Ethnorelativism would tell us – it isn’t right or wrong – just different.

• But after stubbing my toe several times in one day after a long day of travel, it is difficult not to be critical.

Studying the concept of culture requires confronting Ethnocentrism – again and again

As H.A.L.T. increases

• Our tendency to think and behave Ethnocentrically increases

• Our ability to think and behave in a culturally sensitive and competent manner decreases

“Some travelers want to go to foreign places but are dismayed when the places turn out actually to be foreign.” Canadian author Margaret Atwood

When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.

Clifton Fadiman

No culture is static – all cultures are constantly

changing – from within and without

Once again, this is most apparent in food

But the changes can be more dramatic and important

• Slavery was once widespread and is no longer legal anywhere in the world.

• Northern Ireland is relatively peaceful.• The Berlin Wall has been gone for 23

years – longer than any of our current students have been alive.

But the changes can be more dramatic and important

• In 2004, RI President-elect Carl-Wilhelm Stenhemmar said:

"My dream is for every 17-year old to become a Youth Exchange Student. If we could achieve this, there would be no more wars."

Carl-Wilhelm Stenhemmar, Rotary International President 2004-2005

We are making a difference in the culture of the world – the culture of peace.

And you deserve to give yourselves a “well done”!

This is my prayer, oh God of all the nations

A prayer of peace for lands afar and mine

This is my home, the country where my heart lies,

Here lie my hopes my dreams like stars that shine

But other hearts in other lands are beating

With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine

My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean

And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine

But other skies have sunlight too, and clover

And skies are everywhere as blue as mine

Oh hear my prayer oh God of all the nations

A prayer of peace for their land and for mine