Chapter X: Multicultural Travels

Author: Sarah Coutts & Lauren PriceLesson Objective: At the end of this lesson, trainees will have knowledge of the “Three Ps” cultural framework and have extended their understanding of a range of countries and cultures from around the world.

In order to understand a culture, it is important to explore the different aspects within the culture. By examining the different components of culture, it is possible not only to learn more about new cultures, but also, through comparison and reflection, to discover more about one’s own cultural beliefs and values.

One framework for investigating culture is the “Three Ps” in which a culture can be divided into three sections: Products, Practices and Perspectives.

Products are the intangible or tangible creations of a culture. Practices are the appropriate patterns of social interactions or behaviors. Perspectives are the underlying cultural attitudes, values, beliefs and ideas.

Practices, products, and perspectives are not independent of each other. Whichever form the cultural aspect takes, its presence is justified by the culture’s underlying beliefs and values (perspectives) while the cultural practices involve using that product.

Example 1:In the U.S., youth has traditionally been valued more than old age (a perspective). As a result, products that claim to prolong youth and vitality (e.g. face creams, high fiber breakfast cereals and fitness equipment) have become an integral part of the culture. At the same time, practices that are perceived as prolonging youth and health are encouraged: school children have physical education to promote physical exercise; many invest in running shoes (products) or join a fitness club (product); some take extreme measures to look younger and have plastic surgery (practice) or wear clothes associated with a younger set (products).

Example 2:In Spain, bread is considered a fundamental part of every meal (perspective). Fresh, long baguette-type loaves of bread (products) are baked and sold daily in panaderías (products). At the table, people break off rather than slice pieces of bread from the long loaves and often use the bread to scoop food onto eating utensils (practices). Butter isn’t served with the bread (practice).

1

1 National Standards for Foreign Language Education Project. (1999). Standards forforeign language learning in the 21st century. Lawrence, KS: Allen Press, Inc. www.carla.umn.edu/cobaltt/modules/curriculum/textanalysis/Practices_Products_Perspectives_Examples.pdf)

WHO AM I?

a) Look at the images below. What can you tell about each person? Think about features such as their gender, job, nationality, religion or hobbies.

b) Reflect on your answers to the previous question. For each image, make a sentence using the word ‘all’ and the feature you identified.

e.g. All students wear uniforms.All men wear pants.

AND IN KOREA…

With your partner, look at one of the cartoons below and answer the following questions:

a) What is the stereotype? b) Do you think the stereotype is true?c) Is it a negative or positive stereotype?

Cartoon 1

Cartoon 2

Cartoon 3

Comics sourced from ROKetship by Luke Martin

A. PRACTICES

Practices are the patterns of social interactions and behaviors, and represent the cultural knowledge of appropriate action based on specific context (i.e. “what to do when and where”).

Practices can include:

Rites of passage Use of formal vs. informal

language Use of space (norms of respect

in social interactions) The social “pecking order” Table manners Shopping behaviors

Turn-taking (conversation/games)

Traditions related to holidays Socially appropriate behaviors

for situations (e.g. interviewing, dating, weddings, funerals).

Gestures and other forms of non-verbal communication

Gift giving is one cultural practice that varies across cultures. Some

cultures may place importance on gift-giving in business while in other cultures the practice may be rare or even seen as an attempt at bribery

ETIQUETTE: Mealtime Rules2

1. Think about when you eat a meal; what manners or rules do you follow?

a) Who eats together? b) What should you do before eating?

c) Are there rules about your hands or the way you sit?

d) What should you do at the end of a meal?

2 Peacecorps, n.d., Cuisine and Etiquette in Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia, available at http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/lesson-plans/cuisine-and-etiquette/

e) Have you ever been in a situation where the rules you are used to don’t seem right?

2. Read one of the passages about mealtimes in another country. Can you identify the mealtime behaviors that are considered acceptable or unacceptable? Think about the questions below:

a) What are the roles of…

men women children

….during mealtime?

b) What is the proper behavior…

before during after

…the meal?

c) What are some taboos (what not to do when eating in this country)?

d) Listen to the other groups’ results; are there any similarities?

e) From observing these cultural behaviors (on the previous page) we can begin to form ideas about what each culture values or thinks is most important. e.g. By observing that Ugandan families say a prayer before eating, we may assume that religion is an important part of daily life.

In the table below, choose 3-5 cultural behaviors and think what they might tell us about that country’s cultural values:

Cultural Behavior Assumption about Cultural Valuese.g. Ugandan families say

a prayer before eating.

Religion is an important part of daily life.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

READING A: Cuisine and Etiquette in Sierra Leone

Rice is the staple food in Sierra Leone where it is eaten at least twice a day. "If I haven't had my rice, I haven't eaten today," is a popular saying. Only women and girls prepare food. They usually cook in big pots on a stove made of three big rocks. Most people use firewood or charcoal, but gas or electricity is more available in cities.

If you visit a Sierra Leonean friend, they will most likely invite you to stay and eat. The men and boys usually eat separately from the women and girls. Everyone washes their hands before they eat; then they gather in a circle with a huge dish of food in the middle. Sharing is an important part of life in Sierra Leone, and each person eats from the part of the big dish that is closest to them. It is very bad manners to reach across the dish! Since the left hand is considered unclean, only the right hand is used for eating. Sierra Leoneans do not talk while eating because it shows a lack of respect for the food. It is also rude to lean on your left hand while you are eating.

The oldest males get the best pieces of meat or fish. The young males take the next best pieces, and the women and girls get what is left. Sometimes, they even wait until the men and boys have finished eating before they eat. Rice is eaten by hand. People squeeze or roll it into a ball then dip it into sauce before eating it. When everyone is finished eating, they wash their hands and thank the cook. People usually drink water only after a meal is over.

The most popular sauces are made of greens, especially cassava or potato leaves. Other common ingredients are palm oil, onions, tomatoes, yams, red peppers, and sometimes peanut or coconut oil. Other sources of protein in the sauces include groundnuts, beans, fish, chicken, goat meat, pork and seafood. Most of the calories, however, come from eating large quantities of rice.

Fruits in Sierra Leone include oranges, bananas, papayas, lemons, avocados, guava, watermelons, mangoes, and pineapples. Fruit is usually eaten as a snack. Tea and coffee are drunk in some parts of the country for breakfast while coke and beer are popular among people who can afford them.

READING B: Cuisine and Etiquette in Zambia

Zambia's staple food is maize (corn), and Zambians eat it in several ways. When the corn is ripe but still green, it can be roasted or boiled. When it is dry and hard, it can be fried or boiled. It can also be pounded slightly to remove the outside layer and boiled as is or mixed with beans or peanuts. Sometimes, the maize is ground to a size a little bigger than rice and is cooked like rice. Finally, we have the fine cornmeal, which is called mealie-meal in Zambia. This is used for making nsima, which is the most popular meal. Nsima is steamed cornmeal.

Meat from cows, goats, sheep, and fish is used in sauces over nsima. There are also a lot of vegetables put in sauces, such as leaves from beans, okra, cow peas, pumpkins, and cassava. Other vegetables eaten almost daily include onions and tomatoes.

All the cooking is done by the wife. Nsima is usually prepared for lunch and dinner, but not for breakfast. In a traditional setting, boys eat with the man of the house from the age of seven.

The mother eats with the girls and younger boys. All children below the age of seven are under the guidance and tuition of their mother. Almost all learning takes place through daily activities in the home and at mealtimes. This is changing, especially in towns and cities. The trend now is that members of the family all eat together.

Before eating, everybody washes hands in order of the status of the members of the family: father first then the mother, and others follow according to their ages. One of the younger children, boy or girl, passes a water dish around for others to wash their hands. If a visitor happens to have a meal with the family, he or she is given the honor of washing first.

It is rude to talk much or loudly while eating. After eating, the family members wash their hands again in the same order. The wife and the young ones clear the table. Belching after a meal used to be a compliment, but it is not nowadays.

READING C: Cuisine and Etiquette in Uganda

In Uganda, the staple food is matoke (cooking bananas). Other food crops include cassava (manioc), sweet potatoes, white potatoes, yams, beans, peas, groundnuts (peanuts), cabbage, onions, pumpkins, and tomatoes. Some fruits, such as oranges, papayas, lemons, and pineapples are also grown. Most fruit is eaten as a snack between meals.

Most people, except for a few who live in the city centers, produce their own food. The responsibility for preparing the family's meals belongs solely to women and girls in the home. Men and boys older than 12 are not even expected to sit in the kitchen, which is separate from the main house. Cooking is done on an open fire using wood for fuel.

Most families eat two meals a day. The two meals are lunch and supper. Breakfast is just a cup of tea or a bowl of porridge. When a meal is ready, all members of the household wash their hands and sit on floor mats. Hands have to be washed before and after the meal because most Ugandans eat with their hands. Everybody is welcome at mealtimes; visitors and neighbors who drop in are expected to join the family at a meal.

Food is served by women. They cut it up into small pieces for each member of the family. Sauce – which is usually a stew with vegetables, beans, butter, salt, and curry powder – is served to each person on a plate. Sometimes fish or beef stew is served.

A short prayer is often said before the family eats. During the meal, children talk only when asked a question. It is bad manners to reach for salt or a spoon; ask someone sitting close to it to pass it instead. It is also bad manners to leave the room while others are still eating. Everyone respects the meal by staying seated until the meal is over. Leaning on the left hand or stretching one’s legs while at a meal is a sign of disrespect and is not tolerated. People usually drink water at the end of the meal. It is considered odd to drink water while eating.

When the meal is finished, everyone in turn compliments the mother by saying, "Thank you for preparing the meal, madam." No dessert is served after a meal.

CULTURAL CUSTOMS3

Below are some traditions and customs from Arab countries and the wider Islamic world. Do you know why these cultural traditions exist? Can you guess? Write your answers on the next page.

1) Arabic and Islamic people drink lots of sweet, strong coffee and tea and smoke a lot (e.g. hookah pipes).

2) Men in Middle Eastern countries often hug, kiss, walk arm-in-arm with and hold hands with male relatives and friends.

3) Turkish waiters clear the plates from the table as soon as you have finished eating and sometimes even before!

4) Be careful where you put your feet and never show the soles of your feet to an Arab person.

5) You should not ask an Arab person about the health, etc. of a female member of their family.

6) Many people in the Middle East and Asia don’t eat, pass food, wave or shake hands with their left hands.

7) You should be very careful about complimenting any of your Arab host’s possessions.

8) You need to avoid talking about your pets or showing them to a Middle Eastern friend.

9) Both Arabic men and women wear loose clothing that covers their entire bodies from head to feet.

10) Muslims are forbidden to eat pork (pig meat).

11) In some countries, it is considered polite to burp after meals.

12) Arabs are traditionally very hospitable to strangers.

My Answers:3 TEFLtastic, n.d., Reasons for Cultural Differences, available at http://tefltastic.wordpress.com/worksheets/efl-cultural-training/reasons-for-differences/

1) 2) 3)

4) 5) 6)

7) 8) 9)

10) 11) 12)

GESTURES4

Choose one of the gestures below and read the description to your partner. Do not do the action yourself! Can your partner guess the meaning and the country it is used in?

Student A

Put your index finger near the side of your head and twist it round in

circles.

(crazy – Europe and the Americas)

Hold out your first two fingers and your thumb and rub them together.

(money – many places)

Hold out the index fingers of both hands and then touch the length (sides) of the two index fingers

together.

(They are a couple. – Turkey)

Put your index finger along the side of your nose, pointing up, and thentap the side of your nose 3 times.

(Don’t be nosy. / Mind your ownBusiness. / It’s private – UK)

Make a cutting gesture with an open hand across your throat, with

your palm facing down.

(Dead – many countries; stop (talking. e.g. when giving a

presentation – US)

Hold up only your thumb andlittle finger and point your

thumb towards your mouth.

(Drinking = drunk – Australia and other Commonwealth countries)

Pull down the bottom eyelid of your left eye with your left index finger.

(Be careful – France)

Put the palm of your open handon your heart.

(I promise or I amtouched = I feel moved – many

countries)

4 TEFLtastic 2009, International Gestures Pairwork, available at http://www.usingenglish.com/files/pdf/gestures-present-continuous.pdf

Student B

Point your index fingertowards your nose.

(I/ me – Japan;nose most other places)

Put an open hand under your chin with your fingernails touching your

chin and your fingers pointing towards your throat. Pull your hand

out away from your neck and towards the person you are

speaking to.

(I don’t care – Italian; F--k off – general)

Breathe on all of your fingernails(with your fingers folded) and then

polish your nails on your shirt.

(I did a very good job = I am proudof myself – UK)

Flick back your head andraise your eyebrows.

(No – Turkey, Greece, etc.)

Hold up an open hand andmake a circle from yourfirst finger and thumb.

(Okay – US and many other places;You are gay. Turkey)

Put your index finger on theside of your head and tap your head a few times.

(Mad / You should think about it / remember)

Breathe on theend of your fingers.

(Be quiet – Saudi Arabia)

Move both hands asif they are mouths.

(You are talking a lot aboutnothing – UK and USA)

B. PRODUCTS

Products are the tangible or intangible creations of a culture. They often are a representation of the culture’s perspectives.

Products can include items such as:

Tangible Products Intangible Products

artwork foods household items houses & buildings literature paintings pottery sports equipment tools toys traditional/contemporary dress utensils

dances folktales language laws literary styles/genres music rituals social, economic, political

institutions (e.g., the educational system )

Multicultural Cinderella

Read your version of the Cinderella folktale and complete the table below:

Evid

ence

for

Cultu

ral V

alue

sCu

ltura

l Val

ues o

r Cu

stom

sM

agic

al E

lem

ents

Cind

erel

la’s

Ch

arac

teris

tics

Title

Yeh-

Shen

(

)

The

Roug

h-Fa

ced

One

(

)

Rhod

opis

(

)

Kong

jwi

and

Patjw

i(

)

As you read, check the cultural values and customs that apply to your text:

Obedience in Women

Respect for Authority

Festivals for Matchmaking

Power of the King

Unmarried sisters live with brothers

Reverence for Nature

Class status(Rich have power)

Respect for Parents

Representation of Gods

Practice of Slavery

Respect for Talent or Skills

Simplistic Lifestyle

Summarize your group’s version of Cinderella in 3 to 5 sentences:

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

C. PERSPECTIVESPerspectives are the philosophical perspectives, meanings, attitudes, values, beliefs and ideas that underlie the cultural practices and products of a society. They represent a culture’s view of the world.

Perspectives can include:

youth valued over age or vice versa

importance of individual freedom;

independence importance of family the belief that bigger is better valuing sports/entertainment

over education

values attached to bilingualism, multilingualism, monolingualism value of having (ownership) belief that humans are part of

the natural world and must respect and care for it

value associated with personal privacy

Perspectives are hard to view separate from a culture’s products or practices. This is because products and practices are the tools with which we can view a culture’s perspectives. Two areas in which these perspectives can be observed is the culture’s communication style and common expressions.

COMMUNICATION STYLES 5

Communication is a fundamental aspect of culture with so much of an individual’s time and action spent in one form of communicating (receiving or sending of a message). Especially when considering cross-cultural contexts, the communication style specific to a culture becomes increasingly important. The way something is said, either in the actual words or in the non-verbal signals that accompany them, can be interpreted differently by people from different cultural backgrounds.

5 Peacecorps, n.d., Styles of Communication: Direct and Indirect, available at http://files.peacecorps.gov/wws/interactive/culturematters/Ch3/stylescommunication.html

There is a fundamental distinction in communication styles across most cultures. A culture is often has either a Direct/Low Context communication style or a Indirect/High Context communication style. This is where the context (the amount of innate, instinctual and largely unconscious understanding that a person is expected to bring to an interaction or conversation) influences how direct or indirect that actual words spoken are.

Direct/Low Context Communication Style:

Low context cultures (like the United States) tend to be more heterogeneous and individualist and accordingly have evolved into a more direct communication style.

Less can be assumed about the other person in these cultures, and less is known about others in a culture where people prefer independence, self-reliance and a greater emotional distance from each other.

People cannot rely on using the context (i.e. not doing or not saying something that is always done or said in that situation) or communicating non-verbally to make themselves understood.

People must rely more on words and on those words being interpreted literally.

Getting or giving information is the goal of most communication exchanges.

Indirect/High Context Communication Style:

In high context cultures (such as in Thailand), which tend to be homogeneous and collectivist, people have highly-developed and -refined expectations of how most interactions will unfold, including how they and the other person will behave in a particular situation.

Because people in high context cultures already know and understand each other quite well, they have evolved a more indirect style of communication.

They have less need to be explicit and rely less on words to convey meaning – especially on the literal meaning of the spoken word – and more on non-verbal communication.

Meaning is often conveyed by manipulating the context

Because these cultures tend to be collectivist, people work closely together and know what everyone else knows.

The overriding goal of a communication exchange is to maintain harmony and save face.

Identify the Communication Style 6

Using your knowledge of indirect/low and direct/high context communication styles, identify the communication style of each of the following statements:

People are reluctant to say no Use of intermediaries or third parties is frequent

Use of understatements is frequent It’s best to tell it like it is

It’s okay to disagree with your boss at a meeting “Yes” means yes

It’s not necessary to read between the lines “Yes” means I hear you

People engage in small talk and catching up before getting down to business

Business first, then small talk

Communication Clash

Write about a time when your communication style clashed with the style of someone else:

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

6 Peace Corps, n.d., Styles of Communication: Direct and Indirect, available at http://files.peacecorps.gov/wws/interactive/culturematters/Ch3/stylescommunication.html

IndirectDirect 7

The following statements are written in an indirect communication style. Rewrite them so that they are more direct. The first one has been done for you:

INDIRECT DIRECT

1. That is a veryinteresting viewpoint.

2. This idea deserves further consideration.

3. I know very little about this, but...

4. We understand your suggestion very well.

5. We will try our best.

6. I heard another story about that meeting.

7. Can we move onto the next topic?

7 Peace Corps, n.d., Decoding Indirectness, available at http://files.peacecorps.gov/wws/interactive/culturematters/Ch3/decoding.html

DirectIndirect 8

The following statements are written in a direct communication style. Rewrite them so that they are more indirect. The first one has been done for you:

DIRECT INDIRECT

1. I don't think that'ssuch a good idea.

2. That's not the point.

3. I think we should...

4. What do you think,Mr. Cato?

5. Those percentagesare not accurate.

6. You're doingthat wrong.

7. I don't agree.

8 Peace Corps, n.d., Practicing Indirectness, available at http://files.peacecorps.gov/wws/interactive/culturematters/Ch3/practiceindirect.html

PROVERBS & IDIOMS9

The things that people say in everyday conversation can be an insight into their culture. This is because these expressions, often proverbs and idioms, reflect what the general population believes or values.

Read the following expressions and suggest a cultural value or belief that they represent:

Value: ________________________

Don’t beat around the bush. Tell it like it is. Straight talk, straight answer

Value: ________________________

Every cloud has a silver lining. Look on the bright side. Tomorrow is another day.

Value: ________________________

Talk is cheap. Put your money where your mouth is. He's all talk and no action.

Value: ________________________

Don't judge a book by its cover. All that glitters isn't gold.

Value: ________________________

Stand on your own two feet.

Value: ________________________

Where there's a will there's a way.

Value: ________________________

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Value: ________________________

She did something with her life. Nice guys finish last.

9 Peace Corps, n.d., The things We Say: Culture in Casual Expressions, available at http://files.peacecorps.gov/wws/interactive/culturematters/Ch2/thethingswesay.html