Cultural Stereotyping

A Comparison of :

FRANCE & INDIADONE BY: ALEAH ALEXANDER

ALANA DOODHAI

AMANDA SUBIT

MELISSA DESPOT

PAULA JOSEPH

Terrorism in France

According to Mc Partland (2014), France is the

“terrorism capital of Europe”.

2006- 6th/164 countries, for Incidences

related to terrorist activities, where 1097

persons were either injured or harmed.

Charlie Hebdo – Terrorism Attack

Terrorism in India

Terror related deaths, March 15th, 2015 -

http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/databa

se/indiafatalities.htm

Civilians: Thirty-six (36)

Security Officials: Twenty-two (22)

Terrorists: Fifty-nine (59)

Terrorism in India cont’d2013

February: Two blasts occurred in the city of Hyderabad in southern India in a crowded shopping area,killing 16 people and wounding 119.

May: Naxalite insurgents of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) attacked a convoy of Indian National Congress leaders in Darbha Valley in the Sukmadistrict of the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh on May 25. The attack caused at least 27 deaths, including that of a former state minister and two other politicians.

October: A series of bomb blasts rocked Patna in the northern state of Bihar at an election rally for Narendra Modi, who was the prime ministerial candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party at the time. Six people were killed during the attack and 85 others were injured.

PESHAWAR ATTACK

The significance of December 16th to India and Pakistan.

1971- Indo – Pakistani War

2014 – Peshawar attack

Religion in France

According to the Central Intelligence Agency (2014), the

religious denominations in France are as follows:

Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%,

Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4%.

Religion in India HINDUISM -80.5%

ISLAM – 13.4%

CHRISTIANITY - 2.3%

SIKHISM – 1.9%

BUDDHISM and JAINISM – 1.2%

OTHER – 0.7%

CASTE SYSTEM, ENDOGAMY & ARRANGED

MARRIAGES IN INDIA & FRANCE

• Caste system: a social class separated from others by distinctions of

hereditary rank or profession or wealth.

In India’s culture there is four well known caste- priests, warriors, commerce

and workmen. These would be the high caste, while the lower caste would

be, the outcasts or the untouchables. Before the French revolution the French

followed the caste system mainly, the endogamy practice and there was no

way out of it. In this system the three distinct estates, or social classes, were

made up of clergy, the first estate, nobles, the second estate, and the

common people, the third estate.

ENDOGAMY & ARRANGE MARRIAGES

CONT’D..

ENDOGAMY: both India and France once followed this practice, its where

one is required to marry within their own ethnicity, religious or social

groups.

ARRANGE MARRIAGES: Religious or cultural issues, preservation of wealth, or

the formation of political alliances are common reasons for arranged

marriages.

Endogamy today is stilled practiced in both France and India but it is no

longer a requirement .

arranged marriages today in India is preceded by an extended period of

informal ‘dates’ (meetings) between the couple to evaluate each other and

their prospective relationship.

Dress code in France

When you imagine French dress code, the first picture comes to your mind is

stripe T shirt and berets.

Today the stripe shirt is known as Breton, it was created in 1858 for French

navy sailors Brittany following the act of France. Having twenty one stripes on

the T shirt signifying each of Napoleon victories.

The stripe T shirts change the fashion industry and was immortalized. This

was done in 1911 by designer Coco Chanel (Anne Andre, 2015).

French normally dress well, those who live in the towns wear “business casual

attire” (Laura K. Lawless, 2015).

Dress code in India

India the dress code are different from state to state, yet each state are

unique in its own way. Let us explore the attire of India.

Sari - is a national attire wear by women. It incorporate six to nine yard of

unstitched silk or cotton cloth draped around forming pleats.

Salwar Kameez- a two piece with dupatta (a veil covering the bosom or

head), with pyjama and a top. The outfit is worn by women it is considered as

being comfortable and worn to work at the office or by unmarried young

women.

Lehenga and Choli- This is a women attire which include ankle length skirt

and a blouse. Also a Gharara which is a flared skirt which is available in

attractive colours.

The wear Dhoti is cloth drape around from the waist, which is tied at the

waist and passed through the legs, for a top a Kurta is worn.

Modern attire- is growing wear women wear dresses and jeans and mean

wear t- shirt and pants for casual wear (“How to people dress in India”,

2009).

Music in France

People perceive France music as romantic. Which widens your imagination

'painting the picture of authentic "La Vie en Rose’ settings with lovers kissing

in the rain by the Eiffel Tower, couples hugging on the ancient steps of Notre-

Dame or getting engaged on the Bateaux-Mouche (Nathalie Richard-Sewell,

2012).

In France there are different types of music, which vary from folk, opera,

classical, pop, and rock (Rachel Hanson, 2015).

Music in India

The most familiar stereotypes about India music are the spectacular

surroundings where couples express their love for each other as they pretend

to sing and dance around the tree (“The India Stereotypes, 2013.”)

The name Bollywood was obtain through a mixture of names, Bombay (now

known as Mumbai) and Hollywood. Bollywood is the largest film industry in

the world. The film are musical that vary from love, comedy and action thrills

(“What is Bollywood dance?”).

Food & Drink in France Stereotype Reality

Consume large amounts of wine Many vineyards causing heavy wine consumption. Since

1980, national wine consumption has dropped from 13

billion gallons to 8.5 billion. In 1970, the French drank twice

as much wine as mineral water, whereas in 2002, mineral

water consumption doubled that of wine. Very cheap.

Cheese Monarchs of Europe Greek eat more cheese than the French — 52.7 pounds of

cheese per capita in 2009 — well behind Greece's

magnificent 68.3 pounds.

French are snobby eaters Gastronomic meals respect a fixed structure, commencing

with an apéritif (drinks before the meal) and ending with

liqueurs, containing in between at least four successive

courses, namely a starter, fish and/or meat with

vegetables, cheese and dessert.

French cook with heavy sauces

and complicated preparation

Some classic French dishes include Wine, fresh herbs, fresh

mushrooms, onions and garlic.

Food & Drink in IndiaStereotype Reality

Ubiquitous “Curry” The cooking of the Subcontinent covers a wealth of different culinary

styles, with myriad regional variations and specialities, from the classic

creamy meat and fruit Mughlai dishes of the north through to the banana-

leaf vegetarian thalis of the south.

All Indians are Vegetarians Meat consumption in India is quite high which includes poultry, mutton,

pork and yes, beef. India became the top exporter of beef in 2012. Almost

70% is exported and the other 30% is consumed.

"Indian food is too spicy" This is the most common stereotype about Indian cuisine. While Indian food

uses a lot of spices and condiments in them not all of them are spicy but

they add flavour to the dish. Eating Indian food with youghurt also helps

reduce the spiciness of the dish.

Indian food uses a lot of

rice/roti

Food from the south of India uses a lot of rice since rice is grown there

however in the North of India where wheat are grown, people eat roti's or

chapatti's with their meal. Roti's or chapatti's are flatbread made with

wheat or any other grain.

Festivals in France

Unique Festivals in France

MENTON LEMON FESTIVAL - Fête du CitronCarnival known as a festival when the citrus fruits that bring Menton its

wealth and reputation are celebrated.

Unique Festivals in France cont’d

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE GARDEN - Festival des Jardins

The International Garden Festival is a contemporary creation in the field of garden and

landscape design in the world. The festival revitalizes the art of gardens and interest to the

public and the profession by presenting new materials, ideas and innovative approaches.

Unique Festivals in France cont’d

Festival Medieval de Sedan

Sedan Castle is the greatest castle in Europe, attracting thousand of amateurs who want

to experience the Middle-Ages.

Festival in India

Unique Festivals in India

Pushkar Camel Fair

50,000 camels converge on the tiny desert town of Pushkar, in India's state of Rajasthan for the

Pushkar Camel Fair. For five days, the camels are dressed up, paraded, shaved, entered into

beauty contests, raced, and of course traded. It's a great opportunity to witness an old,

traditional style Indian festival.

Unique Festivals in India cont’d

Kerala Elephant Festival

Temple elephants are very well looked after and carry the resident temple deity during the

annual festivities & processions. These temple elephants are decorated with gold plated

Forehead ornament called Nettipattom, and are further adorned with bells and necklaces.

The Mahouts and Priests mounted on the elephants hold silk parasols calledMuthukuda and

sway large white Yak tail whisks called Venchamaram and Large peacock feather fans

called Aalavattom to the rhythm of the Panchavadyam.

Unique Festivals in India cont’d

Pongal Celebration in India

Pongal is one of the most fascinating festivals. Pongal marks the beginning of 'Uttarayana',

the sun's movement towards the north for the next 6 months. For this reason, this festival is

considered as an auspicious and perfect occasion for all events. This festival is celebrated to

thank God and nature for blessing Earth with all the divine gifts in life.

References

Mc Partland, B. (2014, May 28). France - the 'terrorism capital of Europe' Retrieved

March 20, 2015, from http://www.thelocal.fr/20140528/france-europes-capital-of-

terrorism

France Terrorism Stats: NationMaster.com. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2015, from

http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/profiles/France/Terrorism#2006

India Fatalities: 1994-2015. (2015, March 15). Retrieved March 20, 2015, from

http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/database/indiafatalities.htm

Peshawar Attack: Pakistanis Blame India for Massacre of School Children. (n.d.).

Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://www.ibtimes.co.in/peshawar-attack-some-

pakistanis-blame-india-massacre-school-children-617408

(2014, June 22). Retrieved March 23, 2015, from

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fr.html

Secularism and religious freedom. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2015, from

http://www.france.fr/en/institutions-and-values/secularism-and-religious-

freedom.html

REFERENCES CONT’D

Frenchrevolutionshs.wikispaces.com,. 'Frenchrevolutionshs - France Before

1789'. N.p., 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

wiseGEEK,. 'What Are Arranged Marriages? (With Pictures)'. N.p., 2015. Web.

23 Mar. 2015.

THE INDIAN STEREOTYPES. (2013, August 22). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from

http://daily.indianroots.com/indian-stereotypes/

Grant, A. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from

http://worldfilm.about.com/od/bollywood/a/historyofbollywood.htm

(n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from

http://new.bollywooddimensions.com/about/what-is-bollywood-dance/

REFERENCES CONT’D

Hanson, R. (n.d.). History of French Music. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://french.lovetoknow.com/History_of_French_Music

Lawless, L. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://french.about.com/od/culture/a/onion-johnny.htm

Andre, A. (n.d.). Top 10 Stereotypes true of false. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://www.annieandre.com/2013/04/stereotypes-about-the-french/

Richard Sewell, N. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://www.myfrenchlife.org/2012/04/27/french-popular-music-lamour-toujours/

IndiaFolks. (n.d.). Retrieved March 26, 2015, from http://www.indiafolks.com/history-and-culture/how-do-people-dress-in-india/