Module 2 My new teachers Everyday English & Cultural Corner.
CULTURAL INTERACTION everyday life
description
Transcript of CULTURAL INTERACTION everyday life
Dr Dolors Mayoral Arqué[email protected]
Universitat de Lleida
Why:
We aim for well-consolidated societies
We want newcomers to participate in our project for society and in our democratic and cultural values
We are also convinced of the advantages of newcomers conserving and maintaining their own culture
There are three main areas in which to work:
a) Cultural diversity b) Consolidating and perfecting democracy c) Constructing a common project
For all of these reasons
It is necessary to structure and achieve agreement on a series of norms that help to make cultural diversity and social harmony compatible
Difficulties
There are three elements to consider:
Culture Religion Communication
Questions to consider
Culture: 1st – The fact that there are numerous possible
responses to the same cultural reality
2nd – The difficulties in understanding cultural responses that differ from those of our own culture
3rd – The difficulties in discerning between culture and religion, manifestations of culture that have a religious origin, and/or religious manifestations that have a cultural origin
Culture implies:
An instrumental order
A moral order: conceptions based on dichotomies such as truth/lies, good/evil, beauty/ugliness, etc. In different cultures there may be different conceptions of this moral order.
All of the previously mentioned aspects influence and determine communication
Communication is influenced by:
a) The level of social identity b) The level of individual identity
In the case of individual identity, it is difficult to provide pre-established responses
Elements:
a) How people present themselves
b) Verbal and non-verbal language
c) The context: formal or informal
Research
1. Objectives: a) To facilitate communication through a
knowledge and understanding of aspects that govern basic relations between different communities in order to avoid conflict.
b) To improve the ability of professionals to interact with immigrants from these communities.
c) To identify and remove potential sources of intercultural conflict.
d) To improve the efficiency of professional practice.
The communities:◦ Senegalese◦ Argentines◦ Romanians◦ Moroccans
Methodology:◦ Observation◦ Interview◦ Group discussion
Actions analysed:◦ How people greet each other◦ Image – what people look like◦ Interaction with heath care, educational and
social service institutions: how people make initial contact; their previous experiences; perceptions of different attitudes, habits and forms of organisation. Differences and similarities between the country of origin and the receiving society
Conclusions about cultural difference:
1st – People from different cultural backgrounds habitually present different responses to the same problems because they have different cultural values
2nd – Different cultural values also produce differences in the resulting forms of social relations
3rd – Cultural/religious differences in situations or contexts in which religious norms dictate social responses. It is important to prevent religious values becoming a source of permanent conflict. It is also necessary to find ways of accommodating them and to seek reasonable compromises that are acceptable to all parties.
Cultural difference in direct inter-personal relations:
This may condition communication even when all the parties concerned seek to make the best possible impression
Cultural difference may either be very evident or remain hidden
Cultural difference influences expectations regarding communication and interaction
Everyone wants to make a good impression
Forms of communicating with others do not only differ at the community level but also at the individual level.
Heterogeneity of responses: the absence of rules and self-imposed inhibition of certain cultural traits and expressions
Different options for meeting and greeting people:
a) Adopting Western customs and uses
b) Developing different models according to the context and level of formality
c) Continuing with their own model, reaffirming their identity and explaining their reasons for doing this.
We are not conscious of cultural difference We rely on too many pre-conceived stereotypes We tend to be oversensitive, especially in the
case of official institutions Their presence tends to be exaggerated We lack knowledge and understanding of what
cultural difference implies and also lack strategies for dealing with it
We often make comments and/or act in ways that help to maintain and promote these prejudices
Immigrants feel disorientated and have a tendency to be wary of strangers and to doubt their motives
Dress and gestures mark clear differences This latent prejudice is present in the
majority of social interactions
Prejudice can take many forms: Deficient communication+ lack of
comprehension = suspicion
Attitudes that tend to humiliate others: making it obvious that they do not belong to the community = suspicion
The existence of stigmatised communities: in defence, these communities often overreact
Refusal to break ceremonial rules. Affronts to self-respect, verbal abuse, despective looks…