Inhabit Culture   (Part 1)                                                (go to Part 2)
--Understand Cultural Contexts

If you’ve ever traveled abroad, you know to brace yourself for
changes.  As a high school exchange student, I learned on the
plane to Germany that you didn’t need to be twenty-one to have a
glass of cognac.  Within very large countries, differences abound
across regions.  One year among Southerners taught me to say
“Sir” and “Ma’am.”  Time in Vermont had me waving at passing
cars.  In Hawaii, "aloha" is a heartfelt greeting.  They say we look at
other cultures through ethnocentric prisms.  But all this does is give
us a distorted picture of our own culture.

Edward T. Hall was an anthropologist and cross-cultural
researcher who in the 1950s promulgated the concept of ‘low and
high context cultures’.  Low-context cultures (Switzerland, Germany,
the U.S.) are those that place emphasis on the importance of the
individual and explicit dialogue.  Its members are expected to
speak clearly and persuasively.  In high-context cultures, those in
Africa and East Asia, the interests of the individual are often
subverted to those of the group.  Language tends to be more
vague, indirect and "polite."  The point of communication is not
verbal sparring, but the maintenance of traditional social codes.

I once witnessed an exchange in English between a German and
Japanese acquaintance.  When the German asked the Japanese
on his availability the following evening, the Japanese responded
that work was very busy.  The German was miffed at the non-
responsive answer; the Japanese grew slightly offended.  At that
point I explained to the Japanese that the German was asking for a
specific time, or an explicit response in the negative.  I then
informed the German that Asians generally do not like to give a
direct “no” and that it’s incumbent on the listener to discern the
speaker’s meaning.  I think I made them both more exasperated.  

The irony is, more often than not, we’re all too familiar with the
cultures we find ourselves in worst conflict with.  African-
Americans vs. White Americans.  Democrats vs. Republicans.  Men
vs. Women.  Christians vs. Muslims.  Muslims vs. Muslims.  Jews
vs. Arabs.  The list could go depressingly on and on.  Aliens from
another planet could be forgiven for thinking that humans weren't
equipped to care about each other.

Seven years after my time in Germany, I went back to visit the family
I had stayed with as a junior in high school.  My German hadn't
improved all that much, but a little wine and a few old pictures soon
had the laughter flowing.  In my humble opinion, everyone in this
world should go out and inhabit another culture at an early age.  
Better still if you go without guns in your hands or explosives taped
to your body.  Be a good guest; learn as much of the language as
possible; and try to understand the contexts in which other people
live.  Inhabit culture.  Don’t inhibit it.  

What's the best way to inhabit culture?



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Lesson 7   Inhabit Culture
--Understand Cultural Contexts