Culture Matters

BY LO R I E KAT H E R I N E S C OV I S H

CULTURE MATTERS

WHAT IS CULTURE?

Culture is the characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.http://www.livescience.com/21478-what-is-culture-definition-of-culture.html

“Culture is the shared set of assumptions, values, and beliefs of a group of people by which they organize their common life.”—Gary Wederspahn

ELEMENTS OF CULTURE 1. facial expressions 14. notions of modesty2. religious beliefs 15. foods3. religious rituals 16. eating habits4. importance of time 17. understanding of the natural world5. Paintings 18. concept of self6. values 19. work ethic7. literature 20. concept of beauty8. child-raising beliefs 21. music9. concept of leadership 22. styles of dress10. Gestures 23. general world view11. holiday customs 24. concept of personal space12. concept of fairness 25. rules of social etiquette13. nature of friendship Chapter 1 pg 10

“In trying to appreciate the differences between your culture and the local one, you may feel that you’re supposed to like and accept all these differences. Cultural sensitivity, however, means knowing about and respecting the norms of the local culture, not necessarily liking them.”• Introduction pg 2

Teachers’ frequent use of corporal punishment discourages students from actively participating in the classroom. Students are expected to sit rigidly in their seats and speak only when spoken to. Conditioned in this way, it’s not surprising they don’t feel free to speak out in the classroom; their shyness, however, should not be mistaken for lack of interest.

LOOKING AT JAMAICA

About the People

The Jamaican people are extremely relaxed and laid back.

You may notice the “Jamaica time” phenomenon. As with many developing nations, punctuality is not as all-consuming as in Western culture.

Jamaicans can be very direct, so try not to take offense.

CULTURE CAN AFFECT BEHAVIOR

“Culture is just one of numerous influences on behavior.” Introduction pg. 3

It is easy to say that behavior is influenced by culture. One must be aware of generalizations however and not assume everyone from the country is the same.

“To understand where behavior comes from—to understand why people behave the way they do—means learning about values and beliefs. The behavior of people from another culture may seem strange to you, but it probably makes sense to them, and vice versa.”

Chapter 1 pg 12

• Universal refers to ways in which all people in all groups are the same

• Cultural refers to what a particular group of people have in common with each other and how they are different from every other group

• Personal describes the ways in which each one of us is different from everyone else, including those in our group

CULTURAL ADJUSTMENT

“By knowing people’s values and beliefs, you can come to expect and predict their behavior. Once host country people are no longer catching you off guard with their actions and once you are no longer simply reacting to their actions, you are well on your way to successful cultural adjustment.” Chapter 1 pg 1

CULTURAL CONDITIONING

While conditioning occurs mostly in early childhood, adults continue to be conditioned as they acquire new behaviors throughout their life. The differences between the two are these:

1. In Childhood conditioning, infants and young children learn such basic activities of life as eating, walking, talking, dressing, bathing, etc.

2. In Adult conditioning, people learn new behaviors or new ways to perform already conditioned behaviors, as, for example, learning to use a Turkish toilet or eat with your hands rather than with silverware.

5 STEP PROCESS TO CULTURAL CONDITIONING

1. Observation/Instruction—At this stage, you are only beginning to become aware of a particular behavior but have not yet tried to do it yourself. Taking the example of eating with your hands, you may have observed how it is done, or someone may have told you how it is done.2. Imitation—Now you actually try to carry out the activity; you sit down at a table and begin eating with your hands. At this stage, it is awkward for you, and you’re conscious all the while of what you’re doing, trying not to make mistakes. You may have difficulty concentrating on a conversation, for all your attention is on the act of eating.3. Reinforcement—As you eat, people encourage you when you do it right and correct you when you are wrong. Over the course of several meals, you naturally try to do what they tell you.4. Internalization—Without needing much reinforcement, over time and with practice, you now know how to eat with your hands. You may still have to pay attention to what you’re doing, but not as much as during stages 2 and 3.5. Spontaneous Manifestation—Now you’re able to eat “the right way” without paying any conscious attention to what you’re doing. It comes naturally; as you eat, you’re aware of other things, not the act of eating.

Innswood drummers perform at the August Fair and Culinary Expo put on by the Jamaica Cultural Development Company at the Ranny Williams Cntertainment Centre in St Andrew on Monday. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100804/ent/ent2.html

TAKING A LOOK AT AMERICAN CULTURE & DIVERSITY

ATTITUDE TOWARDS AGE• Emphasize physical beauty and youth.• Fire older people to hire younger people for less money.• Judge a worker’s worth based on production, not seniority.

American View—The American emphasis on concrete achievements and “doing” means that age is not highly valued, for the older you are the less you can accomplish. Age is also suspect because new is usually better in American culture, and the elderly are generally out of touch with what’s new.

Take time to reflect on the possible views of your host country: Jamaica

GENERALIZATION ABOUT AMERICANS

“The American seems very explicit; he wants a Yes or No. If someone tries to speak figuratively, the American is confused.”

—HCN from Ethiopia in John Fieg & John Blair, There Is A Difference

OTHER THINGS TO COMPARE

CONCEPT OF FATE AND DESTINYVIEW OF HUMAN NATUREATTITUDE TOWARDS CHANGEATTITUDE TOWARDS TAKING RISKCONCEPT OF SUFFERING AND MISFORTUNECONCEPT OF FACESOURCE OF SELF-ESTEEM/SELF-WORTHCONECPT OF EQUALITYATTITIUDE TOWARDS FORMALITYDEGREE OF REALISMATTITUDE TOWARDS DOINGVIEW OF THE NATURAL WORLD

NINE NIGHTS & OTHER FUNERARY TRADITIONS OF JAMAICA

Jamaican funerary traditions are very different from what you might be accustomed to.The dead are often buried on family plots, as opposed to cemeteries.Nine nights are a celebration where friends and family gather for music and enjoyment at the home of the deceased. The celebration lasts nine nights and on the ninth night the family prepares food for all comers. On the ninth night a table is set up with food for the loved one. No one eats from this table before midnight, the time when the spirit is believed to pass through. This tradition has its roots in Africa.On the night of death the deceased’s bed and mattress are placed upright against the wall. This is meant to encourage the spirit to leave the house and move on to the next world.

These customs differ from American culture immensely.

“LIVING IN ANOTHER CULTURE CAN MAKE YOU MORE AWARE OF YOUR OWN CULTURE.”

CHAPTER 2 PG 58

I am looking forward to getting the opportunity to see Jamaican culture first hand and possibly seeing my own culture in a different light.

Jamaican Schoolhouse v.s. American School Building

SO WHY DOES CULTURE MATTER

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

BECAUSE…

Culture is something that matters because it makes each human being unique. Within cultures, there are distinct religions, beliefs, and customs that make us all different and special!