Write 2-3 paragraphs of 5-6 sentences each, answering the following questions:
Which of your co-cultures is most important in shaping your sense of self? Which ones are less important? (For example, you may identify strongly as a Latina but not identify as strongly as a Catholic.) Why? Are there ever situations in which your different co-cultural identities clash with one another? Briefly explain how and when the clashes occur.
*****When answering the first question, think beyond more than just ethnicity, race, nationality - although you can and should include those. Examples: Seattle/Pacific Northwest culture, workplace cultures, groups you belong to, in addition to things like race, religion, nationality ,etc.
Chapter 5: Communication and Culture Chapter 5: Communication and Culture CMST210 Agenda Define culture Co-cultures and intersectionality Stereotypes and 2 types of prejudice High context/low context Individualism/Collectivism Power Distance Display rules Masculine vs feminine cultural values Monochronic/polychronic time orientation Communication accommodation Understanding Culture Culture: “An established, coherent set of beliefs, attitudes, values, and practices shared by a large group of people” (p. 136). Influences: Nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, physical abilities, age Culture is… Culture is Learned Communicated Layered Lived Intercultural communication: Communicating with someone from a different culture Culture is communicated, learned, lived, and layered We learn our culture From parents, teachers, religious leaders, peers, and the mass media We learn and live it through communication By doing and performing being a part of it—participating in rituals, etc It affects large and small things in our lives Culture is also layered. Most of us belong to more than one culture—co-cultures Co-cultures Social standards and norms are determined via the dominant culture is a society Determined by those with power But there are lots of other cultures that co-exist within a dominant culture They are different from, but not entirely separate from, the dominant culure Co-cultural communication When people from a dominant cultural group interact with people from non-dominant cultural groups Various strategies can be used in co-cultural communication: assimilation, accommodation and separation Co-cultural communication (2) Members of co-cultures develop communication practices for dealing with members of the dominant culture. Some of these strategies might include: Use overly polite language Suppress reactions to offensive comments Try to excel to counteract negative stereotypes Conform to negative stereotypes in an exaggerated way Try to act, look, and talk like members of the dominant culture Openly disparage their own co-culture Express co-cultural identity through appearance, actions, and words Intersectionality The book mentions the idea of intersectionality but does not credit the woman who coined the term Intersectionality means that intersecting parts of your identity fundamentally shape who you are If you are a Black woman, being black shapes your identity, as does being a woman, but being Black makes your experience of being a woman different than the way that a white woman or a Lantix woman experiences being a woman And the experience of Blackness is likewise changed by being a woman Gender is affected by race and race is affected by gender This is true for things like sexuality orientation and gender identity as well I have included Crenshaw’s definition and explanation on the next slide Intersectionality “I argue that Black women are sometimes excluded from feminist theory and antiracist policy discourse because both are predicated on a discrete set of experiences that often does not accurately reflect the interaction of race and gender. These problems of exclusion cannot be solved simply by including Black women within an already established analytical structure. Because the intersectional experience is greater than the sum of racism and sexism, any analysis that does not take intersectionality into account cannot sufficiently address the particular manner in which Black women are subordinated. Thus, for feminist theory and antiracist policy discourse to embrace the experiences and concerns of Black women, the entire framework that has been used as a basis for translating ‘women's experience’ or ‘the Black experience’ into concrete policy demands must be rethought and recast.” -- Kimberlé Crenshaw Key terms intercultural competence: “The ability to communicate appropriately, effectively, and ethically with people from diverse backgrounds.” (p. 152, 4e) world-mindedness: “The ability to practice and demonstrate acceptance and respect toward other cultures’ beliefs, values, and customs. Contrast ethnocentrism.” (p. 152) Ethnocentrism: “The belief that your own culture’s beliefs, attitudes, values, and practices are superior to those of all other cultures. For example, Americans, accustomed to lining up, who consider cultures that don’t use waiting lines to be disorganized are displaying ethnocentrism. Contrast world-mindedness.” (p. 152) Prejudice and stereotypes Stereotypes and prejudice Stereotypes are broad, generalized ideas, often formed about “outgroup” members people who are part of groups of which you are not a member Often people of a different gender, race, religion, culture, etc When stereotypes reflect rigid attitudes toward groups and their members, they turn into prejudice. Prejudice is when someone views an entire group of people as inferior and “less than” Benevolent prejudice Benevolent: treating a group as inferior, but potentially friendly, noble, or having some other good trait as well But ultimately still treated as inferior We will also include the idea of the model minority Which is another form of stereotyping a group of people in a way that someone can claim is “nice” but flattens out the human experience and reduces the whole group to a flat caricature It’s not benevolent as in not-harmful. Benevolent prejudice is still harmful. You can think of it as benign prejudice. It’s benign much in the same way a non-cancerous brain tumor the size of a grapefruit is benign. It may not be cancerous. But it’s still deadly. Benevolent prejudice: Examples Some examples of benevolent prejudice might include things like “oh, Asians are so good at math!” The person saying it might (sort of) claim it’s a compliment, but it’s not It’s a stereotype that rigidly portrays a racial group as all being the same, and as being one-dimensional The issue isn’t one person saying this one time, of course Prejudice is related to larger structures of power Jobs, income, portrayals in media, legal histories Hostile prejudice More overt It doesn’t have as much of a facade This prejudice can take the form of people saying things that “X group has been given so many opportunities, but…” and then reasons for structural inequality are blamed on some innate qualities of the group “but they aren’t hard workers” “but they won’t learn the language” Uncertainty Avoidance uncertainty avoidance: “How cultures tolerate and accept unpredictability.” (p. 144) High uncertainty avoidance means placing a lot of value on control Low uncertainty avoidance means less focus on rules, more open to change Individualistic vs Collectivistic Cultures individualistic cultures: “Cultures that value independence and personal achievement; individual goals over group or societal goals. Contrast collectivistic cultures.” (p. 143) collectivistic cultures “Cultures that emphasize group identity, interpersonal harmony, and the well-being of ingroups. Collectivist cultures also value the importance of belonging to groups that look after members in exchange for loyalty. Contrast individualistic culture.” (p. 144) Low context cultures People are more direct in their communication Low context- cultures also tend to be individualistic “ people tend not to presume that others share their beliefs, attitudes, and values.” High context cultures These are often collectivist cultures as well Use hints, suggestions to convey messages “ people presume that others within the culture will share their viewpoints and thus perceive situations (contexts) in very much the same way” p.147 Power distance Defined “The degree to which people in a culture view the unequal distribution of power as acceptable. For example, in some cultures, well-defined class distinctions limit interaction across class lines, but other cultures downplay status and privilege to foster a spirit of equality” p.145 High power distance cultures “high-power-distance cultures, it’s considered normal and even desirable for people of different social and professional status to have different levels of power” “In such cultures, people give privileged treatment and extreme respect to those in high-status positions” “They also expect individuals of lesser status to behave humbly, especially around people of higher status, who are expected to act superior.” Low power distance cultures “people in high-status positions try to minimize the differences between themselves and lower-status persons by interacting with them in informal ways and treating them as equals” Power distance explained High-power-distance: People give privileged treatment and extreme respect to those in high-status positions. Expect individuals of lesser status to behave humbly around people of higher status Low-power-distance: People with high status try to minimize the differences between themselves and lower-status persons. More informality, treating as equals Display rules “guidelines for when, where, and how to manage emotion displays appropriately. This includes specific aspects of nonverbal communication—how broadly you should smile, the appropriateness of shouting for joy in public, and so on.” (p.148) Display rules are a component of culture They are created and constrained according to culture What is an acceptable display of emotion in one culture may not be acceptable in another culture Socially and culturally acceptable displays of emotion also vary depending on race, gender, and context, within the same culture Masculine and feminine cultural values This does not actually relate to gender in any inherent way. It is about traits that are widely considered to be “feminine” or “masculine” (culturally associated with women and men) and how they are valued within a culture Masculine cultural values: “Values that include the accumulation of material wealth as an indicator of success, assertiveness, and personal achievement.” Feminine cultural values: “Values that emphasize compassion and cooperation—on caring for the weak and underprivileged and boosting the quality of life for all people.” Culture and time Monochronic cultures that see time as a precious resources—as something to be “spent” like money view time as a precious resource that can run out. Polychronic cultures see time as less important to their activities and goals, and tend to be more flexible in relation to time view time as flexible, not as a resource to be spent, saved, or guarded Attributional complexity Acknowledging and recognizing multiple, complex causes for other people’s behaviors Communication Accommodation Communication accommodation theory: People adapt their communication when: They seek social approval They wish to establish relationships They view others’ language use as appropriate Exam 36 questions total 2 essay questions 34 multiple choice, T/F, matching, fill-in-the-blank 2 hours and 10 minutes to take the exam 1 attempt Once you begin the exam, you must finish it in that sitting It is open book and open note Recap: Chapter 5 Today we covered The definition of culture Co-cultures and intersectionality Stereotypes and 2 types of prejudice High context/low context Individualism/Collectivism Power Distance Display rules Masculine vs feminine cultural values Monochronic/polychronic time orientation Communication accommodation