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Culture understanding

Today I will focus on the issue of culture understanding. With increasing globalization, the world becomes really small nowadays. As a member of the global, we get more chances to contact foreign cultures. And what if we want to understand foreign culture very well, what should we do? What kinds of process will we experience before we achieve that goal. The answer is not very difficult to imagine. Just like learning a language, developing culture understanding occurs steps by steps over time. Development of culture consciousness is a process that starts the stage no understanding and moves, in the best case, to the stage of true empathy and culture respect. So an order to make it a clearer explanation about the process, the five stages of culture understanding is presented here.  

Stage 1 no understanding

This level involves no awareness of new culture. The point is quite easy to see. For a person who has few chances to get contact with other cultures, a new one sometimes might as well be like something from an unknown planet in outer space. The person does not know anyone from the culture, and has encountered few, if any, basic facts about the culture; so naturally, the person certainly has no way to understand that culture at all.

Stage 2 superficial understanding

This level involves awareness of very superficial aspects of foreign culture, frequently negative aspects. At this stage of culture awareness, the person knows a few basic facts of new culture. These facts stand out and often serve as the basis of stereotypes. However, the stereotypes are offensive because they imply that all people from a certain culture have the same characteristics. At this stage of culture awareness, when stereotypes are keenly felt, the person is highly ethnocentric that means the person is just focused on his or her own culture as the norm of what is right and comparing the new culture with the better culture back home.

Stage 3 growing understanding and possible conflict

In this stage the learner begins to be aware of more subtle sometimes less visible traits in the foreign culture. I will give you an example here to illustrate this point. A student learned that a given culture focuses on family far more getting things accomplished. As a result, he or she begin to appreciate the huge importance of family value in this culture, so we can see this understanding helps the person to see why things operate the way they do. But such awareness doesn’t always bring acceptance. In this stage the person is still ethnocentric home culture-oriented, comparing that culture that is new to his/her old home culture and usually feel his/her home culture is much better. I think some of you, as English majors, may have the exactly same experiences when you come to be familiar with your foreign teachers or friends. You do appreciate some of their cultures but you just can’t accept them from the bottom of your heart.

Stage 4 great intellectual culture understanding

At this stage the learner begins to comprehend intellectually the people in the foreign culture yet they are still a little emotional empathy. The person can not feel what it is like to be a member of that culture, the learner thus starts to see things intellectually through the eye of culture bearers at the least part of the time, but they just can’t really feel the same way the members of foreign culture feel. The learner begins to shed ethnocentrism a little bit and starts to understand new culture more deeply. The person knows why thing are done in the way they are done and accept these things with less irritation. So you can see now the learner obviously comprehend the briefs and actions of people in the culture, the comfort level is higher, and the person does not complain the extensively about the culture differences. That makes a big sense in the process of culture understanding.

Stage 5 true empathy and culture respect

This level is the highest one of culture awareness. To attain this level, the learner must actually live in the foreign culture for some time. As for how long the learner must live in such a culture so that they can reach stage five. The amount of time is variable, greatly depending on the individual. At the fifth stage, unlike the previous stages the learner does not just see things intellectually from the viewpoint of the culture some or most of the time, instead he/she actually feel the part of culture, respects the culture fully and emphasizes emotionally with those who have lived all their life in that culture. By doing so, the person, in real sense, achieves a true culture understanding.

In summary, today’s lecture is centered on the stages and growth of culture consciousness. Altogether there are five. 1 no understanding means one does not know anyone from that culture knows few, if any, facts. 2 superficial understanding means one knows some superficial facts and stereotypes. 3 growing understanding and possible conflict means one is aware of more subtle traits but may experience culture conflicts probably believes one’s own culture is superior. 4 great intellectual culture understanding means one understands the culture intellectually but not emotionally. 5 true empathy and culture respect means one understands the culture both intellectually and emotionally, can feel what the people in the culture feel. Hope the lecture will be helpful in your nurturing of your culture awareness. Thanks for your patience.