Culture & Intercultural
Communication
Lindy McAllister
Charles Sturt University
March 2006
Drawing on work by CSU staff
G. Whiteford, S. McLeod, L. Clark
What is culture?
• Classic definition of culture
– “a historically transmitted patterns of meaning
embodied in symbols, a system of inherited
conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by
means of which men communicate,
perpetuate and develop their knowledge
about and attitudes toward life” (Geertz, 1973, p. 89)
What is culture?
• More than race or ethnicity
• The learned traditions, practices and
beliefs that one group of people hold in
common
• “learned and shared patterns of percieving
and adapting to the world” (Mullarvey O’Byrne,
1997)
• “system of shared meanings” (Whiteford, 2000)
Characteristics of culture
• Culture is
– Learned
– Transmitted inter-generationally
– Symbolic
– Dynamic
– ethnocentric
Dimensions of culture
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Individualism vs collectivism
Vertical vs horizontal cultures
Active vs passive cultures
Universalism vs particularism
Instrumental vs expressive
Emotional expression vs suppression
• Within any culture these dimensions interact in a
range of ways
Communication and culture
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Beliefs (including stereotypes)
Values
Attitudes
Worldview
Patterns of cognition (e.g. wholistic, cyclical vs
cause-effect, linear)
• Verbal behaviour
• Non-verbal behaviour
Worldview
Points to consider
• A culture’s dominant beliefs and attitudes about a
human’s place in nature and society
• The general pattern of relationships between humans
and nature
• The relationship between humans and the culture’s
supreme being
• The supreme being’s power over life and events
• Humans’ competitive or cooperative nature
• Humans’ expressions of their beliefs
• Humans’ myths about the origins of people
• Humans’ beliefs in the supernatural
• The living patterns in groups
• The ways a group uses rituals, ceremonies etc.
• Pennington 1985
Overcoming ethnocentrism
• Ethnocentrism is “a universal tendency for
any people to put its own culture and
society in a central position of priority and
worth” (Keesing, 1965)
• EC becomes a perpetual window through
which people of a cultural group interprets
and judges all other cultures
Overcoming ethnocentrism
• Danger is “our way is the right way”
• Examples?
Being culturally aware
• Culture is often not questioned and is
taken for granted
• To be more aware we need to recognise
the differing world views of people and not
assume “sameness”
• Consider the impact of institutional and
professional cultures on behaviour
Developing cultural
sensitivity
• Recognise that your beliefs and actions
may be different to others - not necessarily
better
• Accept that each person has a right to
their beliefs, and they feel as strongly
about them
• Be open to finding out about the traditions,
beliefs and practices of others
Moving from cultural sensitivity
to safety
• Cultural safety is a concept developed in
New Zealand
– relates to the right of people not to have their
cultural and religious beliefs compromised in
health care
– based on the need for knowledge and skills
development to underpin behaviour change
ie actually DOING things differently
Terminology - a brief note
• Cross cultural
– working across cultures
• Multicultural
– multiple cultures interacting simultaneously
• Intercultural
– focuses on the interpersonal interaction
between people who are cultural beings
Intercultural communication
• “occurs whenever a a message that must
be understood is produced by a member
of one culture for consumption by a
member of another culture”
(Samovar & Porter, 1997)
Intercultural communication
• For intercultural communication to work
there has to be real and genuine
motivation and an ability to transcend
ethnocentrism
“parties in intercultural communication
must have an honest and sincere desire to
communicate and seek understanding”
Strategies used by students in
intercultural interactions
• Acknowledge own feelings and responses
as a beginning point
• Be a learner, be able to be guided
• Be respectful
• Be resourceful and know when to seek
resources/assistance
(based on Whiteford, 2000)
Issues in Intercultural
Communication
– Slipping into taken for granted mode
– Differing cultural perspectives on authority
• Australians are relaxed, but this is not universal
– Assuming that if people are not verbalising
problems that none exist
Issues (cont.)
– Wrongly judging social behaviour
(e.g., lunchtimes)
– Pressuring people to “display” cultural
difference when they are not comfortable to
do so
– Pressuring someone to be a spokesperson for
their cultural group
Strategies for managing
intercultural communication
• Provide opportunities for people to give
you feedback in a comfortable form (e.g.
with colleague there)
• Keep communication lines open - even
when challenging
(often trust issues are involved)
Strategies
• Communication
– word selection
– wait time
– identify jargon and colloquialisms
– paraphrase feedback
– multi-level feedback
– clarify crucial aspects of session
Power in intercultural interactions
• At Phu My who holds power?
– Senior/junior carers
– Doctors/Manager
– Sister Marie Huu
• Power vested in visiting professionals
• Students power
– Expert vs student status
Exploring yourself & others in
intercultural communication
• List 5 cultural predictions people in Vietnam
might make of you in a ICC context
• List 5 individual predictions people in
Vietnam might make of you in a ICC context
• List 5 cultural predictions you might make of
Phu My staff in a ICC context
Working with interpreters
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Simultaneous vs sequential interpreting
Role – interpreter/translator/cultural guide
Status of interpreter – training, age, gender
Knowledge of context and technical
language
• Positioning
• Giving feedback