Session 2: Personal and Cultural Identity

What are we as “Cultural” beings – How do we illustrate “culture”?

Moving beyond Culture A and B

IC Competence (ICC):IC Competence (ICC):Appropriate Responses to Appropriate Responses to

Situated IdentitySituated Identity

Understanding who each of us are Understanding who each of us are in Cultural Contexts: in Cultural Contexts:

Mutual Perception, Expectations, Mutual Perception, Expectations, Initiatives, ResponsesInitiatives, Responses

““Each like a runner in his own lane”Each like a runner in his own lane”

““Same track, different spheres, linked”Same track, different spheres, linked”

Goals for this session:Goals for this session:

Learning to more reflectively Learning to more reflectively Observe, Assess and Understand Observe, Assess and Understand Other’s Situated, Dynamic, Other’s Situated, Dynamic, Communicative IdentitiesCommunicative Identities

Considering how limits to our Considering how limits to our knowledge base affects our knowledge base affects our perception and expectationsperception and expectations

Course Goal 1. Know and Develop Yourself - in Context Understand your personal past –

your own family cultural context Identify your strengths and

weaknesses to enhance or balance them respectively

Broaden your capacity and potential for new situations

Understand and appreciate the wide diversity of others

“The Journey” has begun! [poem]

IC Experiences as Journey?IC Experiences as Journey?

Starting Out…Starting Out…

This road leads me toThis road leads me to

the border,the border,

to the boundary,to the boundary,

to the breaking point of all I know.to the breaking point of all I know.

Will I go?Will I go?

Will I grow?Will I grow?

Dare I say no?Dare I say no?

How do we perceive others?Statically? Or Dynamically?

Who am I? Who are You?

Culture A Culture B

Identity and Perception

Practicing Observation Skills Guessing, Estimating Identity TV Segment

“The Unknown Man” Who/What is he? Who/What are the others he meets? Do they belong to a common culture?

Guessing Levels of IdentityGuessing Levels of Identity

What are the What are the primary identities primary identities

of others?of others?

How can weHow can welearn tolearn to

observeobserveaccurately?accurately?

VideoVideoExerciseExercise

Considering Social/Contextual Identities

AnalyzingAnalyzing““A Dinner Invitation”A Dinner Invitation”

What are his main What are his main identities?identities?

Expectations?Expectations?

What are her main What are her main identities?identities?

Expectations?Expectations?

Two obviously different people meet in a mediated “cultural space” and interact. How do we perceive what differentiates them and what may influence their diverse responses to one another? Does analysis of possible levels of “cultural identity” help provide clues to differences in communicative style, perception, assumptions or expectations?

Contrasting Identities/Expectations

Become aware of the traditions, transitions and transformation.

Objectively view the positives and negatives and their interplay

Affirm worthy values and beliefs Constructively work for change in

the difficult/weak/challenging areas Willingly modify your own behavior

Course Goal 2. Know and Evaluate Your Own Culture

In what ways is “Chinese Identity” represented now?

What defines this culture? What defines you? Which are stable identity aspect? Which are dynamic, changing? Why?

Your “Culture Story” as one “photo”

Understanding Identities is a Pre-condition for Respectful Communication

Value of writing out “your cultural story”

Culture A and Culture B are most likely gross overgeneralizations

Who am I in context? Who are You in context?

Me as a multi-colored member of Culture A in all its complexity

You as a multi-colored member of Culture B in all its complexity

The differences and distinctions are likely more blurred than we would like to admit

Do our perceptions adequately encompass dynamic culture?

How multicultural, hybrid, or marbled are we?

Considering Culture as Dynamic – How “marbled” are you?

• Even in our “stable” cultural contexts, none of us is “pure” or “typical” of our culture, or predictable responders

• Each carry in us multiple values and identity sets with different degrees of influence on us, some latent, some prominent, some triggerable in certain settings.

Considering Culture as Dynamic – How “marbled” are you?

• Though a repository for various values/identities passed on (perhaps remnants of traditionality, modernity and some emerging post-modernity) we may not be sure of what our values really are (which are ideals, which we practice when, which guide our decisions or conflicts)

• Add to that our multiple levels of identity, or cultural orientation framed by diverse beliefs, attitudes, opinions…

Culture is not only stable, representative, a mean, generalizable• It is not this or even the contrast between

this or that

Who are we really in our hybridity and contexts? What competence is needed to

cross the “cultural” cleft of our differences?

What IS or what happens in the 3rd space?

Positing a Disciplinary Definition of IC Processes

An Intercultural Communiation study is one…• that adopts a comparative/contrastive

approach/theoretical frame• to analyze some IC-related aspect of

communication processes • between at least one person(representative) of

an identifiable cultural group/system • and at least one Other (representation or

representative) of a distinguishable, differing cultural context.

How a person interacts with another different person or object

RepresentativesA person who is a member,

meaningful part, or influenced by an identifiable, co-constructed and shared set of identities, experiences, situations, histories, places, and memories… such as

• A family/clan• A voluntary group (friendship

circle, club, association, community…)

• A detemined group (gender, time-space, geographical roots…)

• An ethnicity/racial group• An organization/network• A nation (or its sub-, co-cultures)

“OTHER” Representatives or a Representation

• A text (its elements, style, contents, characters, situations, point of view)

• An image (semiotic symbol, portrayal, juxtaposition)

• A site (its history, meaning, symbolic function)

Continued Clarification: the analytical frames of IC theories applied

• An Intercultural Communiation study is one that adopts a comparative/contrastive approach or

(2) theoretical frame to analyze some IC-related aspect of communication processes:

These include:• Core internal psychological processes of a person’s

framing of their cultural context • Possible interactive psychological growth processes• Via the Routes or Interventions that enable them• To deal with Potential barriers, challenges,

disadvantages

What are the competencies or means by which we can cross the IC cleft?

Kim posits the adaptation process as the bridge. We suggest IC themes and

competencecomponents move along this cycle

Figure 1.1 The stress-adaptation-growth dynamic (Kim, 2001, p. 59, in Dai & Kulich Vol. 6, p 38).

The theoretical frames in competence THE ATOMIC CORE: a person’s understanding of their cultural

context:• Environment: Language codes/styles, coordinated meanings• Nucleus: Value/belief/attitudes• Molecules: Identity/Self-construal/Standpoint • Electrons “Other” (stranger) awareness/expectations/AUM

THE ROUTES: interactive psychological growth processes:• Primary Path: Adjustment/Adaptation/Acculturation • Cumulative Effect: Competence/CQ development

TREATMENTS/INTERVENTIONS ( + / – influences)Cultural Exposure, Contact, Culture Shock, Exchange, Relocation….• Self-growth: Expectancy Violations/Conflict/Culture Shock• Facilitated: IC Learning/Androgogy/Ed & Teaching/Training

Facing PRIOR CONDITIONS: barriers, disadvantages, challenges • Inaccurate Perceptions/Attributions/Stereotypes/Prejudice• (Unequal Power) Representation/Semiotics• (Unjust) historical social practice/Systemic problems

IC happens in a variety of situated, mobile, or cross-border contexts…

• Interpersonal, family communication• Educational communication• Work/business/organizational

communication• Health/conselling communication• Translation/Interpretation• Mass media communication• International/global communication…

and involves a wide range of types of communicators:

• tourists, sojourners, global nomads/expats, (im)migrants,

• spokespersons/translators/interpreters

• ethnic/racial groups• generational segments• genders • lifestyles or sexual-orientations• and other identifiable groups or

constitutiencies

and ultimately, IC seeks to move toward some degree of…

• Mindfulness• Mutual Tolerance• Understanding• Empathy• Growth/Change/Transformation• Equity and Mutual Respect [IC attitudes + IC personhood]

[for desired IC outcomes]• Communication effectiveness (functionality)• Mutual satisfaction and enjoyment (QOL)• Harmonious relationships (community)

ICC Application: The personal core of Value-Identity-”Other” Awareness facilitated by interventions

enhances IC Competence over the adaptation-growth cycle

Increased IC attitudes + IC personhood and eventual IC outcomes

Perception in Poetic lines? Distorted ImagesFunny how we imagine that “there”

is better than ”here,” that a change of wallpaper or surroundings

will improve anything.But when we change the subject

from geography to ethnography, then “we” always perceive ourselves as

better than “they.”

And somehow, THAT is NOT so funny.

Applying Inductive Involvement

Brainstorms with Others Pair Interaction/Enacting Group Problem Solving Tasks Internet Visual Sequencing Tasks Seek Out Cultural Experiences

Develop a Learning Community of Practice

(E. Wenger)

Cultivating Personal Imputs/Outlets

Journaling as a developmental process. Note-taking, Reflecting, Writing, Reviewing, developing a “writer’s reading circle”

Purposeful Friendship Circles – seeking out a mentor, a peer and an apprentice. Working at maintaining friendships across transition.

Pushing yourself into new areas – exposure to traditions, cultures and civilization The Art of Being Human

Basic Human Communication &

Contextual Competence Goals:

Awareness (Perception) Self-, Cultural-, Cross-cultural

Skills (Communicative Competence) Language and Culture

Sensitivity (Respect & Response) Emotive Effectiveness, Appropriateness