UNIT-2

Culture
CULTURE(संस्कृ ति)
Derived from Latin word ‘’cultura’’ Which
means cultivating.
Culture is the characteristics and knowledge
of particular group of people, encompassing
language, religion, cuisine, social habits,
music and arts. "Culture encompasses religion,
food, what we wear, how we wear it,
our language, marriage, music, what we
believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the
table, how we greet visitors, how we behave
with loved ones, and a million other things,"
TYPES OF CULTURE
 Western Culture: (European Culture)
 Eastern Culture (Asian Culture)
 Latin Culture (Latin America: Portugal Cult.)
 Middle-East Culture (he Middle East is the
birthplace of Judaism, Christianity and
Islam.)
 African Culture( Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt,
Kenya, etc.*54* countries)
REGIONALISM(क्षेत्रवाद)

 Regionalism is defined as a political ideology that

favors a specific region over a greater area. It usually
results due to political separations, religious
geography, cultural boundaries, linguistic regions,
and managerial divisions. Regionalism emphasizes on
developing the administrative power and
swaying(ruling) the available or some inhabitants of a
region. Activists of regionalism claim that instituting
the governing bodies and civil authorities within an
area, at the expense of a national regime, will
significantly increase local populations by improving
the local economies through the distribution of
resources and execution of local policies and
strategies.
REGIONALISM CONSEQUENCES
 Regionalism can have positive and negative consequences.
It might promote local development, protect the local
cultural manifestations and bring favorable conditions to
certain regions that might have been historically relegated
by the national administration. On the other hand, it can
weaken the national identity and arise passionate divisions
between members of the same society. It might also
prevent local politicians from recognizing the importance
of certain national issues or those in other regions.Spain
has several areas with a strong regionalist vision, often
demanding more autonomy from the national government
and, at times, even promoting the establishment of
independent states. These regions are Galicia, the Basque
Country, and Catalonia.In international relations, the
term regionalism is sometimes used to refer to several
countries that establish common policies and agreements
looking to benefit the region that they form together, like
the European Union or NAFTA (as in the North American
Free Trade Agreement).
MULTICULTURALISM
 Multiculturalism refers to the ways in which societies
choose to formulate and implement official policies
dealing with the equitable treatment of different
cultures.
 (एउटै देशम| धेरै संस्क्रिती हरु एकै साथ शान्तिपुर्वक रहन सक्छन भन्ने सिद्धान्त)
 Multiculturalism is the way in which a society deals
with cultural diversity, both at the national and at the
community level. Sociologically,
multiculturalism assumes that society as a whole
benefits from increased diversity through the
harmonious coexistence of different cultures.
Multiculturalism typically develops according to one of
two theories: the “melting pot” theory or the “salad
bowl” theory.
MULTICULTURALISM THEORIES

 The two primary theories or models of

multiculturalism as the manner in which
different cultures are integrated into a single
society are best defined by the metaphors
commonly used to describe them—the
“melting pot” and the “salad bowl” theories.
THE MELTING POT THEORY

 The melting pot theory, of multiculturalism assumes that various

immigrant groups will tend to “melt together,” abandoning their
individual cultures and eventually becoming fully assimilated into
the predominant society. Typically used to describe the assimilation
of immigrants into the United States, the melting pot theory is often
illustrated by the metaphor of a foundry’s smelting pots in which the
elements iron and carbon are melted together to create a single,
stronger metal—steel. In 1782, French-American immigrant J. Hector
St. John de Crevecoeur wrote that in America, “individuals of all
nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and
posterity will one day cause great changes in the world.”The melting
pot model has been criticized for reducing diversity, causing people
to lose their traditions, and for having to be enforced through
governmental policy. For example, the U.S. Indian Reorganization
Act of 1934 forced the assimilation of nearly 350,000 Indians into
American society without any regard for the diversity of Native
American heritage and lifestyles.
THE SALAD BOWL THEORY
 A more liberal theory of multiculturalism than the melting pot,
the salad bowl theory describes a heterogeneous society in which
people coexist but retain at least some of the unique
characteristics of their traditional culture. Like a salad’s
ingredients, different cultures are brought together, but rather
than coalescing into a single homogeneous culture, retain their
own distinct flavors. In the United States, New York City, with its
many unique ethnic communities like “Little India,” “Little
Odessa,” and “Chinatown” is considered an example of a salad
bowl society. The salad bowl theory asserts that it is not
necessary for people to give up their cultural heritage in order to
be considered members of the dominant society. For example,
African Americans do not need to stop observing Kwanzaa rather
than Christmas in order to be considered “Americans.”On the
negative side, the cultural differences encouraged by the salad
bowl model can divide a society resulting
in prejudice and discrimination. In addition, critics point to a
2007 study conducted by American political scientist Robert
Putnam showing that people living in salad bowl multicultural
communities were less likely to vote or volunteer for community
improvement projects.
NATIONAL CULTURE
 The set of norms, behaviors, beliefs and customs that exist
within the population of a sovereign nation.
Our National Culture :
 Religion :(Secular country-2006) Hinduism,Buddisim,Islam,
Christianity, Jainism, Sikhism)
 Custom :Marriages call for deals arranged by parents after
the boy or girl come of age.
Peope of Nepal wear Daura Suruwal with dhaka topi and
Gunyu Cholo, Nepalese, mostly Hindu, do not eat beef.
 Norms : Greet the Senor like Namaste Joining hands and
palms.
 Language:There are 123 languages spoken as mother tongue
reported in census 2011. Nepali is spoken as mother tongue
by 44.6 percent (11,826,953) of the total population
followed by Maithili (11.7% 3,092,530).”
 Symbol:The cow, considered as Universal Mother.Tourist
are symbolized as a God.
 Food :However, food habits differ depending on the
region. Nepali food has been influenced by Indian and
Tibetan styles of cooking. Authentic Nepali taste is found
in Newari and Thakai cuisines. Most Nepalis do not use
cutlery but eat with their right hand.The regular Nepali
meal is dal (lentil soup), bhat (boiled rice) and tarkari
(curried vegetables), often accompanied by achar (pickle).
Curried meat is very popular, but is saved for special
occasions, as it is relatively more expensive. Momos
(steamed or fried dumplings) deserve a mention as one of
the most popular snack among Nepalis. Rotis (flat bread)
and dhedo (boiled flour) also make meals in some homes.
CULTURE AND
COMMUNICATION
WHAT IS CULTURE?
 Sir Edward Tylor’s definition in 1871 (first
use of this term):
“that complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom,
and any other capabilities and habits
acquired by man as a member of society”
 Kroeber and Kluckhohn (1952)

Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of

and for behavior acquired and transmitted by
symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of
human groups, including their embodiment in
artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of
traditional (i.e. historically derived and selected)
ideas and especially their attached values; culture
systems may, on the one hand, be considered as
products of action, on the other as conditioning
elements of further action.
 JOHN BODLEY (1994): DIVERSE
DEFINITIONS
Culture consists of everything on a list of topics, or categories,
Topical:
such as social organization, religion, or economy
Culture is social heritage, or tradition, that is passed on to
Historical:
future generations
Behavioral: Culture is shared, learned human behavior, a way of life
Normative: Culture is ideals, values, or rules for living
Culture is the way humans solve problems of adapting to the
Functional:
environment or living together
Culture is a complex of ideas, or learned habits, that inhibit
Mental:
impulses and distinguish people from animals
Culture consists of patterned and interrelated ideas, symbols,
Structural:
or behaviors
Culture is based on arbitrarily assigned meanings that are
Symbolic:
shared by a society
SAPIR-WHORF HYPOTHESIS
 Sapir (1921): “Human beings do not live in
the objective world alone, nor alone in the
world of social activity as ordinarily
understood, but are very much at the mercy
of the particular language which has become
the medium of expression in that society.”
 As a result of differences in language,
people in different cultures will think
about, perceive, and behave toward the
world differently.
 Reality itself is already embedded in
language and therefore comes
preformed.
 Language determines, enabling and
constraining, what is perceived and
attended to in a culture, as well as the
upper limits of knowledge.
 CROSS-CULTURAL VALUES
Americans Japanese
 Freedom  Belonging
 Independence  Group harmony
 Self-reliance  Collectiveness
 Equality  Age/seniority
 Individualism  Group consciousness
 Competition  Cooperation
 Efficiency  Quality
 Time  Patience
 Directness  Indirectness
 Openness  Go-between
EDWARD T. HALL'S MODEL
High-context cultures Low-context cultures
 Long-lasting  Shorter relationships
relationships  Less dependent on
 Exploiting context context
 Spoken agreements  Written agreements
 Insiders and  Insiders and
outsiders clearly outsiders less clearly
distinguished distinguished
 Cultural patterns  Cultural patterns
ingrained(dipped), change faster
slow change
Polychronic : Able to perform multiple tasks
simultaneously
 High-context Culture :
Maxico,Brazil,India,China,Japan,Korea,Latin
America,France ,etc.
 Low-Context Culture:

America,Swaziland,Australia,Germany,England
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
CULTURAL IMPACT ON
COMMUNICATION
 People living in different cultures have
different habits, values and ways of
expression. These differences are cultural
differences which cause problems when
people communicate. The following points
can highlight more about such differences:
1.BODY MOVEMENT
Our body sends non-word messages through
hands, fingers, eyes, head, face and so on.
These non-word messages have a different
meaning in different cultures, such as:
 Handshake: Americans like to greet by the firm
of handshake while Chinese do not like much
touching to greet. Rather they bow to greet
people.
 Eye contact: In U.S.A people maintain eye
contact while speaking to provide importance.
Whereas, in Indonesia, looking directly at
people considered to be disrespectful.
 Fingers: Use of two fingers to show victory sign is a
symbol of success in U.S.A. The same symbol has a
vulgar meaning in Australia. In Japan such sign
represents money. Even the use of “thumbs up”
means “things are well” in England and U.S.A but it
has a negative meaning in Nigeria.
 Head movement: Up and down movement of the
head means “Yes” and a side to side movement of
the head means “No” in U.S.A. whereas, up and
down movement of the head means “No” and side to
side movement of the head means “Yes” in Bulgaria.
 Smile: A smile is viewed as a positive sign in
American culture but considered as a sign of
weakness in African cultures. So, all cultures use
body movements during communication but in
different ways.
2) SPACE: 
Space is viewed differently by different
cultures. In some cultures, people maintain
distance in other cultures, people want to be
close. For example, North Americans
maintain two feet distance while speaking.
But Arabians stand close while speaking.
Americans view space as a “Right” but
Arabians view space as “Indecent”(Bad).
3) TIME
  Some cultures regard time as an important
factor everywhere but some other cultures
view time in a more relaxed way. People
from U.S.A, U.K or Europe maintain time
efficiently; whereas Arabians are late to
show that they are busy.
4) RELIGION:
 Religion is an important socio-cultural factor
and guides way of living and future thinking.
It affects consumption, business, and
attitude.
 For example Trading of liquor is restricted in
Muslim countries but open to the western
world. Moreover “Interest” on loan is
prohibited in Islamic banking but very
common in Commercial Banking.
5) SOCIAL VALUES
 Social view differs from culture to culture in the following areas:
 Living style: Some cultures lead luxurious life while others may not.

Arabians give emphasis on luxurious life and spend huge during the
lifetime. They view luxury as a status whereas Japanese are the hard
worker and save more and more for future.
 Class status: In many cultures, questions on occupation, income and

job title are asked without any hesitation. But cultures which support
human equality avoid such questions. In Bangladesh, people feel free
to talk about status but English man hesitates to talk about it.
 Addressing people: In many cultures, people are addressed by their

first name whereas, in many cultures, this trend is a symbol of

disrespect. In U.S.A, subordinate addresses: they’re superior to, “Mr.
Park”. However in Bangladesh, subordinate commonly uses the term
“Boss”.
 Role-play: The role of women varies widely by culture. In Thai and

American culture, women play a major role in business. Whereas, in

many Arab countries, women still do not play an important role in
business.
6. FRANKNESS:
  First World countries are more frank and
open than Third World countries. Americans
and Germans are franker than Asians in
respect of relationship. They openly share all
relevant information during communication.
While Asians deal with limited information
and remain an introvert.
7. CUSTOMS:
  Social customs widely vary “across cultures.
From cradle to grave customs are found
different among cultures. The way of
greetings and welcoming in China or Japan
differs from Arab countries. Moreover, the
tribal society of our country follows customs
which is absolutely different from our
original culture.
8. LANGUAGE:
  There are more than three thousand (3000)
languages in the world and therefore there is
a chance of miscommunication during
international communication. The
International business manager may face
communication problems for the below
reasons:
THANK YOU ALL !