http://www.newonline.org/resource/resmgr/mcw_ppt/becominginterculturallycompe.

pdf

http://www.uniteforsight.org/cultural-competency/module6 http://www.vives.org/files/2011/10/IMar%C3%AD_14102011_annex2.pdf http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/educators/enrichment/culturematters/ch6/attitudesex.html

http://www.extension.org/mediawiki/files/1/18/1-2support.pdf

http://www.florida-air.org/jeanine07.pdf

http://www.uniteforsight.org/cultural-competency/module6

Module 6: Cultural Differences and Cultural Understanding

The progression towards cultural understanding is vital to becoming an effective volunteer. As humanitarian entrepreneur Connie Duckworth observes, "It's very hard to just parachute into a developing country. There are so many cultural nuances and ethnic differences, so many things about a particular culture that wouldn't be readily apparent to someone who's not from there. Success or failure of projects or enterprises rests on creating solutions that work within that cultural context."(1) Culturally sensitive volunteering requires a willingness to learn as well as to give, but most of all, it requires the humility and ability to self-evaluate. Overcoming ethnocentrism involves more than getting used to cultural differences. After having been raised in one culture, sudden immersion in a completely different culture can trigger a series of complex emotions and reactions. For some, it can come as a shock that their worldview isnt universal, but is instead just one of many equally valid worldviews. For others, fundamental differences among people from different backgrounds can be difficult to accept. Still others will immediately admire the beautiful and exotic characteristics of a foreign culture, and may even temporarily shun their own background. Regardless of your initial attitude towards cultural differences, it is important to develop genuine intercultural sensitivity in order to be an effective volunteer. The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (2)(3)(4)(5) Intercultural development and communication expert Dr. Milton Bennett has been recognized for his Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. The model describes, in a series of six stages, a continuum of attitudes toward cultural differences. The goal is to move from the ethnocentric stages of denial, defense, and minimization, to the ethnorelative stages of acceptance, adaptation and integration. Bennett describes ethnocentrism as an attitude or mindset which presumes the superiority of ones own worldview, sometimes without even acknowledging the existence of others. Ethnorelativism, on the other hand, assumes the equality and validity of all groups, and does not judge others by the standards of ones own culture. Bennetts six stage model is summarized below. Ethnocentrism: A simple way to conceive of the three stages of ethnocentrism is in terms of attitudes toward cultural differences: those in the denial stage deny the existence of cultural differences, those in the defense stage demonize them, and those in the minimization stage trivialize differences. Denial: People in the denial stage do not recognize the existence of cultural differences. They are completely ethnocentric in that they believe there is a correct type of living (theirs), and that those who behave differently simply dont know any better. In this phase, people are prone to imposing their value system upon others, believing that they are right and that others who are

different are confused. They are not threatened by cultural differences because they refuse to accept them. Generally, those who experience cultural denial have not had extensive contact with people different from themselves, and thus have no experiential basis for believing in other cultures. A key indicator of the denial stage is the belief that you know better than the locals. Defense: Those in the defense stage are no longer blissfully ignorant of other cultures; they recognize the existence of other cultures, but not their validity. They feel threatened by the presence of other ways of thinking, and thus denigrate them in an effort to assert the superiority of their own culture. Cultural differences are seen as problems to be overcome, and there is a dualistic us vs. them mentality. Whereas those in the denial stage are unthreatened by the presence of other cultural value systems (they dont believe in them, after all), those in the defense stage do feel threatened by competing cultures. People in the defense stage tend to surround themselves with members of their own culture, and avoid contact with members from other cultures.(6) Minimization: People in the minimization stage of ethnocentrism are still threatened by cultural differences, and therefore try to minimize them by telling themselves that people are more similar than dissimilar. No longer do they see those from other cultures as being misguided, inferior, or unfortunate. They still have not developed cultural self-awareness, and are insistent about getting along with everyone. Because they assume that all cultures are fundamentally similar, people in this stage fail to tailor their approaches to a cultural context. (7)(8) Ethnorelativism: Acceptance: In this first stage of ethnorelativism, people begin not only to recognize other cultures but to accept them as viable alternatives to their own worldview. They know that people are genuinely different from them, and accept the inevitability of other value systems and behavioral norms. They do not yet adapt their own behavior to the cultural context, but they no longer see other cultures as threatening, wrong, or inferior. People in the acceptance phase can be thought of as culture-neutral, seeing differences as neither good nor bad, but rather as a fact of life. Adaptation: During the adaptation phase, people begin to view cultural differences as a valuable resource, and thus relish the differences. Because differences are seen as positive, people consciously adapt their behaviors to the different cultural norms of their environment. Integration: Integration is the last stage in ones journey away from ethnocentrism. In this stage, people accept that their identity is not based in any single culture. Once integrated, people can effortlessly and even unconsciously shift between worldviews and cultural frames of reference. Though they maintain their own cultural identity, they naturally integrate aspects of other cultures into it. Once you have progressed to an ethnorelativistic view of cultural differences, you will in essence be bicultural. You will revel in cultural differences, and be able to effortlessly take on subtle characteristics of the local culture. Your intercultural sensitivity will also affect how others view you, and thus how they treat you. Being trusted and accepted by local people into a culture you

have recently come to know and accept will be thrilling and fulfilling, and will allow you to be a more effective volunteer.
Footnotes (1) Analysis: Local Connections are the Key to Success. 5 December 2008. Business Week Interactive Case Study. www.businessweek.com. Accessed on 16 December 2008. <http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/dec2008/ca2008125_591024_page_2.htm>

(2) Culture Matters: The Peace Corps Cross-Cultural Workbook, p. 201-202. Peace Corps Information and Collection Exchange. www.peacecorps.gov. Accessed on 18 December 2008. <http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/publications/culture/pdf/workbook.pdf> (3) Bennett, M. A Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. Derived from: Bennett, Milton J. "Towards a Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity" in R. Michael Paige, ed. Education for the Intercultural Experience. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press, 1993. Accessed on 15 December 2008. (4) ibid. (5) Bennett., M. Basic Concepts of Intercultural Communication. Boston: Intercultural Press, Inc, 1998, 26-30. Accessed on 18 December 2008. <http://books.google.com/books?id=l_ePPDfW8CgC&dq=basic+concepts+of+intercultural+com munication&printsec (6) Culture Matters: The Peace Corps Cross-Cultural Workbook. (7) Bennett, M. A Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. Derived from: Bennett, Milton J. "Towards a Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity" in R. Michael Paige, ed. Education for the Intercultural Experience. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press, 1993. Accessed on 15 December 2008. <http://www.library.wisc.edu/EDVRC/docs/public/pdfs/SEEDReadings/intCulSens.pdf> (8) Bennett, M. Leveraging Your Intercultural Experience. 17 September 2007. Presentation to BAE Systems Executives. Kyoto, Japan. Accessed on 15 December 2008. <www.mesaresearchgroup.com/downloads_SLP_Asia_07/Milton%20Bennett's%20PPT%20Pres entation.ppt>

I. II. III. IV. V.

Denial Paragraph #6 II. Defense Paragraph #7 III. Minimization Paragraph #8 IV. Acceptance First part of paragraph #10 V. & VI. Last part of paragraph #10

Dear Friends
Jan has been asked by Peace Corps to write a letter to people who have received an invitation to join the Peace Corps and serve in Jan's host country. In her letter, Jan has chosen to review her Peace Corps experience by looking back at the various stages she has gone through in adjusting to the country and culture, and reflecting on what it has all meant.
Read this letter carefully; later in the chapter when you examine this topic more closely, you will be asked to refer to again.

Dear Friends:

The Peace Corps has asked me to write to you and tell you all about my country and my experience. I've filled several journals with what I think of this place and what's happened to me here, so you're not going to get very much in a two-page letter. As you'll see soon enough, being here is such a rich experience, it's hard to stop talking about it-and harder still to know where to start. I guess I could start at the beginning, when we got off the plane in the capital and it was so hot I thought there must be some sort of humidity alert, that everybody except for emergency workers had probably been told to stay indoors until this weather passed. I was wrong, of course; it was actually unseasonably cool that day, as I now realize, but that just shows you how far I've come. I don't even notice the humidity anymore, much less reflect on it. Those were the days, though, when we couldn't get enough of this place. The people were the friendliest people on earth, and nothing we did seemed to faze them. After a while that changed, of course, and it began to dawn on us that one or two things about our culture appeared to be different from theirs, and that probably we shouldn't be quite so sure we weren't fazing the locals, since maybe they didn't "faze" the same way we did! It was all uphill from there. Training is a kind of blur now, though I swore at the time that I would never forget anything that happened during those early weeks. I remember it was very intense-everything was intense in those days-that we were incredibly busy all the time, that we couldn't wait for it to get over. And that we were scared to death that one day it would be over, and we would have to say goodbye and go out and become Peace Corps Volunteers.

But it did end, we did go out, and we did become PCVs--kicking and screaming in my case. I say that because my early days at my site and at my job were not my happiest moments. Even though I knew better, I made all the mistakes I had promised myself I would never make. I won't bore you with details, but suffice it to say that I thought I knew how to do things better than the local people, that if they would just listen, they would see the light and come around. Once I realized I wasn't getting through, that they really did see things differently, I'm sorry to say I got a bit negative. If that's the way they wanted to do things, then to hell with them. This wasn't my finest hour. Somehow I had to climb out of this mood and get back on track. My first attempts were a bit clumsy. I told myself: "Okay, so these people aren't like you. Get over it!" So I went back into the fray-and got bloodied all over again. This was starting to get annoying. I realize now that while I had accepted that the local culture was somewhat different from my own, I still thought that deep down inside we were all alike. While I might have to adjust my style, I didn't need to worry about my basic assumptions and life beliefs. That was the biggest lesson I learned here: that cultural differences are not just on the surface, that people really do see the world in fundamentally different ways. I don't want to say that everything you know about life and people goes out the window when you come here-that wouldn't be true, either-but culture does run deep, and so, therefore, do cultural differences. Anyway, I finally got wisdom, accepted that different people can see the same things very differently, and tried to be more understanding. Now I can laugh at those same behaviors that used to bother me-I've even adopted a few of them myself-and some of the things that bothered me I don't even see anymore. Well, I didn't expect to get so philosophic about all this, but I guess it's unavoidable whenever you start to look back. And I haven't told you anything about the country yet! I'll have to let others do that. After all, anybody can tell you about the markets and the busses, and the bugs and the food. But true insight-now that's harder to come by! I want to say in closing that you'll notice I've addressed this letter to "Dear Friends." We've never met, of course, and probably never will, but I still feel that I know you--not your name or your face or any of the facts of your life-but your heart, or whatever you call that place where your values and your feelings reside. I know this much because I know myself, and I know that you must be something like me or it would never have occurred to you to join the Peace Corps and undertake this adventure. We must hope for some of the same things, you and I, perhaps even for the same kind of world, where people understand each other better--where their first impulse upon meeting a stranger is to be curious rather than afraid. When I'm being sentimental (this is such a time, in case you haven't noticed), I like to think I have done my small part in making that happen. I sincerely hope you enjoy doing yours.

All the best, Jan