What is Culture ?

.
 What is Culture ?
.

According to Morgan, the word “culture” is originally

derived from the agricultural metaphor of cultivation: of
growing and nurturing.

However, in the organizational perspective, he maintained

that culture refers mainly to the "pattern of development
reflected in a society’s system of knowledge, ideology, values,
laws, and day-to-day ritual.”
 What is Culture ?
.

Culture is the characteristics and knowledge

of a particular group of people, encompassing
language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music
and arts.
 What is Culture ?
.

Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a

particular group of people, encompassing language,
religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.

Culture is a way of life. It comprises of language,

religion and specific lifestyles. It can never be easy
to define culture, because there exists no static
definition of it. Rather, it is a continuously evolving,
having dynamic entity, which characterizes the
entire lifestyle of a certain group of people.
 Cross Cultural Dynamics ?
.

With increasing globalization, interaction with

people from different societies and cultures has
become unavoidable.

The cultural differences in social behaviour, values,

language and articulation pose difficulties for both
sides.

(articulation = pronunciation / delivery)

 Cross Cultural Dynamics
.

Culture is not just behaviour. Culture is the received

and accepted set of rules guiding human behaviour.
 Cross Cultural Dynamics
.

Culture is not just behaviour. Culture is the received

and accepted set of rules guiding human behaviour.

The rules are absorbed and eventually become

engrained in in each individual’s mind.
 Cross Cultural Dynamics
.

Culture is not just behaviour. Culture is the received

and accepted set of rules guiding human behaviour.

The rules are absorbed and eventually become

engrained in in each individual’s mind.

Persons with similar sets of social rules tend to

behave in the same manner which becomes the
normal behaviour.
 Cross Cultural Dynamics
.

Culture is not just behaviour. Culture is the received

and accepted set of rules guiding human behaviour.

The rules are absorbed and eventually become

engrained in in each individual’s mind.

Persons with similar sets of social rules tend to

behave in the same manner which becomes the
normal behaviour.

The individual’s behaviour is noticed only when it

deviates from the norm and becomes a noticeable
behaviour in a particular culture.
 FEATURES OF CULTURE
.

1. Culture is learnt.

From parents, peers, media and other socializing

institutions.

Includes values, attitudes, world views, language

etc.

Thus, Culture is a perception.

 FEATURES OF CULTURE
.

1. Culture is learnt.
2. What do you consider as food?
3. Culture is Cumulative.

(Cumulative = advancing)
 FEATURES OF CULTURE
.

1. Culture is learnt.
2. What do you consider as food?
3. Culture is Cumulative.
Each generation changes, refines and defines
culture. These changes are passed down to next
generations.
 FEATURES OF CULTURE
.

1. Culture is learnt.
2. What do you consider as food?
3. Culture is Cumulative.
4. Culture is continuous
5. Culture is integrated

(Integrated = combined/mingled/unified)
 FEATURES OF CULTURE
.

1. Culture is learnt.
2. What do you consider as food?
3. Culture is Cumulative.
4. Culture is continuous
5. Culture is integrated
All the cultural aspects are inter-connected with
each other. For example, values system is
interlinked with morality, customs, beliefs and
religion.
 FEATURES OF CULTURE
.

1. Culture is learnt.
2. What do you consider as food?
3. Culture is Cumulative.
4. Culture is continuous
5. Culture is integrated
6. Culture varies from society to society
 FEATURES OF CULTURE
.

1. Culture is learnt.
2. What do you consider as food?
3. Culture is Cumulative.
4. Culture is continuous
5. Culture is integrated
6. Culture varies from society to society

Culture is not uniform every where but occurs

differently in various societies. For example,
values, customs, traditions, ideologies, religion,
belief, practices and the ways of eating, drinking,
speaking, greeting, dressing etc are different from
one social situation to another at the same time.
 Principles of Culture
.

1. If you don’t like your culture, then change it.

Treat culture like a garden; enjoy a long-term
process of cultivating it.
2. Culture is a dynamic process, not a destination. It
requires constant reassessment.
3. Great culture exists beyond the individual, yet the
individual flourishes within it.
4. Strong culture is about making/creating an
environment in which something great can
happen.
 Contextual Differences
.

So, Context = Circumstances/ background

or something which the natives are familiar
with
 Contextual Differences
.

High-Context Cultures

A high-context culture relies on implicit communication

and nonverbal cues.

In high-context communication, a message cannot be

understood without a great deal of background information.

Asian, African, Arab, central European and Latin

American cultures are generally considered to be high-
context cultures.
 Contextual Differences
.

Low-Context Cultures

A low-context culture relies on explicit communication.

In low-context communication, more of the information in a

message is spelled out and defined.

Cultures with western European roots, the United States

and Australia, are generally considered to be low-context
cultures.
Contextual Differences
.
 Contextual Differences
.

High-Context Cultures often display the following tendencies –

Association:

 Relationships build slowly and depend on trust.

 Productivity depends on relationships and the group process.
 An individual’s identity is rooted in groups (family, culture,
work).
 Social structure and authority are centralized.
 Contextual Differences
.

High-context cultures often display the following tendencies –

Association:

Interaction:
Nonverbal elements such as voice tone, gestures, facial
expression and eye movement are significant.

Verbal messages are indirect, and communication is seen as an

art form or way of engaging someone.

Disagreement is personalized, and a person is sensitive to

conflict expressed in someone else’s nonverbal
communication.
 Contextual Differences
.

High-context cultures often display the following tendencies –

Association:
Interaction:

Territoriality:

 Space is communal (Shared).

 People stand close to each other and share the same space.
 Contextual Differences
.

High-context cultures often display the following tendencies –

Association:
Interaction:
Territoriality:

Temporality:

 Everything has its own time, and time is not easily scheduled.
 Change is slow, and
 Time is a process that belongs to others and nature.

(Temporality = humanity, being human)

 Contextual Differences
.

High-context cultures often display the following tendencies –

Association:
Interaction:
Territoriality:
Temporality:

Learning:

 Multiple sources of information are used.

 Thinking proceeds from general to specific.
 Learning occurs by observing others as they model or
demonstrate and then practicing.
 Groups are preferred, and accuracy is valued.
 Contextual Differences
.

High-context cultures often display the following tendencies –

Association:
Interaction:
Territoriality:
Temporality:
Learning:
 Contextual Differences .

Low-Context Cultures often display the following

tendencies
Association: Relationships begin and end quickly. Productivity depends on
procedures and paying attention to the goal. The identity of individuals is rooted in
themselves and their accomplishments. Social structure is decentralized.
Interaction: Nonverbal elements are not significant. Verbal messages are explicit,
and communication is seen as a way of exchanging information, ideas and opinions.
Disagreement is depersonalized; the focus is on rational (not personal) solutions.
Territoriality: Space is compartmentalized. Privacy is important, so people stand
farther apart.
Temporality: Events and tasks are scheduled and to be done at particular times.
Change is fast, and time is a commodity to be spent or saved. One’s time is one’s
own.
Learning: One source of information is used. Thinking proceeds from specific to
general. Learning occurs by following the explicit directions and explanations of
others. Individual orientation is preferred, and speed is valued.
Contextual Differences
.
 Contextual Differences
.

Video
on High Contextual and Low Contextual
 Social Differences
.

Social differences are the situations where people are

discriminated against on the basis of social, economic, and
racial inequality.
 Guidelines for Intercultural
Communication .

 Speak slowly and clear

 Ask distinct questions and only one at a time
 Avoid negative questions (Avoid ‘not’ in question)
 Take turns (Speak- listen – speak)
 Be supportive (Speaking foreign language is not easy)
 Write it down (if not sure and cross check it again)
 Check meanings
 Avoid slang
 Limit the humour (People may take it as sarcasm)
 Do some research (on the culture of the receiver)
 Be attentive to cues (that the listener gives)
Xenophobia is a political term and not a recognized
medical phobia. 

Xenophobia definition is –

‘Fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of

anything that is strange or foreign’.
Videos on
Ethnocentrism is when a person tries to judge
the culture of other people from the point of view
of their own culture. 

Ethnocentrism can look at things like language,

custom, religion and behavior.

An ethnocentric person will use their own

culture as the basis for judging other cultures.
 Video on
Ethnocentrism
That is all in this topic.