111
UNDERSTANDING CULTURES
11.3
READING
8
What other cultures are you aware of in Bahrain?
9
Read texts A and B and choose the most
appropriate answer.
1
Text A argues for the following
a
Doctors should treat symptoms of illness.
b
We should all understand the causes of illness.
c
We should all be culturally aware.
2
Text A argues that
a
thinking about other people’s behaviours and
beliefs is strange.
b
it is very easy to describe what other people
believe and how they behave as strange.
c
our own ways of behaving are perfectly normal.
3
Text B states that
a
small differences don’t get into the newspapers.
b
it is important to know how close you should get
to someone on public transport.
c
small cultural differences are unimportant.
4
Text B states that
a
multiculturalism can work in certain circumstances.
b
multicultural communities should be easy to
establish.
c
your kids’ education is more important than
being able to find a job.
10
Read texts A and B again. What are the main
differences between the opinions of the two writers?
11
a
Which of the words below suggest a style closer
to text A? Which words are closer to text B? You may
choose more than one word to describe each text.
blog chatty distant email essay
formal informal textbook
11
b
Recognising features of register
What examples
of differences in style can you find between the two
texts? Think about the following.
•
the pronouns that are used
•
the formality of the vocabulary and grammar
•
questions in the text
12
Look at the text extracts on page 167 and say whether
each is closer in style to text A or text B, and why.
SPEAKING
13
Work in groups of four. Choose one of the following
statements to discuss. Two of you should argue in favour
of the statement and two of you should argue against it.
•
People are basically the same all over the world. It is
not essential to be aware of other people’s cultures.
•
Cultural differences are becoming less important.
Don’t believe the people who say that we must be
‘culturally aware’, that we should always think about
where people come from so we don’t offend them.
That’s nonsense! You know what it does? It makes people
concentrate on tiny, small things, like where you put the
soles of your feet when you’re sitting down in case you give
offence. Or how close you get to somebody on a bus or
train – invading their physical space it’s called. It’s all trivial
and really unimportant. No, what everybody really needs is
loads of politeness and patience. Once you get that, you
don’t have to worry about other people’s culture.
The other thing people say is that we reject other
people because they threaten us – our culture. I think
that’s so true. We don’t like to feel threatened – to worry
about our kids, our jobs, and so on. The important thing
is that your kids can get a decent education, you can
get work and your family feel safe. If those three things
are OK, cultural differences aren’t really important and
you won’t find anything about cultural problems in the
newspapers. Multiculturalism with all cultures mucking
in together works fine then. But, and it’s a big but, if
any of these three things goes wrong or missing, you’re
in trouble, big trouble. That’s when the little things
between people of different cultures start to matter and
can become big, troublesome issues.
A
Culturestoyou.com
B
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
A knowledge of differences between cultures, in an
ever-shrinking globalised world, is becoming one of the
essential key skills that modern ‘citizens of the world’
need to possess in order to work and learn effectively.
At a superficial level, this involves knowing about food
or body taboos. For example, some cultures don’t
eat meat, cows can be sacred, the head must not be
touched. But while it is important to know about these
things, if this is where your intercultural knowledge
stops, you will still end up offending people or being
misunderstood.
More important than superficial behaviour is the value
system of a culture. In the same way that a good doctor
needs to understand underlying causes rather than
just treat symptoms, the culturally aware individual
needs to have not only a knowledge of publicly visible
behaviours and stated beliefs, but also an awareness
of the underlying value systems of cultures that shape
those behaviours and stated beliefs.
Of course, these belief systems can be very different
from one’s own, and it is very easy to label other
people’s behaviours and beliefs as strange. It is more
difficult to accept that one’s own ways of behaving,
which seem perfectly normal, can be seen as strange
and even rude in another culture. But unless one tries
to observe one’s own culture objectively and have
an understanding of why other cultures do things
differently, it is inevitable that cultural mistakes will be
made.
MEET THE EXPERT
Watch an interview with Anna
Colquhoun, a culinary anthropologist,
about the cultural importance of food.
Turn to page 154 for video activities.
