(Done from and anthropological point of view)
How to cope with cultural dilemmas in an increasingly globalised world.
<Problem of the day>
· The central concepts: The concept of culture and the concept of dilemma
· Examples of dilemmas
· Work with cases
· Discussion of cases
· Summing up
· Answer the challenge
<The evolutionary concept of culture>
· Some cultures are better and more “right” than others.
· Some cultures rank higher than others on a “developing ladder”
· The goal (at least from those on top of the ladder) must be always to move up the ladder – to become more and more developed towards Western standards
<The relativistic concept of culture>
· All cultures are equal
· Culture is homogenic islands
o It’s seen as individual (static) entities
· Cultural relativism
<Problems>
· Problems with the evolutionary and relativistic of concept of culture are:
o Individual differences are ignored
o The local context is ignored
<Cultural meetings>
· Cultural conflicts (it clashes)
· We assume that cultures meet, all though this is extremely abstract
<The complex concept of culture>
· Culture is not something you have
· Culture is created among people, when they interact
· Culture is the tacit knowledge, the meanings and values we share
· Everyone in a culture does not share the same values
· Culture may not be seen as ex: national cultures
· There are always differences within a culture
· Cultures are constantly moving
Text: Describes a certain culture
Oddest ritual: Woman’s head in the oven
Location: Canadian Creek <-> Mexico. Also Caribbean/Cuba
Guesses: A minority unknown -> Contrast to the Native Americans
Ritual: Woman’s head in the oven -> Sauna (Solarium)
Text: Describes ourselves in a more colourful way
Possible goal: To find out how we describe others.
Nacirema: American
Notgnihsaw: Washington
Cultural “bubbles” – Cultures don’t clash, people do that bear the cultural differences.
People categorise, but as a teacher you HAVE to be aware of it.
