week 2

Question 1

Metaphor for culture: tree and roots

Answer 1

-A culture’s rituals, traditions, ceremonies, myths, and symbols provide it with the nutrients it needs to survive.
Like trees and their roots systems, environmental factor force cultures to adapt and change

-Nature, like culture, is constantly adapting and evolving

Question 2

Surface culture

Answer 2

(easy to observe/see/smell/hear/taste)

food, drink, popular culture, music, festivals)

Question 3

Intermediate-level culture

symbols, meanings and norms

Answer 3

Pay attention to the setting and interaction

Learning cultural norms and symbols of other cultures, e.g., British vs. Japanese tea

Question 4

Deep-Level Culture

Answer 4

Shared traditions and rituals that are passed down

Rites of passage, wedding ceremonies, funereal rituals

Question 5

culture is learned

Answer 5

Akin to:

• “softwares of the mind” – programmed like a computer
• Hofstede (1991) views culture as consisting ofmental programs, calling itsoftwares of the mind, meaning each person “carries within him or herself patterns of thinking, feeling, and potential acting which were learned throughout their lifetime.”

Question 6

culture is shared

Answer 6

Vignettes from reading show how we share rituals, ceremonies, habits with people with whom we form some kind of bond

Rituals – eating, drinking, socializing, playing sports, playing music, etc., that shape and structure our lives

Question 7

culture is dynamic

Answer 7

• Changes over time and place
• Impact of globalization, technology, media and popular culture

-Different variables at play cultural interactions:
Time and place
Emotions
Body language
Verbal cues
Various attributes: power, authority, gender, age, ethnicity

Question 8

culture is systemic

Answer 8

Back to the analogy of tree or iceberg, culture has deeply-ingrained patterns of behaviour, perceptions, assumptions, etc.

Question 9

culture is symbolic

Answer 9

Symbols are arbitrary words, concepts, ideas that represent meanings and interpretations

• Language uses arbitrary sounds and symbols (letters, pictures) to make meaning
• Emojis are symbols, meaning different emotions that we interpret
• Brands use symbols to communicate (and differentiate) identity and meaning

Question 10

Hoftstede’s value dimensions of culture

Answer 10

Hofstede indicated that cultures that rate high in masculinity, such as Japan, Austria, Venezuela, and Italy, revealed a high proportion of males in dominant structures;

in low masculine cultures, such as Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, and Sweden, women were treated more equally in their social systems.