Cultural Diversity Multiculturalism

● It is the coexistence of diverse cultures

“If you talk to a man in a language he where culture includes racial, religious
understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to or cultural groups and is manifested in
him in his language, that goes to his heart.” customary behaviors, cultural
- Nelson Mandela assumptions and values, patterns of
thinking and communicative styles.
Culture ● It also refers to people with different
● Culture manifests itself in every aspect ethnic backgrounds or different
of people’s lives, thus it is a communities living together (Hazir,
phenomenon that cannot be limited to 2012).
art, culture, and literature.
● Culture features are shaped by the Multiculturalism Theories
experiences people bring from past to The Melting Pot Theory
present (Ozkan, 2006). - The melting pot theory of
● American Sociological Review has multiculturalism assumes that various
defined culture as “a complex of values, immigrant groups will tend to ‘melt
ideas, attitudes, and other meaningful together,’ abandoning their individual
symbols as they are transmitted from cultures and eventually becoming fully
one generation to the next.” assimilated into the predominant society.

Factors Affecting Culture The Salad Bowl Theory

1. Values - The values are beliefs and - The salad bowl theory describes a
norms accepted by a society which are heterogeneous society in which people
distinct from our cultures. coexist but retain at least some of the
2. Norms - These are standards of proper unique characteristics of their traditional
acceptable social/public behavior. culture.
3. Mores - These are norms of morality.
High and Low Context Culture
Cultural Diversity
❖ Cross-cultural, intercultural and Interaction
multicultural have been used HCC
interchangeably. ● High use of nonverbal elements; voice
tone, facial expression, gestures, and
Cross-cultural - In cross-cultural societies, one eye movement carry significant parts of
culture is often considered “the norm” and all conversation.
other cultures are compared or contrasted to the ● Verbal message is indirect; one talks
dominant culture. around the point and embellishes it.
● Disagreement is personalized. One is
Intercultural - It describes communities in which sensitive to conflict expressed in
there is a deep understanding and respect for all another's nonverbal communication.
cultures. Conflict either must be solved before
work can progress or must be avoided
Multicultural - refers to a society that contains because it is personally threatening.
several cultural or ethnic groups. People live
alongside one another, but each cultural group
does not necessarily have engaging interactions
with each other.
LCC ● Time is a process; it belongs to others
● Low use of nonverbal elements. and to nature.
Message is carried more by words than
by nonverbal means. LCC
● Things are scheduled to be done at
● Verbal message is direct; one spells particular times, one thing at a time.
things out exactly. What is important is that activity is done
● Disagreement is depersonalized. One efficiently.
withdraws from conflict with another and ● Change is fast. One can make change
gets on with the task. Focus is on and see immediate results.
rational solutions, not personal ones. ● Time is a commodity to be spent or
One can be explicit about another's saved. One’s time is one’s own.
bothersome behavior.
Cultural Barriers
Association
HCC ● Language: Not speaking the same
● Relationships depend on trust, build up language causes misunderstanding.
slowly, are stable. One distinguishes ● Accent: The way you sound when you
between people inside and people speak.
outside one's circle.
● How things get done depends on Stereotypes / Prejudice / Discrimination
relationships with people and attention ● Stereotypes are mostly negative
to group process. images or preconceived notions about a
specific community, group or culture.
LCC ● This creates prejudice among people of
● Relationships begin and end quickly. different cultures and causes negative
Many people can be inside one's circle; attitude judgmental attitudes towards
circle's boundary is not clear. one another.
● Things get done by following procedures ● Once negative attitude has been acted
and paying attention to the goal. upon, it results to discrimination, which
is a negative action toward an individual
Territoriality as a result of one’s membership in a
HCC: Space is communal; people stand close to particular group.
each other, share the same place.
Ethnocentrism “US” vs.”THEM”
LCC: Space is compartmentalized and privately - It refers to the assumption that one’s
owned; privacy is important, so people are own culture is the center of everything;
farther apart. consequently, one’s cultural traits are
seen as natural, correct, and superior to
Temporality other cultures (Klopf, 1998; Lustig &
HCC Koester 2013; Samovar et al. 2013).
● Everything has its own time. Time is not
easily scheduled; needs of people may Cultural Relativism
interfere with keeping to a set time. - Understanding the practices of a culture
What is important is that activity gets from the point of view of that culture and
done. avoiding making hasty judgments.
● Change is slow. Things are rooted in the
past, slow to change, and stable.
Signs and Symbols
- Non-verbal communication like signs
and symbols differ from culture to
culture and can therefore not be relied
upon in communication. For example,
the “thumbs up”, known in the Western
world as a sign of approval, is seen as
an insult in Bangladesh.