Greg DuBois
I'm an English Instructor (from the USA) at SISU, eager to learn alongside you in this multi-cultural setting. Special interests include cultural identity, values, and IC training
Location Shanghai, China
Activity
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so there is a common event which occurs in all human societies, but it is ritualized and carried out in unique ways...good examples!
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Greg DuBois replied to Greg DuBois
Thanks for reposting! Yeah, I also am a bit skeptical of the value of figuring out what the 'national level' cultural values are of any given nation. On the other hand, Hofstede's work is statistically brilliant...
I think the link is nationally instituted, managed, and distributed education systems. These have major impact on the socialization of future...
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Thanks for your comment! I very much agree that there is a global trend toward fast-flowing, perhaps overwhelming, streams of information being delivered personally (smartphones facilitate this to no end!). I don't know if it could be called a 'culture' on its own, but I would definitely consider it a global trend that is infiltrating most, if not all, cultures.
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I saw the pictures...empty, silent city!!! It must have been surreal...
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Greg DuBois replied to Ziying Su
Hi Ziying! I'm curious--if you could have given either Dr. Chen or Dr. Johnson some advice during this time, what would you have told them and why?
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Greg DuBois replied to Muhammad Atique
thanks for your analysis here!
I also sometimes wonder if expectations/assumptions of power come into play. It's possible that Dr. Chen thought that Dr. Johnson had all the power in the world to extend the contract, but in actuality, he may not have had that power at all...
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Greg DuBois replied to Songjia Xun
Hi Songjia! I'm curious--do you think that Chinese culture has been changing in the past few years regarding this aspect of cultural values?
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As an American, I dearly hope that nobody is using Hollywood as a model for how to live, eat, dress, or maintain relationships :D
That being said, I have noticed that Disney has a tendency to get rather 'preachy' in their childrens' movies...
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@MuhammadAtique , thanks for continuing to point this out! I totally agree with you that for many religious groups, the values that they derive from their religion are more important, perhaps stronger, than those that they get simply from the country that they grew up in. One interesting question that I have often wondered about is how do sets of religious...
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thanks for pointing this out! Do any specific examples come to mind from your experience?
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Glad you found it to be a great learning experience!
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Glad you found it a great learning experience! Care to share an example? :D
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Glad you found it to be invaluable!!
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Greg DuBois replied to F Ang
Thanks for pointing this out; using an experimental design to study values is incredibly difficult, which is why most of the big names in cross-cultural psychology have use cross-sectional designs to compare populations from different countries. But even so...still difficult!!
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Greg DuBois replied to steve murray
I think the same could be said of the USA...once groups are formed, their 'natural propensity' has great sticking power. Thus, increasing contact across groups, and thereby awareness and understanding, is usually considered the intermediary step in between separated groups and the rainbow nation.
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Greg DuBois replied to Tomo JuniorM
great summary here!
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@ChengAngel , well, there is a difference between 'intercultural' and 'international' communication. It's pretty easy to have communication that is not international...but yeah, for 'intercultural'...
I think it depends on how you are thinking about the communication event. For example, if I'm communicating with a white, Christian American who grew up in my...
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Yeah, I think I would agree with most of your analysis here! The only thing that I noticed, when talking with many of my friends, is that they thought the behavior of Chen Lin (and his friends) upon arriving at Markus's place was NOT representative of Chinese norms at all. Actually, they all thought he was pretty rude, and they wouldn't have done so...
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Greg DuBois replied to Greg DuBois
@SylvieKrauss , I wonder the same thing...have I become less representative or normal of my home culture because i've lived abroad? I think...yes. Definitely. haha. But there are some core values where I still share and identify strongly with my American roots, I think.
So what were the 5 that you listed?
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Greg DuBois replied to Mitthias Tang
@MitthiasTang , ok that makes sense. Thanks for your answer! I think in the USA, we do this weird thing where 'thinking for yourself' and 'going your own way' is idealized, and 'following the crowd' is looked down upon...but eventually, if everyone is 'going their own way', then if you choose to 'go your own way' then you are still just 'following the crowd',...
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Greg DuBois made a comment
Two interesting questions I've been asking myself as I go through this exercise:
1) is this value 'cultural' or 'personal'? In other words, do I see this represented in my home culture? is it common, widespread? Is it likely that I have this value because my culture gave it to me? Or...is this just part of who I am as an individual?
2) Am I listing...
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Greg DuBois replied to Mitthias Tang
Hi Mitthias! Do you mean that 'crowd thinking' is valued in your culture? Like, is it something that people like/choose?
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Greg DuBois replied to Muhammad Atique
Hi Muhammad, thanks for your comment! I'm curious--do you think that patterns of dress or eating habits are values themselves? Or that they are influenced by, or maybe created by, values?
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Greg DuBois replied to Amoo Oyenike
I definitely agree that values are really hard to observe. I'm curious, do you think that there is any way that values might become visible, and therefore observable? If so, how?
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Greg DuBois replied to Junjie Sun
Awesome!!!
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I actually have noticed body language when trying to figure out if someone I met in Hangzhou was Chinese-American or Chinese national. It doesn't always work, but there have been some times where it did!
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Yeah I generally agree with you. Although sometime I wonder whether, even though people definitely have individual preferences regarding intro/extro, cultures probably do too. Like, there's still a norm in a culture for social interaction...
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Andy, your phrase the 'color of culture' reminded me of a very interesting book on linguistics called "Through the Language Glass", by Guy Deutscher. It's not exactly about culture itself--more about whether or not language can actually shape the perception of reality. Most of us probably would agree pretty quickly that cultural inputs, especially from when we...
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Hi Abigail! It's really interesting to me that at the time that you moved from city to city, you 'unconsciously' carried out intercultural communications...yet now, as you reflect on it, you realize that it was intercultural. Now that you are thinking back to those times, do you remember anything at the times when you moved which was new or exciting or...
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Your comment has me thinking about this question...is it possible that the degree of interculturalness of any given interaction is at least in part based on whether or not the people (or other entities) who are communicating perceive / believe that their communication is intercultural?
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Greg DuBois made a comment
As I read this case, one key question comes to my mind.
There are three possible frameworks from which to analyze the misunderstanding: individual personality, constructs of 'courtesy' or 'common sense', and cultural roots.
For example--perhaps Markus just doesn't like it when plans change and when his expectations aren't met...or maybe there's a...
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Good observations!!!
So do you think that Markus's failure to adapt and 'let go of' his expectations is just an aspect of his personality? Or is it maybe linked back to his culture of origin? Or how about Chen Lin's failure to communicate about bringing friends or respect for the apartment...is that just personal or cultural? Or both? Curious what you think!
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Greg DuBois made a comment
This case study is really interesting, as it tends to jump between the perspective of Markus and Chen Lin--we get Markus's perspective at the coffee shop and when Chen Lin arrives with his friends. But then we see Chen Lin's perspective as they travel to the park and begin walking around.
What if we flipped the case study around and got the other persons'...
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I really like how you've expressed this! One of my Chinese friends had similar feelings once when she realized that she obviously was not conforming to the perception of 'Chinese-ness' that has slowly developed in my mind (having lived in China for almost 7 years). It was very awkward, but she was gracious. The experience taught me to be very careful when...
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@YichengYang as a 'waijiao' working in China, I've grown used to the awkward pauses ;D Now when I meet new teachers in China, one of the first pieces of advice I give them is "don't be afraid of silence!" In almost every case, the answers that are eventually given are worth the wait :D
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@DougFerguson , I think language is probably one of the most obvious barriers to shared meaning...although even among different subcultures which share the same language, there are definitely generational gaps too..It's definitely tricky to draw a line and say that certain aspects can be grounds for calling one group a unique culture, while other aspects...
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Yeah, I definitely noticed some differences! Although, the one year I lived in Ningxia, I couldn't speak Chinese very well...so my awareness of unique cultural aspects was somewhat limited.
One of my close friends, originally from Fujian, said it was quite difficult for him to move from his hometown to Xi'an for his undergraduate study (because of...
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This is one of the most fundamental challenges that exists in the field of intercultural communication. At what point does intercultural communication cease to be 'intercultural' and just be communication?
I'm curious how you would answer your own question?
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Strongly agree!! Creating shared meaning is somewhat easier when I am communicating with another American from the northeast (my 'hometown' cultural region. But outside of that, there are so many questions...how are they interpreting my non-verbal cues? Are my verbal cues matching the patterns of their verbal cues?
This happens with generational gaps too;...
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Welcome to our course! I expect you will probably find that your generalized communication training will be incredibly helpful when taking a closer look at the unique elements of intercultural communication. While the IC discipline has roots in several different fields of study, I still think communication, along with sociolinguistics and anthropology, are...
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Greg DuBois replied to Jin Ianthe
I'm also quite interested!
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Hell Huili! I'm very interested in your experiences in living in different regions within China...when I first moved to China in 2013, I lived for one year in Ningxia, but since then have been in Shanghai. Are each fo the different regions where you've lived quite different from one another? And if so in what ways?
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Greg DuBois replied to Junjie Sun
Welcome to our course! If you like what you see, look into SISU's MA and PhD programs in IC. I can highly recommend them!
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Greg DuBois replied to Sophie Burton
Hi Sophie, and welcome to the course! If I may ask, which university do you work at in the UK? I hope our course will be helpful as you continue interacting with others in your diverse community!
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Welcome to the course, Tatiana! Sounds like you have a lot of cross-cultural experience to draw from!
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Greg DuBois made a comment
Hello all and welcome to the course! Along with our esteemed lead educators, I am one of several course mentors who will be facilitating discussion throughout the next five weeks of our course. I hope our course will give you an opportunity to dig deeper into the complexities of culture and how it affects communication across (and among?) cultural groups....
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Well, there might still be room to describe it as such. I think religious beliefs, for example, are very deeply held on a personal level, but thus also create communities of people who together can build a "culture" of that religion. Seems as though personal identities can transition or also be cultural when its not just you who is a particulae way or values a...
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Hm, good point. The internet has wildly changed how people form groups...it's possible that most definitions of culture are still rooted in an assumption of geographic limitations--i.e., people who live near each other will be communities, and thus will develop common traits.
But that's changing...
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right. And also in my experience in China, there IS a sort of common identity as an expat/foreigner. Part of this is because Chinese culture very naturally/quickly boxes foreigners together and then chinese together (waiguoren and zhongguoren). But also, there is this sense that...because you're a foreigner, you go through similar struggles, similar...
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Greg DuBois replied to Qiaojun Wang
interesting; so what makes you feel comfortable to express these sort of negative things among friends face to face...but not online?
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Greg DuBois replied to yiwen zhai
Yeah, weather is almost certainly one reason! In China or US, the weather doesn't necessitate that style of dress...so people end up adopting it because they want to present themselves in a certain way.
but then if you or I wear it because of weather/comfort, we are 'misinterpreted', haha
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OK--so it manifests itself in social activity, but it's not so much a 'social identity.' it's something you hold very very deeply.
So would you call it a cultural identity or a personal identity, then?
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Thanks for sharing! I'm curious...would you say that there is an 'overall' sense of ‘European' identity that is carried in addition to the identity of whichever country/region you grew up in?
If so, how does that affect communication and perceptions between people from different European countries?
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A lot of literature about acculturation and adaptation of migrants quite commonly treats them as a culture--but they usually deal with groups of migrants that all come originally from the same country.
To treat all migrants in a given country, regardless of their country of origin, as the same culture, would be very interesting...I think it's very possible.
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Hi! I'm curious, why do you think that being a 'volunteer' is more of a cultural identity than a social identity?
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Greg DuBois replied to Abra Kadabra
Yes, I think background identities and other identities attributed via context can both be cultural identities, whether they are unchangeable, as you mention, or arise out of life's twists and turns.
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You raise a good point...where is the 'line' between a social or cultural or personal identity?
I think this question parallels what we asked in Week 1--what is culture? At what point can we call a group a culture?
I think if we decide that we can call a specific group a culture, then we can maybe call it a cultural identity. At the same time, I'm not...
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Hi Karen! I'm curious why you might say that cultural identity is not such a big part of your identity as a whole...and what else might be? More personal level factors?
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This is really interesting!!!!! Thank you for sharing!
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Greg DuBois replied to Hajer Mzoughi
I'm really curious what you mean by your last...'i am culturally misunderstood'. Would you mind explaining it a bit more?
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Greg DuBois replied to Efthymia Diamanti
Hello again! Would you say that 'openness' is a cultural identity or a value?
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Greg DuBois replied to Cassie （SISU）
You have a broad mix of 'interest' based identities and 'group' based identities! I'm curious, can you give us a deeper description of what it means to be 'Chinese'? Like, what are these basic, unshakable principles?
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Greg DuBois replied to Abra Kadabra
Curious, what do you mean by 'Art' (with a capital A)?
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I really like your comment here...partly because being an 'animal lover' is such a cool identity facet, but also because you've noticed that the way you're perceiving yourself is thematically different from the general trend...pretty cool.
I think that 'being an animal lover' might start out as an individual characteristic (i.e., you love animals), but...
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Greg DuBois replied to Qiaojun Wang
Really interesting comment; I can guarantee you that Americans do the same thing on Facebook!
I'm curious...do you do the same thing in face to face communication? For example, if you get angry, do you keep it to yourself, so that you are only showing a 'positive me' to others?
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Greg DuBois replied to yiwen zhai
Cool!!! Haha, it's interesting how different life habits or lifestyles will 'wear off' on you when you live somewhere for a long time.
When i went to Thailand for the first time, I bought a tanktop for the first time haha! I love them now. Perfect for the summer. But in the USA, there are some stereotypes about guys who wear tanktops--like, they are...
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Greg DuBois replied to Liwen Tan
Yes, it's very different! My expectation would be that most Americans use 'thank you' in that way...at least, that's been my experience. You can expect more of it if you work with US companies or people :)
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yeah, these are two very different perspectives on communication. One considers an attempt to be communication regardless of the extent (or lack) of its success. The other would question whether any communication had actually occurred.
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Greg DuBois replied to Theresa S
Yes, definitely!!! really good explanation. This is something that I've been wondering about for a long time in China--everyone keeps telling me that China is a collectivistic culture, yet I notice young Chinese, like in my generation (九零后) acting or saying things like what you've said above.
Also, I hadn't considered the gendered aspect of this before,...
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Greg DuBois replied to Karen Pearson
Karen, that's a really good point--certain cultures frame identity in either individualistic or collectivistic terms. As an American, I definitely know that I was taught to perceive myself as an individual and define myself based on my hobbies, talents, skills, and vocation. Also movie preferences, haha.
Efthymia, really interesting to hear about your...
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Yes, it's really hard! And the 'norms' are often different as well for different positions in society..I just transitioned from being a masters student in China to being a teacher, and I'm noticing that a lot of my behaviors which were ok as a student are definitely NOT being done by other teachers. Time to 'relearn', I suppose.
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Greg DuBois replied to Danila Dallari
This is a very good observation! As an american living in China, mt "americanness" becomes important whether i want it to or not, because it is a box for other people to put me into. I am a cultural representative/ambassador whether i want to be or not, and it doesnt even matter if i perceive myself as a normal or non normal American!
Context can bring out...
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Greg DuBois replied to Theresa S
Tracy, u mentioned earlier that one of the facets of your cultural identity as Han chinese is "collectivism"...i.e., individual interests are not as important as group needs.
But the statement "we all should have the right to pursue what we want" doesn't sound very collectivistic to me. Actually it sounds very individualistic.
I'm curious, in a...
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Greg DuBois replied to Karen Pearson
I'm glad you note that vocation is such an important facet of identity for so many people. Although sometimes i wonder if that's something that varies from culture to culture..
I'm also interested in that none of.your identities listed are linked to more obvious cultural groups (like a nation, for example).
Would u say that the 5 listed are cultural...
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good point about English as a common language which can sometimes carry an illusion of deep, authentic communication, or an illusion of cultural sameness/closeness on these degrees of interculturalness...yet that is not always the reality. very important for English native speakers to remember!!!
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actually, based on your description, maybe you could also say that each individual can be viewed as representation of MANY specific cultural groups (in your example--student, daughter, atheist, chinese, asian, etc).
for a less serious example, I know a lot of people who view themselves as members of pop culture fanbases..with such a strong sense of...
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Greg DuBois made a comment
This story always makes me consider deeply one key question...in relation to my similar stories from living abroad:
Is this behavior culturally prescribed, or is it just a personal thing? For example--is Markus just personally an introvert, or are most people from Germany this way? Or for Chen--is he just inconsiderate about personal space or is personal...
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Great story! thank you for sharing; we all have stories like this, haha!
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Yeah i think Anne has a good point here--maybe in any communication (IC or not), we are always attempting to arrive at a shared meaning, but not always successful. In IC comm of course it is so, so much harder to arrive at that shared meaning. Not impossible, but really hard.
So if the communication fails to result in the shared meaning, would we call it...
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i like your emphasis on the phrase 'intercultural spaces.' One of the interesting things about an intercultural communication event is that it doesn't take place within the umbrella of only one cultural context--by virtue of the fact that people of different cultural backgrounds are interacting. So a lot of things about a 'cultural context, if it were two...
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Yes, I would agree. You've identified the challenge--what are the criteria on which we decide which is culture A and which is culture B.
language is a pretty common one. customs/values is sometimes another. Geographic proximity can play a role. many argue that gender can be a criteria for the formation of a cultural group. In a lot of social science...
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@Saad, there's actually one pretty substantial debate in the field of culture studies, as it relates to IC. Some people position culture as 'pre' everything...as in, it comes before everything, influences and forms everything.
Others would argue that some things are not products of culture--certain element of 'human nature' or psychology or even biology....
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maybe the real question is...even if we can figure out, or define, or conceptualize culture...how can we come to be self-aware of how it is influencing us? how can we come to know what about our ideas, opinions, and behavior is 'acculturated', and (on the other hand) what is just from (for example) our own personality?
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Greg DuBois replied to Qing He
Welcome to the course! I'm curious, how long did it take you to adjust to Shanghai style sweet food?
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Greg DuBois replied to Liwen Tan
Welcome to the course! Haha, as an American, I know what you mean by the repetitive 'thank yous'. It's a very deeply rooted communication style in much of the USA...and it's been something very hard for me to adapt to in China. I always feel rude if i don't say thank you whenever someone helps me out with something (even if just holding the door!)
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Welcome to the course! What are some of your favorite places that you've visited?
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Welcome to the course! You mention that you love Chinese culture, in particular Tang poetry. What are some of your favorite poems from the period?
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Greg DuBois replied to Mary Town
Another upstate New Yorker! Welcome to the course!!!
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Greg DuBois replied to yiwen zhai
Welcome! What are some highlights from your time in Thailand? I'm curious--did you pick up any new habits--for example, diet or exercise or leisure--when you were there? As an American, I never drank tea until i came to China. but now i drink it almost every day!
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Welcome to the course! I'm curious what you mean by 'deliver every message in a facetious way, haha. Do you mean something like sarcasm?
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great list of practical steps to challenge oneself to engage in the difficulties!!!
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I like your connection between the idea of ethnocentrism and education in that ethnocentrism is something that is passed on ffrom generation to generation...we are taught to take great pride in our culture, yet that pride often becomes synonymous with looking down on other cultures. It takes true teachers, who are also learners--those who learn from their...
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Yes, I agree, having someone to talk to is a crucial and very helpful way to deal with culture shock, re-entry shock, et al.
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I can really relate to your story here; very touching! Missing festivals that people close to you are sharing back home is really hard.
When you say TCC do you mean 'third culture child'?
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This actually lines up pretty well with my experience living 3+ years in China. I experienced more of a sense of 'rootless' or shifting identity in the 3rd year, not in the first or second. It wasn't entirely unpleasant or bad but it was strange. I think this pattern also fits Yang's wave model quite well
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Really like your 2 suggestions; they are the backbone of how to live through difficult times abroad!
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I can relate to your story! I'm curious, can you think of any big turning points in your time at Xi'an? What kinds of experiences or events changed things for you?
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I agree, I think it's actually the small things which cause greater stress because we don't know or can't prepare for them. Little things like traffic patterns when biking, simple courtesies, how doorknobs work, getting money out of the ATM, and more.
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How would you compare the challenges of inter-European cultural adaptation and East/West cultural adaptation?
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what are some of the differences between Shanghai and your hometown, or where you did your undergraduate degree?
