Cross-Cultural Blog

We analyzed an advertisement promoting the new Play Station Portable. There are Christmas lights around the entire ad, saying that "This is not an ad", but simply a reminder to buy the product for Christmas. The ad is targeting a wide range of consumers, but there is a focus on people who are aware of the PlayStation brand. Those who are familiar with this gadget will realize that the tree is made of the PlayStation buttons. Its a solution for the neglecting parent as well as a good reminder kids can use to give to their parents. Culturally, this ad suggests that Christmas is becoming more materialized, and the root of happiness is centered around the newest technology and gadgets. It seems that the Christmas aspect of the ad is secondary to the product, emphasizing more importance on the product. This ad would still be effective, even if the PSP Christmas tree and lights were not there.

Posted by at 02:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

The purpose of this ad is to sell cigarettes.The audience is global because of the recognizable image of the "cowboy." The ad is also targeted toward both males and females; those who identify with the freedom and independence that he represents. Men want to be like the Marlboro man and women want to be with him. The argument of the ad is that by smoking cigarettes one will become cool, just like the Marlboro man. This advertisement focuses on an emotional appeal. The ad is definitely not logical; there is a warning against using cigarettes. The ad is targeted towards youth culture in the American West. When you see this ad, you make the cultural assumption that a cowboy symbolizes independence and ruggedness. This ad challenges cultural norms because it contradicts the traditional family-oritented "American Dream." The cowboy does not want a traditional lifestyle, he wants to be independent and free from any burdens. However, at the same time, the ad also confirms cultural norms because the cowboy is such an American icon that it reinforces American culture. But the questons now is, is this ad as effective today? Does the cowboy still symbolize the same type of freedom as it once did? Maybe not, but the Marlboro man will forever be remembered as a prevalent American icon.

Posted by at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (20) | TrackBacks (0)

1) The ad is trying to create "excitement," even if through controversy, about
the PSP... and hopefully lead to people buying the product. Make
sales through reaction and provocation.

2) The audience is Holland... not the US and UK where people are more easily
offended. These places, as opposed to Holland, have a more hurtful
history with racism, and thus this ad is negatively shocking there.

Also, a younger audience is being aimed at: the woman's
shirt is offensive for older generations, but attractive for the PSP
audience age. The "catfight" is also appealing for the teen
audience.

3) The argument is that Playstation White is more powerful, perhaps even sleeker and
sexier, than the Playstation Black. Thus, people should buy it. It
works primarily though emotion, or pathos, since its main message in
working through controversy and excitement.

4) The cultural context is meant to be in Holland, where racism is
not an issue historically (unlike religious intolerance) and bluntness is much to be desired.
Controversy is almost considered 'common,' as it is seen and used so
much in Holland culture.

5) It is definitely challenging cultural norms, but not as much so
in the context of Holland culture.

Posted by at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

The purpose of this ad is to appeal to US young adults (13-25ish) and sell their clothing. The argument of this ad is buying their clothing will make you look good and sexy. They exploit the cultural values of American desire to present yourself in the latest fashions and fit in with the crowd. It is well situated for American culture because they chose a very "All American" model.

We found this ad interesting because when we first asked if students unfamiliar with Abercrombie could tell what they were selling from the ad, they couldn't. When we told them it was a clothing store, their first reaction was that the ad was cut off and incomplete. But for Americans familiar with the brand, this ad is classic Abercrombie.\

This ad would not be as controversial in Sweden as in the U.S., because the “naked body" so to speak, isn’t something that generally “bothers” the average Swede.

Another unique aspect of this ad is that it would be recognized and would appeal to an American, regardless of whether he/she were in California or Idaho; the American cultural value/desire to look attractive/be sporting the lastest fashions is prevalent throughout the country.

At the same time, however, the "naked body" is considered more taboo in the U.S. than it seems to be in Sweden. One only finds Abercrombie ads, as the one shown below, in magazines or online, not usually on television.

The cultural context is a capitalistic society in which young people want to look close to
the average people and want to wear the latest fashion just for fitting into the society.

Posted by at 10:19 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Group C: FacebookFriendsForever

Main
Points

pathos/emotional
appeal

she seems
powerful with
the hiking boots
and the daring
look at the
camera. she has
attitude yet she
is pinned down?!

This Ralph Lauren fragrance advertisement
shows many aspects of not only American
culture, but of the entire Western world.
This beautiful woman in this sexual
position is an example of pathos as Ralph
Lauren is appealing to the emotion of the
audience. In this way, Ralph Lauren is
selling romance, not the perfume.
At first glance this ad may seem
empowering for women as the women appears
to be in control. However, this beautiful
woman in a very sexual situation tells
women that the only way they can get
power and stay happy in this society is
to exploit their bodies. Unfortunately,
we learned that this trend is prevalent
across all types of media around the
globe -- even in Singapore! Dr. Alyssa
O'Brien and Dr. Christine Alfano explain,
"Such ads work cleverly to sell perfume,
not on the merits of the scent or on its
chemical composition but through visual
rhetoric of sexuality and our emotional
responses to it (Envision, p. 50). Ralph
Lauren is saying that if you buy
this perfume you will have this sexual
experience in the woods. This
is an example of post hoc ergo propter
hoc logical fallacy. The audience is
attracted to the sex appeal
of the advertisement and the beauty,
power, and attitude of the blonde woman.
However, her apparent "power" is only an
illusion in the wider context of gender
roles and social norms.

Posted by at 10:14 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

1. Purpose
The purpose is to promote activism, raising awareness about
spending habits of the developed world.

2. Audience
Affluent people in developed countries that can afford lifestyle purchases.
May not be charity-minded but the ad would like to convince them.

3. Argument
Puts in perspective our "needs" compared to the needs of
poor people in subsaharan countries. Visual argument built on the contrast
between environment/the man AND the aftershave/the man's pose

Parody of other commercials in the provocative pose that'd otherwise be
used to SELL the aftershave

Humorous: intriguing, works through emotions - at first surprising and ironic. Grabs
us through humor - something we respond to and like in our culture of leisure, comfort;
- then that humor is converted into their message

Aftershave: luxurious and superfluous product. None of its ostensible effects (scent,
cleanliness, sexiness) are referenced here - becomes useless. Price right next
to the image of the aftershave underscores its value not as an implement but as
a consumer product.

Builds an image of lifestyle needs vs survival need

4. Cultural Values
Reflects cultural context - gap between rich and poor, skinny vs. well fed.
Reflecting our society in being ignorant of these gaps, or choosing
to turn a blind eye Africa as the frequently referenced poor place
("don't throw away that food, there are hungry children in Africa")

5. Cultural values
Pose of the man: references familiar pose in advertising that sets
cultural identity (wealthy Western world's culture of leisure, relaxation,
hedonism. This man would likely NEVER lie this way - working instead.)

Reflecting our society in being ignorant of these gaps; that we turn a blind
eye to the more serious needs of others when we spend our money on
unnecessary products

Money is synonym of empowerment. When the poor get money it is empowering;
the wealthy should know that their money is power, i.e. can affect others and be
used for something greater than themselves.

6. Rationale for our Choice
You see two cultures right away; contrast is upfront. Spending habits of one
in stark contrast to the needs of another.
This ad retains its meaning and power across the Western world probably,
regardless of nationality/continent. As long as viewer has spending power
they'd understand it and be affected by it. Wealth is universal and the
uneven distribution of it is a problem that should not be turned away from.

Other ads in the series:

Posted by at 10:10 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The purpose of the ad
is to sell Coors
light to various
groups of people. It
refers to political
groups, religious
groups, ethnic
groups, and American
ideals of democracy...
We think the ad
appeals to everyone
because the message
is that it doesn't
matter what
demographic you're
in, Coors Light is a
suitable beer for
everyone (over 21).
The ad tells customers
to forget about the
labels society wants to put on
them. The
advertisement also
mentions several
qualities that people
who would hold a
higher place in
society would have,
such as rich, tall,
smart, etc... but
they never mention
the negative
qualities that a
person could attain.
This shows that these
are the type of
people that the
company is trying to
appeal to.

Posted by at 10:05 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

For centuries, Poland has been a bridge between the East and West. Located in the heart of Europe, it is a multifaceted country where the tradition coexists with modern, progressive and vibrant lifestyle. As in the case of every other country, its ubiquitous and complex culture is hard to define. Nonetheless, let’s have a try.

According to “Communication between cultures” by Larry A. Samovar, there are five basic elements that mark a collection of people as a culture. First of them is a culture’s history. While considering Poland, getting to know the stories of the past is a prerequisite for explaining and truly understanding the character of its culture. That is mostly because it has particularly long and complicated history, including 123 years of occupation, Nazi’s invasion during the WWII or communist regime lasting for almost 45 years. Most of the Poles are very aware or that, and they pay extra attention to pass what Basile describes as “source of the collective consciousness” on to the next generations.
The second constituent pointed out by Samovar is religion. More than 96 percent of citizens are identified as Roman Catholic. Poland is among the most uniformly Catholic countries in the world, and the Roman Catholic Church in Poland enjoys immense social prestige and political influence. Such situation shows that it seriously affects families, communities, and the economic life. A human conduct is judged by Catholic precedents of acceptable behavior, and accordingly to its notions of right and wrong. People are not willing to stand out that is why there are very few religious minorities.
Another feature of a culture is values. The ideas shared by Polish society suggest that our culture is based on rigid, hierarchical social structures, is not dependable on science, but does emphasise the importance of work. I cannot say, however, if Poland is more characterised by collectivism or individualism because it is still facing systematic transition problems, so some aspects of life are more collective, post-sovietic, whereas the others tend towards Western competition, individual achievements and initiative.
As far as the social organizations in Poland are concerned, they are crucial to make up a culture’s structure. The Poles generally perceive an institution of family in a wider, extended way. We take care of older people, respect their opinion and learn from their experience.
Finally, the last element indicated by Samovar is language. Polish is the official language of my mother country and it is the most spoken West Slavic language. It has been greatly influenced by Latin; many Polish words are actually direct calques from Latin. Moreover, due to our turbulent history, especially Russification and Germanisation, and the whole process of changing Polish ethnic self-label or identity, the Poles are really proud of their own language that survived throughout these difficult times.
Culture offers people a common frame of reference. I am proud of my Polish heritage because it shapes my identity, but still, what I keep in mind every time I encounter a person with a different cultural background is that, fortunately, people are more that their cultures…that places us all on in one point- we are all humans…

Posted by at 01:26 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Cross-cultural communication is a field of study that looks at how people from differing cultural backgrounds endeavour to communicate. Outwardly, there should be no major problem with interaction between people whatsoever, since we all inherit same general patterns of human behaviour but, in fact, we create or acquire individual and social behaviours that differ us, our families and cultures.

Intercultural communication involves interaction between people with different perceptions and systems of values. Some cultures pay attention to time, whereas the others focus on people and relations between them. It can be very complicated for the representatives of these two completely different worlds to cooperate because they have totally different priorities, goals and views on elements associated with the systemic nature of communication (i.e. occasion, time, location).
Therefore, for me, the core of cross-cultural communication is to establish and understand how people with different backgrounds deal, talk, do business and simply coexist with each other. Hence, its aim should be to formulate some guidelines due to which people from different cultures can communicate more effectively. That is crucial, especially when you realise how many barriers cross-boundary communication has to face. Language differences, diverse perceptions of social organizations, and varied values we believe in can make it extremely hard not only to communicate, but to be understood.
I suppose that the reason of problems with successful intercultural communication is far more complex than just assuming that it is because different ways of bringing up children or different events our countries went through. As far as I am concerned, the cause is more psychological. The increased uncertainty while interacting with strangers goes with higher levels of anxiety, as we anticipate a wider range of possible negative outcomes. We may worry about damage to our so far word-view from feeling confused and out of control. We may fear the possibility of being incompetent, or being exploited. We may as well be afraid of being perceived negatively by the stranger. And we may even worry that interacting with a stranger will bring disapproval from members of our own group. But fortunately the situation is not insoluble because, generally speaking, these anxieties can be reduced by paying more attention to the communication process itself, and by gathering more information on the stranger. Being aware of the cultural differences can result in better understanding and, additionally, save a lot of time and nerves.
THX

Posted by at 01:17 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

One of my favourite quotes reads as follows: “Variety is the spice of life.” Imagine how completely dull the world would be if there were no such thing as culture.

Our class consists of people from many different cultures and one thing we completely agree on is that culture differences are positive and not negative. Once we have settled on that, what are the differences and how aware are we of such? From a Swedes point of view I have found it very interesting to learn how other cultures see us, we are quite personal and quiet and so on; we keep a low profile and are very independent. I think must of us actually have found that we are very aware of how other cultures see us, maybe this is because we nowadays travel much more than previous generations. Whether other cultures have interpreted our culture correctly or not is another question, something that also has been discussed in class. Most of us have some sort of prejudices about other cultures. The definition of culture and cultural identity is complex. How do you identify yourself, when do you find yourself belonging to a certain culture? To understand another culture one must take many aspects into consideration, like geography and history for example. A country’s place in the world history as well as its location can have an impact on the culture.

Posted by at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I have been in Sweden for two months and have noticed a lot of interesting differences between it and my home country. I am from the United States, California to be more exact. Besides the obvious differences such as weather and language, some of the other differing practices are in personal space issues and recycling procedures. I feel all of these things help to describe our different cultures. They are part of what makes us who we are and shows how we represent out culture.

I noticed the issue of personal space very early when I arrived in Sweden. In the US it is very normal to give people a lot of room when talking to them or passing by them. Personal space is very important and is pretty respected. Even if you feel you are walking by someone to closely it is normal to say “excuse me”, “pardon me” or even to apologize. It is very customary to apologize when bumping into someone no matter who was at fault. After being in Sweden for a bit now I have noticed that personal space is an issue that people from the US think is a much bigger deal then in Sweden. Here I have noticed that people tend to stand much closer when talking. Also when passing by someone even if you bump into them it is not necessary to apologize for it. I feel this difference really speaks about the differing cultural practices of the US and Sweden. While both are not relations cultures it still shows the differences between the two. Social interaction is something you can really see and experience when comparing the two cultures.
One aspect of Swedish culture I really respect is the recycling system. In the US we do think that recycling is important and I do it at home, but the US is not as diligent as in Sweden. At first in Sweden it was a bit hard to understand where everything was supposed to go and what exactly to recycle but it has become somewhat like second nature now. I really like the idea of separating the trash and really recycling everything that can be recycled and not just cans and bottles, which is a common practice in the US. It really shows an appreciation for the environment and for the future. I believe this represents part of Sweden’s culture because it is an example of what the entire country sees as important.
Being immersed in a different culture really gives perspective to my own. It helps me to see what I like and dislike about my own culture. I believe that people tend to forget about their own culture and what that truly means until they are presented with someone else’s. No one does this on purpose, it happens because everything they know it so customary and natural that it becomes routine. Experiencing different cultures and being able to take pride in ones own is just part of why learning about culture is so interesting.

Posted by at 07:16 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Cross Cultural communication is a complex process. So far in our class we have learned that all cultures interpret things differently. Whether it is how to react when someone is late to a meeting or in how people perceive the influence of history on culture.

That is one of the privileges of being a part of this class because we not only discuss cross cultural communication we also experience it first hand. With the class being so diverse it really adds to the experience. For example the way students and teachers interact during a discussion. For the most part where I am from if a student would like to ask a question or add an opinion they would raise their hand and wait for the teacher to acknowledge them before speaking. I feel that here is a much more relaxed and equality based system. Students here feel the freedom to shout out opinions even when the teacher is still speaking. I am not saying either is wrong or right but that the experience does show the difference in communication styles within different cultures. This is something that would not be easily learned from a book but very easy to see while sitting in the class.
Practicing cross cultural communication in this class helps one realize their own culture more. It gives people the opportunity to learn more about other cultures and their own. For me, communicating with the students from Stanford gives me the chance to look at my own culture through a different cultures perspective. Communication between people of different cultures does not have to be difficult but it is also not always easy. An example of this is during class discussions when people from two different cultures disagree about something because of their cultures. Their options are to talk through their disagreement and explain themselves or to get defensive and argue. Luckily people in our class are willing to take the time to explain themselves but that is not always the case.
So far in this class I believe we have learned the most about cross cultural communication by practicing with each other, which in my opinion is the best way to learn anything. Because of globalization the importance of learning to communicate with different cultures is extremely relevant. I think this class and the exercises that we do during it will help everyone learn to communicate better not only cross culturally but within their own cultures as well.

Posted by at 07:13 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Swedish culture and my own culture are i think totally different!!!
Indeed, in the beginning I was here I was totally surprised by the fact that people are much more open minded than in France.
Indeed, last week, we went to Stockholm with two french friends and it was really nice to notice that people over there are really ready to help us because it as not easy for us coming from a little city to take our marks in this this so great and cosmopolitan city!!!
Moreover, here, people are not stressed at all such as in France where people are always on the move, stressed, not friendly and totally desagredable when some foreigners ask them something.

To my point of view, in fact, in France we own a strange culture which is not always pleasant!!!
Indeed, we are chauvinist, not very tolerant and we always want to have the last word!!
To my French mind, french behavior is not always easy to live.

On the contrary there is another aspect of my French culture which is very agredable!!
Indeed, in France they like to eat, how can I say…..with greed.
Indeed, they like to eat good cheese (and I hink that it is one of our good reputation to have very delicious cheeses) and we like to eat cheeses and to take our meal in compagny of delicious and very famous wines…. Which lead us sometimes to some little accidents because when we star to drink good wines there are often some excesses…

Concerning the Swedish culture, I think it very pleasant to live here with them because they live in a close link with nature which is not the case of French people who are always damaging things around us.
Swedish, on the contrary, live in peace and in a complete harmony with it!!!
For exemple they have the intelligence, for most of them to use bike to go from one point to another.
Moreover, we can notice from this exemple that Swedish people are courageous and they don t hesitate to “travel” by bike.
French are the total contrary of that!!!
Indeed, they are not courageous at all and they prefer to show their pride and their ridiculous behaviour, driving their big car.

The last thing which striked me the most when I arrived in Sweden is the fact that Swedish people have a strange relation with food.
Indeed, they eat all along the day and can eat five or even six times in the day and despite that they are not fat at all!!!
It is strange because in France we only eat 3 times in the day.
Moreover I have noticed that the students around me really like to cook whereas in France, students don t like to cook. They prefer to eat fatty foods such as pasta or pizza.
We are really leasy people in France…

To conclude this short article I can assure that Sweden is a very agredable country in which we can lead a peacefull life!!!
Moreover I hope that as beeing an exchange student I will be able to take profit of this fantastic year!!!!!

Posted by at 06:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

During my first lesson of Cross Cultural Communication, it is right that I was a little destabilised and very surprised and for me it was only panic!!!
But soon after, I started to appreciate this lecture and all the things around it.
Indeed, now, I am fond of the course and the project which are interesting in many things.

First of all, I think it is very nice to have some contacts with others students, being in another country.
Indeed, through that, I hope we will have the opportunity to approach new cultures, new ways of living, and perhaps new ways of learning and teaching!!!
Moreover it was nice because since the first lesson, we have met Stanford students and we have already created some contacts with them realizing that we have in common many things such as TV series, sort of blogs on the internet!!!
But during this first lesson, we have met an obstacle against the creation of links.
Indeed, sometimes, technology was really against us.
So, due to that, we can notice that hight technology is often a problem in communication between human beings.

But, except that, I can say that cross cultural communication is an evident way to be more tolerant towards the others cultures, to be a little bit more open minded and to understand the others better.
For me I see this as a sort of confrontation between the cultures and perhaps it can help us to have an interesting comparison between the different values there are in the countries for exemple religion, foods, clothes….
For it is really interesting in the fact that as I am a french student, I can have sometimes a quite narrow minded perception of the things aroud me!!!
Indeed, in my country we are chauvinistic and sometimes intolerant in front of the things we don t know…
I really thing that the fear of the unknown is a real obstacle to the understanding of others cultures and I think that we are afraid of that because a majority of human beings don t like the unknown and are totally afraid by the things which are not such as us.

To conclude this explanation, I can say that cross cultural communication will be a very pleasant thing for me, coming from France, because it will help me to improve my english accent and it will help me to be a little bit more at ease in front of other foreign students and it will help me to be a little bit more tolerant in front of others values, others points of view.

Posted by at 06:46 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

When I arrived in Sweden, my head was full of expectations, ideas and stereotypes about Sweden and swedish people. I thought it was a country very near of nature, very developped, a very cold weather, and rather cold people. All of us, exchange students, came here with a lot of ideas in mind. But after three months, I realized that some of my ideas can be verified and other not.
What I can say about Swedish culture is for example the fact that there is a certain homogeneity of the culture : there is a very common fashion style, commons rules and points of views. Moreover, identity among the Swedes is very strong, they seem to be very closely linked together (maybe because there are not too many people) and unified (to the contrary of France where some regions have kept their own dialect and powerful character, but we’ll talk about my own culture later on).

Then, what I have also noticed about swedish culture is that Swedes are rather polite and really helpful to people and friendly. Indeed, when you’re lost or you’re looking for something peole will be very glad to help you.
An other thing is that Swedes love sport (particularly biking !) and eat a lot troughout the day, and they are not fat, that’s really interesting because the way of living is not exactly the same in other developed countries like America for example.
Swedish food is of course part of the culture but there is nothing particularly striking in comparison to my home country.
An other thing that I’ve noticed is the fact that Swedes are using a lot of expressions like ‘jaha’ or ‘absolute’, that’s quite funny to hear them talk because it’s also different from France. Of course we also have our own expressions but we are not so spontaneous. Howewer, everybody is talking at the same time, contrary to Sweden. It’s an other environment (very near of nature) and way of living.

French culture can be characterized by Paris, cheese, bread and wine. Those stereotypes are not false actually. Swedes love cooking, but it’s not french cuisine. Cheese in Sweden is not what I can call good cheese (I’m speaking as a french girl). We have more than 100 cheeses in France. Is sweden the country of wine ? Not so bad, but french wine is better. Swedes are drinking a lot, like French in fact. The food and food habits are quite different.

What I can also say is that french people are always in a hurry, especially in big towns and they are not always ready to help you. They are not obsessed by time but they’re always hurrying up and impatient.
Besides, it’s less agreable to study in universities because the environment is not very favorable for that : I think it’s more easy to study in Sweden for example because there is an other environment, very near of nature and an other organization especially.
French culture can also be characterized by the attitudes of french people, which are chauvinistic and impatient.

That is the way I can describe my own culture, by comparing with swedish culture. But both are cosmopolitan and intersting, with many likeness but also with many diferences.

Posted by at 06:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Since the begining of time, humans have been in contact with each others. Tribes have met other tribes that are different from themselves. People never ceased too meet other people in their life, especially with the apparition of new means of technology, especially the Internet. Nowadays, people are in contact througout the world, they discuss, exchange their views on different subjects, compared their culture, talk about similarities and differences, what shocked us because we are not used to such a thing in our own culture… Besides, communication, (that is talking and exchanging), across cultures can be sometimes difficult

Cross-cultural communication is basically an exchange between people which don’t have the same language, the same culture, the same ideas about a subject, people have different views on matters and topics about the world and even life in general. It’s very interesting to speak whith people we practically know nothing about because it’s just like discovering a new one. Of course you still have images and stereotypes in mind but you realise quickly that everything you’ve heard or saw or believe was not exactly the truth. Besides, talking and exchanging with a person who doesn’t speak the same language as you can sometimes be a bit difficult, misunderstood can occur.
Moreover, we are often uncomfortable when we are confronted with people who are different because they have not the same culture, the same ideas as you and that sometimes can shocked you. Here I can notice that as I’m a french girl, and french people are rather chauvinistic and even sometimes self-centered, I have a tendency not to enlarge my mind quickly but to accept ideas that are a bit different from mine.

So as I said, cross-cultural communication is also about exchanging on subjects like food, habits, customs, educational system, music… People have different ways to communicate, different ideas and opinions…..Some things can surprise you, there can be some culture clashes. Communicating with others can also help you to be more open minded, help you to know yourself better. We learn a lot of things concerning other peoples and cultures, but there can also be some barriers. So it’s a very interesting thing even if the culture is (happily) not homogenous and despite the fact that there are many cultural influences and ideas and points of views throughout the world. Everyone is different, and that is what makes cross cultural communication the most interessant.

Posted by at 06:40 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Communication is an important mean of expressing yourself because it exists different ways of expression and so different kind of communication depending on the culture you belong to .
The way of communicating will not be the same as other countries and it is important to know some values of other cultures and so of other ways of communicating for, first of all, avoiding some misunderstandings and then knowing better some aspects of different cultures .

That is why cross-cultural communication is an essential exercise to do; a person who come from a certain country does not necessarily get the same ideas about time, death, identity, as an other one from a different country because each person has its own identity .
First, a national identity, defned by a surname, a first name, citizenship, and a "personal" identity perceived as what are your activities, your opinions about issues or your experience in life .
Sometimes, your own identity can be modified or influenced by different factors, for example religion, your environment, your family.
The latter example seems to be a paradox because you can get your own opinions about something but you can be "influenced" by your familial surrounding or the society where you live(especially some notions that parents and even society teach you when you are a child, as patriotism or nationalism) .
This influence can replace your previous vision of life and changing your way of expressing yourself and so your way of communicating but you can also adapt this influence to your own way of thinking and it can be resulted in a different way of communicating .
In spite of a certain influence coming from a close surrounding, everyone can develop its own identity through its opinions and experience and this is interesting to notice that even within a close group of people, each person get different identities which are expressed through diverse means of communication .

Posted by at 05:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I want to start this essay by giving a definition of world because that gives us view how broad we have to think if we are talking about culture, identity, cross- cultural communication etc. World is a proper noun for the planet earth envisioned from an anthropocentric or human worldview, as a place inhabited by human beings. It is often used to signify the sum of human experience and history, or the 'human condition' in general. There are approximately 6.6 billion people living on the Earth.There are 6 continents and around 240 countries and it shows that our world is very different and there can’t be anything just right or wrong because our different history, origin, country, education, religion and many other things have made us what we are. But I want to look closer to definition of identity and importance of history to our culture and moral values.
It is so interesting that it doesn’t matter where you come from or what kind of religion do you believe or how old is your countries history still everybody think about their own identity and they can have completely different opinions, definitions and also values and way of thinking about this term. The dictionary comes with this “The set of characteristics that somebody recognizes as belonging uniquely to himself or herself and constituting his or her individual personality for life”. Yes, I agree that identity also include your own unique personality. We are like a puzzle that consists from thousands of pieces and each of it is very important because it makes full picture and it makes our identity unique. None of puzzles pieces are the same, they all have some different features. I connect my own identity with my family and history of my country, but all what I think about my self and identity is also connected with my own experience and background of live, because all what is important for me and my way of thinking is connected with my moral values. It is possible that people with very similar conditions still think cardinally different. And it is based on our own moral values.
We all live in 21st century and it has come with new way of thinking and lot of things which were important in the past are now unimportant. We live in era where we know that history plays a huge role in daily life but we start to think more forward future- that we have to live much better everyday and we have to save our planet form global problems etc. It is more forward future. So our identity irreversible changes as well. We think more globally now then locally - we are global inhabitants but with that change we also loose something. The term history is so broad- that is impossible to say where it is our own personal opinion or it is only because history has influenced us to think that way. There are no visible borders I think. Of course there are regions where history plays big role of their daily lives but even in countries where it isn’t, the lifestyle, way of thinking, moral values have been influenced by the history.
Most religions have built-in lists of do’s and don’ts, a set of codes by which its adherents should live. But in general our moral values are our beliefs about what is important in life. Some values refer to how one should act (be honest, altruistic, self-disciplined) while other values refer to what one wants to accomplish or obtain in life (a lot of money, fame, a family, friendships, world peace). Because a person cannot "have it all" or "be all things," priorities must be set and choices made. And that is most important to make the right choice and we here came back to term identity- family, history, religion influences our choices.
So as a conclusion I want to emphasize that everything is connected and nothing in our lives is unimportant. Even the smallest thing can play huge role in our lives. To understand we have to look like from the above and globally and then we will be able to understand that we all are just human beings and we live on the same planet and it is so interesting that we are so different otherwise our world would be so boring. And our world consists from more than 6.6 billion puzzle pieces- it is beautiful and colorful puzzle and to make this picture to exist for a long period we have to start to understand each other more.

Posted by at 05:22 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I think cross cultural communication is interesting and that I have already learnt a lot from this course. Culture encompasses so much of who we are and how we react to different situations. There is the conscious part of culture, with things like literature and music, and unconscious, like how we interact socially and what our perceptions of time is. Culture is not static but always changing. Today there is many different ways for cultures to interact, as we live in a sort of global village where you can get connected to any part of the world.

Businesses also have cooperations cross-culturally, which can sometimes lead to misunderstandings, with different perceptions of time and work. I think it is important to have an understanding and try to be adaptable if you want to work in different cultures. I think that it can be more rewarding, but also more challenging to work in a culturally diversified group than a homogenous cultural group. You get more different points of view when you work with people from a different background then your own.
I think religion and history do have a big effect on our cultural identity. Common moral values can be derived from religion and historical events can be what bind people together. I think that when you have a shared past you also have a common ground to interpret the world. Both large and small events in history can influence people in different ways. To understand a culture, I think it is important to also have knowledge about the history. The question is whether generalizations about a culture can ease the communication between different groups. I think it is important not to be to stereotypical in these generalizations and also understand that there are so many nuances in a culture that can be difficult for outsiders to pick up on. I think that you can never actually learn a culture until you can experience it firsthand yourself. But it can be good to have some knowledge beforehand so that you don’t make a serious cultural transgression.
I think the categorization of cultures in “achievement cultures” and “relations cultures” is interesting. It shows how we value different aspects of life. This can also cause complications in cross cultural cooperations, where one part puts an emphasis on relationship building and the other part puts an emphasis on the work being done. Both sides have specific advantages and disadvantages. I think it is important to have an open mind and compassion when dealing with people from different cultures, as you would wish that they would have an understanding for your culture.

Posted by at 04:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Listening to what other people have to say about my own culture always makes me realize things I wasn’t really aware of – or had forgotten I was – regarding the country I am living in.
When I first made a long travel overseas there were so many things that came into the light about myself and the culture I grew up with, and I am going to share some of my thoughts about this “aha” experience here.

Sweden is a very good country to live in when it comes to economic and democratic safety. We have a good and working social security -, welfare -, and educational system. The democratic rights are protected and well fought for. Shortly; the Swedish people have a big safety net.
I became aware that Sweden is, for many countries, somewhat of a “role model”, an example for others on how a country is to be governed and controlled.

A few things that I discovered about myself and what I think describes the Swedish people in general;

- We don’t like conflicts and often seek compromises. We were neutral in World War II, right?
- We wait for our turn (good God if you don’t respect the line! But if someone steps in before us we don’t have the guts to say anything, we just whisper angrily to our neighbour and give angry eyes)
- We arrive in time and we keep our word (time is money!)
- We are quite silent and we avoid to show feelings in public. Don’t disturb other people!
- We don’t visit people without notifying them first. Even just a chat or a coffee somewhere needs planning and preparation
- We obey the law, most of the time, and we are very orderly and wellbehaved
- We often think good about other people and can be quite naive. What people say is true, right?
- We are afraid to be different and not to fit in, to make a fool of ourselves. It’s better to just do what other people do.
- We fight for animal right. There are hard punishments for animal abuse.

I use to say to people, during my travels, that we in Sweden live in a “glass bubble”. I feel that we are not so aware (or pretend not to be) of the world around us and all the problems in it. We just send some money to an aid organisation to ease our conscience and then keep to our daily routines in order not to disturb our feeling of safety and normality.
I think that deep inside a lot of Swedish people often feel like doing something different, something “crazy”, something life-changing. Some do, but most of us are just too afraid and gutless to do it. We see changes as something scary.
In the end I do think that most Swedish people are proud to be Swedish. We have our traditions like midsummer, “sill och potatis”, “surströmming”, “Mammas köttbullar”, “bugg” and other things that we still heartly care about and preserve. They are very important to us and to our feeling of community.
- And there I will quite abruptly end my thoughts as the size limit of this entry is reached (and overdrawn). I hope I have (succesfully or not) put across a little bit of my point of view to you.

Posted by at 04:41 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Caroline Kern, CCR Group 1 15.11.2007

Short comparison of Swedish and German Culture

I am an exchange student from Germany and I study in Örebro since August 2007 and unfortunately I am just going to stay here until January 2008. I decided to go to a Swedish University because I heard that Swedish people are much gentler than in Germany. Well, after just arriving I could immediately find out what people meant. I arrived here, completely unsure about what will happen, how I will spend my time here and of course how the studies will be like. But all my uncertainties have gone after my arrival.

I was warmly welcomed by a very friendly Swedish International Office associate and she explained all the most important things to me that must be known, for example how to buy cheap bicycles or where to buy good food. The following weeks, now I am here for three months, I experienced friendly, patient and polite people as well. It does not matter if you are in public and ask an unknown person if she or he could tell you the way or if you are on your university campus and ask there somebody. But being in Germany, foreigners would immediately experience difficulties due to language problems. People in Germany have to learn English at the age of eight but nevertheless not everybody is able to speak it. So it might be that they are willing to help but can’t or the other way round, that they could help you but they don’t want to. So politeness, frankness and understanding towards foreigners in Sweden are much more taken for granted than in Germany. But with respect to lots of other things the Swedish Culture and mine have many things in common, for example the unwritten law of being on time whether you meet a friend or you have a professional meeting, religion or the climate is also nearly the same. (Of course depending on where you live in Germany and Sweden) But there are a lot of stereotypes people have in mind while speaking of one country. Swedish people are thought to be blond, blue-eyed and very depressed due to the climate and Germans are thought to drink a lot of beer, listen to techno and eat “Bratwurst” all day long, just wearing leather trousers. But of course nothing of this is true. Swedes are also said to have no real own culture and therefore they always want to have the latest fashion and technology. But I think this is really typical for Germany as well. We, Swedes, Germans and lot of other Western European countries are pretty much influenced by North America and therefore in some kind going to be “Americanized”. But nevertheless I think that things like fashion, politeness or general attitudes towards life are not just a cultural thing but are also related to our environment and childhood and therefore can vary very much.

Posted by at 08:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

First of all I want to tell you about one special thing from the course that had (quite a great) impact on me..

...and it regards one personal advantage I have gained so far that I think will affect my life (and knowledge) in the future. Here's the story:
The first day of class we were introduced to Marratech and through that virtual tool we (from our classroom in Sweden) talked with some other students – in USA! It just made me realize how easy it is nowadays to interact over country borders, no matter how far apart we are. Of course I knew about voice & video conferencing before, but as I never really used it in this way I wasn’t really aware of it. Anyway, when I came home I wanted to develop that experience and I used Skype (a sort of phone/chat service over the Internet) to look for a Spanish speaking person (I’m trying to improve my Spanish!). I quite soon found a guy from Argentina – who is moving to Sweden and wants to learn Swedish! – so now we have “language classes” a few times a week, speaking with headphones and a mic over the Internet. All for free! We also discuss a lot of other things; culture, history, politics etc – and I find I learn so much more listening to someone’s personal experience and thoughts (in this case about Argentina) than reading about that same subject.
So I think I just want to make a point that the Internet is an incredible tool when it comes to communication of all kind - it has almost endless opportunities! And god it’s cheap compared to other communication tools..! We just need to know how to take advantage of that, so I see the usage of Marratech and the CCR site as a very good way to become aware of Internet and its features and get used to using them. I’ll bet you I will be fluent in Spanish within 3 months..! :)
Some other thoughts about the course as a whole; from the 4 classes we’ve had so far I must say I feel very inspired and satisfied with its structure. The fact that we are having a lot of discussions, both in groups and together in the class, feels especially valuable as we learn a lot about other people’s culture and points of view. I have learnt that even if we come from different countries and cultures we share a lot of thoughts, feelings and experiences – we seem to have a lot more similarities than differences. But I have also learnt that our different backgrounds can give us different points of views, references and interpretations of things around us. I am really looking forward to learn more about cross-cultural communication and rhetoric!
I’m also very glad we are a culturally mixed class, it really gives value to both the discussions and to my understanding of cross-cultural communication. I think I have learnt more about these countries in just two weeks than I ever remembered from my high school history lessons..! :)

Posted by at 07:41 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

My expectations, my thoughts and even dreams about this country are really far from the reality. I come from Latvia, relatively small country with difficult history but fast growing economy nowadays. Our countries are separated only by Baltic Sea but we are so different anyway. So what makes us so different? Latvia is independent country only since 1991 and it still affects our life, way of thinking and traditions. Even in year 2007 lot of people around the world doesn’t know where Latvia is but if they know they think that we are the same “Russia”. And I always have to explain that we are different and we have rich traditions and they are not even similar to Russian traditions.
Our world is full with stereotypes but it is so interesting to explore world and find out that it isn’t really truth what we thought. We can’t always judge people by looking to them with our stereotypes and generalize everything- there are always exceptions.
Talking about Latvia we always have to define are we talking about Latvia as a country or as a nation. Because in Latvia 45 % of population are Russians so then we have 2 very different cultures which can exist in one country. But if I talk about Latvians as a nation then it is completely other culture.
What are these different things? Latvians are not so expressive and categorical. I think now our way of thinking now is more European and modern but Russians still has this “Soviet Union” manner of thinking. Because we have always wanted to be like these other rich countries in Europe and to have independency form Russia, so I think we are doing everything to look like Eastern countries. Russians are proud by themselves so they don’t have this feeling to prove that they are like Europeans.
But I have noticed a few bad things about our country comparing with Sweden. In Sweden lot of people are driving old bicycles, cars- and they are not ashamed of it. I was so surprised- because in Latvia you would never see that. Everybody is trying to buy a new car and they are doing that even they can’t afford that. Latvia is one of the top countries in number of new cars. It is amazing that people can’t afford to travel or to study but they are buying brand new cars. Everything is about money- people are building enormous houses just to show off. And everybody is jealous about these rich people. They know that there is something illegal but still they are jealous and they want the same. Yes, it is all about money. In Sweden they don’t care about theses things so much and if people are really rich they are not jealous and they don’t want the same. They have higher values. And I feel sorry for these people in Latvia who don’t appreciate things and don’t understand that it is not a way how we have to live. They work too much but they are doing not for themselves but for others- just to show off. Of course I can’t generalize it but I think one of the reasons can be – our country is independent only for 15 years and everybody wants a good and wealthy life like other countries and they don’t care how they achieve it.
In Latvia we have such a busy life- students are studying full time and working part time jobs or even full time. The lifestyle is faster and busier so when I came here I couldn’t understand this calm life without problems. But then I realized it is the way how people live here. In Latvia we have to “fight” for everything- you can’t stop thinking about tomorrow, next year and future. Our country is changing so fast- so we have to live like that too. I don’t know is it good or not- but our history has made us in that way. So time is very important in our life- sometimes we are too busy in our work that we don’t have time for our families, friends etc.
In Sweden are so many things what other countries could adopt in their countries such as way of thinking about equality, healthy life and keeping neutral position in all conflicts if they don’t affect them.
The funny thing about Sweden is how they look to life because I am studying Swedish language and I was so surprised that one of the new words and examples in Swedish was word – ett problem. And then in literature course we had discussion about money and is it true if you have lot of money your life is easier. And all Swedish students said- yes, it can solve problems. And our teacher isn’t from Sweden so he said it too- in Sweden everything is about how to solve problems, hot to get rid of them. I still don’t know why it is so important but I have 7 months to find it out. It is so fascinating to get to know better other countries and their cultures

Posted by at 01:41 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

When asked about stereotypes about Sweden the first thing foreigners often think of is population of blond hair and blue eyes, which coincides only with a small percentage of the population, since Sweden is a very multicultural society. When I mentioned Sweden to an American, she said she thought of beautiful, fit people and large mountains. I say the people are about average. Sweden is known for its mountains in the north. Some people can't even locate Sweden on the map, and it is often confused with Switzerland.
When I was in America I took a class where we talked a lot about different cultures. We read a book about cultural metaphors, a symbol that came to represent the whole culture. The metaphor used for Sweden was “the Swedish stuga”. In Sweden, many people have a vacation home in the country. These houses have become characteristic for the Swedish countryside and a symbol for Sweden, with their red walls and white corners. This can also be a metaphor for Swedish culture, because it symbolizes our love of nature and our need to be by ourselves. In some ways, Sweden is a very individualistic culture. We can look forwards to spending time in the country, reading books, whereas other cultures can almost see it like a punishment. Swedes don’t have a problem with being alone and a large percentage of the population lives by themselves. In our class yesterday someone mentioned that they see Swedes as very healthy and likes to exercise. I think that is true, we do like to spend time in nature. We are also very much directed to being good and doing good at work. There was actually a song that came out a few years ago that illustrated this phenomenon and said that no one actually rewards you for being perfect and doing what you can to fit in.

I think we are a very time oriented culture, rather than a people oriented culture. Punctuality is very important. It is very rare for two Swedes to strike up a conversation in an elevator. I also think that we don’t talk as intensely as other cultures such as France and Italy. When I was abroad, some of the foreign students thought I was shy, although that is not something my Swedish friends would describe me as. It was just hard for me to express myself in a group of French students, because I was politely waiting for my turn, when they spoke at the same time. I also have a feeling that we Swedes need a larger personal space than for example France or Italy. We are not comfortable standing to close to each other when we interact.
Before I went abroad I didn’t really think that it was a distinctive Swedish culture. But being in a different environment made me recognize what set me apart and made me realize what I was missing, like our food, holiday, my family, familiar customs and way of life. Being abroad makes you appreciate other cultures, but also your own.

Posted by at 06:22 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Ahead of every foreign exchange program the participants have own expectations, dreams, fears of the upcoming trip, etc.. And I, too, had several assumptions and expectations about my semester in Örebro, Sweden. Being used to the urban environment of Berlin, Germany I thought about the differences in a town that is almost 30 times smaller, about living on campus, about cold weather and long dark nights in winter. Not only the environment meant a new orientation. Also the different culture of Sweden evoked expectations in me. The Swedes were supposed to be rather shy and introverted towards others, the food is very often fish (and I do not like fish at all), a new language that had to be learned, the past of the Vikings is still visible in statues, names and art, etc. All in all there were stereotypes that one heard of and now it was time to verify or falsify them.

The stereotype of blond, tall and blue eyed is one of the most common stereotypes of Swedes throughout the world. I knew, like every stereotype, there is some truth to it but mostly it is a missconception, missunderstanding or just wrong. Surprisingly, the amount of blond, tall and blue eyed Swedes is still very high. Although there are many other hair-,skin-,eye colors I did not expect the stereotype to be present that much. Additionally, the care of the look striked me as well. Swedes, men and women, seem to care a lot how they look like and take care of stylish clothing, the hair and make up, already when they only do grocery or go to the gym (and even alcoholics in Stockholm seem to have a certain standard). In Berlin of course you find that kind of dressed people as well but there are a lot more people that do not dress up at all or only for important occasions.
The barrier of the Swedish language, at first being unsure how to communicate, turned out to be very easy. Everyone is able to speak at least almost fluent English, so that I stopped asking if someone knew English in advance whenever I had a question or needed help. Only elder people maybe from 60 years on are not always capable of the English language. The high amount of English speaking Swedes really raised the thought if Sweden is naturally bilingual, supported by the fact that many TV programs are broadcasted in English as well and many shows subtitled.
And not even bilingual, many Swedish young adults even know at least one more language and are cosmopoliticly interested. One occasion however was very surprising. Being in a group of friends in the train on the way to Stockholm, we met the train conductor who spoke to us in Swedish first. We then asked in English what she wanted. After having showed our tickets she asked where we were from. After we said one from Spain, one from Italy, one from Switzerland and me from Germany, she started speaking Spanish to the Spanish guy. After she finished the chat in fluent Spanish, she asked the Swiss guy what town he was from in German and even spoke a little bit of Swiss German to him. Then talking to the Italien guy in English she told us she live some time in an italian city as well. During this occasion I realized four things that are different to my German culture. First, this women could speak several languages. That is not very often the case in Germany and especially not for train conductors. In Germany one can be lucky when they speak at least proper German. Second, this person had time enough to have a chat with us and could take a break of work without any pressure. In Germany people mostly focus on the work even in times where it would be no problem to take a break and socialize a little bit. Third, she was curious and friendly to us and wanted to know more about us. Well, in Germany and especially Berlin you are lucky when train conductors not yell at you in order to see the tickets. It is obvious not to have a chat with that person then. And fourth, the person could speak at least four languages fluently and worked as a train conductor. I am not sure about her salary but in Germany speaking foreign languages is a status symbol and can be found rather in higher classes. Only companies with higher salaries would employ people like that person and certainly not the Deutsche Bahn (German train company) as a train conductor.
The last point supports other observations that let me conclude the Swedish social structure is more equal and homogen. Independent of salary, education and social background it is not determined in what class a person is in. At least there are less classes and these are closer to each other than in Germany.
Other observations so far are i.e. the age of students at University. Almost every student I met so far is not older than 25 and about 90% are between 20 and 22 years old. In Germany the average age of beginning a course is 23 and finish it with 28.
The cities here are another interesting thing. They are clean and nicely decorated. There are no graffiti or trash on the ground and building are in a quite good shape. People even smile at you and there is no moment whatsoever where you feel the slightest threat or danger. Berlin alone has all the other faces a city could have besides the former mentioned: dirty, loud, dangerous, etc.
Another thing are the alcohol prices in Sweden that are twice as high as in Germany. Being used to provide the guest with drinks at a party is just impossible here, thats why everyone brings their own drinks in little plastic bags. These people can also be seen mostly Friday or Saturday nights on the way to a pre party, a party before the night club visit in order to reach a certain entertainment level with the help of alcohol. Used to just buy drinks in the night club for that reason here is financially impossible as well.
The last but to me most important observation is the attitude of Swedish people. The stereotype of shy, introverted Swedes is just wrong. It is of course necessary to make the first step on the street in order to ask a question or get into contact but then people are very friendly and helpful trying to answer the questions. The communal living in the corridors on campus even gains more quality and it is incredible how honest, peaceful, social and patient Swedish people in conversations are. Of course there are always counterexamples but this is an observation happened several times and therefor can be applied in general on campus and to a high degree anywhere else in Sweden as well. Finally, when Swedish people have had some beer or other drinks at parties they become very communicative and want to get to know new people (interestingly the people in Oslo, Norway are the complete opposite).
All in all it feels so good to be here and experience such an open, honest and peaceful country for a change from the rough city of Berlin. The stay here definitely broadens my horizon for myself, my future career and clarified the stereotypes of Swedish people, having lived with them and laughed with them.

Posted by at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

When asked about what is typical Swedish I am first a bit confused. What is typical Swedish? What defines the Swedish Culture? What is the Swedish Cultures? In today’s modern world it is hard to believe that there are any big differences between different western cultures. We all watch the same movies and TV-shows and we all listen to the same music and log on to the same online communities. How different can we really be?

But then I think again. Of course we’re different and have different cultures. I find it easier to describe if you imagine this picture: You go on a bus to go to school in the morning. You are a bit tired because it is still early and seeing as it is winter in Sweden it is still pretty dark outside. The bus is half full and there are a lot of empty seats. You have plenty of choices of where to sit, if you want to sit alone in a seat or maybe next to that old woman who looks you in the eyes and nods you a good morning. Where would you want to sit?

If you are a Swede reading, your answer is probably that you would look the other way from the old woman and find an empty seat all for yourself. In Sweden we do not like to have people we don’t know sit next to us. If someone sits down next to a Swede in a bus with empty seats, we a) thinks that person is hitting on us or b) that he has some kind of mental problems.

It might seem harsh and a bit prejudice to draw such conclusions, but seeing as I only have limited space to write my thoughts, I have to draw simple conclusions. This example is a common one to describe Swedes and the conclusions are well known, and I don’t think a Swede would argue about it.
It is not that Sweden is a country full of lone wolfs, but we do like our privacy and personal space. At first we may come out as a bit reserved, as in the example above, but once you get to know a Swede you will see that he is open and willing to listen to your opinions.

A Swede’s mood can be described as following the seasonal changes. In the summer you will find a Swede out in the nature as often as he can and he will meet up friends at bars, bars who often move outside on the pavements and streets during the summer. Swedes will be more sociable, happy and open in the summer. During the winter, on the other hand, Swedes will be inside more, as the days become shorter and shorter. We will still enjoy the few precious hours of sun light, but we tend to prefer sitting in front of the fire with a book as the dark creeps in.

Swedes do not have a strong religious belief as a group and we like to look upon ourselves as understanding, open-minded and independent.

Posted by at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Even though i’ve lived in Sweden my entire life I still don’t consider myself as a Swede. Being that both of my parents are Estonian immigrants i’ve been brought up in an Estonian way of living. That’s why I feel more connected to the Estonian culture than I do to the Swedish.

But is there really any difference between Estonian and Swedish Culture?

Even though i’ve lived in Sweden my entire life I still don’t consider myself as a Swede. Being that both of my parents are Estonian immigrants i’ve been brought up in an Estonian way of living. That’s why I feel more connected to the Estonian culture than I do to the Swedish.

You might ask yourself: is there really any difference between Estonian and Swedish Culture?
Both countries are relatively close to each other and they’re only divided by the baltic sea.

As I see it the fundamental difference between the two countries is freedom. Estonia has only been an independent country a few times during the course of history. We have been invaded and occupied by Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Soviet Union and so forth. Sweden on the other hand has never been fully occupied by another country and for the last 200 years it has not engaged in any type of war.

The effects of being constantly occupied by foreign countries has left the Estonian people with a great national pride. We take pride in being independent and managing on our own. We have been going to war to defend our independence even if though there was no chance of winning. That is something I feel the Swedish culture is lacking. From what i’ve experienced there is no apparent national pride. Just looking at the way Swedes celebrate their national day compared to how Estonians celebrate it, you instantly see a difference. In Sweden you have very few people out in the street, you see a couple of flags here and there and the king gives a speech. That’s usually it. In Estonian every single house and apartment is decorated with a flag, people take part in big celebrations in the street and there is a big national celebration throughout the country. To be frank I feel as though Swedes don’t value their freedom as much as Estonians do.

Another thing that I find very significant for Estonian culture is the pride of work. We value hard work and see it as something that makes people evolve into greater men and women. If you’re not working and you’re just being lazy the general opinion in Estonia is that your a slob. Roughly you can say that you are what you create. If you’re not doing anything and you’re not trying to do something you’re considered as less of a person. In Estonian culture we don’t expect anybody to make our problems go away. The only one that can help you is yourself.
That may sound kind of harsh but to me I find it motivating and I can see what kind of results it brings. Since 1991, when we became an independent country, we have turned our economic back on track, we have entered the European Union and gained membership in NATO. It’s not a coincidence that we made it this far. All this stems from hard work and from not expecting anybody else to make things happen for us. And if we continue this way we will soon have a better equipped economy than Sweden. All this in less than 16 years. I guess hard work pays.

Posted by at 07:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

My culture is built on a stable ground of history, on a society knowing neither misery nor war. A culture emerged from stable economic conditions enabling all citizens to build their own Maslow pyramid. Despite the solid foundations of this particular society, the path it went down may be regarded the most modern and forthcoming path, yet also the most destructive for its citizens.

The Culture of Independence.

My culture is built on a stable ground of history, on a society knowing neither misery nor war. A culture emerged from stable economic conditions enabling all citizens to build their own Maslow pyramid. Despite the solid foundations of this particular society, the path it went down may be regarded the most modern and forthcoming path, yet also the most destructive for its citizens.

In comparison to other countries, Sweden offers their citizens tremendous possibilities. Some of them are: free education, free health care, handicap-adjusted facilities, and commitment to the care of elderly. The core of Swedish culture is to take care of everybody’s needs. Swedish people expect their society and government to act in accordance to this core value.

Swedes rely on the government to provide care for the nation’s citizens, yet their culture also value being free and independent. We receive aid to care for our children. Parents have their own salary and separate economy, not sharing their income with one another. Our elderly are taken care of in State provided “old people’s home” since the government replaced their child caring function. In stead of the child staying home with grandma, he or she now spends the day in a government provided “child nurseries”. We grow up and go to school or university and there we take loans for our education, causing no strain on the family or you parents. Everyone has control over their own money.

With that we have developed a society where every human have rights and indecency. We want to be independent from the society and government and in control of our private life. At the same time we still make big demand on our government in case of an emergency (As an example the big Tsunami catastrophe)

It is a relationship where we demand our independence but still expect our society to always take care of us no matter what; whether we have problems in our own country or if we travel as tourists to visit other countries.

This model of welfare is of course idolized in many other countries, a society where everyone has social security net (something Swedes mostly take for granted).
But is this really an ideal?

There are beliefs that welfare is taking over and changing our nature as a herd animal. Welfare is forming us to become as individual and self sufficient as can possibly be.
Most of that is developed to stand in a shadow of capitalism and a big desire of money and career. Are we forgetting what really makes people happy and is most important reasons for life, family, friends, beliefs-religion?

Is our culture really making us happier? Don’t a lot of people in this country really feeling alone? And what do they think when they look back on their life and achievements. Is welfare and independency an ideal solution?

-Anastasia Vesterberg

Posted by at 04:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (27) | TrackBacks (0)

Swedes are in general quite privat, and to someone from a Mediterranean culture we may seem a bit cold. We have a deep respect for people's privacy; I better not approah them, they are busy, surely. This depends though, I believe Swedes are adaptive, in a city like Örebro for example we are quite used to people from other cultures, and we are therefore more aware of cultural differences and how other cultures see us.

Swedes are in general quite private. We do not approach people we do
not know unless we have a reason to. In the subway or on the train you
never sit next to someone unless it is crowded. We are not being rude,
it is simple our way; we have a deep respect for peoples? privacy. Of
course, as with every culture, this is very individual, but most people
behave this way. However, I believe that has changed a bit. Many of us
go abroad and encounter different cultures and notice the differences,
and I believe now many more of us are moving away from the ?mind your
own business attitude?. Or maybe it is an individual thing; I could not
for one stand still and do nothing if I notice someone who is in need
of help.

For a person from example the Mediterranean we may seem a bit cold, we
do not show affection or emotions in public, we keep it locked in. You
would not expect a Swede to have a fit of rage or a big cry out; this
is done behind close doors. Whether this is a healthy way of life or
not is another question. Further, it is very rare for a Swede to make a
lot of noise so to speak, we keep a low profile. For someone from
another culture we may also seem cold in the sense that we do not take
care of our elderly, at least not personally. Senior people who no
longer can take care of themselves are put in elderly homes. However,
they are not forgotten. We do not take it lightly when people are
suffering. We do not accept that people are homeless, that they cannot
get medical treatment and so on. But we solve the problem with having a
social security system, not by taking care of them ourselves.

In our every day life, time is of great importance, what we are going
to do is scheduled in detail. We do not think of time as a relative
thing; my plane leaves at six, it takes me 10 minutes to get to the
airport, so if I leave work at half past four I will be able to pick
the kids up at the day-care centre and drop them off at grandmas, that
should give me enough time to cheek in, bye gifts for the kids, eat
something and then board the plane. Perfect!

I believe Swedes are also very adaptive. For example if you look at
Örebro and the campus area you might notice some exceptions from the
general behavioural pattern. The people here are used to exchange
students coming here to live and we adapt to the cultural differences.

Posted by at 03:32 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Italy is the only country where first was born a culture and then a nation, first poets and after politicians. We speak about Italy as a nation just after the 1861 when a period of civil wars finished with the decision took by the governments of every regions that at that time composed the Italy, to unify all under the same flag. It started the time of the Italian kingdom that resisted till the end of the second war that for the Italian population symbolises the real moment in which the Italy started to exist. But no more than 150 years of history is nothing if we want have a clear understanding of the Italy. I have said that first there was the Italian culture and after an Italian nation and this was fundamental just for the language for example. When the Italian country was divided in a lot of little independent nations in every of these there was a different language, we can say a different way to speak Italian, so it was just with the great operas of authors like Dante, Petrarca, Boccaccio that all the people that lived on the Italian territory recognised each others as an only population that spoke the same language, the language of poets. I can’t imagine another country in the world, at least in the most developed parts, where people that are patriots sometimes are not able to speak the language, but really different idioms, because it is still like this now.

Italy is the only country where first was born a culture and then a nation, first poets and after politicians. We speak about Italy as a nation just after the 1861 when a period of civil wars finished with the decision took by the governments of every regions that at that time composed the Italy, to unify all under the same flag. It started the time of the Italian kingdom that resisted till the end of the second war that for the Italian population symbolises the real moment in which the Italy started to exist. But no more than 150 years of history is nothing if we want have a clear understanding of the Italy. I have said that first there was the Italian culture and after an Italian nation and this was fundamental just for the language for example. When the Italian country was divided in a lot of little independent nations in every of these there was a different language, we can say a different way to speak Italian, so it was just with the great operas of authors like Dante, Petrarca, Boccaccio that all the people that lived on the Italian territory recognised each others as an only population that spoke the same language, the language of poets. I can’t imagine another country in the world, at least in the most developed parts, where people that are patriots sometimes are not able to speak the language, but really different idioms, because it is still like this now. If you grow up in Italy you must learn at the same time two languages: the official Italian, like you learn at the school and the dialect of your region that has almost nothing in common with the real Italian. For example the dialect of my region situated in the north of the Italy is very very similar to the French and if I speak with a guy from the south of Italy using my dialect he can’t understand nothing. But all these dialects are still in use and they are not dead idioms. The language is not the only thing that divided us. Travelling across the Italy you never finish to meet people that eat in complete different ways, that celebrate different recurrences, that live and work differently. However the things that we all have in common are the things that are used by the others nations to imagine us, the love for the food that means not that we are all fat but that we like to eat well, the passion for the soccer, “il calcio”, that it is more than a religion for someone and our great attitude to make party and fun, exaggerating sometimes and maybe it is for this that when we travel in others countries we are not always good welcome. But if I have to resume the Italian people in one word I will use the word “creativity” because in every area of the life we like the improvisation sometimes risking with some hope and some dreams always fixed in our mind.

Posted by at 02:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Our group name was LUMO.

We decided on this based on a suggestion from Theresa, and it is an acronym that stands for

L - iving
U - nder
M - ixed
O- rigins

It is pretty self-explanatory. We are all students who come from a variety of backgrounds, and we are all living together and have a responsibility to be come culturally aware of other's backgrounds.

Posted by at 10:35 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

We had a chance to get to know each other and where we were all from. We shared aspects of our cultures such as our money and student identification cards. They inquired about stereotypical images portrayed in films about such cities as L.A. We asked about the aquisition of the english language and at what age it began. We learned that english is a prevelant language in Sweden that is learned by people at an early age. We came up with our name due to the fact that they had been having bad weather and we had as well. Overall it was an interesting experience getting to know p[eople from other cultures and being able to express our differences in ideas and views. The other group was welcoming and friendly. We liked the group that we were paired up with.

Posted by at 10:32 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

We picked Facebook Friends Forever because as soon as we met the students at Orebro they asked us if we had facebook profiles. They friended us during class. We were surprised that facebook is so popular in Sweden and worldwide. This common interest established a cultural link between us and we realized how similar we are. We were comfortable talking with them and became fast friends.

Posted by at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The past week we had video conferences with two students from Sweden. Ultimately we had a lot of similarities, but also profound differences. We decided our group name was going to be "The Cultural Explorers".
This name was representative of our group because we are exploring cultures! We discovered that Western expansion and advertising is seeping into Sweden. For example, American brands are frequently advertised on Swedish TV. It was also interesting to see multiple perspectives because one of the girls was from Lapland and was studying in Sweden temporarily. I also found it interesting that they watched several American television series and listened to American music as well. Our culture has travelled to their country and has become a major icon when they watch our lifestyles in the television shows they watch.

Posted by at 10:32 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

After coming to discuss various strains of gum in our respective homelands - the US, Japan, France, and Singapore - we concluded that an appropriate title for our group would be the 3G's: The Global Gum Group.

Aside from the allure of alliteration, we felt that the image of gum would exemplify both the differences and commonalities across our cultures. In Singapore, gum is strictly banned but still an object of desire; in France, Japan, Sweden, and the US, the common chewing material comes packaged differently, is sold differently, and brings along with every chew different cultural implications.

Additionally, 3G - the term for the latest generation of cell phone technology - reflects how our interaction is also at the vanguard of inter-cultural technology, evoking the promise of cross-cultural interconnectivity.

Sophie Theis joined this group after the conference.

Posted by at 10:27 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

For the video conference with Orebro and Uppsala Universities our group selected the name

NationClub.

We picked this name really because of cultural confusion/misunderstanding. It turns out that the Swedish university has social clubs that they call "nations." These clubs are made up of students who hail from different regions of Sweden. When we first heard the word "nation," however, with a slight chuckle, we thought more of a nation-state.

Afterwards, our Swedish colleagues expressed their interest in going clubbing and getting their groove on. This, of course, occurs in America as well, and is thus an example of "cultural connection."

That's the basis behind NationClub.

Posted by at 12:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Group Name: "Riding through Hella Neige on a Sketchy Vélo"

We chose this group name for many reasons:

1. One of our Orebro group members was from France so we used Niege "snow" and Velo "bike".
2. In Sweden it snows often during the winter.
3. Bike riding is common on both of our campuses.
4. Hella and Sketchy are terms used on Stanford campus to describe "very" and "weird", respectively.

Coming up with a group name was really fun, so we made sure to have a good time with it and try to incorporate as many cultural things as possible :0)

Posted by at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Group Name: Fruit Salad
Members:

• Orebro: Robert Hirsch, Sophie Guesney
  
• Uppsala: Pernilla Andersson
  
• Stanford: Mbali Mphande, Eethar Al-Hassan, Vanessa Lerma
  

Upon sharing our different cultural artifacts as well as our diverse backgrounds, our group members realized that we were very much like a fruit salad in that each of us was unique on our own, but when brought together we formed something exquisite.

Posted by at 01:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Group Name: San Martino
"Celebration of Wine"

When we came together to share our interests, everyone brought up aspects of their lives that brought enjoyment
and celebration. We spoke of music, movies, and friends. Thus we chose a name that conveys a shared sense of
celebration.

Posted by at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Today, we had our first video conference between students from Stanford, Örebro, and Uppsala Universities. It was exciting -- not only because it was the first opportunity for all of us this quarter to connect across national borders, but also because for the first time we welcomed students from three universities (rather than just two universities) into our small groups.

We decided to center today's activity on having students present their cultural identity through an artifact or cultural saying, and it was fun to watch everyone share representative parts of themselves -- whether it be clothing brands, photos from their wallets, or even local slang (Stanford students had fun trying to explain the meaning of "hella" and "sketchy" to their team mates).

During the final portion, we asked all the students to come up with a group name as a first step in creating a cross-cultural group identity. The names are definitely unique ;) Here are the names that everyone came up with:

Group A: 3G's
Group B: LUMO
Group C: Facebook Friends Forever
Group D: Cultural Explorers
Group E: Team Bad Weather
Group F: Riding through Hella Neige on a Sketchy Vélo (Velo for short?)
Group G: NationClub
Group H: Fruit Salad
Group I: Celebration of Wine

Each group afterwards posted up a brief rationale of their group name on the blog -- I hope that the different members of the groups will take some time to visit their own group posts and leave some comments reflecting on their experience in this first international video conference!

Our next video conference is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 26, and we're going to do a very interesting activity centering around cross-cultural ads. Until that time, I'll leave you with a few of my Pic of the Pix for 11-12 (you can view all the 11-12 pics online by searching ccrNov122007 in Flickr -- you can even leave comments on Flickr about the photos if you'd like :)).

Posted by Christine Alfano at 07:56 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Natasha, Maiyah, Wen Qi, Melissa, Bernice, Chong Ming, Mei Yi, Yvette, Pamela, Denise, Yu Guang and Dr Johan! (:

Posted by at 01:15 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

[This student blog entry is part of a Stanford PWR 2 assignment that is discussed at greater length here]

Originally, I had planned to research social networking sites in Russia. I was interested in the idea put forth by Dana Boyd that “Facebook attracts the good kids, while MySpace draws the bad.” I wanted to see if this were true in the context of another country. However, I soon learned that only one type of person even uses the Russian internet: those who can afford it, or roughly 10% of the population.

In doing my research, I wanted to ask, what really is the face of the Russian internet? This question led me to Vesti.ru, a Russian media website. Despite the fall of the USSR, here is a website that partially continues its traditions. It is owned by the All of Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, and is notorious for pro-government messages. I wanted to find out whether this Russian media outlet was taking into account the massive poverty, crime, and health problems in Russia, or indeed was the spokesperson of the executive.

I analyzed the site by taking a period from January through June of this year – accessible through the site’s archive. I read the main story from each day and made note of their subject and political position. In some respects, my results were not surprising. About twenty percent of stories concerned Russian politics; another fifteen percent concerned affairs of President Putin. However, the stories not only concerned political issues. An additional twenty percent concerned positive social events in Russia – such as civilian awards or a museum opening. Only five percent concerned negative social events. This is in stark contrast to American media who operate on the byline “what bleeds leads.”

Of course, all of this points to the fact that a media source closely aligned with the government will support it. But I would like to suggest something deeper. Aside from merely dismissing this phenomenon as political, it also seems cultural. While many media outlets in the US form critical views, the Russian outlet is still influenced by seventy years of Soviet rule where media does not serve to find faults but strengthen the state.

Posted by at 12:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBacks (0)

[This student blog entry is part of a Stanford PWR 2 assignment that is discussed at greater length here]

My research project has taken a very winding path, but I feel as though the result that I have reached is really interesting. I started out by just being intrigued by the Stanford-initated dichotomy between the science majors and the humanities majors through the "techie" vs. "fuzzy" division on campus. This interest led me to discover the quintessential book which discusses exactly this topic: The Two Cultures by prominent scientist-turned-writer C.P. Snow, in which he brings attention to the danger of the chasm forming between scientists and humanists (at least during his time - the 1960s). However, after doing primary research by sending surveys to students at colleges across the nation (including Stanford, Harvard, USC, UCLA, and BYU to name a few), I discovered that this split no longer exists.

Students enjoy pursuing balanced activities; even though they may be good at techie subjects or fuzzy subjects for their major, they thrive and enjoy other areas as well. But sometimes, the only obstacle to being completely well-rounded is just that we are not always good at all the things we enjoy, or we don't have enough time/units given by the school to pursue everything. So, a new question arose in my mind: is it better to excel at many things or be really, really good at one specialized field? Albert Einstein was a terrible student (not well-rounded at all) but made significant contributions to physics and math. Whereas, Leonardo Da Vinci was the epitome of the "Renaissance Man." So, obviously greatness comes in many forms: what connects these forms is creativity. Some may argue that only artists portray true creativity through their ability to express the magnitude of human emotion through their artwork, but I would assert that scientists also create, and by delineating the world in a conceptual, tangible way, they also make it more meaningful, the way an artist does throw his works. So, creativity connects us all; wonder drives us to look at the world closely and create new knowledge out of nothing. And the approaches of both a scientist and an artist are essential to the true achievement of greatness.

Posted by at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBacks (0)

[This entry is part of a collaborative blogging exchange between students at National University of Singapore and Stanford University. The exchange is described in more detail here and here]

Hi (from Singapore)! The members of this group are Yu Guang, Melissa and Chong Ming. The ideas are rather varied, so please pardon us for the lack of a more creative title for this post!

Yu Guang is interested in how urban planning is mostly grounded in the calculation of supposedly objective statistics gathered from the inherently subjective quantification of human living conditions. Such planning will inevitably leave out, to some extent, the sentimental dimension that characterizes each individual in his/her own cultural interaction with the city space. Hence, how could a city conceptualized from the statistics devoid of sentimental dimension accommodate a crowd that has cultural demand of the space that is in conflict with the national interest in nation building?

Her thesis is: The state that commissions urban planning is aware of the sentimental aspects of human nature. Although such aspects are not weighed heavily as a factor in urban planning, the state could still steer and bridle such sentiments by deploying different strategies and make sure ordinary citizens in the city could be accommodated by the pre-determined model.

Melissa finds that “The Truman Show” appears overwhelmingly popular in the film of the same name, as seen in how the viewers appear to be continuously watching Truman. However, the viewers seem to turn almost too quickly away from Truman when he walks off the set at the end of the film.

She thinks that the popularity of The Truman Show can be seen to represent the pleasure that the viewers derive from the all-encompassing power the show allows them to possess. One could explain the viewers’ seemingly callous act by suggesting that the decrease in sentimentality and loyalty evident in the viewers’ reaction to Truman’s departure in The Truman Show is caused by the synoptic landscape in which it occurs.

Chong Ming:
According to French philosopher Michel de Certeau, the “survey of routes miss what was: the act of passing by” – implying that statistical representation (of the actions of people in cities) are actually non-representative, for they oversimplify the issues at hand. However, Certeau seems to be committing the very crime he accuses statistical representations of. Through the use of narrative, Certeau too, does not manage to capture all the complexities of those issues, for he can only represent things that can be narrated. Chong Ming’s essay will defend Certeau on the grounds that it is the nature of representations that allows Certeau no choice but to conform, and that Certeau’s use of narrative can be said to be the “lesser of two evils”, when compared to statistical representations.

Posted by at 01:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBacks (0)

[This entry is part of a collaborative blogging exchange between students at National University of Singapore and Stanford University. The exchange is described in more detail here and here]

Greetings from Singapore! We are Bernice, Natasha and Maiyah. We are interested in planned and unplanned spaces in Singapore. Due to the scarcity of land in Singapore, unplanned spaces that are associated with tradition and meaning are stamped out as they are seen as a liability to urban growth and development.

Natasha:
In my paper, I will be exploring how one’s love for Singapore (which is essentially emotional and natural) can exist in the rational and planned spaces in Singapore. This juxtaposition makes it difficult for one to develop a real love for the nation in a space that is so calculated. Simon Tay's article – “When Unplanned Spaces Can Give a Sense of Home” as my primary source, and The Truman Show and a local film, Singapore Dreaming as my secondary sources. My paper will argue that although it is difficult for love of the nation to be developed, planned spaces creates national identity that actually instills a sense of belonging, which is the closest substitute for one’s love for the nation.

Bernice:
My essay will explore Tay’s statement - “the unplanned is a hedge, an insurance policy in times of revolutionary change”. There is a paradox in how the unplanned is associated with insurance policies, which are usually bought because people want to plan for their future. With reference to Kong and Yeoh’s “The Dead in the Living “Nation”, my argument is that burial sites, an unplanned space, are like an insurance policy in that it is a place of familiarity and tradition which people retreat to in times of instability. With reference to Bauman’s article on “Space Wars: A Career Report”, not planning allows people to be more resilient to setbacks. Thus, it serves as a form of protection-insurance policy-in times of adversity.

Maiyah:
My paper will compare Moving House, a documentary about the exhumation of burial sites and Shelter, a short film about the demolition of a bus shelter. I will use Certeau’s academic essay “Walking in the City” as a lens. I will show how both these sources contest against urban planning because it causes the loss of significant memories individuals associate with these spaces. However, I want to argue that there is a crucial difference in the two sources which is in the extent urban planning is contested against. There is a more extensive objection in Moving House as burial sites are permanently taken away, and with them both memories and traditions. In contrast, the removal of space in Shelter is temporary because a new bus shelter will be created so new memories can be formed again.

Posted by at 01:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (17) | TrackBacks (0)

[This entry is part of a collaborative blogging exchange between students at National University of Singapore and Stanford University. The exchange is described in more detail here and here]

Hi, we’re Pamela, Wen Qi and Yvette from NUS. Our group will be studying Singaporean literary works and how they relate the placement of the individual and the state in planned and unplanned spaces.

Pamela
I will be focusing on local poetry in the anthology No Other City (2000), on the basis that literature is a good place to begin inquiring into the individual's response to the (state-planned) environment he is in. It is striking to me that numerous works in the anthology reveal the trauma of the individual who must find pleasure in constructed spaces-- often designed for purposes unrelated to pleasure— but also an ability to accept the city as home in spite of that trauma. By referring to selected works in the anthology and analyzing the socio-cultural context from which either trauma or pleasure (or both) springs, I will attempt to argue in this essay that the personal trauma expressed in local literature stems from the divergence between the state-intended functions of planned spaces and the actual use/perception of these spaces by the individual.

Wen Qi and Yvette will be examining Kuo Pao Kun’s play The Coffin Is Too Big For The Hole. Singapore’s limited size makes the state rigidly restrict its allocation of spaces for the individual, to maximize space for national development. But in the play, a filial grandson demands from the officer-in-charge of the burial sites for a larger burial hole, which is too small to accommodate his grandfather’s coffin. Intially, the officer-in-charge refuses to extend the standard plot size as it is contrary to state regulation. Ultimately, the officer relents and gives the grandson twice the plot-size, but emphasizes that such situations will not be tolerated again.

Yvette
If space constraint is such an issue, then why doesn’t the authorities make cremation compulsory than pursuing persuasive and ‘educating’ methods as seen in Kong & Yeoh’s The Dead In the Living “Nation”? My thesis is that the planning of these spaces by the Singapore Government is to entitle the citizens, allowing the individual the pleasure of ownership, though within the power placed upon them to create a national loyalty and identity which Tay highlights it is possible only through personal spaces in When Unplanned Spaces Can Give a Sense of Home.

Wen Qi
The Coffin is typically interpreted as the individual’s triumph of resistance against the government, whose power appears weakened by allowing resistance to manifest. But I believe that by accommodating to this “exception”, the government actually portrays itself as humane and understanding, and reinforces its paternalistic image to the people. However, it retains its power and eliminates the possibility of further resistance by emphasizing that, in the pragmatic interest of national development, there will be no more such “exceptions” in future. To substantiate my paper, I'm thinking of examining the SIngapore context in the 1980s (when Coffin was first introduced), especially the people's views of the government and the changes in style of governing by the PAP during that period. Hope anyone can suggest any improvements or possible sources!

L to R: Yvette, Wen Qi, Pamela

Posted by at 01:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

[This entry is part of a collaborative blogging exchange between students at National University of Singapore and Stanford University. The exchange is described in more detail here and here]

In situations of apparently stable, absolute power, it is sometimes difficult to imagine how and why resistance would emerge, yet somehow it almost always manages to. While the circumstances surrounding its origins and emergence can differ, and even how this ‘rage against the machine’ manifests, it doesn’t detract from the fact that where resistance exists, there lies a chink in the armor of power, making ‘absolute’ power a problematic term in itself.

Denise will attempt to investigate the similarities and differences for the source of motivation for resistance in the novel 1984 and the movie, V for Vendetta. Both set in England, but at different times; 1984 is set in 1984 while V for Vendetta is set in the 21st century. During both times, England is ruled by a totalitarian government. Fear and surveillance were the main tools of control. Her working thesis would be to conclude whether there is significant difference or similarity between the two sources, which have yet to be confirmed. The two secondary sources that she will use are Foucault’s "The Eye of Power" and The Truman Show. She will draw on the problems of the Panopticon that Foucault discusses and the sources of motivation that drive Truman to escape to clarify the relations between her two primary sources.

Mei Yi’s paper deals primarily with the films 1984 (directed by Michael Radford) and A Clockwork Orange, looking at how directors portray the acts of resistance and punishment as well as their use of cinematographic tools to create atmospheres complementing them within the films. A Clockwork Orange, directed by Stanley Kubrick, tells of a young man who roams the streets committing violent crimes with his gang before being caught and rehabilitated (brainwashed), following through to consequences that come from the highly experimental rehabilitation technique. Landscapes feature most prominently in her analysis as she examines how directors have chosen to link certain spaces (rooms, cities, natural landscapes) to certain behaviors (punishment, oppression, defiance, freedom) and what meanings these associations create for audiences about the greater frameworks of resistance and punishment as a whole.

Posted by at 12:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

[This entry is part of a collaborative blogging exchange between students at National University of Singapore and Stanford University. The exchange is described in more detail here and here]

Sreemanee Raaj:
In his chapter, "Globalization: The Human Consequences", Zygmunt Bauman talks about how the excessive planning of space by planners, is in fact counter-productive. According to Bauman, planning essentially results in a removal of “everything truly human” and therefore rendering the space virtually inhabitable. In Singapore, spaces are being incessantly transformed and re-transformed in the name of economic efficiency. My essay essentially explores how the government keeps the people rooted to this city state as the physical landscape continues to change, leaving little to hold on to. I will be exploring the methods employed by the Singapore government in providing Singaporeans a sense of belonging and rootedness in this ever changing environment.

Zixu:
In the films “Moving House” and “Shelter”, different spaces are destroyed in order to make way for upgrading and redevelopment. Memories and emotional relationships between the space and the protagonists in the story are forced to take a backseat in while the nation is progressing. In “Shelter”, this did not seem that much of a deal to the protagonists, while in “Moving House”, the family involved expressed resentment and resignation. This disparity in emotions between similar situations is puzzling. There is a relationship between the intrinsic functionality of a space and the level of emotional attachment of individuals to it. I will be exploring how this link relates to the planning of space in Singapore. To what level should the government regard the emotional attachment and memories of individuals when considering the reconstruction and rezoning of spaces?

Leonard:
Between the 1950s to 1970s in Singapore, the government moved to clear traditional burial grounds as part of a drive to acquire land for public housing. The argument was that expansive burial sites were wasteful in view of the land scarcity, and the need to exhume the dead for cremation became recognised as inevitability. I find it striking that not only did the government succeed in dissipating resistances to this drive, but that it also managed to permanently convince future generations of the practicality and necessity of the abolishment of ‘wasteful’ traditional burial practices. I intend to explore how, through establishing a culture of spatial fluidity, and in setting up a common “enemy” in the problem of land scarcity, the government managed to establish an enduring practice that continued to serve the its aims, without a need for reiteration.

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[This entry is part of a collaborative blogging exchange between students at National University of Singapore and Stanford University. The exchange is described in more detail here and here]

Planning plays an important part in urban development, particularly in space-constrained Singapore where tension exists between traditional practices and urban planning in city spaces. We are a group of NUS undergraduates working with Dr Johan in the module— Power, Space and Pleasure—to investigate this tension, particularly in relation to the concept of power, space and pleasure. We will be dealing with Michel Certeau’s The Practice of Everyday Life, Zygmunt Bauman’s Globalization: The Human Consequences and other related sources which analyse the influence of city planners on urban dwellers.

Yong Xun will be investigating on the tension between a planned space and an unplanned space. Change of spaces -from unplanned to planned- causes us to lose our traditions, memories and humanity in favor for efficiency and aesthetic. Yet, Architects are infatuated with planned spaces and the Singapore government sees planned spaces as important for national development. When the net benefit of planned spaces outweighs that of unplanned spaces, the situation favors a change. This is the case of democratic decision by the inhabitants. However, he who possesses power possesses the authority to manipulate spaces. The person or institution that holds power may disregard the impact of planned spaces and goes on to achieve what it wants.

The case study of Brasilia poses a puzzle for Shuyun. Brasilia is a city constructed out of the most detailed and meticulous architecture master plan, where every needs of individuals are taken into account and no space is left unplanned. However, the perfect haven turns out to be a nightmare for its citizens where no surprises and spontaneity can be found. Shuyun is interested to investigate the reason the plan backfires. She proposes that although planners often strive to create the most perfect and functional city for its dwellers, the reality is not as it seems.

Shu Ting is interested in Certeau’s striking use of textual metaphors to describe city inhabitants because it seems questionable if these urbanites can truly be read in their individual contexts, by the detached urban planners working from above. Every urbanite is unique, making it impossible for these planners to cater to individual needs and preferences. This is especially pertinent in the light of remaining objective in order to attain an overall city plan which also satisfies national interests.

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Absent: Geneveive Wong and Vanessa Keng

From left to right

Cherlyn Chin and Lim Yuan Ting

Dawn Lim, Chia Shu Ying and Tettyana bte Jasli

Sreemanee Raj, Loh Zixu and Leonard Choo

Toh Yong Xun, Lin Shuyun and Tham Shu Ting

Dawn wearing Shu Ying's laptop bag. XD

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[This entry is part of a collaborative blogging exchange between students at National University of Singapore and Stanford University. The exchange is described in more detail here and here]

The Panopticon was a model of a prison created by the English philosopher Jeremy Bentham through which power was maintained by ceaseless surveillance, which results in
interiorization, the process by which a prisoner becomes unable and unwilling to commit wrong-doing because he is constantly being watched. The main focus of both our papers lies in the idea of interiorization, in which a link is drawn between space and power.

Genevieve’s paper focuses on the process of how an individual becomes completely defeated, because of the state, the surrounding environment, and one’s own psychological and emotional barriers, and how these broken individuals carry on through life. This involves the space surrounding an individual, leading to their interiorization, either imposed upon them by the state, like in Orwell’s 1984, or influenced by the people around them, like in Eugene O’Neill’s play, The Iceman Cometh. Through a comparative paper between these two texts, we are then able to discern that though they are similar in that ultimately individuals lose heart and have no desire to change their miserable existence, there are many differences as to how this occurs.

Vanessa’s paper explores how interiorization is used in both Orwell’s 1984 and Kuo’s The Coffin Is Too Big For The Hole, particularly in terms of how the two spaces involved (Oceania and the Chinese cemetery) relate to the power being exerted over the individual. In both cases, the effect of using interiorization as a means of self-control serves the watchers well; the disciplinary methods are internalized by the individuals. However, there is a difference in the degree of power that this interiorization enables the watchers to possess. In 1984, we see how interiorization does not stop Winston from rebelling against the Party although it does lead to involuntary self-surveillance. In contrast, in Kuo’s play, the grandson has little power in speaking up against the rigid state regulations that he is being subjected to.

Both Vanessa and Genevieve will also be using Michel Foucault’s commentary on the Panopticon as an additional source for their papers.

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[This entry is part of a collaborative blogging exchange between students at National University of Singapore and Stanford University. The exchange is described in more detail here and here]

Planned spaces homogenize the city and its inhabitants by distinguishing the function that each space serves. Our group which consists of Yuan Ting and Cherlyn focuses on how planned spaces can affect individuality. This ultimately contributes to state control and the ideals of the government party in power.

Cherlyn analyzes how Big Brother, a symbolic head of the state in George Orwell’s novel, 1984 manipulates planned spaces to establish its totalitarian control over its citizens’ mind and body. This power extends from the principle of interiorisation. This concept of using planned spaces is explained by Bauman, whereby he quotes Corbusier’s ‘le Plan dicatateur’ (the city Plan) for the perfect city with no unplanned spaces. Therefore, this eradicates the individuality and uniqueness of the space. This breeds predictability and so encourages conformity amongst citizens. Thus, the despotic state has power over its people’s behavior. However, does this mean that unplanned spaces would and cannot serve this similar aim of establishing absolute control over the people? Cherlyn would argue that in certain cases, unplanned spaces are necessary to provide solutions to loopholes in planned spaces and seem to be empathetic towards the people. Other sources that she might draw upon are Stalin’s rule in USSR and Kong and Yeoh’s chapter on making space for the dead in the body of the living “Nation”.

Yuan Ting will be focusing on the play “The Coffin is Too Big for the Hole” by Kuo. The main character fights for extra land for his grandfather’s extraordinary large coffin. This play is a satire of reality in Singapore, whereby the government exhumes graves for further urban development. Similarly, Yuan Ting explores how elimination of unplanned spaces would homogenize people in the society. However, she concentrates on the consequences due to the loss of these spaces, such as loss of traditions and displeasure in the society. She examines why planned spaces eradicates humanity, and emphasizes on importance of unplanned spaces to encourage stability in nation. She would be bringing in other sources from Bauman and Kong and Yeoh to lens Kuo’s play.

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[This entry is part of a collaborative blogging exchange between students at National University of Singapore and Stanford University. The exchange is described in more detail here and here]

Hi, we are Dawn, Shu Ying and Tetty, from NUS. Dawn is studying architecture, Shu Ying is an industrial design student and Tetty is an arts student, intending to major in History. Our paper 3 topics all revolve around the relationship between the concepts of power and space, or more specifically how the control of spaces by authorities affects people.

Dawn
In the short film, Moving House, the family is forced to relocate the remains of their relatives from a cemetery to a columbarium because the cemetery is needed for development for other uses, The family is unhappy, yet resistance would be futile as the government has already planned uses of Singapore’s limited space such that the spaces would be used as efficiently as possible (in their opinion). In Globalization – The Human Consequences, Bauman points out that there is quite a difference between the theory of planning and the actual carrying out of the plans.

I intend to write about how when authorities exercise control over spaces through planning, which should be meant to cater to the needs of the inhabitants, the result is actually that the individuality and rights of the inhabitants of these spaces are overlooked.

Shu Ying
In my paper I will be exploring the role of homogeneity in totalitarian regimes- how the creation of homogenous societies through the use of purges and segregation by authorities assists the creation and continuation of totalitarian power. Zygmunt Bauman’s Globalization – The Human Consequences, expresses how modern urban planning results in homogenous environments which in turn results in isolation, a loss of identity and intolerance amongst the people who live in such places. Such themes are present in George Orwell’s 1984, which portrays a totalitarian dystopian society set in London in 1984, where the Party “vaporizes” those who are “unorthodox”. In fact, many of the totalitarian regimes of the past and present display the use of such tactics to maintain power. Hence, 1984 will be my primary source for my paper, and Bauman’s text will be my secondary source. Other sources that I have in mind are Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta and material on the Nazi regime.

Tetty
For my Paper 3, I will be using 1984 by Orwell and The Coffin is Too Big For the Hole by local playwright Kuo Pau Kun as my primary sources, and Foucault's The Eye of Power as my main secondary source.
In 1984 and Coffin, the main characters are all in a situation where they are aware of being watched and being under surveillance. I find it striking that while in 1984 it is apparent who is doing the watching from the 'central tower' (drawing on Foucault's explanation of the Panopticon), and the power relations are clearer, (in that it is the Inner Party and Big Brother at the top of the power spectrum, and Winston and the Outer Party below them) in Coffin the distinction is not that straightforward because there are many permutations of watching.
My thesis is that this difference is manifested in the disparity in the outcomes of resistance by the main characters in the two sources - in 1984, Winston and Julia's resistance is like spitting into the wind while in Coffin, the protagonist is more successful in getting the officer-in-charge to allow his grandfather's coffin to occupy two burial spaces. It should be noted, though, that the protagonist's 'success' is debatable.

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