G.I. 2 - Culture Clash Pt. 1

Nations have traditionally been defined in terms of their common identity, values, customs, languages, and geographic boundaries  

A cultural reservoir may be defined as an accumulation of goodwill and understanding that emanates from a common set of values, beliefs, attitudes, historical experiences, and racial and ethnic links.

• Material culture - The tangible products of human society, such as monuments and visual accomplishments

• Nonmaterial culture - The intangible products of society, such as values and rules of right and wrong behavior.

  • In most countries, culture is generally equated with civilization.

• Do you belong to this society?

• Are you foreign?

• All societies, directly and indirectly, promote their values as positive and desirable while, simultaneously, devaluing those of other societies.

  • This behavior is referred to as ethnocentrism.

• Ken Booth contends that each society views itself as the center of the world, perceives and interprets other societies within its peculiar frame of reference, and invariably judges them to be inferior.

  • The more culturally distinct the other society is perceived to be, the more inferior it is often deemed to be and thus suitable for negative treatment... 

According to the clash-of-civilizations perspective, global conflicts occur due to cultural differences.

• Elements, such as language, history, religion, customs, institutions, and by the subjective self-identification of people.”

• Western

• Confucian

• Japanese

• Islamic

• Hindu

• Slavic-Orthodox

• Latin American

• African

 Religious communities have become vigorous creators of an emergent transnational civil society.”