Unit 2: Culture and Identity

Unit 2: Culture and Identity

about this tutorial...

This is one in a series of tutorials on intercultural communication. Anticipated completion time for this tutorial: approximately 80 minutes.If you are completing this tutorial for a course, your score on the included exercises will be recorded. Note that you can stop and come back and your score on completed items will be retained.

Learning objectives

The objectives below can be achieved through working with the assigned readings, watching the presentations, doing the tutorial exercises, and posting to the discussion forums. Cartoon: ostrich and man, both with their heads in the ground
By successfully completing this unit, students should be able to...

Outline the characteristics of identity formation today
Be able to recognize and define key terms dealing with identities
Provide examples of microcultures in the US and elsewhere
Compare/contrast different kinds of groups and roles
Define and discuss racial and ethnic stereotyping
Be able to discuss ways to overcome stereotyping

Key Concepts for this unit

Key Concepts List (PDF)

UNIT OPENER: Movie clip - Racial stereotyping

This video excerpt from Crash (2004) introduces some of the key issues we will be dealing with in the this unit, namely perception, categorization and stereotyping.

First, watch the video (about 2 minutes long) below:

Clip not available on YouTube - see stills on next page

After watching the video, think about the following:

What evidence does the one black man give of prejudicial treatment in the restaurant?

What is the stereotype about tipping that is mentioned?

What happens when the black men and the white couple see each other?

What role does the environmental context play in the encounter?

To what extent are stereotypes refuted or confirmed in this scene?

Now, turn to the next page for comments.

UNIT OPENER: Comments and Analysis

1. Screen Shot 2012-06-20 at 5.42.16 PM.png What evidence does the one black man give of prejudicial treatment in the restaurant?

The main complaint is having to wait for their order longer than white patrons. Also the other patrons in the restaurant were getting their coffee re-filled but no one came to ask him. But he didn't order coffee and didn't want coffee. Is his comment unreasonable? Or is it based on previous experiences? How real is prejudicial treatment of minorities in public spheres such as restaurants?

2. What is the stereotype about tipping that is mentioned?

The stereotype that blacks don't tip is one of many that exist in America towards blacks. There are stereotypes about virtually all microcultures. Not all stereotypes are negative. Asian-Americans are stereotyped as being good at math, gay men as being neat and orderly. We'll be looking in this unit at what causes stereotypes and what the effect is on communication.

3. What happens when the black men and the white couple see each other?

The upper middle-class white woman moves closer to her husband. When we encounter new objects or see other people for the first time, we tend to put them into categories. It's how we make sense out of a complex world and it's a universal human behavior. If we don't have much direct knowledge about the category of people we see, we tend to fall back on what information we have, most likely fairly superficial knowledge based on stories, news, TV shows, movies, etc. The woman here immediately puts the young men into the category of "young, black urban males", which for her likely has the association of danger.

Screen Shot 2012-06-20 at 5.43.34 PM.png 4. What role does the environmental context play in the encounter?

The young black men are acutely aware of the fact that they are in an upscale, mostly white neighborhood. Ironically, that is why they are there, so as to be able to steal a high-priced car. How the people are perceived is not only based on skin color but also on dress and appearance. Ironically, the black men are not dressed in a way that could be perceived as threatening, for example, if they were wearing gang colors or even just a hoodie. The combination of appearance and setting can trigger strong opinions not necessarily based on objective evidence. The killing of a young black man in 2011 (Trevon Williams) in a mostly white suburban neighborhood came about in large part because of the location and the young man's dress (wearing a hoodie).

5. To what extent are stereotypes refuted or confirmed in this scene?

The waitress in the restaurant is black, but she is seen as sharing in the prejudicial views of black men. The black man complaining about the restaurant service and about the stereotype that blacks don't tip does not leave a tip: "You expect me to pay for that kind of service." The white woman's fears are played out by the carjacking. This is a movie, and stereotypes are played for comedic and dramatic effect. But at the same time, there is a real and serious side here, namely that stereotyping is a complex issue. Sometimes stereotypes have no basis in reality, sometimes they do, sometimes stereotypes are self-fulfilling, sometimes they are embraced by the stereotyped people themselves.

What's the point of this unit's opener?

Communication is affected by how we perceive the other person. Our perceptive process is guided by our cultural identity. In encountering people different from us, we tend to fall back on conventional views and stereotypes. The further removed the others are from our own cultural background and the less we know personally about them, the more we tend to rely on stereotypes. In this chapter we will be dealing with ways we perceive the world and other people and with how we tend to put objects and people into categories. The process of categorization can lead to stereotyping and ethnocentrism, which in turn can result in discrimination and even racism.

READING: Culture and Identity

Reading in PDF format

PRESENTATION

=> YouTube version | View/print presentation outline (PDF)

ONLINE RESOURCES

Ethnicity & microcultures

Tiger Mom: Some cultural groups are superior
Controversial take on why some minority groups succeed in the US, and others don't
Trevor Noah Is A Quarter Jewish. Does That Make His Anti-Semitic Jokes OK?
This is the South African comedian replacing Jon Stewart
The Slants Frontman Fights Government To Register His Band's Name
What would you think of a band called "The Slants" or "The Chinks"? What if the members of the band are all Asian?

Conversations on race and prejudice

Color of Fear - What it Means to be American
Excerpt from the documentary
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
Influential essay by Peggy McIntosh
White People: MTV Documentary
What does it mean to be white? MTV's 'White People' is a groundbreaking documentary on race that aims to answer that question from the viewpoint of young white people living in America today.
A Conversation With White People on Race
Short documentary featuring interviews with white people on the challenges of talking about race (NY Times)
Is It An 'Uprising' Or A 'Riot'? Depends On Who's Watching
Is it symbolic racism, or just objective reporting? The language used can be crucial. The reference is to the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore in 2015
Questioning The Black Male Experience In America
How would you like to be remembered, in a word or two? That question was posed by a black man and answered by other black men in a multimedia art project called "Question Bridge: Black Males."
Paul Bloom: Can prejudice ever be a good thing?
About categorization, ethnocentrism and the dynamics of in-groups and out-groups
TED description: "We often think of bias and prejudice as rooted in ignorance. But as psychologist Paul Bloom seeks to show, prejudice is often natural, rational ... even moral. The key, says Bloom, is to understand how our own biases work — so we can take control when they go wrong."
Clint Smith: My Hopes, Dreams, Fears For My Future Black Son
TED essay: "In a letter to the son he may someday have, poet Clint Smith reflects on the lessons he learned growing up, and shares his hopes for his future child."
Vernā Myers: How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them
TED description: "Our biases can be dangerous, even deadly — as we've seen in the cases of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner, in Staten Island, New York. Diversity advocate Vernā Myers looks closely at some of the subconscious attitudes we hold toward out-groups. She makes a plea to all people: Acknowledge your biases. Then move toward, not away from, the groups that make you uncomfortable. In a funny, impassioned, important talk, she shows us how."

TED talks on identity: Knowing yourself before judging others

Liza Donnelly: Drawing on humor for change
Interesting perspective on identity creation and appearance for women; humor as a powerful tool for self-actualization
TED description: "New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly shares a portfolio of her wise and funny cartoons about modern life — and talks about how humor can empower women to change the rules."
Caroline Casey: Looking past limits
On the importance of "being true to yourself" and overcoming what seem like unsurmountable barriers
TED description: "Activist Caroline Casey tells the story of her extraordinary life, starting with a revelation (no spoilers). In a talk that challenges perceptions, Casey asks us all to move beyond the limits we may think we have."
Lizzie Velasquez: How do you define yourself?
TED description: "In a time when beauty is defined by supermodels, success is defined by wealth, and fame is deified by how many followers you have on social media, Lizzie Velasquez asks the question how do you define yourself? Once labeled, 'The Worlds Ugliest Woman,' Lizzie decided to turn things around and create her own definitions of what she defines as beauty and happiness."
Pico Iyer: Where is home?
On the multicultural identities today and how we all are a "work in progress"
TED description: "More and more people worldwide are living in countries not considered their own. Writer Pico Iyer — who himself has three or four 'origins' — meditates on the meaning of home, the joy of traveling and the serenity of standing still."
Ashley Graham: Plus-size? More Like My Size
TED description: "Internationally-known body activist, model and entrepreneur, Ashley Graham, describes her journey into fashion industry stardom. She doesn't leave out any gritty details, as she describes the challenging and rewarding progression toward becoming her own role model."

Humorous takes on serious issues of race and religion

Louis CK: I enjoy being white
Different take on white privilege
W. Kamau Bell on racism Starts out funny, but turns to serious issue of telling your children about racism
What Is A 'Good Muslim' Anyway? A Podcast Disrupts The Narrative
Zahra Noorbakhsh and Tanzila "Taz" Ahmed host the podcast #GoodMuslimBadMuslim
Uldus Bakhtiozina: Wry photos that turn stereotypes upside down
Artist Uldus Bakhtiozina uses photographs to poke fun at societal norms in her native Russia.
How to tell if you're American
From zompist.com; includes humorous profiles of other nationalities as well

Food and cultural identity

Amy Choi: What Americans can learn from other food cultures
On different roles of food, including "food as identity"
Jennifer 8. Lee: The hunt for General Tso
TED description: "Reporter Jennifer 8. Lee talks about her hunt for the origins of familiar Chinese-American dishes â€” exploring the hidden spots where these two cultures have (so tastily) combined to form a new cuisine."
Who owns Chicken Tikka Masala?
Is it British or Indian?
Robin Cook's chicken tikka masala speech
Extracts from a speech by the foreign secretary to the Social Market Foundation in London: "Chicken Tikka Massala is now a true British national dish"
Regina Bernard-Carreno: The underlying racism of America's food system
TED description: "Dr. Bernard-Carreno has been actively researching and writing about the cultural performance of food, food access and food racism in low income neighborhoods in New York City and abroad. Along with researching and writing, Dr. Bernard-Carreno has been designing scholarly projects and community products based on food access in poor NYC areas."

EXERCISES

Q1: Cultural identity

Q2: Characteristics of microcultures

Q3: Stereotyping

Q4: Ethnocentrism

Q5: Racism

Q6: Groups