Low Vs. High Context

Culture is one of the most relevant elements that can define not only a society but also a country’s cumulative beliefs and system. Often noted as the origins of a country, culture is definitive in the sense that it harbors all the elements that can provide justification on the traditions and norms set by the society for its members. More often than not, the society members follow norms in order to create a harmonious community, and the beliefs and the traditions serve as the poles or grounding rules for each member to follow. Culture is very dynamic in the way that it can change over a variety of foreign influences but what is permanent about it is that original elements about it often lingers with the influences, therefore making it multi-faceted and broad. More importantly, culture serves as an individual and unique trait each society has, and therefore sets it apart from other countries and other societies.

Did you ever know that every country has different cultural values and norms that may cause misunderstanding among cultures around the globe? Of course, I didn’t really know that till I migrated from my country to the USA. A long time ago, I believed that the world was filled with homogenous societies which are based upon one culture only and that culture must be my own culture which I must follow as the ethnocentric standard to all other nations in the world. But later, I had experienced living in multi cultural communities and different continents around the globe, such as Africa and Asia, where getting involved in other people’s lives is very common. As a result of my experience, I have realized that American cultural values have less

high-­context  meeting  a  low-­context)  can  result  in  misunderstanding  and negative  feelings  between  two  people ● Society  expects  men  to  always  use  masculine  style  while  women  are  expected  to  use  feminine style

Some argue that globalization will, on the long term, bring all cultures as a unique Western, if not Americanized, culture, while others argue that some cultures will persist in order to keep their own essence and therefore avoid the homogenization of all cultures. Alongside pure tradition, global conflicts, contradictory political regimes and the diversity of economic systems, some cultures are bound to face issues when trying to fully fit in a global western culture, and that is why cultures are adaptable to one another, but with some limits that we will express in this essay.

The earlier historical settings gave an opportunity to the Europeans to visit the primitive cultures of the world. As time progress the settling of the Europeans in different areas provided an accumulated firsthand knowledge which defined the means for existence for human beings. By looking around us we can observe the later stages on cultures that are as a result of the process that was initiated at the late age of colonization and exploration. The culture of the people has spontaneously been affected by this occurring changes thus causing cultural readjustment that has significantly contributed to transformation and new ways of social interaction. When cultures interact, then there has to be cultural exchanges that are experienced.

In an attempt to define diplomacy, this paper has considered various competing definitions of culture each. This question has been widely debated in the fields of literature and philosophy. In this paper, a holistic definition of culture that includes several aspects of cultural products (values, traditions, religion, social structure, literature, education, science, art, music, etc.). UNESCO, in its Declaration Universal on Cultural Diversity of 2001, reaffirmed that "culture has to It is regarded as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and typical of a society or social group emotional "and that" it includes, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, the traditions and beliefs."(MONDIACULT,

“Among the elements of social and cultural structure, two are important for our purposes. These are analytically separable although they merge imperceptibly in concrete situations. The first consists of culturally defined goals, purposes, and interests … The second phase of the social structure defines, regulates, and controls the acceptable modes of achieving these goals." (Merton 672,673)

People now don't even need to leave their house to interact with people outside of their country. This leads to cultural conflicts because a lot of people do not know what each culture refers to as offensive. In one country, a specific action or gesture may be socially acceptable but in a different country it may be considered offensive. Another point that Ms. Nejen explains is the effect that culture has on international relations when conducting business. A study conducted by Harvard University states that 70 percent of international business failures are due to cultural

In the article Hall’s cultural factors America is described as a low context culture where very little is taken for granted and there is less of a chance of having a misunderstanding when visitors are present (Hall’s, p 1.). Hall also describes in a low context culture such as America messages are simple and clear, people blame others for failure, there is more focus on verbal communication rather than body language, reactions are visible, flexibility is present when change is needed, bonds between people are fragile with little loyalty, task are more important than relationships, and time is not flexible (Hall, p1). I agree with Hall’s views about America being a low context culture. I think the messages American’s want to get across to others are clear. I also have seen many situations where people blame others for their failure and I know I have blamed someone else for my mistake. I also know that people listen and body language is not as important as the actual words that are being communicated. I have been in relationships where strong bonds are broken over something silly. I also know time is very important to Americans and it seems everyone is always busy and schedules are not very flexible. I can think of an example for all of Hall’s descriptions of America being a low context culture and that is why I think I am “in line” with general views about

A low context culture is one in which information and meanings are explicitly stated in the message or communication. Individuals in a low context culture expect explanations when statements or situations are unclear, as they often are. In low context culture, there is more social flexibility, things change more quickly, and children do not tenaciously grasps things that are cultural norms, but will question their parents-even rejecting their value systems. With more social flexibility, this one of the daughter, Rose, to pursue her divorce with her husband in the American manner easily than choosing to stay as her heritage would counteract. Information and meanings are not internalized by the individual but are derived from context e.g., from the situation or an even.

Sociologists define culture as “the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material objects that together form a people’s way of life” (Macionis 40); but when and how are cultures developed? A society’s values and beliefs derived from their people’s ancestry, their economy or way of living in relation to their physical environment, and political situation all play active roles in forming a society’s culture. In addition, local variables alone do not develop a society’s culture in the modern era. One must not only consider the affects of globalization on a local culture, but also, contrastingly, a local culture’s ability to affect the global stage and its interactions within it. Until the rise of terrorist threats within the Horn

In Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order, Samuel Huntington states “The most important distinctions among peoples are no longer ideological, political, or economic. They are cultural”. This is his main argument throughout this book. New patterns of distinctions and conflict will occur along boundaries of different cultures. However, patterns of cohesion will be found within the cultural boundaries. Huntington analyzes the resurgence of post-cold war cultural identities. He does this in order to explain the prevailing and future world order. From Huntington’s perspective, arguments and world views which claim the existence and proliferation of a universal culture can be disregarded. Hunting argues that great divisions among man and sources of conflict will be cultural.

The purpose of this essay is to explain the concept of crossvergence of culture within global society by analyzing the evidence provided in the Kelley, MacNab, and Worthley study. It is necessary to first summarize their argument and define culture to contextualize the argument. Next, I will examine the smaller ideas contained within the theory , specifically, the ideas of convergence and divergence, in order to fully explain the argument.

Cultures can be defined as a system of interrelated fundamental perceptions of assumptions and symbols. The symbols convey an explicit message, and are shared among the group so that they become common knowledge. Unlike philosophy, the connections are implied, and conclude which leads to the symbolical expression of their rituals. Each person has a different perception of the world and a different interaction with human life. Different countries may use different symbols to convey their messages. Also, culture is a social type of glue that connects a group of people with reality. Furthermore, culture is a part of everyone’s life; one must embrace the culture to really understand the wonderful world. Philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered an act of a guiding principle of behavior. This essay will contain sufficient evidence on the difference of high and low cultural context, failure of the Nimchill campaign and demonstrate the failure of ignoring the nature of culture as a tacit philosophy.

The seven cultural variables are the way different people inside contrasting societies are able to communicate with each other and understand what is happening. These contrasting attitudes, beliefs and ideas will shape how they relate to one another and their focus on interacting with numerous individuals. For example, inside the United States the most effective way of discussing what is happening is through presenting objective information directly. While other societies (such as: Sweden), are focusing on two way discourse and establishing friendly relationships. These differences are showing how there are contrasting views as to how various people interact with each other and understand what is happening. (Sepehri, 2011)