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Curious About Culture: Refocus your lens on culture to cultivate cross cultural understanding
Whether you are on a journey of self-reflection or wish to influence others, this definitive guide to cross-cultural engagement will help you to understand your own cultural narrative and better connect with people of other cultural backgrounds. Curious about Culture by Gaiti Rabbani invites readers on a journey of introspection to discover the multitude of cultural influences that shape their view of the world. Culture is not geographically bound. It is about more than just where you were born and where you live. Gender, generation and language, among other factors, all contribute to your cultural lens and how well you can connect with others. Improving cross-cultural engagement starts with understanding yourself. You will uncover your own cultural drivers that will help you cultivate meaningful cross-cultural conversations. We all have multiple facets to our identities and some of them are likely to be stigmatised. The author encourages readers to be curious and dive beyond the apparent cues when engaging across cultures, highlighting the pitfalls of drawing upon assumptions and defaulting to stereotypes. Anecdotes from the leading cultural intelligence specialist, Gaiti Rabbani’s rich personal and professional experiences along with research-based insights, create a relatable, insightful and thought-provoking read. Whether you are on a journey of self-reflection or wish to influence others, this book will help you to understand your own cultural narrative and better connect with people of other cultural backgrounds. Curious about Culture is a practical reference for the enterprising and curious professional.
176 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2022
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 27, 2024
saw this book on the shelf at a library and thought 'you know what, i am curious about culture' so here we are. i enjoyed that the author now lives in sydney so there were a lot of examples relevant to australian culture and especially liked all the anecdotes because specific examples of situations made the concepts much clearer.
the cultural value dimensions section was so fun to reflect upon. i had heard of most of these spectrums before but some were new to me! here is a summary so i can think about them more while typing them out or future me can read them again:
1. Identity: Individualism vs Collectivism
* Individualistic cultures value the needs and rights of the individual, independence, being assertive, standing out, being unique
* In collectivist cultures, people might sacrifice their own comfort for the greater good, importance of social cooperation, dependable, generous, helpful to others
2. Authority: Low vs High Power Distance
* Low power distance is a more flat, egalitarian approach with dispersed power, people don't accept situations where power is skewed or distributed unequally
* High power distance is characterised by hierarchical structures, granting considerable power to those in positions of authority (head of family, top of organisation, leaders of nation)
3. Expression: Neutral vs Affective
* Neutral cultures suppress explicit displays of emotion through controlled expression, social norms dictate that feelings should be hidden behind an impartial facade - self-control is valued
* Affective cultures emphasise expressive communication and members openly share their feelings - debate is valued
4. Communication: High Context vs Low Context
* Low context cultures prefer explicit communication with an emphasis on the words spoken - clarity and orderly communication, favour written communication
* High context cultures focus on the context around the words spoken, not just the literal meaning of them - speak around a point leaving much to interpretation, body language important, favour oral communications, importance of non-verbal info
5. Rules: Universalism vs Particularism
* Universalism believes that universally agreed rules apply to everyone in society, important to adhere to standards, laws and policies - e.g. same fixed prices for everyone
* Particularism allows for exceptions to rules in special circumstances with greater emphasis on relationship obligations - e.g. haggling cultures
6. Achievement: Cooperative vs Competitive
* Competitive cultures have a task-first focus and are more assertive and results-driven, survival of the fittest, seek individual praise and recognition
* Cooperative cultures prioritise collaboration through establishing and nurturing relationships, seek acknowledgement of the group's efforts
>> results are important to both but it's about how you get there - by yourself or as the result of collective achievement
oh also the way they grouped countries around the world into 10 largest cultural groupings was also v interesting! - anglo/arab/confucian asia/eastern europe/germanic europe/latin america/latin europe/nordic europe/sub-saharan africa/southern asia
i love self-reflection but it's hard to box myself into any of these classifications because i feel that i will act differently in different contexts and with different people. like the book says, there's no right or wrong way to be, it's just that everyone thinks differently so how can we find common ground
the cultural value dimensions section was so fun to reflect upon. i had heard of most of these spectrums before but some were new to me! here is a summary so i can think about them more while typing them out or future me can read them again:
1. Identity: Individualism vs Collectivism
* Individualistic cultures value the needs and rights of the individual, independence, being assertive, standing out, being unique
* In collectivist cultures, people might sacrifice their own comfort for the greater good, importance of social cooperation, dependable, generous, helpful to others
2. Authority: Low vs High Power Distance
* Low power distance is a more flat, egalitarian approach with dispersed power, people don't accept situations where power is skewed or distributed unequally
* High power distance is characterised by hierarchical structures, granting considerable power to those in positions of authority (head of family, top of organisation, leaders of nation)
3. Expression: Neutral vs Affective
* Neutral cultures suppress explicit displays of emotion through controlled expression, social norms dictate that feelings should be hidden behind an impartial facade - self-control is valued
* Affective cultures emphasise expressive communication and members openly share their feelings - debate is valued
4. Communication: High Context vs Low Context
* Low context cultures prefer explicit communication with an emphasis on the words spoken - clarity and orderly communication, favour written communication
* High context cultures focus on the context around the words spoken, not just the literal meaning of them - speak around a point leaving much to interpretation, body language important, favour oral communications, importance of non-verbal info
5. Rules: Universalism vs Particularism
* Universalism believes that universally agreed rules apply to everyone in society, important to adhere to standards, laws and policies - e.g. same fixed prices for everyone
* Particularism allows for exceptions to rules in special circumstances with greater emphasis on relationship obligations - e.g. haggling cultures
6. Achievement: Cooperative vs Competitive
* Competitive cultures have a task-first focus and are more assertive and results-driven, survival of the fittest, seek individual praise and recognition
* Cooperative cultures prioritise collaboration through establishing and nurturing relationships, seek acknowledgement of the group's efforts
>> results are important to both but it's about how you get there - by yourself or as the result of collective achievement
oh also the way they grouped countries around the world into 10 largest cultural groupings was also v interesting! - anglo/arab/confucian asia/eastern europe/germanic europe/latin america/latin europe/nordic europe/sub-saharan africa/southern asia
i love self-reflection but it's hard to box myself into any of these classifications because i feel that i will act differently in different contexts and with different people. like the book says, there's no right or wrong way to be, it's just that everyone thinks differently so how can we find common ground
April 22, 2021
I picked up this book as I love exploring cultures and I am insatiably curious. There couldn’t be a more eye catching title for me. That said, the book did take a slightly different focus to that which I expected. It was a lot more multi dimensional. Rather than solely exploring the culture of organisations, which is what I expected, it takes a comprehensive look through the “kaleidoscope” of culture. It did a whole lot more than just scratch the surface of culture.
The author, Gaiti Rabbani, has a wealth of experience in a diverse set of cultures, from the UK, to the Middle East, and now in Australia. And this experience shines through in the different lens that Gaiti looks at cross cultural perspectives. Within each chapter, Gaiti re-focuses the lens through which we are reading.
The book is well structured and I particularly enjoyed the “Be Curious” section at the end of each chapter. These short sections were both a quick recap of what I had just read, but more importantly, for me, they were challenges to self reflect on my own experience. Getting me to think about my own cultural journey, and how the messages in the book could be applied to the situations I find myself in.
More so than ever, we all live in a vast melting pot of cultures. And this translates into very diverse work cultures, which is where my main area of focus is. By better understanding cultures other than our own, and the diversity these cultures bring, the better we will be at building rapport and effective working relationships. It may also help us avoid some of those embarrassing cultural faux pas.
If understanding the world around you is something that you are interested in, and who wouldn’t be, I recommend that you pick up this book.
The author, Gaiti Rabbani, has a wealth of experience in a diverse set of cultures, from the UK, to the Middle East, and now in Australia. And this experience shines through in the different lens that Gaiti looks at cross cultural perspectives. Within each chapter, Gaiti re-focuses the lens through which we are reading.
The book is well structured and I particularly enjoyed the “Be Curious” section at the end of each chapter. These short sections were both a quick recap of what I had just read, but more importantly, for me, they were challenges to self reflect on my own experience. Getting me to think about my own cultural journey, and how the messages in the book could be applied to the situations I find myself in.
More so than ever, we all live in a vast melting pot of cultures. And this translates into very diverse work cultures, which is where my main area of focus is. By better understanding cultures other than our own, and the diversity these cultures bring, the better we will be at building rapport and effective working relationships. It may also help us avoid some of those embarrassing cultural faux pas.
If understanding the world around you is something that you are interested in, and who wouldn’t be, I recommend that you pick up this book.
November 20, 2024
I really enjoyed the structure of this book, as well as the voice of the author. It made for an easy and quite enjoyable read. I related to a lot of the author's struggles on a somewhat personal level, and it was great to see her perspective.
This is a good book for those starting off in cultural/social studies or for those who are looking to overcome their own internalized biases. Good for broadening your perspective. Definitely recommend, especially if you live in Australia.
This is a good book for those starting off in cultural/social studies or for those who are looking to overcome their own internalized biases. Good for broadening your perspective. Definitely recommend, especially if you live in Australia.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews