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CHAPTER TWO

CROSS CULTURAL STRATEGY

 

When a missionary enters a new culture, being unfamiliar with the people and their culture he will experience certain problems. He has been brought up in a culture with certain ways of doing things in certain way.  But in the new culture they will do the things in a different way. This will bring consternation and confusion in the mind. The effect of this can be either to experience what is called the culture shock or to a determination of undertaking to understand the people in empathy. This leads to two ways of approach to the missionary. The simplest way is the way of empathy. If a missionary is filled with the love of Christ for the people, he will experience empathy and will soon accept the way of the living of the people. He may eventually identify himself with them and be a successful missionary.

On the other hand if he is unwilling to accept the people as they are, he will feel extremely uncomfortable after a short period of tourist like fascination. He will experience the intensity of the culture shock and will start to reject the people and their culture. From here he may recover and go into the path of empathy or may reject the culture totally and thereby he himself will be rejected by the culture. He will have to return to his own culture as a failure. He may remain within an alien culture in a shell made out of his own culture as a foreigner.

Culture Shock is precipitated by the anxiety that results from losing all our familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse. These signs or cues include thousand and one ways in which we orient ourselves to the situations of daily life.  These include simple things like shaking hands and what to say when we meet people, when and how to give tips, when to accept an invitation and when not to, how to give orders to the servants, how to make purchases, when to take a statement at its face value and when not to, when should one smile and when should one be serious etc. etc. These customs and cues - which may be words, gestures, facial expressions, customs or norms - are acquired by all of us in the course of growing up and are as such a part of our culture as the language we speak or the beliefs we hold (from Oberg, Culture Shock)

Rejection takes several forms:

  • We may make derogatory and joking remarks about the people;
  • We may disassociate ourselves as far as possible from the people;
  • We may try to associate as much as possible with the people of our own culture, etc.

ETHNOCENTRISM

The act of considering our own culture as superior to those of the host culture is known as ETHNOCENTRISM.

Ethnocentrism is the practice of interpreting and evaluating behavior and objects by reference to the standards of one's own culture rather than those by reference to the standards of the culture it belongs.  (from Himes) On the other hand

CULTURAL relativism

CULTURAL relativism is the practice of interpreting and evaluating behavior and objects by reference to the norm and value standards of the culture to which it belongs.

A missionary should take make conscious effort to detach oneself from the old culture. In order to do this, one must realize that all cultures are relative and that in no sense one's own culture is any more “right” than the new one. Accept them as different but not better or worse. (Wagner)

Most of the failures arise out of our ethnocentric tendencies. A study of the cultural anthropology will help the missionary towards this realization.

The missionary is encouraged to be fully immersed in the new culture right from the first day of his exposure. He should preferably live with the local people, travel like them, eat their food and worship with them. To avoid severe culture shock a certain amount of language learning prior to the entry will be helpful along with a study of their culture and anthropology.

 

 

 

Symptoms of culture shock

  • Sadness
  • Loneliness
  • melancholy
  • Aches, pains, and allergies
  • Insomnia,desire to sleep too much or too little
  • Feeling vulnerable or powerless
  • Anger, irritability, resentment, unwillingness to interact with others
  • Identifying with the old culture or idealizing the old country
  • Trying too hard to absorb everything in the new culture or country
  • Lack of confidence
  • Preoccupation with health
  • Changes in temperament, depression, feeling vulnerable, feeling powerless
  • Loss of identity
  • Unable to solve simple problems
  • Developing stereotypes about the new culture
  • Developing obsessions such as over-cleanliness
  • Longing for family
  • Feelings of being lost, overlooked, exploited or abused

 

Stages of culture shock

  • A typical culture shock has 4 different phases. This is not in general: you may not experience all phases, but maybe only some of them. The phases are: Honeymoon Phase - During this period the differences between the old and new culture are seen in a romantic light, wonderful and new. For example, in moving to a new country, an individual might love the new foods, the pace of the life, the people's habits, the buildings and so on.
  • Negotiation Phase - After some time (usually weeks), differences between the old and new culture become apparent and may create anxiety. One may long for food the way it is prepared in one's native country, may find the pace of life too fast or slow, may find the people's habits annoying, disgusting, and irritating etc. This phase is often marked by mood swings caused by minor issues or without apparent reason. Depression is not uncommon.
  • Adjustment Phase - Again, after some time (usually 6 – 12 months), one grows accustomed to the new culture and develops routines. One knows what to expect in most situations and the host country no longer feels all that new. One becomes concerned with basic living again, and things become more "normal".
  • Reverse Culture Shock (a.k.a. Re-entry Shock) - Returning to one's home culture after growing accustomed to a new one can produce the same effects as described above. The affected person often finds this more surprising and difficult to deal with than the original culture shock.


There are three basic outcomes of the Adjustment Phase:

  • Some people find it impossible to accept the foreign culture and integrate. They isolate themselves from the host country's environment, which they come to perceive as hostile, withdraw into a ghetto and see return to their own culture as the only way out. These Rejectors also have the greatest problems re-integrating back home after return. Approx. 60% of expatriates behave in this way.
  • Some people integrate fully and take on all parts of the host culture while losing their original identity. They normally remain in the host country forever. Approx. 10% of expatriates belong to this group of Adopters.
  • Some people manage to adapt the aspects of the host culture they see as positive, while keeping some of their own and creating their unique blend. They have no major problems returning home or relocating elsewhere. Approx. 30% of expatriates are these so-called Cosmopolitans.

 

Emotional Adustment

Honeymoon Stage
Cultural Shock
                                                       
Acculturation                                      Rejection
                                                        
Assimilation                                           Rejection

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Social Adjustment

Ethnocentrism
Geocentrism

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Cultural Adjustment

 

Stereotyping
Suspending Judgement
Cultural Adaptation
Respect For Host Culture

 

 

 

Biculturalism

We believe that the absolute truths and God's standards are embedded in the Bible. The missionaries' function is to express these in the new culture - in their language and life style.

Christianity is the way of living, based on the eternal principles of God. For these principles can be lived out in a particular culture and context is determined by the culture itself. This is the cross cultural principle of Marvin Mayer based on the biblical absolutism and cultural relativism. So when we assess a cultural tradition we should assess it against the absolutes. As long as they do not violate biblical absolutes they do not need correction. Here one may differentiate between absolutes taught in the Bible and the cultural behavior and regulations connected with the Hebrews, Romans and the Greek. These practices within the culture arose to meet a particular need or needs. So it is advisable in most cases to retain the practice of the culture with little or no change. If it directly conflicts with the absolute principles. They will need replacement, which should be accomplished through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

What are the Biblical Absolutes?

Absolutes are supracultural that have eternal validity.  It is not based on any particular cultural context but can be universally applied. These principles universally valid not only on the earth but also in heaven.

Two such absolutes can be identified immediately:

  • The Lordship of Jesus. Christ is the center of the cosmos for all ages, now and in ages to come. Anything: that takes away our focus from Jesus is idolatry.
  • Love of man, based on the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of man. Anything that brings pain, suffering or ignore to God or man is evil. Anything that brings joy and happiness to both man and God is good.

You may define the absolutes in some other ways. But the basic crux of the situation will boil down to the above two. Further extending the concept of absolutes we may restrict ourselves to the context of earth and man and develop further sub-absolutes that have partial validity.

 

QUESTIONS

1. What is culture shock and why does it come? How can we avoid it?

2. Mention some ways by which rejection is expressed.

3. That is ethnocentrism? Why is it dangerous for a missionary?

4.  Explain the principle of the Biblical Absolutism and Cultural Relativity.

5. From the Bible show how Paul applied this principle in practice when he dealt with the Greeks.