Compass for Intercultural Partnerships: A thought provoking book to deploy the integration of cultures as a source of welfare and tolerance in a glocalising world

Same World,Different Paths

SameWorld, DifferentPaths Walks through fields of theory Ignace Pollet Ignace Pollet Same world, different paths Walks through fields of theory Contemplating Interculturalism What is culture? Multiculturalism and cultural relativism Terra incognita Generation and decay A dialectic reading of cultures Interculturalism investigated National cultures Software of the Mind Practical lessons form Hofstede’s theory Culture and modernity Research into values and opinions Back to the future Sociology’s blind spot Applied interculturalism Ex-pats, planet & profit our friends in the South Interculturalism for everyone The coconut allegory When people from Western Europe move to other areas, they inevitably come into contact with other cultures. A mere 1 000 kilometres to the south, we notice that times for working and relaxation are different, food is prepared differently and very different efforts are required to obtain something from the local government. Theintensityofthisexperiencewilldependontheplace we find ourselves, and also on the reason we have for being there. As a tourist, such experiences are usually noncommittal , giving us at best a good story to tell back home: waiting times, the perils of foreign food, unexpected invitations or the foibles of a fussy little bureaucrat. As an expat or development worker, sent abroad temporarily by a company or development agency, we will experience the consequences of an acculturation process at a more fundamental level. People are usually sent abroad to use their physical presence to get things done that cannot be sorted out from a distance: a building permit, a concession, more efficient production, putting a development plan into action on the ground and so on. We need to know how to deal with local partners, the local authorities, local conditions . As a rule, we can count on support from a previously agreed ‘deal’, which we feel (partly due to the financial input ) legitimates what we are doing. However, if we decide of our own accord to go and ‘do something’ in a developing country, we will find ourselves 52 IGNACE PoLLET obliged to take a large number of steps all at once: proving our identity (‘adventurers’ cannot often reckon on much support), finding local partners, finding funding or making them available locally, conforming to the law and the government and, on top of all this, keeping ourselves going socially, mentally and physically. And all this is aimed at putting a plan into practice in a foreign environment, a plan we have come up with ourselves: manufacturing mountain bikes on the equator, cultivating organic coffee, training long-distance runners or educating disadvantaged girls … is it all worth it? What if we are just getting in the way? Might we be raising expectations that we cannot fulfil? Experienced entrepreneurs would say that anyone who wants to start an enterprise needs a well-defined idea, a strategy (which clearly defines the required financial, human and material resources as well as its activities, peripheral requirements, market and target group) as well as being prepared to adapt at any time if circumstances require it. Anyone who wants to do this in a foreign environment will also find himself confronted by the intercultural aspect. Because you need to work with local people, it is recommended to adopt an attitude that is culturally acceptable, that shows respect and evokes friendliness. This does not just mean that you need to avoid coming across as superior or dismissive, but also that you show an interest in getting to know local culture and adopt certain attitudes and forms of behaviour that make it clear that you subscribe to the ethos and value system of the culture you find yourself in. This last point is part of the acculturation process, and is a personal experience for anyone who has to work in a for- 53 SAME WoRLD, DIFFERENT PATHS eign environment for any length of time. Good preparation certainly makes it easier, in which practical understanding of how to deal with likely situations is based on knowledge and experience gleaned from others who have found themselves in similar situations. It also requires more fundamental reflection on culture and cultures: what they are, how deeply they are rooted, how flexible they are, how easy it is to adopt them, and how different cultures can meet in a context of acting together towards a common goal. This text is dedicated to this final aspect. We will begin by reflecting on the phenomenon of culture itself, encounters between cultures, and the renewed interest in this issue. Secondly, we...