Chapter 4

Communicating Across Cultures

Cultures Within Cultures

Macroculture – the dominant culture in a region

Also referred to a the mainstream culture

Microculture – smaller culture(s) within a larger culture

Also referred to as a coculture

Microcultures

Coculture – interdependent with the mainstream

Subculture – implication of being inferiorThe preference is to call microcultures

cultures within cultures

USA Macroculture

Dominant culture is “white, male, Anglo-Saxon”

Individualism is part of dominant culture – the belief that every person his his/her own master; part if more important than whole; expected to look after self and family

Freedom is a value of the dominant culture

USA Microcultures

Share politics and social institutions (school, etc) with dominant culture

Eight microcultures: age, gender/sex, ethnic or national origin, religion, class / occupation, geographic, region, urban/suburban/rural location, exceptionality

Age

We think that we are part of the age group that we belong to; associate and act similar to the group

With age, many people struggle with changes in their identity as a result of life/lifestyle changes (from worker to pensioner, for example)

Age

Difficulties arise between different age groups (different beliefs, ideals, music, priorities, etc)

People tend to complain less about important things as well age (but may complain about things that others do not see as important)

Gender and Sex

Sex differences: biological differences between men and women (from chromosomal differences)

Gender differences: learned behaviors associates

Ethnicity

Race – biological; groups who chare the same hereditary feature

Ethnicity – group sharing the same ancestry, religious affiliations, language, nationality, etc (any combination of the above)

Minority group – disempowered group with limited access or roles in the dominant culture