Living in a Multicultural- Living in a Multicultural- Multinational community-Multinational community-

Opportunity or Crisis!?Opportunity or Crisis!?

Joshva Raja Joshva Raja

Queens FoundationQueens Foundation

2009 September2009 September

Blacks Blacks

AsiansAsians

BritishBritish

PacificPacific

EuropeansEuropeans

othersothers

Words can mean many things!Words can mean many things!

When Kentucky Fried Chicken entered the When Kentucky Fried Chicken entered the Chinese market, to their horror they Chinese market, to their horror they discovered that their slogan "finger lickin' discovered that their slogan "finger lickin' good" came out as "eat your fingers off" good" came out as "eat your fingers off" An American T-shirt maker in Miami An American T-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish market which printed shirts for the Spanish market which promoted the Pope's visit Instead of "I promoted the Pope's visit Instead of "I Saw the Pope" (el Papa), the shirts read "I Saw the Pope" (el Papa), the shirts read "I Saw the Potato" (la papa) Saw the Potato" (la papa)

I got a mouse

Do we recognize Different Cultural Groups within ourselves? It follows their interest…

High

popular

Mass

Folk/ Traditional

Sub

Attitude and culture may varyAttitude and culture may vary

A European visitor once asked an A European visitor once asked an Indonesian about the Balinese funeral Indonesian about the Balinese funeral custom of placing fresh fruit on a grave. custom of placing fresh fruit on a grave. "When does your aunt climb out of her "When does your aunt climb out of her grave to eat the banana?" he asked with a grave to eat the banana?" he asked with a smirk. "At the same time your uncle smirk. "At the same time your uncle comes up to smell the flowers," was the comes up to smell the flowers," was the matter-of-fact reply. matter-of-fact reply.

Learning together with diverse age groups and cultures

YouthChildrenAdults

Women

Outsider

Of course when Children make Of course when Children make noise can I study? Part of Queens’ noise can I study? Part of Queens’

Package of learning?!Package of learning?!

Some drink and Some Don’t Some drink and Some Don’t

Do we mind each other’s business? Do we mind each other’s business? Yes we do sometimes!Yes we do sometimes!

Learning Theology together Learning Theology together

When theological students come to the College many of them regularly pray then?

As the journey begins many of them are overloaded with a lot of theologies and other stuff some sink!

But you can still do Ministry

When People cross boundaries?When People cross boundaries?

Who often Cross the Who often Cross the BoundariesBoundaries

A Child who just walks and does not understand the difference between the colour and race or rich and poor…

A Mentally Challenge Person who is in Chains because he often crosses the boundaries of caste

EncodingDecoding

EncodingDecoding

Message

Message

Interpreter Interpreter

Negotiation

Rejection

Acceptance

Stuart HallHow do you cross boundaries?

MONOCHRONIC PEOPLE POLYCHRONIC PEOPLE

do one thing at a time do many things at once

concentrate on the jobare highly distractable and subject to

interruptions

take time commitments (deadlines, schedules) seriously

consider an objective to be achieved, if possible

are low-context and need informationare high-context and already have

information

are committed to the jobare committed to people and human

relationships

adhere religiously to plans change plans often and easily

are concerned about not disturbing others; follow rules of privacy and consideration

are more concerned with those who are closely related (family, friends, close business associates) than with privacy

show great respect for private property; seldom borrow or lend

borrow and lend things often and easily

emphasize promptness base promptness on the relationship

are accustomed to short-term relationships

have strong tendency to build lifetime relationships

Cooperation!Cooperation!

Try to reduce the Try to reduce the use of Stereotypical use of Stereotypical words, images…words, images…

Less Ethnocentric Less Ethnocentric value judgements…value judgements…

avoiding avoiding Categorising others Categorising others as a monolithic as a monolithic groupsgroups

Making some differences?Making some differences?Buried for TreatmentBuried for Treatment

in Japan for treatment

In Australia for fun

Offerings are made to a mediator who is buried up to the neck in sand. He suppresses the sensations of the flesh while attempting to free his mind through meditation.

Living and

learning together

using all sense

s

To send and receive

Transmission view

To share and participate

Ritual View

To speak

To see

To hearTo taste

To smell

To touch

Developing Cross Cultural skillsDeveloping Cross Cultural skills

Willingness to interactWillingness to interact

Establishing a Establishing a ContactContact

having Relationshiphaving Relationship

Trying to UnderstandTrying to Understand

Taking Courage for Taking Courage for mistakesmistakes

Risk with Humbleness Risk with Humbleness to learn to learn

Sharing KindnessSharing Kindness

Make Mistakes in the beginning?!

Can I make difference?Can I make difference?

Listen to storiesListen to stories

Look at the face Look at the face

Smile with themSmile with them

Imagine the contextImagine the context

Observe the actsObserve the acts

Smell the fragranceSmell the fragrance

Feel the situationFeel the situation

Taste the foodTaste the food

Imagine the mind of the Imagine the mind of the otherother

Starting points are learning points!Starting points are learning points!

Anything wrong?

You never net a fish without getting You never net a fish without getting wetwet

Cross Cultural starting pointsCross Cultural starting points

Misunderstanding leads to UnderstandingMisunderstanding leads to Understanding

Confusion leads to Fusion of culturesConfusion leads to Fusion of cultures

Unity is not uniformityUnity is not uniformity

Oneness is not samenessOneness is not sameness

Chaos is starting point of creationChaos is starting point of creation

Some examples from Bible and Some examples from Bible and History that crossed the boundaries History that crossed the boundaries and transformed the communitiesand transformed the communities

Egyptian Nurses in ExodusEgyptian Nurses in Exodus

Peter and Paul in the first Christian Peter and Paul in the first Christian Council in JerusalemCouncil in Jerusalem

Francis of AssisiFrancis of Assisi

Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson MandelaMahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela

Mother TheresaMother Theresa

Thank you for Seeing and ListeningThank you for Seeing and ListeningIn Heaven you can only feed othersIn Heaven you can only feed others