Monday, December 16, 2013
Cultural Reporter Blog
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| My friend Erdem Akalin |
For my project I interviewed four Turkish people associated with the university; two males, two females, two undergraduates, one graduate student, and one professor. The first person I interviewed was Erdem Akalin; Erdem is from Bursa in western Turkey and is a sophomore foreign exchange student. The second person I interviewed was Ceren Kaplan, she is also a sophomore undergraduate student and is from Ankara, the capital of Turkey. The third person I interviewed was Doruk Ozturk, Doruk is an graduate student majoring in Hydrogeology and is also from Ankara. The final interview I did was with Demet Batur, and professor in the College of Business at UNL. Each of these interviews allowed me to gain a slightly different perspective on the culture I was studying.
The first topic brought up by everyone I interviewed was
the history of Turkey as a nation. Turkey was founded as a republic out of the
ruins of the Ottoman Empire in the post-World War 1 era. The Turks had lost a
large amount of land to neighboring countries following the first World War
but, under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal, now known as Ataturk, they were
able to reclaim much of this land and start rebuilding their nation. This
reclamation of land is a point of pride for almost all Turks. Doruk Ozturk
summed it up best in his interview saying, “Of course I am influenced by our
history, it is a part of who I am.”
How could anyone discuss Turkish history without
discussing the man who almost individually brought Turkey into the modern world
as a nation and got them onto a level playing field with the rest of the world
powers? Ataturk was one of the first leaders in the modern world to grant
rights to both women and minorities. He put rules, regulations, and policies in
place to prevent Islamist extremism. He was also single-handedly changed the
language and style of Turkish life; practically inventing the Turkish language
on his own. Although some of Ataturk’s policies are now becoming outdated and
are being replaced, it is hard to deny that he had a major impact on a nation
that was developing when he took over as Prime Minister. He was truly one of
the great visionaries of the 20th century.
Partly because of its geographical positioning but also
because of its historical background, Turkish culture is the product of
cultural mixing. You see, Turkey is a very complex nation, its location allows
for easy access and trade with the European nations to the west, giving it a
modern feel to it. But at the same time it has great partnerships with its
neighbors to the east in the Middle East and Asia. This bond with the Middle
East has established strong religious identities among a large portion of the
Turkish population. However, unlike some nations in that region, if you ask a
Turkish person how they would identify themselves, Muslim would not be one of
the first things to come up. Overall, Turks love conversation, family, and the
comforts of home life. This is not just some coincidence, this is a culture
shaped by influences from the east and west, Europe and Asia.
From the four interviews I performed I recorded six
identities that Turkish people most strongly identify as major contributing
factors to their individual identity as well as their overall cultural identities.
The most commonly mentioned identity was National identity. Turks are a proud
people who know their history by heart and are proud to tell you about all of
the great things about Turkey; national identity is what links all Turks
together. The second most mentioned identity was Religious identity. Seeing as
how a vast majority of Turks are Muslim it is only fitting that this be high up
on the list. Turkish people take pride in their religion, and although it is
the focal point of many arguments over the government, it is still something
that goes hand in hand with this unique culture. The third most mentioned topic
was Familial identity. Familial bonds in Turkey run deep; it is not unnatural
to see a Turkish person living at home well into their 20s. The fourth most
mentioned topic was that of Gender identity. Gender identity is always going to
be either very influential or very restrictive in a predominantly Muslim
country. Luckily Turkey is a more modern Islamic state and the consequences of
being male or female are not too extreme either way. The only real influences
are gender expectations; men are expected to work, whereas women are expected
to stay home and take care of babies.
Number five on the list
is Age identity. Age Identity is an important aspect of Turkish culture; even
more so nowadays as Turkey has experienced a population boom recently,
increasing its number of youths by a great amount. Young people are expected to
respect their elders and leave the bulk of conversation to them. However, with
more and more young people in today’s Turkey it will be interesting to see if
that expectation stays. Last on the list is Class identity. In Turkey, as it is
everywhere, if you have money, you can do anything. In other words, in Turkey
the rich hold power and dictate the direction of the country. And in 21st
century Turkey, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
Turkey may not be a place where stereotypes are held
about other Turks, but there are gender roles which men and women are expected
to occupy. In Turkey women are expected to cook, men garden, and kids don’t
work until they graduate from college. Women have weekly tea time in which they
invite over their neighbors and gossip. Men have something called Kiraanthane,
which involves men gathering in back rooms to drink coffee, smoke cigarettes,
play backgammon, and gamble on sports, like soccer. Women go shopping, case in
point, Ankara, a city of 5 million people, has 10 malls. Men go to soccer
matches, where the result their team gets on a weekly basis determines whether
or not there will be riots that weekend. To combat this clubs like Fenerbahce
in Istanbul have started banning men from matches entirely.
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| President Erdogan |
Government divides opinion like nothing else in Turkey.
Current President Erdogan and his wife are extremely religious and have set
about to chip away at Ataturk’s policies little by little. Everyone I talked to
had something negative to say about the Turkish government. Erdem said, “The
government tries to cover up state issues through implementation of religious
policies.” Ceren said, “they feed poor people so they will vote for them,” and
that “Erdogan is like a dictator.” Doruk was rather blunt with his statement,
saying “The current government is extreme, no one likes the government.”
However, the most philosophical statement came from Professor Batur, she said
“The economy is going well along with other things, we will see if they can
find a balance, in general people are happy.” By balance she meant that if the
government can strike the right balance between religious policy implementation
and standard government procedures, they will be successful.
The next aspect of Turkish culture we discussed was the
education system. Many Turkish students come to America because a degree from
the States is very marketable. However, in order to get here, Turkish students
must go through a rigorous curriculum of secondary school. Parents push their
children to become doctors and engineers. For this reason, much emphasis is
placed on the equivalent of the ACT in Turkey. If you can do well on this exam,
you can become what you want. But you better be 100% sure that that is what you
want to do, because once you select your major there is no switching. It is
interesting to note that in Turkey college education is viewed as supplementary
to high school education.
In all of my interviews I asked the participants to
compare Turkey to the United States and vice versa. Erdem flat out told me that
the US is stereotyped as fat and uneducated in Turkey and other portions of the
world. He also said that Turkey is good but some aspects and social stigmas can
often be overbearing. Also, he noted that the food is good in both places.
Doruk said that in the US people do not care for one another and that
everything is very organized and regulated; whereas in Turkey it is the
opposite. Demet had the most interesting view in my opinion. She said that
there is more work discipline in the US than in Turkey, that there is less
ethnic diversity in Turkey because everyone is ethnically Turk there. Demet
also said that in the US people are more political and that people are often
more protective of their private lives, which, as she said, “is more natural
with so many different cultural backgrounds.” She also went on to say that you
are going to change your level of openness depending on who you are talking to.
One of the other participants, Erdem, disagreed with this statement, saying
“Race does not matter to me; I will be open with anyone.” I believe this is a
truly admirable quality in a person and I think that is the mindset of a
majority of young Turks nowadays.
The next topic I discussed with the participants was
Popular Culture, be it American pop culture they consumed or any Turkish pop
culture, every participant had something to say about it. Erdem said he would
watch American television shows like Fringe,
CSI: New York, Heroes, Lost\, and Ellen DeGeneres, and listen to American
rap music like Lil Wayne to help him
learn English. Through consuming popular culture Erdem grew to perceive
Americans as crazy people who knew how to party and had lots of blonde women.
Ceren did not really indulge in American pop culture because she did not learn
the English language until very late into her teen years, but she did mention
that she would watch Turkish soap operas about the Ottoman Empire and listen to
Turkish hip-hop music. Demet was slightly older than the rest of the
participants and did not have the same experience consuming pop culture as the
rest of the participants. When she was growing up there was only on television
channel and it was state run. So a majority of her experiences with American
culture came from the fast food chains American companies had brought to
Turkey, like McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, and
KFC, she said that these restaurants had a better reputation in Turkey than
they did in the States, not only were they healthier but they were fancier as
well.
The last thing I
discussed with all participants was the U-Curve theory and each of their
individual experiences with it. Erdem said that he was excited to experience
the American dream upon arriving here after consuming so much pop culture, but
he faced a rude awakening upon arriving in the small town of Franklin,
Nebraska. He lived on a farm and took part in doing farm work with his host
family. This was disappointing and depressing for Erdem because he came from a
family in which both of his parents were doctors in Turkey and the idea of what
youth should and shouldn’t do is different from Turkey to Franklin, Nebraska.
Eventually Erdem was able to cheer up once he was able to start playing
basketball (it is important to note that Erdem is 6’7”). It was not the same
for Doruk and Ceren though, both of them said they experienced little to no
adaptation period upon arriving in the states. When I asked why they both said
it was because they came from one of the more westernized parts of Turkey. Once
again Demet gave some of the best insight into this topic out of all four
participants. She talked about how she moved here in 2001 and was excited for
new things and new opportunities, but after a while she realized that nothing
was perfect. She, like many other international students and migrants, missed
home, family, friends, and in this case, Turkish food. She told me how much she
had to learn in such a short time. Think about this; we have 10-15 years to
learn everything about our culture, cues, manners, etiquette, etc, but migrants
must learn all that in the span of a year. There was so much adaptation and
learning, and some adjusted better than others. But there were others that for
whatever reason missed more what they lost than what they gained, and decided
to go home. Obviously transitioning from one culture to another is hard, but if
you can make it over the hump, or in this case the U, then you might just find
happiness in a place you never thought you would.
Turkish culture is like a body of water in which ocean
and fresh water meet. There is diverse life and unique surroundings. It is the
best of the west mixed with the best of the east. It is interesting, exotic,
and unique; a true gem in a part of the world where beauty is often
overshadowed by violence and bureaucracy. Turkey is home to some of the most
interesting people in the world. My friend Erdem told me that I am welcome to
come there and visit him any time I want. I might just have to go experience
Turkish culture first hand someday.
Works Cited
Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2013).
Intercultural Communication in Context. (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Friday, December 13, 2013
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Cultural Reporter Final Blog- Native Americans
Native- Americans:
Cultural Reporter Project
An in depth look at
Native Americans, their culture and communication.
For my cultural reporter project, I
choose to look at the culture of the Native Americans and how it has changed
from the time of early European arrival in the Americas to today. Culture can be defined in many ways from how
different influences can affect communication and cultural development or “from
an interpretive perspective on defining culture, culture is learned and shared,
involves contextual, symbolic meanings, and involves emotion. Culture influences communication, while
communication reinforces culture (Martin and Nakayama p88). After spending the last five years with a
friend who is 1/25 Cherokee Indian, I decided to see how this idea of culture
and communication applies to Native Americans, a culture that has been put on
the back burner and has had great influences from outside cultures to adapt to
white Caucasian cultures.
The term Native American is a term
that was more politically correct to call the first inhabitants of North
America. Originally called Indians by
European settlers, Native Americans ranged from the eastern coast of the United
States all the way to the shores of what is now California. They typically lived in small tribes, some
were primarily gatherers and supplemented their diets with small game where
others such as the tribes who lived on the Great Plains based their lives on
the buffalo migrations and would follow the buffalo across the plains. During the settlement of America by the
Europeans, the native inhabitants began to be forced from their lands and in
1830, Andrew Jackson created the Indian Removal Act that gave legal
documentation to force the tribes from their lands on to reservations. With their numbers much less today than pre
settlement, Indians.org says, “the people still remain strong and proud of who
they are and what they have become.”
According
to Chicago’s Daily Herald, “there are 562 Native American Tribes. The largest
are the Navajo, Cherokee, and the Sioux.”
The Daily Herald also stated that, “Today there are over 3 million
people in the U.S. that are native people.”
In 2012, the US census calculated that there are 313.9 million people in
the US, this means today, the Native American population makes up 1 percent of
the total U.S. population. Many people
if asked to describe Todays Native American people they would bring up
reservations and low income as part of their description of todays Native
Americans. These people would be correct
but the question arises, just how many people actually live on these
reservations. According to the website
Native American Aid, “there are 22% of the Native population living on
reservations,” and “28.2% of Native Americans live below the federal poverty
line.” These facts are astounding but
they show that most of Todays Native Americans are living amongst other
cultures and are employed contrary to common belief.
Prior to European settlement,
American Indians lived a peaceful life and enjoyed family, prayer, and
creativity. Indians.org mentions that
Native Americans have an “appreciation and respect for nature,” and “viewed
nature as a gift from the Gods.” Native
Americans are people of the earth and depend on it for survival. Also noted by Indians.com, “No other group of
people has quite the rich and storied culture as those of the Native
Americans. Some other unique culture
aspects of the natives are the totem pole, and clothing made from animal hide. Many of the tribes lived in portable homes
that were made of long timber poles covered with layers on animal hides with a
small hole at the top for smoke to escape.
Many ceremonies performed by the natives were very elaborate with
dancing, singing, drums, and story telling.
My interview was with Cord Schueth
who is a Cherokee Indian. Cord grew up
in Norfolk, Nebraska with two sisters in a Catholic family. Cord is 1/25 Cherokee from his mother’s side
of the family. When I asked Cord if he
or his family still does any traditional Cherokee celebrations and he was
reluctant to say that his family does not.
Cord explained “my grandfather left his family at the age of sixteen to
start a new life.” Skip spent part of
his childhood at pine ridge, a reservation on the border of Nebraska and South
Dakota. Cord’s grandfather Skip ended up finishing high school living with a
friend’s family. He then went to the
university of Nebraska Lincoln and got a business degree. Skip is now the president of a senior
insurance marketing business based in Norfolk.
I was surprised to learn that Skip had done the submission style
relationship and gave up his traditions and culture for his wife and became
catholic. Our text says that the
submission style is when “an intercultural couple in which one partner yields
to the other partners cultural pattern’s, abandoning or denying his or her own
culture.”(Nakayama & Martin pg.418)
After talking with Cord, it was clear that he and his family are still
very close and have many family gatherings just like the families of the
Cherokee. At the end of my interview, I
asked Cord if he had any plans to keep his heritage going and if he was going
to pass it down to his children. Cord
replied, “Yes, when I have kids I want them to know where they came from and
their heritage as Cherokee Indians,” he also said “I am the last Schueth to be
recognized by the federal government as Native American for financial
support.” The only financial support
that Cord was able to apply for was for college. He did not say how much the government gave
him for school but he said it helped him pay for text books his first semester
of school. As far as friends go, Cord
has many intercultural friends and said, “besides family I rarely meet other
kids that share my same cultural history.”
After researching and interviewing
Cord I was surprised to find that many Native Americans have evolved into the
European cultures that once pushed them from their lands and they have found
life partners with people who do not share the same culture. I was also surprised to find out that Cord
and his grandfather Skip don’t practice or participate in any Cherokee rituals
or go visit others from their tribe in tribal meetings. One can conclude that in fact the cultural
influences from the early settlers have influenced Native Americans to adapt to
new cultures. From my findings I was
also surprised to learn that the majority of Native Americans do not live on
the reservations and are above the poverty line like I formerly believed. Cord and his family are a great example of
how one culture can be buried by another but yet their pride of being Cherokee
is still very apparent.
Appendix
Intercultural
Communication in Contexts by Judith N. Marith & Thomas K. Nakayama
Interviewee Cord
Schueth 11/06/13
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Cultural Introduction Blog
Turkish culture is interesting on very many
levels. A culture born out of the history and tradition of the Ottoman Empire,
only to be brought into the modern 20th Century in the wake of the first world war by one man, Mustafa Kemal, known as
Ataturk. Turkish culture exemplifies the best characteristics in this one man.
Hard working, industriousness, caring, communal; all of these terms could be
used to describe peoples of Turkish orgin.
Culture
is defined by Judith N. Martin and Thomas K. Nakayama as “learned patterns of
behavior and attitudes shared by a group of people” (Martin & Nakayama,
2013, p.88) While it is true that the 70 million people who make up the
population of Turkey are as diverse as a population can be; they are all tied
together by common orgins and common histories that make them stand out amongst
their neighbors to the east and to the west, Asia and Europe. As a whole,
cultural identities play a large part in the definition of Turkish culture.
Turkish peoples have an unmatched sense of community that shines through in
their day-to-day activities. Many are devout Muslims, meaning that religious
identity plays a large part in how they interact with one another. At the same
time they feel strong ties with their respective regional and class identities,
but they are always tied together by one united national identity.
Almost
all Turkish people would tell you that their most important historical moment
was the founding of the Republic on the 29th of October, 1923. From
that moment on for about 15 years until his death, the man they call Ataturk
led a revolution in Turkey. He industrialized the nation, he westernized the
nation and he created a Turkish nation able to go toe to toe with the major
powers of the world in the 20th Century. Perhaps what sets Ataturk
apart from the other leaders in the same part of the world at that time was his
ability to separate national and religious identities. However, in recent times
we have seen a regression of sorts in this aspect of Turkish culture. The
current Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has attempted to undo what
Ataturk established all those years ago; he has used the implementation of
religiously motivated policies to win over the poor and the uneducated, who
make up over 50 percent of the population. In Erdogan’s case many know he is a
poor leader but he keeps getting re-elected to his position because the
majority of Turks in the eastern part of the country as well as those that live
in the central areas are uneducated and those are the exact people Erdogan aims
to please. So, whenever you see people in Turkey rioting in the news, just know
that it is not because some park got closed, it is because they are against
Erdogan.
To
study this group I will use an Interpretive Approach. I want to understand why
Turkish people do what they do. To do this I will perform several interviews
with many Turkish people at the university. I will look to discover how they
see themselves on an individual as well as on a general cultural level. I will
ask them questions to learn what they perceive to be their gender, age,
religious, class, regional and personal identities. In addition to this I will
use Qualitative methods to look at participants through the lens of Hecht’s
four identity frames: personal, enacted, relational, and communal. I will do
all of my research by respecting the people I am studying, presenting myself
face-to-face, and looking, listening and then speaking.
Works Cited
Martin, J. N. (2013). Intercultural Communication in Contexts
(Sixth ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.
CAPS Blog #4
For my blog on cultural transitions I watched the
documentary God Grew Tired of Us.
This documentary was released in 2007 and tells the story of Sudanese refugees
who fled their native southern Sudan when civil war broke out in 1988. The
refugees came to be known as the lost boys and were forced to walk hundreds of
miles through the desert to Ethiopia. When Ethiopia’s government fell in 1991
the lost boys were forced to flee once again, this time back through south
Sudan to Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya. The film is set some years on
into the future and follows four boys on their journey to America.
The U-Curve theory is a theory of cultural adaptation
positing that migrants go through fairly predictable phases—excitement and
anticipation, shock and disorientation, followed by a period of adjustment—in
adapting to a new cultural situation. In the anticipation and excitement phase
the migrant might be excited to be in their new setting with only limited
apprehension. In the shock and disorientation phase the migrant will more than
likely experience something called culture shock. Culture shock is “a
relatively short-term feeling of disorientation and discomfort due to the lack
of familiar cues in the environment” (Martin & Nakayama, 2013, p. 338).
During this same phase the migrant might also experience a brief crisis of identity.
The third and final phase of the U-Curve theory is the adjustment phase. In
this phase the migrant grows comfortable with their surroundings and knows just
how much of themselves they need to change to adapt. One thing to note about
the U-Curve theory is that for long-term adaptation, the U-curve is often too
simplistic of a concept. The migrant often goes through a series of U-curves,
ups and downs; and this is the way that I will view the concept while
connecting it to the documentary.
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| A visual of the U-Curve Theory |
The U-Curve theory can be seen in action throughout the
movie. When the boys arrive at Kakuma one of them talks about how he does not
want others to see him cooking because it is viewed as a job that is not for a
man in their culture, jokingly pronouncing, “a woman will say, why marry a man
who can cook?” Then when the four boys are getting ready to go to America they
bristle at the prospects of apartments, showers, and electricity. One of them
announces, “I have never used electricity—so I imagine it is really very hard for
me to do that.” Then the day comes for them to leave for America and they all
look happy, excited, and confident. At this point they are at the top of the
U-curve. But little by you can see the looks on the boys’ faces become more and
more nervous as the journey goes on. One of them looks at himself in the mirror
in the bathroom at Brussels, where all of the lost boys had a great deal of
difficulty with the escalators, almost as if to assure himself, yes, you can do
this.
Upon arrival in America the boys are taken to their new
apartments; where they learn how to use things like lights, refrigerators,
toilets, showers, sinks, and even have to be told they are not to share beds.
After all of this the boys are taken to the grocery store where they are all blown
away with the variety and marvel of the American grocery store. At this point,
“they truly are surviving,” and are beginning to work themselves up off the
bottom of the U-curve. Seven days in the boys are very contemplative, perhaps
feeling guilty for leaving behind their fellow lost boys, “if I am in a good
place, why not them?” One of them ponders.
At this point the boys are very nearly back to the top of
the curve. They are excited about the prospect of being able to work in America
while at the same time retaining their native culture because “a person without
culture is like a human being without land”. Right after this it is Christmas
time in America and the lost boys are curious as to what exactly the point or
meaning behind American Christmas is. “They have many questions, but few people
to ask”.
Very shortly after Christmas the boys begin working new
jobs. They rarely see each other due to the strange work schedules they all
have. This puts them back into a state of culture shock and back at the bottom
of the U-curve. They wonder why it is so difficult for family to be together in
the States. They also wonder why people are so unfriendly here. One year into
their American experience and the lost boys are feeling lonely; mostly because
they do not get to spend time together anymore but also because they miss the
comforts and cultural norms of the refugee camp.
Their spirits do begin to be lifted though as they start
to make money and go to school. This is a major milestone for them because it
is the reason they came to America in the first place. Now they are able to buy
things for themselves and send extra money home to Africa. Shortly after this,
one of the lost boys, John, gets a letter from his family in Africa; it turns
out they are all alive for the most part and are living in a refugee camp in
Uganda. This is a game changer for John, the unofficial leader of the lost boys
in the film. He is forced to go back to work and drop out of school in order to
send money home for his family. This proves to be another turning point for the
lost boys and not a turn for the better. One of the lost boys suffers a mental
breakdown and several of them begin to let go of their native culture in favor
of the fast, easy lifestyle of America.
In the end the boys come back from the brink of yet again
another cultural shock wave and begin to adapt to the new setting for good,
realizing that while there will be struggles along the way, there is much more
good than bad about their situation. They work to spread awareness about the
state of affairs in Sudan. This proves to be very fulfilling for the lost boys
and I will not go into further detail because I prefer not to give away the
movies ending.
Works
Cited:
Martin,
J.N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2013). Intercultural Communication in Contexts (6th
ed.) New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
God
Grew Tired of Us. Dir. Christopher D. Quinn and Tommy
Walker. Perf. Panther Bior, John Bul Dau, and Nicole Kidman. National
Geographic Films, 2006. DVD.
Concept Application Blog
For
my Concept Application Blog I decided to discuss how the concept of national
histories plays a large part in how Turkish culture is developed and how the
Turkish peoples see themselves. National histories is defined as a body of
knowledge based on past events that influenced a country’s development. As
Martin and Nakayama tell us, “the history of any nation is important to the
people of that nation.” A nation’s history can unite but it also can divide.
Whether it is a revolution of some sort, maybe a military coup here and there;
or maybe it is something else, like a religious struggle or divides in
technological advancement. History can be the major underlying factor in
determining a nation’s unity. “National histories give us a shared notion of who
we are and solidifies our sense of nationhood.” (Martin & Nakayama, 2013, p. 202)
When
you ask a Turkish person how they view their particular culture; they will most
likely start by discussing Ataturk and the Greco-Turkish War that immediately
followed the First World War This major historical event and the effects it had
in the definition of Turkish culture have resonated from generation to
generation all throughout Turkey. The people will tell you how Ataturk was a
visionary, a leader, and a truly great humanitarian. The truth is, from a
“western” perspective, his greatest strength was his ability to realize the
benefits of separating church and state, and to enforce it.
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| This map illustrates the events of the Greco-Turkish War |
Without
the exile of the Greeks from the Turkish city of Smyrna, a strategic point on
the Aegean Sea, Ataturk may never have rose to power, the Turkish language may
not have existed, and the nation we know as Turkey may never have existed. So
when a Turkish person proudly tells you about Ataturk and speaks at length
about who he was and why he is very important to their culture as well as their
nation, they are hardly exaggerating.
It
is interesting to note though how the people of Turkish backgrounds and the
people of Greek backgrounds differ in their views of the Greco-Turkish War. The
Turks see this moment as a point of pride; they will talk your ear off with
stories of heroism and ingenuity. On the other hand, Greeks will give a
slightly different version. They will tell you how they had laid rightful
claims to land located on the eastern mainland of Turkey, given to them through
World War I treaties; only to be risen up against by the Turkish peoples whose
only desire was to see their nation eradicated of Greeks through any means
necessary.
For my data collection
I meet with a wide range of Turkish people at the University of Nebraska; I
will meet with professors, undergraduates, and graduate students. I will try to
meet with as many Turkish people as I can to get the best overall view of who
Turks are and what Turkish culture is all about. Also, in meeting with these
Turkish people I will try to get as many of them together in the same place at
the same time. To do these things I have already been in contact with my friend
Erdem (pronounced air-dam) and his friend Ceren (pronounced Jeren). I plan to
collect observational data over the course of my interviews and time spent with
them. I will perform these interviews as frequently as I can schedule them. The
questions I will ask them will focus on their adaptation to America and the
differences they noted upon arriving here. Once we discuss their personal
adaptation I feel that I will be able to more fully understand what it was like
for them at home and how they see Turkish culture in relation to the rest of
the world. With this knowledge I will proceed to ask questions about day-to-day
Turkish life with the purpose of learning who Turks are and what is important
to them. It is my goal at the end of this process to understand what it means
to be Turkish regardless of age, gender, or current location.
Works Cited
Martin, J. N. (2013). Intercultural Communication in Contexts
(Sixth ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.
CAPS Blog #5
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In today’s popular culture you can learn a great deal
about other cultures. The way a large amount of this educating is done is
through the use of stereotypes. Stereotypes are often used in a way that helps
those taking in the popular culture to get a better idea of a certain culture;
and this is usually positive. But sometimes they play on stereotypes that
already exist and are widely known; this is usually done in a negative way. For
my fifth CAPS blog over popular culture I watched 3 episodes of my favorite TV
show, How I Met Your Mother. The
three episodes consisted of two from season four and one from season seven;
they were I Love New Jersey, Not a
Father’s Day, and The Best Man. From
these three episodes I picked up on three key themes from all of them. These
three themes were the Bro culture, New York superiority, and Problems with
Communication.
The Bro culture theme was present in all three episodes I
watched, equally dispersed throughout. The stereotype perpetuated here is that
“bros” like to go out, get wasted, pick up chicks, tell dirty jokes, and look
forward to always being single and never having kids. In addition to all of
this bros have a lax mindset towards religion, are disrespectful towards women,
and exist to help each other out above all else. This theme is prevalent in the
show and even to a degree in modern culture. In the show the stereotypical bro
is primarily acted out through the character named Barney Stinson whose role is
that of the single, wealthy, ruthless ultra-man. He is the one living his life
according to the Bro code; wearing suits and running plays on women. But being
a bro in this show is more than just actions and attitudes, it is a lifestyle.
There is no clearer illustration of this than in the episode titled Not a Father’s Day. In this episode
Barney gets a call saying that he might potentially be the father of a possibly
pregnant woman’s baby. The emotions elicited from Barney upon hearing this are
that of shock, disappointment, and hopelessness, saying “who in their right
mind would ever want kids?” In the end he gets a call while at Church praying
to God in a very bro-like manner, he subsequently finds out he is not a father
and goes out to celebrate. He goes to Marshall and shares the great news, he
then decides to create a new holiday just for men who are not fathers, he calls
it Not a Father’s Day. Beyond the core attributes of “bro-ship”: fist bumps,
high fives, self-confidence, and over exaggeration, there is one core principle
that is often left out, the idea that friendship is the best thing in the
world, and if you can find a “best bro,” they will be there with you through it
all.
The second key theme I noticed was an arrogance or a
sense of superiority about the city of New York. In two of three episodes we
see this this New York superiority quite often. The first episode, I Love New Jersey, is almost an entire
episode dedicated to bashing the state of New Jersey. Some of the stereotypes
they have about New Jersey are that it smells bad, the people all wear gold
medallions, and that the bars in New Jersey all suck. Ted, the main character,
even goes as far as to say that “I hate line cutters more than I hate New
Jersey; well, that’s not true, there’s nothing I hate more than New Jersey.”
And when Ted’s fiancée, who lives in New Jersey, says that he will be moving in
once they get married, it sets off a war of sorts. Ted and his friends argue
that New York is the greatest city on earth, with their argument revolving
around the landmarks and famous buildings in New York City. But Ted’s fiancée
argues that New York is “full of weirdos, snobs, and mean people.” In the end
Ted agrees to move to New Jersey with his fiancée, but although the stereotypes
make for one hilarious episode I can only imagine what that would look like to
someone not from America.
In the second episode Ted and the gang all go to
Cleveland for Ted’s friend’s wedding. This episode makes fun of the city of
Cleveland quite a bit. It says that women from Cleveland are overweight, that
the people are tacky, and that they do not know how to dance. The wedding they
go to is decked out in Cleveland Browns colors and insignia. And while they are
there Barney refers to it as a smaller market where he can test out “plays” and
take the ones that work back to New York City. Ted and his friends in the
episode are portrayed as sophisticated, trendy people, whereas Ted’s friends
from Cleveland are more modest, salt of the earth type of people.
The third key theme deals with communication in
relationships, and the stereotypes surrounding it. The types of relationships
that are portrayed in these episodes are couple, girl-to-girl, friendships, and
mutual friendships, to name a few. More often than not the focus would be
placed on miscommunication in relationships and the various elements that could
cause said miscommunication. One such example of this was when Ted and his
fiancée Stella had a misunderstanding over who would move into whose place.
There were a few steps leading up to the eventual argument between the two. In
and amongst these steps of misunderstanding were things like sarcasm,
avoidance, and assumptions. This episode makes generalizations that these kinds
of things are bound to happen in any type of relationship, when that is just
not the case. Moreover, the episodes portrayed the relationships between women
to be complex and confusing whereas the men’s relationships were portrayed as
simple and straightforward.
The question eventually becomes how can we resist the
stereotypes and generalizations contained in this show. The problem is that if
you are a fan of this show or maybe even a show like it, then you most likely
know all too well that these sorts of things are interwoven into the DNA of the
program. Avoidance is impossible if you choose to watch, but if you choose not
to watch, you just might have a chance. I suppose the interesting argument is
always going to be whether this show and its stereotypes are good or bad. To
answer this question you need to ask yourself this; am I smart enough to separate
fact from fiction. If you answered yes, then you’ll be alright. But if you said
no, a little skepticism never hurt nobody.
Works Cited
Martin, J. N. (2013). Intercultural Communication in Contexts
(Sixth ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Hispanic-American Summary Report
The culture that i chose to research is Hispanic-Americans. Hispanic-Americans are the fastest growing population in the United States and has accounted for more than half of the nations growth in the last decade. The word "Hispanic" used to indicate a relationship to ancient Hispania, but in today's modern society it refers to the people and cultures of Spanish speaking, Latin American Countries. Hispanics have strong ties to family, friends, and the community. They value their culture and family traditions that have been passed down through generations. Hispanics tend to be very open and welcome visitors into their homes with open arms. Martin and Nakayama define culture as "learned patterns of behavior and attitudes shared by a group of people" (Martin & Nakayama:88, 2013). Hispanic's fit into this definition by having a set of beliefs and values that are specific to their nation, and more specifically to their cultural group.These beliefs and values can come from the history of their culture, but can also be learned. There are many aspects that make up Hispanic-American culture.
One of the main reasons Hispanics migrated to the United States was economic development. In the late 1800's the US started looking to Mexico to fill a drastically rising demand in the labor force in basic industries including agriculture, mining, construction, and transportation. Then in 1910 there was another surge of migration from Mexico to the United States when the Mexican Revolution broke out. Many Hispanics were fleeing the country to avoid persecution. Throughout history Hispanics have migrated both voluntary and involuntary. The voluntary migrants came to the US to find economic prosperity, while the involuntary migrants became short-term or long-term refugees fleeing their country during the revolution. I used the Transitional Model of cultural adaptation to explain the process these migrants went through to feel comfortable in their new environment. All transition experiences involve change, including some loss and some gain, for individuals (Martin & Nakayama 2013). The transitional model will show me the influence that Hispanic culture has on American and vise versa. I will also be able to learn about their transition into the US. Anyone entering a new country is going to experience culture shock, which is a relatively short-term feeling of disorientation and of discomfort due to the unfamiliarity of the surroundings and the lack of familiar cues in the environment (Martin & Nakayama 2013). I want to know how they overcame this emotional stress and how they learned to communicate across cultures. To answer these questions I conducted an interview and attended an event created around Hispanic heritage.
I interviewed a friend and fellow co-worker, named Osmin "Oz" Hernandez. Both of his parents were born in El Salvador, but involuntary migrated to America in the 1980's to seek refuge from the civil war going on in their country. They both had family in California so they migrated there, which is also where they met. Since they both had family who had lived in America long term, they were able to obtain permanent residency in America. Oz was born in California and lived there until he was a teenager, then his family moved to Nebraska.The U-curve theory is a series of 3 predictable phases that occur when migrating to another culture. The phases include: Excitement/anticipation, shock/disorientation, and adjustment (Martin & Nakayama 2013). I asked him to explain the U-curve theory he experienced after the move: " It was hard for me at first as a teenager, but I slowly began to appreciate the culture of Nebraska. I began to become involved within the community that I was living in, through volunteering and working. It was really different for me, a huge culture shock, but I ended up loving the place." He described Lincoln as a small, but diverse community. He also stated that people in Lincoln are much nicer than they were in California.
Here is his response to how he adjusted to the new culture: "One way I adjusted to the new culture was picking up on the accent. I slowly began to lose my Californian accent and adapt and adjust to the local sayings and such. I also picked up on the Nebraskan football culture, which I ended up loving and became a huge fan of Husker football."
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| Participating in the Husker football way of life |
The second part of my research was observation. To do this i attended the Day of the Dead Celebration at the Sheldon Art Museum on City Campus. Day of the Dead or "Cinco de Mayo" is one of the largest celebrated holidays in the Hispanic culture. This holiday commemorates the Mexican Army's victory over France at the battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. This holiday has also become widely celebrated in the United States, especially in the areas with the largest Hispanic-American populations. It's celebrated with parades, music performances, and street festivals. The celebration at Sheldon included face painting, traditional food, and a mariachi band. They also had a decorative memorial set up to honor people who have passed. The theme from our text that I observed during this event was cultural integration. Integration occurs when migrants have an interest both in maintaining their original culture and language and in having daily interactions with other groups (Martin & Nakayama 2013). This celebration brought together Hispanic-Americans and the host culture,Caucasian Americans, showing the integration of the different cultures. I also made the observation that most of the Hispanic-Americans at the event were with their families, which shows the importance of family during the traditional celebration.
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| Mariachi Band at Sheldon Art Museum |
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| Decorative Memorial at Shelton Art Museum |
References:
Martin, J.N.& Nakayama, T.K. (2013). Intercultural Communication in Contexts.(6th ed). New York, NY: McGraw Hill
David Gutierrez, Ph.D. American Latino Theme Study: The making of America. Retrieved From:
A & E Television Networks. (1996). Cinco de Mayo. Retrieved from:
(2011) Hispanic Culture. Retrieved From:
(2003). Mexican Revolution. Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved From:
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