Culture and Conflict Resolution: Culture and Conflict Resolution Kem Lowry Program on Conflict Resolution University of Hawaii at Manoa


What is Culture?: What is Culture? '…a technical term used by anthropologists to refer to a system for creating, sending, storing, and processing information developed by human beings, which differentiates them from other life forms' (Hall, 1976). …is 'to human collectivity what personality is to the individual' (Hofstede, 1984).


What is Culture?: What is Culture? '…consists of ideal values, and assumptions about life that are widely shared among people and that guide specific behaviors' (Brislin, 1993) '…the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior. Culture thus defined consists of language, ideas, beliefs, customs, taboos, codes, institutions, tools, techniques, works of art, rituals, ceremonies and other related components…'


Multiple Cultural Influences on Individuals: Multiple Cultural Influences on Individuals National Ethnic Organizational Occupational So, 'not all actors, even ostensibly in the same social group or institution, necessarily carry the same array of multiple cultures…' (Avruch, 1998).


How Important is Culture? A Skeptic’s View: How Important is Culture? A Skeptic’s View Emphasis on culture promotes stereotyping. Culture is vague. 'If culture is the sum of the behavioral traits of a collectivity, an inability to agree conceptually at the appropriate level of collectivity suggests a basic problem with the concept itself.' Culture draws attention to idiosyncrasies (Zartman, 1993).


How Important is Culture? An Advocate’s View: 'The extensive intercultural communication literature…has shown that relationships between cultural strangers involve more than an awkward encounters between contrasting languages, manners, and habits. They may also entail the confrontation of profoundly incompatible, culturally-grounded assumptions about the nature of world, verbal and non-verbal communication, and key aspects of behavior' (Cohen, 1993). How Important is Culture? An Advocate’s View


Strategies for Examining Culture Differences: Strategies for Examining Culture Differences Culture as different customs or manners Examining culture from the insider’s perspective (emic) Examining culture in terms of underlying structural characteristics (etic)


Culture as Customs: Culture as Customs Attitudes toward direct verbal v. non-verbal communication Formal v. informal protocols Attitudes toward punctuality Importance of establishing social relationships Gift-giving; reciprocity


The Emic Approach to Cultural Analysis: The Emic Approach to Cultural Analysis Identification and analysis of key cultural concepts that provide detailed context for understanding particular national cultures (e.g. wa and amae in Japan) Detailed understanding of cultural touchstones may provide insight into particular conflicts and conflict resolution alternatives.


The Etic Approach to Cultural Analysis: The Etic Approach to Cultural Analysis Identification of a set of dimensions upon which ethnic or national cultures can be placed for purposes of inter-cultural comparisons Hall’s 'high context, low-context' communication style as an example Weiss’s five categories: concept of negotiation, orientation toward time, willingness to take risks, protocols and decision-making style


Etic Example: Cultural Values in Tension*: Etic Example: Cultural Values in Tension* Universalism v. Particularism Analyzing v. Integrating Individualism v. Communitarianism Inner-directed v. Outer-directed Time as sequence v. Time as synchronization Achieved status v. Ascribed status Equality v. Hierarchy *The Seven Culture of Capitalism


So How Does Culture Matter?: So How Does Culture Matter? Cultural differences may create 'social distance'—and distance may reduce empathy Different customs (e.g. silences, vague responses create misunderstandings) Differences create misperceptions, false attributions of motives and potential behavior, errors


references: references Avruch, Kevin. 1998. Culture and Conflict Resolution. Washington, DC: U.S. Institute for Peace. Cohen, Raymond. 1993. 'An Advocate’s View.' Culture and Negotiation.' Newbury Park: Sage. Hall, E.T. 1976. Beyond Culture. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.


References: References Hampden-Turner, C. and Trompenaars, A. 1993.The Seven Cultures of Capitalism. New York: Currency/Doubleday. Zartman, I.W. 1993. 'A Skeptic’s View.' Culture and Negotiation.' Newbury Park: Sage.