High context communication involves using hands and expressions to help express meaning.
Low context communication is the opposite, e.g. giving simple factual instructions
Polychronic is an adjective referring to the practice of doing more than one thing at a time. It is often called multi-tasking today.
Monochronic people tend to do one thing at a time, concentrating on one task, avoiding interruptions and taking deadlines & schedules seriously.
Diffuse: in a diffuse society people are not happy talking about work or family life.
Past-oriented societies follow the same traditions, generation after generation.
Ascription: having the same schooling, career or status as your father is an example of ascription. In an ascription-oriented culture people get their position or status from name, age & connections.
Culture shock: honeymoon, discomfort, irritation & reality are stages in how many people deal with adjusting to an alien culture.
Collectivism means putting the interests of a group or family before your own individual interests (individualism).
Sunday, 11 December 2011
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Sharjah airport 1937 and Dubai airport today
The black-and-white video clip of Sharjah airport, called Air Outpost, filmed in 1937, contained a lot of interesting information. Most of the people in the clip were Arabs, travelling on foot, by donkey and by camel. The city of Sharjah then had a population of 15,000; today it is over half a million. The population then was overwhelmingly Arab, with a sprinkling of Indian and Iranian traders. We saw the daily council at the sheikh’s palace. We also saw footage of the oyster beds, source of the world-famous Gulf pearls. Pearl fishing is mentioned as the main occupation, but reference is made to gun-running and African slaving in the past. The airport, built in the shape of a fort, was operated/supervised by British personnel. The aeroplane which was arriving at the airport, a Hanno H.P.42, built by Handley Page in England for Imperial Airways, was described as being 4 days out of England, bound for India & Australia. The previous 2 stops had been Baghdad & Alexandria. This aeroplane had an amazing safety record, with no fatalities in civilian service. Arab merchants were seen handing over a cargo of pearls which before air travel would have travelled overland or by sea to its Indian destination. We see mechanics working during the night, servicing the plane for its dawn departure on the next 450-mile hop of its onward journey eastwards. We also see a weather balloon being released from the roof of the airport's meteorological station to gather information on wind speeds etc.
The second colour video showed people dancing, more or less spontaneously, in Dubai airport. The contrast between the two airports could not have been more striking. At Dubai airport we could see people from a multitude of countries and cultures. They all seemed happy either to participate in or film the dancing.
317 words
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Definitions
1. Affluence = wealth.
Abu Dhabi is an example of an affluent society.
The opposite of affluence is poverty.
2. Ethnicity is related to culture, race, language.
Malaysians consist of three main ethnic groups: Malays, Chinese and Indians.
3. Ability = skill = aptitude.
He has the ability to get good grades.
4. Diversity = difference.
The UAE nowadays is an example of a culturally diverse society.
5. Assimilation = absorption.
People emigrating to other countries will gradually assimilate into a new culture.
6. Demographics = the study of population.
You can study a country's demographics in many different ways, e.g. race, language, religion, age, gender, and so on.
7. religion = a set of beliefs.
Religious people try to live according to the teachings of their religion.
8. race = a group of people with similarities, particularly physical appearance.
People of Malay, Chinese & Indian race share Malaysian nationality.
9. multiculturalism = many different cultures.
A multicultural society is one where people of different cultural backgrounds live and work together.
10. personality = individual character.
She has a very nice personality: kind, patient, tolerant and loving.
11. prejudice = bias.
Apartheid in S. Africa was based on racial prejudice against black people.
12. Acculturation = the mixing of different cultures.
It means different cultures borrowing from each other.
13. Bias = prejudice.
Bias is a negative opinion of a person or group based on race, colour, culture or whatever.
14. Discrimination = treating people differently.
Apartheid meant discrimination in favour of whites and against blacks.
15. Fringe = edge, margin.
A fringe group is a small minority, usually expressing an extreme opinion.
16. Population = the number of people.
A census is a count of the number of people in a country.
17.Stereotyping = making assumptions or generalisations about a person or group of people.
Americans are rich, while Mexicans are poor.
18. Gender = sex.
There are two genders, male and female.
19. Resistance = opposition.
There have been many signs of political resistance to established governments in the Arab spring of this year.
20. Advantage = a favoured position.
If you are an expatriate, being able to speak the local language is a big advantage.
21. Racism = hatred of another person or group of different race, often based on colour.
The apartheid system in S. Africa was an example of racism.
22.Ethics = morality, i.e. what is right or wrong.
Ethical behaviour is honest behaviour.
23. Productivity = the ability to produce something.
The company's productivity rates are rising.
24. Behaviour = the manner of acting/conduct.
The students' behaviour is very good.
25. Belief = confidence, opinion..
I have great belief in her.
Tibetans believe in re-incarnation.
26. Majority = most.
The vast majority of Arabs are Muslim.
27. Income = salary.
All employees have a monthly income.
28. Adverse = bad, harmful.
We didn't go on a picnic because of the adverse weather conditions.
29. Values = beliefs.
I value honesty very highly.
30. Traditions = customs.
They are handed down from generation to generation.
31. Generation = group of people born at about the same time.
In some societies people talk about a generation gap; each generation has its own ideals & standards.
32. Sensitivity = empathy, awareness of someone else's feelings.
She's very sensitive. She cares about how other people feel.
33. Slang = slightly improper language.
Have a shufti at my blog.
34. Ethnocentrism = seeing everything from viewpoint of your own culture.
An ethnocentric viewpoint is narrow and limited.
35. Stratification = rigid division of society.
The Indian caste system is an example of social stratification.
36. Socio-cultural = relating to society & culture.
Language, race, affluence are all socio-cultural factors.
37. Resident = someone living in a particular place.
Khalid, Aziz and Hedley are all Abu Dhabi residents.
38. Poverty = being poor.
The opposite of poverty is affluence or wealth.
39. Nationality = the country you belong to.
You can have different race or ethnicity but the same nationality.
40. Minority = less than half.
Christians are a minority of the UAE's population.
41. Class = group.
You can have upper class, middle class, lower class.
42. Globalization = worldwide connectivity.
Global brands or logos today are recognised worldwide; we all know the logos of Nike, McDonald, Mercedes etc.
43. Virtual = not real, imaginary.
Computer games create a virtual world which is not real.
44. Barriers = obstacles.
To make progress you have to climb over or go round or go through barriers.
Abu Dhabi is an example of an affluent society.
The opposite of affluence is poverty.
2. Ethnicity is related to culture, race, language.
Malaysians consist of three main ethnic groups: Malays, Chinese and Indians.
3. Ability = skill = aptitude.
He has the ability to get good grades.
4. Diversity = difference.
The UAE nowadays is an example of a culturally diverse society.
5. Assimilation = absorption.
People emigrating to other countries will gradually assimilate into a new culture.
6. Demographics = the study of population.
You can study a country's demographics in many different ways, e.g. race, language, religion, age, gender, and so on.
7. religion = a set of beliefs.
Religious people try to live according to the teachings of their religion.
8. race = a group of people with similarities, particularly physical appearance.
People of Malay, Chinese & Indian race share Malaysian nationality.
9. multiculturalism = many different cultures.
A multicultural society is one where people of different cultural backgrounds live and work together.
10. personality = individual character.
She has a very nice personality: kind, patient, tolerant and loving.
11. prejudice = bias.
Apartheid in S. Africa was based on racial prejudice against black people.
12. Acculturation = the mixing of different cultures.
It means different cultures borrowing from each other.
13. Bias = prejudice.
Bias is a negative opinion of a person or group based on race, colour, culture or whatever.
14. Discrimination = treating people differently.
Apartheid meant discrimination in favour of whites and against blacks.
15. Fringe = edge, margin.
A fringe group is a small minority, usually expressing an extreme opinion.
16. Population = the number of people.
A census is a count of the number of people in a country.
17.Stereotyping = making assumptions or generalisations about a person or group of people.
Americans are rich, while Mexicans are poor.
18. Gender = sex.
There are two genders, male and female.
19. Resistance = opposition.
There have been many signs of political resistance to established governments in the Arab spring of this year.
20. Advantage = a favoured position.
If you are an expatriate, being able to speak the local language is a big advantage.
21. Racism = hatred of another person or group of different race, often based on colour.
The apartheid system in S. Africa was an example of racism.
22.Ethics = morality, i.e. what is right or wrong.
Ethical behaviour is honest behaviour.
23. Productivity = the ability to produce something.
The company's productivity rates are rising.
24. Behaviour = the manner of acting/conduct.
The students' behaviour is very good.
25. Belief = confidence, opinion..
I have great belief in her.
Tibetans believe in re-incarnation.
26. Majority = most.
The vast majority of Arabs are Muslim.
27. Income = salary.
All employees have a monthly income.
28. Adverse = bad, harmful.
We didn't go on a picnic because of the adverse weather conditions.
29. Values = beliefs.
I value honesty very highly.
30. Traditions = customs.
They are handed down from generation to generation.
31. Generation = group of people born at about the same time.
In some societies people talk about a generation gap; each generation has its own ideals & standards.
32. Sensitivity = empathy, awareness of someone else's feelings.
She's very sensitive. She cares about how other people feel.
33. Slang = slightly improper language.
Have a shufti at my blog.
34. Ethnocentrism = seeing everything from viewpoint of your own culture.
An ethnocentric viewpoint is narrow and limited.
35. Stratification = rigid division of society.
The Indian caste system is an example of social stratification.
36. Socio-cultural = relating to society & culture.
Language, race, affluence are all socio-cultural factors.
37. Resident = someone living in a particular place.
Khalid, Aziz and Hedley are all Abu Dhabi residents.
38. Poverty = being poor.
The opposite of poverty is affluence or wealth.
39. Nationality = the country you belong to.
You can have different race or ethnicity but the same nationality.
40. Minority = less than half.
Christians are a minority of the UAE's population.
41. Class = group.
You can have upper class, middle class, lower class.
42. Globalization = worldwide connectivity.
Global brands or logos today are recognised worldwide; we all know the logos of Nike, McDonald, Mercedes etc.
43. Virtual = not real, imaginary.
Computer games create a virtual world which is not real.
44. Barriers = obstacles.
To make progress you have to climb over or go round or go through barriers.
Sunday, 2 October 2011
Blindsight
Blindsight
Types of cultural diversity in the movie: the German woman who sets up a school for the blind in Tibet. Erik, the blind American mountaineer who volunteers to guide blind children up Everest. They are from western cultures, based on Christianity, as opposed to the traditional Tibetan culture based on Buddhism. The traditional Tibetan view that blindness is a form of divine punishment for sins committed in a previous life or incarnation, as opposed to the western desire to overcome disability, to achieve, to get to the top. The support that Erik received from his father when learning to hike, as opposed to the Tibetan woman who said ‘without eyes a man is not complete.’
Challenges people in the movie encounter: they all, in the expedition, face the physical challenge of lack of oxygen at high altitude. The blind children have the additional challenge of performing an extreme feat blind. The blind girl with 2 blind brothers and a blind father, whose mother died of a heart attack, leaving her daughter with no effective support. Erik losing both his sight and his mother at an early age.
Stereotyping/bias/prejudice/discrimination: the traditional Tibetan view of blindness; the difficulty Tashi, the street kid, had in gaining acceptance from the other children.The boy who was sent away to live with a Chinese couple and who was beaten when he failed to beg enough money, or when the money was stolen from him. Tashi hid the fact that he was Chinese, believing only Tibetan children could join the expedition.
A challenge caused by personality, rather than culture, would be the cigarette burns on Tashi's body.
Benefits because of different culture: the Tibetan girl gets a place in an English language school as a result of coming into contact with western culture. Tashi similarly finds his father and would almost certainly not have done so without western help. The bonding & sense of group belonging seemed to promote a greater mutual understanding and a greater sense of cultural diversity. The greatest conflict within the group which we saw was between the westerners, some of whom wanted to go for the summit and others who wanted to turn back together.
Saturday, 24 September 2011
Reflection
My reflection on the demographics is twofold:
(a) The website figures are from the year 2000 and are based on a total population of around 4.5M. This figure will probably be much higher today, partly because of the high birth rate among Arab families. Some recent estimates are over 7M. The US State Department reckons over 8M.
(b) The % figure for Filipinos, 3.4%, is probably now much higher. Most of the workforce in new shopping malls & hotels, many built over the past 10 years, seems to be Filipino. As a corollary, the % of Christians could also be much higher now.
(a) The website figures are from the year 2000 and are based on a total population of around 4.5M. This figure will probably be much higher today, partly because of the high birth rate among Arab families. Some recent estimates are over 7M. The US State Department reckons over 8M.
(b) The % figure for Filipinos, 3.4%, is probably now much higher. Most of the workforce in new shopping malls & hotels, many built over the past 10 years, seems to be Filipino. As a corollary, the % of Christians could also be much higher now.
Sunday, 18 September 2011
Cultural Diversity
Cultural diversity
This culture still exists but there are now many people from different cultures, with diverse first languages, religions & traditions.
We can say, then, that the UAE, over the past 50 or so, has become more culturally diverse. It is more cosmopolitan, in the way that cities like London & New York have been for centuries.
Sunday, 11 September 2011
UAE demographics
UAE
UAE Demographics:
Ethnic Groups Percentage 2,ooo
Arab 48.1%
12.2% UAE Arab
9.4% Bedouin
6.2% Egyptian Arab
4.1% Omani Arab
4% Saudi Arab
South Asian 35.7%
Iranian 5%
Filipino 3.4%
White European 2.4%
Others 5.4%
Religions Percentage 2000
Muslim 62% (80% Sunni)
Hindi 21%
Christian 9%
Buddhist 4%
Others 4%
Source: http://www.worldstatesmen.org/United_Arab_Emirates.html
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