| September 2016 |
Clues to Intercultural Effectiveness
Tips, Techniques and Resources
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Cultural Detective has been Privileged to Grow |
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Our completely redesigned website is a snap to navigate, and we think you be able to find what you are looking for much more easily.
I want to very much thank our IT team, Rajat and Mahasweta, who made all the magic happen! It is no overstatement to say we could not have done it without you. Over the years, you both have become invaluable members of the Cultural Detective team. I also want to thank staff members Greg Webb and Kathryn Stillings, who helped me enormously by uploading data, editing text, and providing feedback on design and functionality. We are blessed with talented people on this team!
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Diversity, or Diversity? |
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This is a story of due diligence, mutual deception, and dialogue. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts.
Pretty much my entire life has been dedicated to intercultural competence and diversity issues. It started when I was eleven: my family moved and I became the target of bullying for being "different." I decided then that I needed to learn how to adapt ("fit in") to new situations much more nimbly than I was then able to do. So, at twelve, I used my babysitting money to spend a summer abroad in Mexico. That was the first step on a lifelong path.
I am also quite Christian. Open to, respectful, and inclusive of other religions and spiritual practices, by all means, at least in my intentions and ongoing learning process. But in my own life I follow the beliefs rooted in my childhood. I am eternally grateful to my parents for instilling faith in me from a young age. So, I'm a Christian who's committed to diversity, inclusion, and intercultural competence...
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Facilitator Certification: Post-Congress Workshop |
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The workshop will begin Saturday evening from 6:00 to 9:00pm, continue
Sunday from 9am to 5pm, and Monday from 9am to 3pm (ending early in order to make it possible for those attending to travel home for work the following day).
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The SAGE Encyclopedia of Intercultural Competence |
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Last year was a watershed for the field of intercultural communication, as it brought the publication of the
Sage Encyclopedia of Intercultural Competence
. Edited by Janet Bennett, the very heavy and extremely useful two-volume set includes about 350 entries by a broad international, multi-disciplinary cross-section of professionals. I am proud to be included among them.
I am USA-born, currently living in Mexico. I love and am extremely proud of my birth country. I am also perplexed and dismayed by it. Such is, perhaps, the nature of a culture that includes 320 million people and nearly 4 million square miles!
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Mixed-gender Toilets?! |
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I will admit to being stymied by the heated debates in the USA about mixed gender public toilets. For those of us who travel, we know that there are so many places in the world with mixed gender toilets. Sometimes one walks in past men urinating in order to reach a private stall. Of course, in other locations there is a stalwart bifurcation, a clear separation between men's and women's toilets.
I am reminded of a beautiful and wise concept that I learned about as a child. Growing up with Diné, or Navajo, friends in northern Arizona, I was privileged to learn so very much from their experiences, their families, and their culture. One of the transformational ideas for me was that of "two spirits", that individuals can be both man and woman. Traditionally, this is a blessing, an honor. I can sure see why! Access to differing world views, and a broader emotional, cognitive, and expressive repertoire would be just some of the assets a "two spirit" gender might provide.
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Two Spirit Genders in Native America |
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Before European
Christians forced gender roles, a
ccording to
Indian Country Today
, all Native American communities traditionally acknowledged the following gender roles: "Female, male, Two Spirit female, Two Spirit male and Transgendered." In fact, people who had both female and male characteristics were viewed as gifted by nature and therefore able to see both sides of everything.
For Native Americans, there was no set of rules that men and women had to abide by in order to be considered a "normal" member of their tribe.
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The Outstanding Features of Latin America Culture |
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Latin America is assuming its rightful place in the global arena, not only as a leading economy, but also as a model for innovative social movements.
This largest region in the world has long been admired for sharing its powerful music, dance, literature, visual art, and the only world heritage cuisine. Latin America has taken a key leadership role in exploring innovative solutions for restructuring societal inequity and promoting responsible development and the sustainable use of natural resources. Many of these efforts are based on popular, direct democratic movements, including indigenous social movements.
However, the outstanding features of Latin America culture continue to be a sense of timelessness, an emphasis on the worth of personality, and an instinctive protest against the idea that success in business and the accumulation of wealth are superior to the acquisition of culture. Eleven Latin American nations include multiculturalism and multilingualism in their constitutions, and an additional four recognize indigenous rights.
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Moving Back Home? |
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"You're so brave" was the most common response when we announced that we would be moving overseas to the Netherlands. Within 12 months the plan had grown from an idea over the kitchen table to my husband organising a European passport and starting to job-hunt.
With all the excitement involved in the move, it didn't feel like we were being especially brave. Restless for a change, we reasoned that if it didn't work out we could always just pack up and return home. The decision that took reserves of bravery only came seven years later when we decided to leave our home in the Netherlands and return to Australia.
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Four Brand-New Webinars for You! |
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We have ADDED FOUR NEW WEBINARS to our complimentary, 90 minute online workshop series!
Webinars feature Dianne, creator of our series, or select
Cultural Detective
authors. They are designed to help participants learn to appreciate and leverage diversity as an asset, rather than seeking to minimize differences.
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