Episode 51: Culture and Religion (Part 1): Starting Conversations

Japan Intercultural Institute
Japan Intercultural Institute
Episode 51: Culture and Religion (Part 1): Starting Conversations
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Are you a believer? 84% of the world’s population identifies with religion, yet intercultural education barely mentions the topic. In Part 1 of this two-part episode, Joseph Shaules and Ishita Ray explore the connection between culture and religion. We learn how culture shapes attitudes towards secular and religious values from: Sanne Bosma, Emre Seven, Torhild Liane Harr Skarnes, Luan Borges de Carvalho, and P. V Satyanarayana Raju. Religious studies scholar David Shaules argues that religion and culture are closely related, and that secular values do not magically make us neutral. In Part 2, we will hear the experiences of those navigating in and between religious and secular worldviews.

Episode 50 – Expanding Your Circle of Empathy

Japan Intercultural Institute
Japan Intercultural Institute
Episode 50 - Expanding Your Circle of Empathy
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How do we learn to look at the world from a new cultural perspective? In this episode Joseph Shaules and Ishita Ray argue that expanding our circle of empathy is more difficult than it might seem. Empathizing across cultures is effortful and can make us question our values and identity. Listen as Sanne Bosma, Emre Seven, Liu Liu and Torhild Liane Harr Skarnes share stories of their empathic adventures.  

Episode 49 – Cultural Misunderstanding

Japan Intercultural Institute
Japan Intercultural Institute
Episode 49 - Cultural Misunderstanding
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In this episode, Ishita Ray and Joseph Shaules explore reasons for cultural misunderstanding. We learn about cultural blind spots, and the “cognitive cascade” that can lead us to misjudge foreign situations. We hear stories of misunderstanding by Emre Seven (about the expression Inshallah), and Liu Liu (about counting toilets!) and Sane Bosma—who talks with her partner Armen about overcoming misunderstanding in an intercultural relationship.

Episode 48 – Beyond WEIRD (Pt 2): Deep Culture Learning

Japan Intercultural Institute
Japan Intercultural Institute
Episode 48 - Beyond WEIRD (Pt 2): Deep Culture Learning
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What does it mean to “learn” a culture? In this episode, Joseph Shaules and Ishita Ray talk about how insights from cultural psychology can help us answer this question. We learn about embodied culture, predictive processing, and how our intuitive mind learns new patterns of perception. We find out the four key insights that we need for deep cultural learning. This is Part 2 of the Beyond WEIRD episode.

Ep. 47 Summer Re-run: Tagore, Empathy and the Other

Japan Intercultural Institute
Japan Intercultural Institute
Ep. 47 Summer Re-run: Tagore, Empathy and the Other
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Whether in the schoolyard or on the battlefield, dividing the world into “us” vs. “them” comes naturally to humans. In this episode, Joseph Shaules and Ishita Ray explore “otherness” through stories and brain-mind science. Ishita shares her father’s experience as an “other”—and the wisdom he passed on to her. We learn about the inspiring vision of Rabindranath Tagore, and find that research into empathy provides hints at how we can look beyond . . . and look into . . . the differences that divide us. This episode was first published in October, 2023.