Joseph Shaules and Yvonne van der Pol explore why it can be so hard to talk about culture and measure cultural difference. They discuss three ways of looking at culture . . . as being, doing, and seeing. They discuss “classic” research into cultural difference (e.g. Hofstede) and argue that brain-mind sciences are shedding new light on cultural difference and can help us make better sense of our intercultural experiences.
Joseph Shaules and Emre Seven talk about how foreign experiences take us out of our comfort zone. This can lead us to the groan zone, the learning zone, the growth zone and the panic zone! We talk about our work with study-abroad students and how the auto-pilot of everyday life – the intuitive mind – is key to managing our comfort zone. We explore how the work of Jack Mezirow can help us understand what makes foreign experiences so transformational.
In this first episode of Season 3, Joseph Shaules, Ishita Ray and Emre Seven discuss intercultural blind spots – including how intercultural theory is influenced by a WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic) perspective. Also, Joseph shares experiences from his recent trip to India and Ishita talks about the intercultural insights of Rabindranath Tagore!
Join Yvonne van der Pol and Joseph Shaules as they look back at the memorable moments from Season 2—listener reactions to episodes which struck a chord . . . and some that didn’t. Podcast team members nominate favorite clips, such as Ishita Ray talking about how time is experienced in India; Daniel Glinz’s five-senses first aid kit for culture shock, and Zeina Matar’s musings on “where is home?”. And we talk about what the future holds for the Deep Culture Podcast!
Can we adapt to different cultural worlds and still stay true to our true self? In this episode, Joseph Shaules and Ishita Ray discuss culture and the self. Research shows that how we experience the self depends on culture, and affects cognition, cognition and motivation. We reflect on the importance of the cultural self in India and the personal self in the United States. You’ll learn the answer to the question: Are you typical?
