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?
Yvonne van der Pol and Joseph Shaules discuss cultural differences in parenting and the process of enculturation—how cultural patterns shape us as we grow up. We learn about the 3Rs of parenting in the Netherlands, and pressures Joseph felt to be a “winner” growing up in the US. Ishita Ray explains how the life lessons she learned growing up in Eastern India—as a young girl she was scolded for playing with boys—prepared her to fit in . . . or not . . . to Indian society.
Where is home? Living between cultural worlds can make it hard to answer this question. In this episode, Joseph Shaules and Ishita Ray discuss what makes a home a home, including the “bridge person dilemma”—how foreign experiences can make us feel unrooted. We discuss the adjustment challenges of third-culture kids, and cultural marginality. We reflect on those who lose a home because of conflict or other disasters. Podcast contributor Zeina Matar shares her experience of loving . . . and losing . . . her home in Lebanon.
