Quote:
Originally Posted by kennyc
I become more interested in cultures/sociology/history as I get older. I didn't have much appreciation for it when I was young.  |
If culture is an interest, I strongly recommend the work of the late Edward T. Hall.
Hall was an anthropologist attached the the University of New Mexico, doing research on comparative culture. In order to do so, he and his research partner, Norman Trager discovered that they had to devise a comprehensive theory of culture to explain what it was and what functions it served to meaningfully compare cultures.
Hall's model treats culture as communication. It's normally thought of as "everything we know and do", but as Hall points out, perhaps 90% of it happens on an unconscious, reflex level. We are normally no more aware of our culture than a fish is of the water it swims in. We take it for granted and respond by reflex. We only really become aware of many things if we find ourselves in a culture where things are done differently.
A prime example is "personal space". In the dominant culture in North America (which derives from northern Europe), the proper social distance between people who are not family or close friends is about 3', and given the room to do so, that's the distance people will attempt to maintain. Nobody ever explicitly
tells you "Thou shalt stand 3' away from another". You learn it by osmosis as a small child, observing and mimicking the behavior of those around you.
You can test it at a social gathering. Step a little too close to someone you are talking to. They'll move back to maintain the proper distance. If you're good, you can move someone entirely across the room this way, and they won't be consciously aware of it: maintaining the proper social distance is an unconscious, reflex action.
Take someone from our culture and plunk them down in the Middle East, where the proper social distance may be half that, and watch the fun.
Start with
The Silent Language and go on from there.
Hall's website is at
http://www.edwardthall.com/
______
Dennis