Intercultural Communication

Task: Thinking about cultural dealing

Caroline is a French student, who studies Medicine at the University Claude
Bernard in Lyon. This year she has received a scholarship in Brail and she is !oin! to
practice Medicine in "#o $aulo.
Caroline %alls in love with a Brailian !uy, Lucas, who is in char!e o% the e&chan!e
students at the University o% "#o $aulo. They start datin! and develop a nice and lovely
relationship 'ut they 'oth (new the relationship was !oin! to end when Caroline le%t so they
decided to live the moment and have %un to!ether, especially Caroline who wanted to en)oy
her time away %rom home.
Thin!s ta(e an une&pected turn when the couple %inds out that Caroline is pre!nant.
They react in completely di%%erent ways* Caroline ta(es into consideration an a'ortion and
wishes Lucas would a!ree, 'ut she is !oin! to %ind out that Lucas, his %amily, reli!ion and
culture are a!ainst a'ortion. The French student claims that this would 'e the 'est solution %or
every'ody and intends to %ly 'ac( home to her parents, who support her, and !ive up her
'a'y, 'ut Lucas is totally a!ainst Caroline+s decision so they !et into a serious %i!ht. Lucas
accuses Caroline o% 'ein! sel%ish and heartless and that she cannot ma(e such decisions alone.
Caroline thin(s that it is her ri!ht to !ive up this pre!nancy and thin(s now that Lucas is an
old,%ashioned whose 'elie%s are !oin! to ruin her li%e and %uture.
Caroline !oes 'ac( to France and has an a'ortion. For Lucas, she is now )ust a cruel
!irl who denied their 'a'y+s ri!ht to live.
Fi!ure - descri'es the %ive types o% cultures
intermin!lin! in the situation o% Caroline and Lucas.
Bu''le . represents Caroline+s culture in%luenced 'y
the /uropean culture, her %amily, education and 'y the
French society which has the hi!hest num'er o% a'ortions in /urope and where this act is
1
.. Multiplicity o% 'ac(!round
in%luences* /uropean culture, %amily
'ac(!round, education, %riends,
a!e, society, etc.
B. /&chan!e student
culture
C. CULTU0/
1F 2/.LI34
2. 2ealin!,
with,%orei!n,
students
culture
/. Multiplicity o%
'ac(!round in%luences*
'ein! Brailian, %amily,
reli!ion, education, etc.
Figure 1 Culture of Dealing
considered to 'e a ri!ht o% women. Bu''le B descri'es the e&chan!e student culture in which
Caroline is pro)ected. This is a culture with di%%erent characteristics %or the French student.
"he sees it as an escape, she wants to meet new %riends and have %un. Bu''le 2 and / de%ine
Lucas, the Brailian !uy, who at %irst acts 'ein! in%luenced 'y his dealin!,with,%orei!n,
students culture 5he is permanently in contact with %orei!n cultures, ta(es part in their
activities and parties6, 'ut will, later, reveal aspects %rom his Brailian culture, reli!ion
in%luence, %amily and education 5'u''le /6. Bu''le C is where the interaction 'etween
Caroline and Lucas occurs, the culture o% dealin!. The two students have to deal with the
di%%erences in culture and 'elie%s which will hinder their e%%icient communication.
From the essentialist perspective o% culture, communication 'etween two %orei!ners is
'ased on the understandin! o% the stereotypes and details o% the culture. 7owever, a non,
essentialist view is necessary in order to %acilitate the unsuccess%ul communication 'etween
Caroline and Lucas. Both Caroline and Lucas %ail in understandin! the comple&ity o% the
1ther. Lucas !rew up in a society and with a reli!ion where a'ortion is perceived as a sin, as
'ein! ille!al 5unless the li%e o% the mother is in dan!er6 and he is not a'le to see it as
somethin! normal not matter you are not ready to have a 'a'y or the pre!nancy could have a
ne!ative e%%ect on your li%e. In contrast, Caroline considers it is her ri!ht to ma(e such a
decision and it is also her ri!ht to 'ecome a mother when is ready and not 'y accident.
The relationship 'etween Lucas and Caroline could 'e re!arded as a clear e&ample %or
communication as a cultural ne!otiation, 'ut a %ailed one, 'ecause they do not succeed in
understandin! the reactions o% other people comin! %rom other cultures. .t a super%icial level
their relationship seems to wor(, 'ut when a more de'ata'le issue appears, their own
preoccupations come %irst and a completely unsuccess%ul interaction ta(es place. I% sometimes
'ein! unaware o% your own preoccupations seems to 'e the pro'lem, in the situation provided
not (nowin! to respond to the preoccupations o% others mi!ht cause serious
misunderstandin!s.
Intercultural communication means active, dynamic communication. It is a comple&
process o% understandin! the people within a culture. $eople usually act accordin! to
stereotypes, pre)udices, e&periences or in%luences, 'ut intercultural communication !oes
'eyond all these aspects and esta'lishes a success%ul way o% understandin! and toleratin! the
1ther.
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