HOCHSCHULE FULDA

Department of Social and Cultural Sciences

The Invisible Hand in Shaping Social Identity

By

Shi Yi Tan

Submitted as

Ethnography/ Cultural Sensitivity Training

(Assignment)

30th September 2017

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 Table of Content

Chapter 1: Introduction .. 3

Chapter 2: When Language Meets Culture .... 5

Chapter 3: The Modern Concept of Social Identity ..... 11

Chapter 4: Reflection and Conclusion ..... 14

Bibliography .... 16

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 Chapter 1: Introduction

Language and culture are closely intertwined with each other- a longstanding theme
of inquiry which should not be overlooked in the study of social and cultural sciences. This
relationship has manifested itself in various forms across human history, such as national
character, ideology and worldview. The unity of a language and its related culture very
often results in the birth of a new identity, with the most remarkable example being the
triumph of nationalism in Europe after the French Revolution until the end of twentieth
century. In his influential work Treatise on the Origin of Language, Johann Gottfried
Herder (1744-1803) famously asserted that a nation cannot survive without its language
because the language is its collective treasure. Being an intrinsic part of human
civilisation, language could be an effective unifying power in creating a common sense of
belonging and comradeship among members of society. Indeed, throughout this historical
period, a national identity shared by its people was established alongside with the fervent
promotion of use of national language in places like Germany, France and Italy. To date,
these successful historical cases of reunification continue inspiring communities across the
globe, such as the Spanish province of Catalonia, to employ a common language as a
marker of distinctive cultural identity to aid their independence movement.

Over centuries, this topic constantly spurs interest of researchers and scholars in the
field of humanities to investigate the correlation between language and culture. It has long
been proven by various academic inquiries that language and culture are not mutually
exclusive, in the sense that they are capable of influencing each other, with the most notable
trend being the Humboldtian tradition (Hinnenkamp, 2009: 185). Wilheim von Humboldt
(1767-1835) was accredited with being the European forefather to recognize human
languages as an independent, rule-governed system instead of just a random collection
of words and phrases. Upon acknowledging Herders stance that language is the formative
organ of thought, Humboldt utilised languages as a tool to further study cultural
differences (McNeely, 2011: 131). This unconventional approach (at the time of Humboldt)

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of cultural studies stood the test of time and has eventually become one of the most
established German academic traditions in cultural studies (Risager, 2006:60).

In light of the Humboldtian influence, Michael Agar (1996) even fused the two
concepts together and coined a refreshing term languaculture to succinctly express such
inextricability. Another significance of this approach is the underpinning reference to an
emerging social identity as a result of the interaction between language and culture. Hall
(2011:31) pointed out that such identity is deemed a socially constituted, reflexive and
dynamic product of an individuals experience, which is constructed either with or without
our consciousness. An identity could possibly be pre-determined as an end (product). It is
normally consciously constructed through language use and cultural association, such as
the predominant national identity at the end of nineteenth century when the wave of
nationalism swept the European continent. Contrasting with such purposely shaped identity
is another type of identity that emerges naturally during the enculturation process. It is not
produced through any deliberate attempt and its formation is relatively invisible compared
to the aforementioned identity constructed with consciousness.

The core message of this essay is that identity is a highly fluid concept, especially
under the intercultural social context in this era. Being exposed to foreign cultures in a long
run is likely to result in an active discovery and a low commitment to the existing identity.
By drawing analogy from the psychological perspective, one might consequently be
confronted with identity crisis (Marcia, 1966). By the time an individual has successfully
undergone such crisis, the ensuing evolution of identity is inexorable because he or she
would be committed to a new identity (Marcia, 1966). As the following chapters unveil
further explanations accompanied by relevant examples, we shall see how the interplay
between languages and cultures is capable of moulding a social identity, as the unintended
result of enculturation.

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 Chapter 2: When Language Meets Culture

Social identity comprises of different cultural facets of the group which an

individual identifies oneself with. These facets include religion, race, social strata,
worldview and so forth. We all learn to engage with the society through communicative
activities as life steadily progresses. It is rather self-explanatory that languages play a vital
role in this process. The linguistic approach employed will define our strategy in presenting
ourselves to the external world and in dealing with interpersonal relationships. However,
besides simply recognizing the importance of languages in communication, many of us
have never really paid more attention to the intricateness underneath. In fact, we should
also acquaint ourselves with the mechanism of the linguistic actions in realizing various
activities which eventually constitutes our social identity (Hall, 2011:32).

Hall (1997) stated that languages help to set the rules, norms and conventions by
which social life is ordered and governed. To illustrate this unconscious shaping of an
identity through the process of enculturation, we shall take a look at the concept of kinship
in Eastern Asia and Western Europe as a starting point. The Western European kinship is
generally constructed based on an egalitarian basis. Regardless of age and relation, it is
rather common for European family members to address each other solely with first names
instead of forms of address, which would otherwise underline the interpersonal hierarchy.
Even when forms of address are concerned, most of the Western European languages lack
specific denotations and detailed classification for kinship terminology (Kroeber,
1933:151).

This linguistic feature arguably has the function of reinforcing egalitarianism

within the family system, so that the family members are not constantly reminded of the
existing hierarchy among themselves. Subsequently, an egalitarian identity based on the
lateral relationship between family members emerges as result of the enculturation process
in Western Europe, where the accentuation of family hierarchy through kinship
terminology is absent. Growing up in such egalitarian environment, one would logically

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tend to disregard the social dimensions that establish interpersonal hierarchy later on in life
(at least in comparison with the Asian case, which will be examined in the next paragraph).
In line with this reasoning, the necessary link between languages and the resulting social
identity seems to be plausible.

On the other hand, the ancient Confucian kinship with an emphasis on the family
hierarchy constitutes an integral part of the Asian cultural relationships in many parts of
the continent (Scollon and Scollon, 1995:129), so much so that an extensive list of family
vocabulary exists in many Asian languages. Take Chinese language as an example: instead
of addressing family members with the general English counterparts such as aunt and
uncle, Chinese consists of a far more descriptive and precise kinship terminology (italki,
2014; Table 1, 2016). The corresponding terms are distinguished based on a combination
of three criteria: paternal/ maternal lineage, relative age (of a sibling relation) and gender
(Kroeber, 1933:151-153).

The need for such rich vocabulary aptly corresponds to the hierarchical aspect that
largely defines Asian kinship. From a young age, people have become familiar with the
strict hierarchy between family members by learning all the complicated forms of address.
Note that the Western way of addressing an elderly family member solely with name is a
taboo for most Asians, since it is perceived as a lack of respect towards seniors.
Interestingly, another message might have been discreetly conveyed by such taboo: the act
of establishing equality at the cost of hierarchy is both conventionally and culturally non-
tolerable. Scollon and Scollon (1995:130) provided us with the proof that family hierarchy
is a recurring theme of Confucianism as well as in San Zi Jing (Three Character Classic),
with the latter being one of the most popular Chinese classic texts taught in schools.
Therefore, the deeply entrenched notion among Asians that all relationships must be
hierarchical to a certain extent (Scollon and Scollon, 1995:130) should not come as a
surprise to us. Such hierarchical model has been presupposed by the use of language in
form of terminology. As a result, it is very often virtually impossible to retain the resulting
social identity in a vacuum of interpersonal hierarchy.

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Table 1: Kinship terminology in the Chinese language (Digi, 2016,
http://www.tianchad.com/2016/03/i-uploaded-photo-on-facebook-and-won-iphone.html )

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 It is worth mentioning another less noticeable example which nevertheless
illustrates the interconnection between language and identity: gender of nouns in Dutch.
Since personally learning this language about three months ago, I have been pondering
over the question if there is any influence of this language on the social identity, such as
how it shapes the worldview of the Dutch speakers. From my own observation and analysis,
the major influence plays out in the evolution and manifestation of attitude of the Dutch
society towards gender itself.

In the modern standard Dutch language, words are categorized either as gendered
with the use of definite article de or genderless/ neutral with the use of definite article
het. Gerritsen (2002) was fully aware of this distinctive feature of the Dutch language
and further elaborated on this gender-fair usage into one of her academic articles. This
special feature makes Dutch stand out from most of its European counterparts, judging
from the fact that masculine/ feminine/ neuter are normally assigned to the gender of
nouns. According to Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal, the largest Dutch dictionary,
such common categorization according to the gender actually existed in the more poetic or
archaic Dutch language. However, the second-wave feminism in the 1960s paved the way
for a less gender-biased usage of the language (Gerritsen, 2002:90). Most notably, the
works of Annie Romein-Verschoor (1895-1978) enlightened the Dutch society about the
gender-biased feature of their language and the potential negative impacts of such language
usage on the liberation movement.

Being a scholar of cultural studies, I am convinced that this genderless feature of

the Dutch language functions as bedrock for the internationally famous identity of the
Netherlands as an open-minded and welcoming country towards the minorities based on
their sexual orientation or gender identity, because language is often the reflection of a
society (Romein-Verschoor, 1977). As evidence, the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transexual) community in Netherlands remains one of the leading forces in the movement
of gender emancipation and equality. As early as 2001, the Netherlands became the first
country in the world that legalised same-sex marriage (Government of the Netherlands).
According to the official figure of the Dutch government, more than 15000 homosexual
couples to date have benefited from this groundbreaking policy in the form of legal

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marriage. The Dutch society continuously exhibits a high degree of recognition and
acceptance towards homosexual couples nationwide, to the extent that they are entitled to
equal treatment as the heterosexual couples under the Dutch law. For instance, the
Eurobarometer 2015 indicated that an overwhelming 91% of the whole Dutch population
advocate a Europe-wide legalization of same-sex marriage (European Commission, 2015).

Under this backdrop, the elimination of the grammatical gender of the Dutch
language is inevitable while the genderless feature manages to retain its significance in
the modern daily use. In her recent article, Fillingham (2017) highlighted this
unprecedented switch from gender-specific phrases to gender-neutral alternatives.
According to Fillingham (2017), the recent policies of various Dutch authorities such as
the Amsterdam Council and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol testified this latest trend by
eliminating the gender used in forms of address. For example, the public would be
addressed with the gender-neutral form of best travellers instead of ladies and
gentlemen of which the different genders are clearly distinguished. From here, we can
clearly see that the nature of both the Dutch culture and its language have both undergone
transformation as a result of the interplay between themselves. Only through mutual
influence exerted onto each other by language and culture would such permanent change
take place, which would otherwise only be short-lived.

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 Chapter 3: The Modern Concept of Social Identity

Following the accelerating pace of globalisation, the belief that a social identity is
and should be rigid has regularly become obsolete. People who grew up under different
cultural settings and speak different languages nowadays co-exist with each other in
global neighbourhood, a contemporary form of society which is easily identifiable in
cosmopolitans (Blommaert et al., 2005:206-208). The idea of groups having fixed
identities has received much criticism in the recent years, as people have become
increasingly aware that a new solidarity bounds to be formed within such multilingual
society (Roberts, 1998). Our generation is at the forefront of identity crisis and evolution
under such readily accessible intercultural impacts. My personal struggle is the testimony
to this phenomenon.

Ever since my pursuit of intercultural studies in Germany, I have had more

opportunities to critically reflect upon little things which I used to take for granted in life.
The most striking finding is how versatile the social identity of this current generation
could be compared to the generations before. Since moving to Europe four years ago, I
have not felt deeply homesick, nor have I felt compelled to revive the Malaysian spirit in
my living environment. My social identity has never been and needs not be defined entirely
as Malaysian because I have never felt emotionally attached to Malaysia in the first place.
While working on this piece of assignment, I came to the conclusion that growing up in a
multilingual society and living in a new culture since early adulthood jointly contributed
to my fluid social identity today.

Being born as a Chinese-Malaysian, my mother tongue happens to be Chinese but

not the Malay language, the official language of the country. My preschool education was
largely conducted in the Chinese language, through which I read extensively not only about
the Chinese but also the European history and legends. Since my social circle in Malaysia
mainly consists of Chinese-Malaysians who are like myself, I speak Chinese most of the
time and barely need to use the official language at all. By drawing parallel between the

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Humboldtian philosophy that The true homeland is actually ones language (Smith,
2008:58) and my own experience, I have come to realise that the absence of a direct
connection between my mother tongue and homeland is an important reason for my lack
of nationalism. Unlike Germans who have German or French who have French, my native
language has no tie to the homeland where I was born in: neither does it represent this
country where another official language exists, nor does it sufficiently unify the multiracial
society where different groups of native speakers live in. For this reason, under no
circumstance would my sense of patriotism be fueled until one single national or social
identity emerges within myself. On the other hand, without bearing such rigidly defined
identity always makes me more comfortable in freely expressing my true self as a unique
individual on earth but not merely as an atom to the Malaysian element.

Moving to Europe in autumn 2013 marks a milestone in my identity development

because my life afterwards revolves around a new culture which is significantly different
from the one at home. Thereafter, I find it increasingly challenging to identify myself with
the Malaysian element above everything else. Having lived in the United Kingdom and
Germany means that my interpersonal communication in daily life is dominated by the
English and German languages. Due to personal lack of interest and rarity of usage anyway,
my Malay language skill has been gradually deteriorating, so much so that it has been
outclassed by my German proficiency although I only started learning the latter since living
in Europe. Not only the languages but also the new culture plays a vital role in my identity
development, as I have been pursuing tertiary education under a European setting. At this
stage of life where my self-consciousness and intellectual competence are awakening, the
liberal European culture of knowledge and enquiry provides an ideal space for me to fully
develop my potential according to my own intrinsic will, but not the extrinsic social
expectation in the conservative Asian culture.

The inevitable consequence is that my original social identity, which was largely
associated to birthplace, gradually diminished once I ceased living in the same society.
Looking back at this quest of self-discovery, I was indeed confronted with an identity crisis,
yet the spaces in between had been filled up by the product of enculturation eventually.
Speaking from my own experience, the negative connotation of identity crisis does not

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actually do justice in this context because it proves to be a tremendously rewarding journey
of personal development. In the end, I have not simply witnessed the power of language
and culture in shaping social identity. More importantly, the practicalities gained through
my personal experience could now be applied on a larger scale with a reflective attitude
while pursuing intercultural research and studies.

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 Chapter 4: Reflection and Conclusion

During the very first encounter with people, country of origin is conventionally the
first question to ask. I have always been wondering about the underlying rationale (if at
all), more than ever since I started pursuing my master in the intercultural studies and
during the process of writing this piece of assignment. Why must this question be inevitably
involved in such introductory phase: does it really serve as a perfect ice-breaker? Most of
the people assume that knowing where someone is from will improve their general
understanding of this new person, since they are now equipped with a crucial piece of
information that bounds to shed light on someones entire life story. In the subconscious
mind of most people, this simple question is treated as a shortcut to know the identity of
someone whom they have just met.

However, as time passes, I have come to realise that this is a really dangerous act
which tends to reduce someones identity solely to nationality, or in the words of Avruch
(1998): the inadequate ideas of culture. What is more worrying is the normally ensuing
act of drawing parallel between ones identity and place of origin solely based on surface
observations e.g. acts conducted by one single individual from a certain country, without
diving into the actual contributing factors behind the scene. I have learned from my
experience that people tend to assume an automated causal relationship between Malaysia
and my true identity whenever I reveal my country of origin during the first meeting. The
most obvious indicator is that from there on, only questions about how I do something
in my country or the typical thing e.g. food or festival from my country would be put
forward. Before I have the opportunity to elaborate my life experience in Europe, my
identity has already been reduced to a Malaysian whose worldview is merely based on the
Malaysian culture unfortunately. People also tend to brusquely conclude on the hallmarks
of a certain culture simply because they have briefly met several persons from this
particular region, normally through the act of traveling. Hence, it is not surprising to hear
statements such as What Germans ever do on holiday is drinking beer, Camera or selfie-
stick are the best way to spot a Chinese tourist because they are all addicted to taking

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photos, Americans are always the loudest among crowds and so forth --- this is precisely
how stereotype starts taking shape in our mind.

While some stereotypes could provide an overview on different cultures, at the

end of the day, we must consciously remind ourselves that they should be treated as nothing
more than highly superficial guidelines. Members of society are to be treated as active
agents rather than just passive bearers of culture, namely they should not be essentialized
(Ochs, 1996:416). Such attitude is especially integral in conducting intercultural
communication since stereotypes should be avoided at all costs to achieve optimal mutual
understanding. Intercultural awareness and sensitivity could be cultivated most effectively
through constant reflections. It only takes a little moment to reflect upon the rationale or
significance of the most mundane things happening in our daily life, yet the outcome is a
cultural enrichment--- a pressing need in an intercultural society like ours. Only if we are
willing to open our eyes and view the world with an open mind, we will eventually see
things that we have never seen before--- such as who a person really is.

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