Culture Shock

A detailed Summary of Culture Shock

The stories that are told in Distant Mirrors reflect how people can be so comfortable with the way they live that they will never realize what is around them. This does not happen unless they take the initiative to research the "outside world." I focused on three stories. These three stories share in the fact that when the person researched a new culture they were in awe of the differences and similarities that they found. Plainly put, these anthropologists underwent a culture shock; "disorientation experienced by a person suddenly to an unfamiliar culture." Each anthropologist migrated to America in order to compare and contrast their culture to a country with all types of cultures.

The first story that caught my attention was, "First Impressions: Diary of a French Anthropologist in New York City," by Francoise Dussart. Dussart decided to migrate to New York for a taste of its "exoticism"(p.34). She had previously been living in Australia because she was studying Australian aboriginal culture. Once she arrived at New York, she heard many stories about where the "good" places were and where not to end up. She ended up staying exactly where she was told to stay away from, "West 107th Street"(p.35). Her stay here i

These anthropologists took the initiative to try to understand culture as a whole, but in doing so, they experience culture shock. It is only natural to experience this because we as humans use what we have been taught, and what we have seen and incorporate it into how we view our own culture as well as others. I can say for myself that if I were to go to a different country, I would impose my thoughts and opinions on their culture because it would be an unconscious act. At the same time, it is important to be open-minded to other cultures. If everyone were to exercise this, it would be a little easier to understand other cultures.

Dussart also finds that there is a distinction between

"If I were to eat in the same manner in Thailand, eyebrows would have been raised at the way we piled our food on our plates, and we would have been considered to be eating like pigs, greedy and inconsiderate of others who shared the meal at the table"(p.71).

The third story I found interesting was, "A Cross-Cultural Experience: A Chinese Anthropologist in the United States," by Huang Shu-Min. Huang is an anthropologist from China. He describes his cultural values as, "A reverence for age and custom, a high motivation toward scholarly achievement, and a strong sense of responsibility toward society had all been incorporated into my thinking throughout the process of growth"(p.29). Huang takes these values with him while he spends time in San Fransico. While there, he observed everything with a critical eye. Huang experienced culture shock in a big way. He says, " While we may claim to reject our culture's values and moral standards enmasse, in the deeper layer of the heart and mind, our thinking and behavior may still operate, even though unconsciously, under the same set of beliefs"(p.30). In simple terms, no matter how much a person wants to conform to a different culture, their actual values will always be revealed because it is unconscious. Even down to the way a person eats, talks, interacts, t

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Approximate Word count = 1360
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Science