What tools can we use to become open minded?
"Cultural self-awareness is the first step in intercultural effektivness" (Locke, 1992)
This maybe true but it is not enough. When the Europeans colonized Africa and America, they had cultural self-awareness. They knew their culture and were proud of it. So much that they eventually took priests and other cultural teachers to the distant continents and tried to save them from the African and Nativ-American culture´s.
The Peer execise:
This was interesting. I found out that there are similarities between the way you persent yourself in Finland and the way you present yourself in Zimbabwe. 2 contries so far from eachother but still common greetings.
Knud Illeris:
Assimilation is learning by addition.
Accommodation is trancendent learning.
Culture shock in one word: Ignorance
When I came to Denmark as a 10 year old, my new classmates asked if we had a house in Africa. If we slept in trees, if we had clothes and so on. They were shocked to find out that we had every thing which is in Europe and I was shocked to find out that they did'nt know better.
To be open minded one needs to know his/her own culture. But it requires much more. One schould gain as much knowledge as posible about different cultures world wide. This ofcours creates stereotyping. But as long as one is aware of the stereotypes one has, then when a diffenrent aspect of a culture is exposed then one can still accept it.
The knowledge about other cultures schould be presented by a member of the culture at hand. This way the stereotypes one has comes from the people and is not an interpretation of an outsider.
One has to put ones own culture aside if one wants to learn about a new culture. Not being afraid that you will "loose yourself". Never think that your own culture is better for other people.
Ask questions with respect, ask questions which make the people proud and talk a lot. Instead of asking questions which you know will bring controvercy.
e.g If you meet the Masai tribe. Tell them that you have heard/read that they have a lot of knowlegde about herbs and roots. Do not ask strait away about why girls get circumsized. They know many in the west condem this ritual and they will not be open to share aspects of their culture.
