Aversive Response Towards Culture Fusion Is Moderated by the Source of Foreign Cultural Inflow

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 370-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bobby K. Cheon ◽  
Ying-yi Hong

Culture fusion reflects blending of elements from distinct cultures that produces a novel, hybrid cultural representation. Prior research among participants in the USA revealed that fusion of cultural elements from the USA and China could be perceived as contamination of one’s local culture and evokes disgust. It remains unknown whether this aversion to culture fusion generalizes to other samples and is contingent on perceivers’ attitudes toward the source of the foreign culture. Here, we tested these questions across two studies. Participants were exposed to different patterns of culture mixing of their own local culture and two foreign cultures (one relatively favored and one relatively disfavored). Across both studies (Singaporean participants in Study 1 and Hong Kong participants in Study 2), the results replicated prior findings suggesting that culture fusion elicits stronger negative evaluations (e.g., disgust, discomfort) compared to other patterns of culture mixing (i.e., presentation of local and foreign elements side-by-side). Importantly, a Mixing Type × Foreign Source interaction emerged, such that participants in both studies reacted more negatively to culture mixing involving a less favored (China) than a more favored (USA) culture, with negative reactions especially pronounced toward culture fusion. This aversive response was moderated by patriotism in Singapore but not in Hong Kong. These findings demonstrate that response to culture mixing depends on intergroup attitudes toward foreign cultures, and culture fusion is especially aversive when involving cultural inflows from a disfavored out-group. The contribution of geopolitical differences between Singapore and Hong Kong on these findings are also considered.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaofei Tang

<p>This study aims to conduct a mixed-method analysis of <i>PEP Primary English</i>, a primary school English language teaching textbook series covering eight volumes widely used in Mainland China, to depict its representation of different cultures and explore whether the cultural representation follows the National English Language Curriculum Standard.</p><p><br></p><p>The textbook analysis proceeds in three steps. The first step is to develop the criteria of categorising cultural elements presented in <i>PEP Primary English</i>. An adapted version of Kachru’s (1985, 1992) three concentric circles of World Englishes is employed to define cultural categories. The cultural elements in the textbooks are generally grouped into two categories, namely, the local culture and the foreign culture. The local culture includes all the elements in relation to the home country where this textbook series has been published and widely used – China. The foreign culture is subcategorised into 1) the Inner Circle where English is applied as the mother tongue or a primary language due to its traditional historical and sociolinguistic bases over there, such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand; 2) the Outer Circle where English is institutionalised as a <i>lingua frança</i> though it does not serve as the native language, such as India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong SAR; and 3) the Expanding Circle where English is utilised as a primary foreign language but does not play a historical or governmental role, such as China, Japan, South Korea, and Russia.</p><p><br></p><p>The second step is to tag those elements presented in the textbooks according to the established criteria of cultural categories; and to calculate their frequency in individual volumes and in the whole textbook series respectively.</p><p><br></p><p>The third step is to tabulate the frequency of cultural elements in the textbooks and to compare the features of their representation with the learning requirements for cultural awareness as stated in the National Curriculum.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaofei Tang

<p>This study aims to conduct a mixed-method analysis of <i>PEP Primary English</i>, a primary school English language teaching textbook series covering eight volumes widely used in Mainland China, to depict its representation of different cultures and explore whether the cultural representation follows the National English Language Curriculum Standard.</p><p><br></p><p>The textbook analysis proceeds in three steps. The first step is to develop the criteria of categorising cultural elements presented in <i>PEP Primary English</i>. An adapted version of Kachru’s (1985, 1992) three concentric circles of World Englishes is employed to define cultural categories. The cultural elements in the textbooks are generally grouped into two categories, namely, the local culture and the foreign culture. The local culture includes all the elements in relation to the home country where this textbook series has been published and widely used – China. The foreign culture is subcategorised into 1) the Inner Circle where English is applied as the mother tongue or a primary language due to its traditional historical and sociolinguistic bases over there, such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand; 2) the Outer Circle where English is institutionalised as a <i>lingua frança</i> though it does not serve as the native language, such as India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong SAR; and 3) the Expanding Circle where English is utilised as a primary foreign language but does not play a historical or governmental role, such as China, Japan, South Korea, and Russia.</p><p><br></p><p>The second step is to tag those elements presented in the textbooks according to the established criteria of cultural categories; and to calculate their frequency in individual volumes and in the whole textbook series respectively.</p><p><br></p><p>The third step is to tabulate the frequency of cultural elements in the textbooks and to compare the features of their representation with the learning requirements for cultural awareness as stated in the National Curriculum.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-90
Author(s):  
Lilian J. Shin ◽  
Seth M. Margolis ◽  
Lisa C. Walsh ◽  
Sylvia Y. C. L. Kwok ◽  
Xiaodong Yue ◽  
...  

AbstractRecent theory suggests that members of interdependent (collectivist) cultures prioritize in-group happiness, whereas members of independent (individualist) cultures prioritize personal happiness (Uchida et al. Journal of Happiness Studies, 5(3), 223–239 Uchida et al., 2004). Thus, the well-being of friends and family may contribute more to the emotional experience of individuals with collectivist rather than individualist identities. We tested this hypothesis by asking participants to recall a kind act they had done to benefit either close others (e.g., family members) or distant others (e.g., strangers). Study 1 primed collectivist and individualist cultural identities by asking bicultural undergraduates (N = 357) from Hong Kong to recall kindnesses towards close versus distant others in both English and Chinese, while Study 2 compared university students in the USA (n = 106) and Hong Kong (n = 93). In Study 1, after being primed with the Chinese language (but not after being primed with English), participants reported significantly improved affect valence after recalling kind acts towards friends and family than after recalling kind acts towards strangers. Extending this result, in Study 2, respondents from Hong Kong (but not the USA) who recalled kind acts towards friends and family showed higher positive affect than those who recalled kind acts towards strangers. These findings suggest that people with collectivist cultural identities may have relatively more positive and less negative emotional experiences when they focus on prosocial interactions with close rather than weak ties.


2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore T.Y. Chen

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to determine whether Hong Kong is ready for accounting education reform. Design/methodology/approach – The approach for this study is using a Likert-scale questionnaire for the academic institutions, the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the big four accounting firms, followed by detailed follow-up interviews with each. Findings – There is general agreement among accounting academics and the profession that the Accounting Education Change Commission initiatives should be adopted in Hong Kong. Hong Kong accounting academics in public institutions do not oppose to a balance between teaching and research, but would oppose to an emphasis of teaching over research. This is important as an overemphasis on research could mean less time for teaching and curriculum development. The big four accounting firms are either happy with the way Hong Kong universities have been educating the accounting graduates or have no complaints against them. This is also important as an urge for accounting education reform usually comes from the practitioners as in the USA. Originality/value – The USA was the first country that saw the need for accounting education reform as accounting practitioners felt that curriculum and pedagogical considerations placed heavy emphasis on the technical aspects of accounting at the expense of a general, broad-based education. Similar needs for change were also found in the UK and Australia. As Hong Kong is one of the world’s major financial centres with a large securities exchange, there is a great deal of emphasis on accounting standards, financial reporting, corporate governance, etc., and hence the importance of accounting education. Is Hong Kong ready for the change?


2018 ◽  
Vol III (I) ◽  
pp. 58-77
Author(s):  
Ejaz Mirza ◽  
Nazak Hussain ◽  
Syed Ali Shah

English Language Teaching has become a compulsory subject in the curricula of many developing countries. There has been an increase in the trend of skeptic viewing of the credibility of this subject for teaching only a language and not its ideology and culture. Studies show that under the impact of ELT learners develop a positive attitude to English culture and depreciation of the indigenous one. Same is the case in Pakistan. English ideologies and cultural representation were uncovered through the application of CDA. The main ideologies found in these books were superiority of “Us/Self” and the inferiority of “Them/Other”. The paper present the source and target culture in their true perspective making the source culture part of esteem instead of the foreign culture.


2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 473-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Ling-hsing Chang ◽  
Jim Q. Chen

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the impact of Chinese culture on the information ethics perception gaps between Chinese and American students. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative approach, this study utilizes Kohlberg’s Cognitive Moral Development model and an open-ended questionnaire to measure and analyze the gaps among information ethics perceptions of students from Taiwan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, and the USA, and to assess the extent to which the gaps are influenced by Chinese culture. Findings Students’ perceptions of intellectual property, information accuracy, privacy, and accessibility (PAPA) are deeply influenced by national culture. Sub-cultures have significant impact on the perceptions. Political systems, history, and legal environment may also play a role in the differences of PAPA perceptions among the three Chinese societies. The study also revealed that accuracy and intellectual property are the most deficient areas of moral developments in both Chinese and American samples. Research limitations/implications The sample sizes from Hong Kong and the USA were relatively small due to resource and time constraints. In addition, the subjects from Hong Kong and the USA were a little bit older than the subjects from Taiwan and Mainland China due to the fact that universities in HK and USA tend to have more non-traditional students than in universities in Mainland China and Taiwan. Second, the questionnaire is a limited means of studying moral reasoning because the results are likely to reflect espoused theory rather than theory-in-use. Practical implications The educational implication of this study calls for a renewed approach to educate students on the importance of information ethics for the sake of sustained economic development. Originality/value The novelty of this research lies in its interpretation of students’ PAPA perceptions and fresh insights from a Chinese guanxi perspective.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 58-63
Author(s):  
Winarno Winarno ◽  
Wella Wella ◽  
Rudy Pramono

The society of Indonesia faces problem of cultural crisis, especially the younger generation who prefer foreign culture rather than the local culture. This research aimed to find a way to conserve local culture by combining local culture with the development of information and communication technology. The method used in this study is content crowdsourcing because it requires the help of all society member to fill the content and data that will be managed later in large volumes. Therefore, it will use cloud computing, Software as a Service (SaaS). This research has successfully developed a portal called ibudaya that can accommodate cultural values and local wisdom in the form of multimedia content, such as in the format of video, pictures, pdf, Word, and Power Point. This research has successfully developed a portal that can accommodate cultural values and local wisdom in the form of multimedia content. The cultural portal can be accessed through the link address http://iBudaya.applikasi.online/. This portal will be further refined in terms of cultural content procurement, where the content is in the form of videos, pictures and folklore texts.


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