Summary Of Deeper Than The Dominant: Multiple Identities Within Culture

Abigail Richardson

Professor Drake

03/05/2023

OLDP 3332

Assignment 3: Deeper than the Dominant: the Multiple Identities Within Culture Within culture around the world, there are always multiple subcultures and identities that make up the whole. In Australia, I have noticed the outstanding diversity of culture and how different it is compared to my hometown, Hudson, Wisconsin. In Sydney, there are many subcultures that make up different viewpoints and identities within culture itself. For this assignment, I wanted to explore how different subcultures can have such different perspectives and viewpoints on life in Australia, so I chose to interview my friend from across the hall, Ayan, and one of the women in my program, Ali. Ayan is a 19 year

The first fallacy that I thought was interesting was that “culture is fixed, knowable, and certain” (Chun and Evan, 2016). This fallacy was proven in my interviews, as both Ayan and Ali had such different answers on what they thought culture was. This proves that culture is fluid, and that different individuals in different subgroups of society can view culture in completely different ways. Ayan focused more on the differences between races in Australian society, but Ali focused on the unity of Australia’s cultures, but the difference between men and women in Australia. Another fallacy that I noticed was present in my interview was that “all cultures have equal status and access to power and privilege in society. This fallacy was quite similar to one of the questions I asked both Ali and Ayan in my interview with them, and each of them had different answers and outlooks on culture as a whole. Each of them highlighted the differences in minority and dominant cultures in Australian society, and neither of them agreed that all cultures are equals. These two fallacies were both present in my interviews, and I think it shows the importance of acknowledging these differences and allowing for groups to express their thoughts and opinions on

In Wendt’s “DIE: A Way to Improve Communication”, he breaks down the acronym DIE. D stands for description, where one can make sense statements about what they are observing. I stands for interpretation, which can make one question the “why” behind certain behaviors and actions. E stands for evaluation, and this gives someone an opportunity to pass judgment or make comparisons when experiencing these differences (Wendt, 1984). This approach can be useful when noticing differences in cultures to help evaluate the connections between these different groups of people. Also, I found it interesting when experiencing a new culture how it made me feel at first, as if a fight or flight instinct kicked in because it was unfamiliar. Bennett discusses this in his piece “Basic Concepts of Intercultural Communication”. He claims that the initial response in our bodies is to try to avoid the differences, and to run from it because it is uncomfortable. However, to effectively communicate with different cultures around the world, it is important to understand our differences, appreciate these differences, and respect these differences (Bennett, 1998). Overall, these interviews allowed me to experience and understand the differences between cultures in Australian society, and it allowed me to view culture with a