Eigentlich kann ich schon ganz gut Englisch, na ja, auf jeden Fall weiß ich die meisten Vokabeln, und wenn wir dann in der Schule über was reden müssen und meine Lehrerin mich mal nicht versteht, dann mach’ ich das mit den Händen, weil sie weiß meistens, was wir meinen, oder ich sag’ das einfach auf Deutsch.
Aussage einer Schülerin der 7. Klasse eines Gymnasiums
Obwohl sich viele Schüler nicht darüber im Klaren sind, verfügen sie über effiziente Kommunikationsstrategien, die sie um Alltag anwenden. Dies trifft nicht nur wie im obigen Beispiel auf den Fremdsprachenunterricht zu, sondern vielmehr auf das Deutsche, denn die Schüler erschließen sich diese Strategien mit dem Erlernen der Muttersprache. Auch dort wird deutlich, dass Kommunikation das Konzept Sprache beinhaltet – und vieles mehr.
Im Folgenden sollen einige Grundlagen der kindlichen Kommunikation, die Schüler mit in den Fremdsprachenunterricht einbringen, erläutert und erklärt werden. Außerdem möchten wir zeigen, wie Sie diese Gegebenheiten im Unterricht nutzen und mit Ihren Schülern weiter entwickeln können.
Schüler verfügen beim Sprechen über Fremd/ Eigen und bei der Begegnung mit Personen anderer Kulturen über geringe bis gute Mittel. Wenn sie Interesse an Thema und Gesprächspartner haben, werden sie versuchen, das was sie ausdrücken möchten, dem Gegenüber/ der Klasse zu vermitteln. Dafür setzen sie „Kommunikationsstrategien“ ein. Den Zusammenhang erläutert der folgende Text:
INTERIMSPRACHE
Beim Erlernen einer Fremdsprache eignet sich der Lerner Elemente und Strukturen der Zielsprache an. Aus diesem Erlernten bildet er ein sprachliches System, das man als Interimsprache bezeichnet. Das interimsprachliche System ist nicht perfekt, da es nicht alle Elemente der Zielsprache umfasst und Lücken enthält. Interimsprachen werden im Prozess des Lernens jedoch immer erweitert, die Lücken also mit neuen Strukturen und Elementen gefüllt, wodurch sich dann eine neue Interimsprache ergibt. Der Lernprozess kann somit als Abfolge unterschiedlicher Interimsprachen angesehen werden. (vgl. Glück 2000, S. 310)
SPRACHPRODUKTION
Der Sprachproduktion liegen mentale Pläne zugrunde, die der Sprecher gemäß seines gewünschten Kommunikationszieles bildet. Diese Pläne werden dann mit Hilfe der interimsprachlichen Mittel des Sprechers umgesetzt und das Ziel des Sprechers ist zunächst erreicht. Der Sprecher kontrolliert den Prozess, während dieser durchgeführt wird (monitoring). Dadurch können Fehler schon vor der Ausführung vermieden oder aber während der Ausführung korrigiert werden. In der Muttersprache sind diese Prozesse stark automatisiert und ermöglichen schnelles, flüssiges Sprechen. In der Fremdsprache dauert das Erstellen von Plänen länger und deswegen kann die Sprachproduktion stocken. (vgl. Kasper 1982, S. 579-581 und Faerch, Kasper 1983, S. 22-26).
PROBLEME
Da in der Interimsprache der Lerner immer Lücken bestehen, müssen die Lerner verstärkt mit Verständigungsproblemen in echter Kommunikation rechnen, die auf ihrem eigenen unzureichenden fremdsprachlichen Wissen beruhen. Solche Wissenslücken treten jedoch nicht nur im System der Lerner auf, sondern auch Muttersprachlern fehlen manchmal die richtigen Strukturen und Elemente, um ihr gewünschtes kommunikatives Ziel auszudrücken (vgl. Faerch, Kasper 1983, S. 32-34). In einer Studie konnten Theo Bongaerts und Nanda Poulisse zeigen, dass sowohl Fremdsprachenlerner als auch Muttersprachler bei aufkommenden Problemen die gleichen Strategien verwenden (vgl. Bongaerts und Poulisse: Communication strategies in L1 and L2: same or different? In: Applied Linguistics 10 (1989), S. 253-268).
Innerhalb des Sprachproduktionsprozesses können sich in beiden unterschiedlichen Phasen Probleme ergeben. In der Planungsphase können einerseits die fremdsprachlichen Mittel fehlen, die für das anvisierte Kommunikationsziel benötigt werden oder der Lerner verfügt über die Mittel, aber weiß, dass er Schwierigkeiten bei der Verwendung hat und meidet diese Elemente deswegen schon bei der Erstellung seines Plans (vgl. Kasper 1982, S. 581 und Faerch, Kasper 1983, S. 34). In der Ausführungsphase sind Elemente dagegen fest in den Plan eingebunden worden, doch bei der Ausführung ergeben sich dann Schwierigkeiten, diese Strukturen zu realisieren (vgl. Kasper 1982, S. 581 und Faerch, Kasper 1983, S. 34).
Für die sprachliche Produktion und die möglichen darin auftretenden Probleme ergibt sich dann folgendes Schema:
STRATEGIEN
In der Literatur werden unterschiedliche Ansichten darüber vertreten, was Kommunikationsstrategien sind. In allen Fällen sind jedoch Probleme bei der Kommunikation ein wichtiges Charakteristikum dieses Phänomens. Der Sprecher (oder auch der Hörer!) ist gezwungen sich mit diesen Problemen zu befassen und eine Handlung auszuführen. Diese Handlung ist die Kommunikationsstrategie. Probleme werden in erster Linie durch eine unzureichende fremdsprachliche Kompetenz ausgelöst (vgl. Kasper 1983, S. 580; Tarone 1983, S. 64; Faerch, Kasper 1983, S. 32; Tarone, Cohen, Dumas 1983, S. 5; Corder 1983, S. 16; Desselmann 1991, 328). Tarone geht davon aus, dass die Kommunikationsstrategien von beiden Interaktionspartnern ausgeführt wird (vgl. Tarone 1983, S. 65), doch natürlich kann ein Sprecher oder Hörer auch Strategien anwenden, ohne Hilfe vom Interaktionspartner zu bekommen. Laut Tarone werden die Kommunikationsprobleme nur dann ausgelöst, wenn Sinnstrukturen nicht bei beiden Interaktionspartnern gleichermaßen vorhanden sind (vgl. Tarone 1983, S. 65); dies betont ebenfalls den interaktionalen Charakter von Kommunikationsproblemen, doch wie sich zeigen wird, tauchen Probleme auch schon in der Planungsphase auf, in die der Interaktionspartner nicht eingreifen kann. Tarone, Cohen und Dumas gehen davon aus, dass Kommunikationsprobleme in Situationen ausgelöst werden, in denen die entsprechenden Regeln noch nicht gebildet wurden (vgl. Tarone, Cohen, Dumas 1983, S. 5). Kasper geht jedoch davon aus, dass es trotz vorhandener fremdsprachlicher Strukturen und Elemente zu Problemen kommen kann, weil diese nicht schnell genug aktualisiert werden können oder zum Zeitpunkt der Kommunikation nicht zugänglich sind (vgl. Kasper 1982, S. 580).
Kommunikationsstrategien werden bei Corder, Kasper und Faerch danach kategorisiert wie die Sprecher mit den Problemen, die sie beim Kommunizieren haben, umgehen. Zwei Verhaltensweisen werden dabei unterschieden: Einerseits kann der Sprecher das Problem umgehen und sein Kommunikationsziel seinem sprachlichen Repertoire anpassen oder er kann das Kommunikationsziel beibehalten und versucht dieses mit Hilfe der ihm zur Verfügung stehenden Mittel auszudrücken. Bei Faerch und Kasper werden solche Strategien Reduktionsstrategien und aktive Problemlösungs-
strategien genannt, Corder unterscheidet in ähnlicher Weise message adjustment strategies und resource expansion strategies. Im Folgenden soll die Typologie von Kasper und Faerch wiedergegeben werden, da sie die unterschiedlichen Strategien am ausführlichsten benennt.
REDUKTIONSSTRATEGIEN
Versucht der Lerner das Problem zu vermeiden, wendet er Reduktions-
strategien an. Faerch und Kasper unterscheiden zwei Formen von Reduktionsstrategien. Im ersten Fall geschieht die Reduktion häufig im Wunsch, die Sprache korrekt zu verwenden und Sprache flüssig zu produzieren. Der Lerner verlässt sich dabei in erster Linie auf die sprachlichen Mittel, die er bereits gut beherrscht und vermeidet diejenigen, die er noch nicht sicher genug anwenden kann (= formale Reduktion). Im zweiten Fall erkennt der Lerner, dass seine Interimsprache nicht ausreicht, um ein Kommunikationsziel zu erreichen und er ändert daraufhin das Kommunikationsziel, indem er entweder Teilaspekte oder das gesamte Kommunikationsziel aufgibt. (= funktionale Reduktion). Dies kann sowohl in der Planungsphase als auch in der Ausführungsphase geschehen (vgl. Faerch, Kasper 1983, S. 38-44).
AKTIVE PROBLEMLÖSUNGSSTRATEGIEN
Interessant für den Unterricht und den weiteren Umgang der Lerner mit der Fremdsprache sind aktive Problemlösungsstrategien, da der Lerner hierbei versucht, die auftretenden Probleme durch Erweiterung seiner kommunikativen Mittel zu lösen. Faerch und Kasper nennen Strategien, die sich mit in der Planungsphase auftretenden Problemen auseinandersetzen, Kompensationsstrategien. Sie dienen dazu, die Mängel im Fremdsprachenwissen auszugleichen. Ein einfaches Mittel, das gewünschte Ziel auszudrücken, ist der Rückgriff auf die eigene Muttersprache, oder auf eine andere Fremdsprache, die bereits erlernt wurde/wird (= code switching). Dabei können entweder Wörter übernommen werden (= borrowing), aber auch ganze Phrasen, die komplett als Fremdelemente in die Sprachproduktion übernommen werden. Mischen sich dagegen jedoch Elemente aus der Interimsprache und der Mutter- oder einer anderen Fremdsprache, spricht man von interlingualem Transfer. Hierbei kann z.B. ein fremdes Wort an die phonologischen Eigenheiten der Interimsprache angepasst werden (= foreignizing) oder ein Wort wörtlich übersetzt werden. Zu Interferenzen zwischen Muttersprache und Fremdsprache kann es auch bei der Generalisierung von Regeln kommen, die in ähnlicher Form sowohl in der Fremdsprache als auch in der Muttersprache vorliegen (= inter-/intralingualer Transfer). Als Beispiel hierfür nennen Faerch und Kasper swimmed, das der dänische Englischlerner in Analogie zum dänischen svømmede gebildet hat, um past tense auszudrücken. Verwendet der Lerner ausschließlich die Mittel seiner Interimsprache, kann sich dies in unterschiedlichen Formen äußern. Fehlt ein Element, um etwas auszudrücken, kann er ein anderes Element der Zielsprache verwenden, das er normalerweise nicht in diesem Kontext verwenden würde (= generalization). Fehlt ein lexikalisches Element, besteht auch die Möglichkeit der Paraphrase, mit der der Sprecher das gewünschte Element um- oder beschreibt oder ein Beispiel für den gesuchten Überbegriff gibt. Beim kreativen Gebrauch mit der Sprache kann der Lerner ein komplett neues Wort schöpfen, das eventuell nicht Teil der Fremdsprache ist, aber akzeptabel, da es die Wortbildungsregeln der Fremdsprache beachtet (= word coinage). Bemerkt der Sprecher bei der Ausführung eines Planes, dass er diesen nicht zu Ende führen kann, reagiert er möglicherweise mit einer Restrukturierung, d. h. einem Alternativplan, wenn er sein Ziel weiterverfolgen will. Natürlich ist der Sprecher nicht nur auf sein eigenes Sprachvermögen angewiesen, sondern kann sich jederzeit auch an seinen Interaktionspartner wenden und um Hilfe bitten. Solche kooperativen Strategien können direkt oder indirekt erfolgen. Bei indirekten Appellen wird die Problemlage des Sprechers oft auch durch Mimik und Gestik begleitet. Als letzten Strategietypen halten Faerch und Kasper retrieval strategies fest, bei denen der Lerner weiß, dass er das Element normalerweise kennen müsste, es ihm aber im Moment der Ausführung nicht zugänglich ist. Aus diesem Grund versucht er, das Element trotzdem zu erschließen (vgl. Faerch, Kasper 1983, S. 44-53).
WARUM KOMMUNIKATIONSSTRATEGIEN?
Das Erlernen einer Fremdsprache sollte nicht reiner Selbstzweck sein: Heutzutage wird es immer wichtiger sich adäquat verständigen zu können und dafür ist Fremdsprachenkenntnis unentbehrlich. Da der Fremdsprachenunterricht jedoch nicht auf alle denkbar möglichen Kommunikationssituationen vorbereiten kann, sollte den Lernern vermittelt werden, wie sie sich auch in Problemsituationen weiterhelfen können, um Verständigung zu erreichen. Dazu müssen die Lerner sich darüber bewusst sein, dass es zu solchen Problemen kommen kann.
Kommunikationsstrategien können zwei unterschiedliche Effekte haben: Einerseits tragen sie zur kommunikativen Kompetenz der Lerner bei, so dass diese auch in schwierigen Situationen Verständigung mit ihren Interaktionspartnern erreichen können. Andererseits können solche Strategien auch einen Lerneffekt herbeiführen. Claus Faerch und Gabriele Kasper sehen das Lernen einer Fremdsprache als Prozess an, bei dem der Lerner Hypothesen bildet und dann in einer Kommunikationssituation testet. Je nach Reaktion seiner Interaktionspartners werden diese Hypothesen dann also Regeln übernommen oder als Fehler verworfen. Durch Automatisierungsprozesse wird das neu erworbene Wissen gefestigt, sodass es schneller abrufbar wird (vgl. Faerch, Kasper 1983, S. 53). Ein potentieller Lerneffekt der Kommunikationsstrategien ist als von der Hypothesenbildung abhängig und ist nur dann gegeben, wenn der Lerner das Problem zu lösen versucht, statt es zu meiden und wenn er sich mit der Zielsprache befasst statt z.B. in einen anderen Code zu wechseln (vgl. Faerch, Kasper 1983, S. 55). Bei Faerch und Kasper ergibt sich dann folgende Verteilung der Kommunikationsstrategien bezüglich ihres Lerneffekts:
Grafik aus: Faerch, Kasper 1983, S. 55.
Das code-switching könnte aber dennoch einen Lerneffekt haben, insofern der Interaktionspartner den Mangel des Lerners erkennt und diesem das richtige fremdsprachliche Element mitteilt. Im Fremdsprachenunterricht ist das ein wesentlicher Bestandteil der Kommunikation, aber in alltäglicher Kommunikation wird der Interaktionspartner nicht so bereitwillig in die Sprachproduktion seines Gegenübers eingreifen, wie es ein Lehrer tut.
PROBLEME FÜR DEN UNTERRICHT
Im Unterricht werden die Schüler nach dem Kriterium der Korrektheit bewertet. Dieses Bewertungsverfahren ist nicht mehr anwendbar, wenn der Schüler aufgrund seiner Fähigkeit sich auszudrücken, bewertet wird, aber aufgrund dieser Ausdrucksfähigkeit Sprache produziert, die von der Korrektheitsnorm abweicht (vgl. Faerch, Kasper 1983, S. 55 und Katsikas 1995, S. 19f.).
Ein weiteres Problem könnten die Schüler sein, die sich überfordert fühlen, wenn sie Dinge kommunizieren sollen, für die ihre fremdsprachlichen Kenntnisse einfach noch nicht ausreichen (Faerch, Kasper 1983, S. 55). Man muss sich letztendlich also die Frage stellen, ob Schüler möglichst korrekt sprechen sollten oder ob sie in der Lage sein sollten, sich auch in schwierigen Situationen verständigen zu können. Zu diesem Zweck können Kommunikationsstrategien einen Beitrag leisten.
Die Lerner sollen
hier ein Einkaufs-Spiel durchführen und bekommen dafür Einkaufslisten, die Dinge
enthalten, deren Namen die Schüler vermutlich noch nicht gelernt haben. Wenn
sie diese Übung durchführen, müssen sie zwangsläufig mit dem Verkäufer kommunizieren
und wenden dabei voraussichtlich Strategien an.
Übernommen aus: Blair-Kerr, Hamish: Developing communication strategies. In: Practical English teaching 13 (1993) 3, S. 54-56.
Zusammenstellung von
Bereichen des Konzepts Kommunikationsstrategien
von Susanne Arndt, August 2006
Weiterführende Literatur zum Thema Kommunikationsstrategien
finden Sie hier als PDF: Quellen-
und Literaturverzeichnis zum Konzept Kommunikationsstrategien
Der wahrgenommene Abstand zwischen Kulturen kann ein Parameter
für Leichtigkeit oder Schwierigkeit von Kommunikation sein.
Einen kleinen Einstieg bietet der folgende Text über Japan versus westliche
Länder.
Cross-cultural communication between Japanese and Western, especially American interactants, often fails, as there are various misinterpretations, which often lead to frustration and a wrong and often stereotypical image of each other. The basic difference, which is also responsible for the various differences in language and communication, is in their social systems.
Traditionally, for Americans, independence is the most important value and an essential personal right. This is easy to understand, considering the history of the USA with its Declaration of Independence, for example. The Japanese, however, have a completely different underlying concept of society: Sweet interdependence (amae). This can also be explained historically, as Japan has been threatened by other peoples, constantly trying to invade, like the Mongols and Chinese, for example. Besides, there are geographical reasons:
Living on an isolated island endowed with few natural resources, with a terrain so mountainous that only about 19 percent of the land is arable, and with a number of potentially cataclysmic environmental features (earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons, tidal waves), the Japanese have survived and flourished, it is often argued, only through hard work and social cooperation. (Allisson 1994, 84f.)
This has led to a very strong desire and need of the individual to become a part of the community and to define himself in terms of the other instead of himself. Independence and individuality is not desireable at all here:
In America, empathy is shown by giving Alter [the other] freedom to make up his own mind, while Japanese empathy [omoiyari] refers to anticipating and taking care of Alter`s wants. (Yamada 1997, 7)
Individual freedom can only be achieved by dropping out of the traditional Japanese system, a system torn between its historical roots and a rapidly advancing future. The Japanese society is centred around money. Many Japanese admit that, unlike in Europe or America, it is very hard to grow up in such an enviroment, because the pressure of achieving the best education and to become a member in a successful company has suffocated much of the joy Western civilizations take for granted. (cf. BEINEIX 2003, Otaku) Those people who deny this kind of group pressure and try to escape into some sort of fictional reality are called Otaku. This term has been coined by the Japanese author Akio Nakamori. The term itself was neutral but when an Otaku killed many young children and collected their bones people were shocked (cf. BEINEIX 2003, Otaku). This led to a change in the meaning of the term Otaku: Das japanische Wort für Haus wurde dort [in Japan] auf Fanatiker übertragen, die sich ganz in ihr Hobby flüchten und den Kontakt zu Aussenwelt und Realität verlieren. (Holzer 2002, 5). However, this group of people is not a side issue, because, although they refuse to be a productive member working for a Japanese company, they spend their money for their hobbies and thus financially contribute to a society, which tries to ignore them. This is similar to the Generation X, but the McJobs are called arbeto in Japan. According to Nakamori, Otakus are the image of the modern communication society. They suffer from the Peter-Pan-syndrome, as they refuse to become adults and are trapped in a state between childhood and adolescense. The media always focuses on scandals and otherness and so Otakus have become representatives of modern Japan as well as the salariimen are. The conflict lies in the Japanese society itself which refuses individuals who do not follow the majority. Thus they are often a source for misunderstanding between the cultures and even within the Japanese culture itself. (see Appendix 1, or GTO 12, 64f.).
The basic difference in verbal communication is that Japanese prefer an implicit way of talking. While Westerners apt for sharp and clear formulations, Japanese evaluate halting speakers more positively, thinking of them more honest than those who are too fluent. (Yamada 1997, 17). For Westerners, verbal communication is a vehicle to solve problems. Therefore, the aim is to find the right words to express exactly what is meant, while Japanese, influenced by Confucian teaching, regard overly explicit verbal communication as often tactless and blunt. Thus, ideal communication is communication without talk (cf. Yamada, 1997, 16f.). An ideal example of communication between couples would sound like this: If a husband says, “Ah”, a wife would immediately understand, “Hm”. Even more important than verbal communication is the written form in Western culture. For Westerners, in business and law, written documents are essential and the only thing which can really be trusted. The sequence of importance is written-spoken-unspoken. For Japanese, it is exactly the other way around: most valued is the unspoken, then the spoken and at last the written. The following advice for Japanese business negotiatiors makes this clear:
We [Japanese] arrive at trust primarily through personal relationships, while they rely on lawyers to write thight contracts and settle disputes. We strongly recommend American-style written contracts with Japanese jurisdiction. The written contract is your only assurance of compliance. (Yamada 1997, 67)
Western explicit verbal communication is often regarded as rude by Japanese. Implicit and indirect politeness is generally higher valued than explicit, direct honesty, as this can often hurt the others` feelings, which would weaken the bond of interdependence. Another opposing feature of Japanese communication is that it is usually listener-based, whereas American communication tends to be speaker-based. This Japanese Listener Talk is obvious in sasshi (guesswork), for example. For Japanese, the responsibility of communication rests with the audience. Therefore, a good communicator is somebody who understands what is being said without having to hear every word. To show that they are good communicators and aware of their responsibility as listener, Japanese tend to complete the speaker`s sentences (cf. Yamada 1997, 38). But in Western conversation, the speaker is responsible. In Western culture, a good communicator is “an articulate person who gets his points across quickly and clearly and a bad one is someone who mumbles and hesitates―people who just can`t get their ideas across.”(Yamada 1997, 38). In a Western context, a listener is only supposed to listen and to be silent. Completing the speaker`s sentences or interrupting him otherwise would be regarded as impolite and annoying. This can lead to a bad impression of one another: For Westerners, the Japanese seem to be unable to articulate their point of view, whereas the Japanese blame their American audience for being unable to interpret what they mean, which both makes a rather stupid impression (cf. Yamada 1997, 38). In order to maintain and strengthen interdependence, Japanese use the others-first principle. This can be seen in grammatical forms, for example. When speaking of oneself, a verbform to lower oneself is used, while when adressing the other, he is grammatically highered up. Everyone tries to be humble this way, while treating the other with respect (cf. Yamada 1997, 33).
Suffixes are tacked on to names to add inflections of politeness, and to specify the position the person holds. Thus, if Mr. Suzuki were a company president, he would often be referred to as Suzuki Shachoo, Mr. Company President Suzuki. (URUSEI YATSURA Tv-1 booklet 1)
This leads to another source for misunderstanding, because it is rather difficult to choose the right suffix, as there are many different variations that can be applied. These suffixes do not only denote levels of politeness but also levels of intimacy between the speaker and the person being mentioned. (cf. URUSEI YATSURA Tv-1 booklet 1) A further indispensable fact to know about Japanese talk is the principle of end weight in conversation, as this is the exact counterpart of Western communication. Especially in business talk, this often leads to confusion, as in officital meetings, Japanese businessmen first talk about things that are not related to a deal at all and usually start with the essential topic at the end. Westerners start with the essential, with the business talk and then, after the important things are talked through, they start small talk (cf. Yamada 1997, 72f.). Still, this also shows another kind of different evaluation: For Japanese, the relationship to their potential business partners is more important than the blunt economical conditions, numbers and facts themselves. Another difference in Japanese conversational structure is the duration of pauses, which is much longer than the Western one, as Japanese have a much higher tolerance for silence in conversation, than Westerners have. For Western interactants, these pauses seem much too long and lead to a feeling of uneasiness, but Japanese can feel the bonds of interdependence in such a situation, as “silence does not belong to anyone, and because everyone shares it, silence is the ultimative form of interdependence” (Yamada, 1997, 77). These longer pauses also indicate the principle of Japanese Listener Talk:
Silence shifting not only reads meaning into the silence, but also requires active decision making in them. This contradicts the popular view that silence is a breakdown in communication. In Japanese conversation, silence is anything but a breakdown. On the contrary, the kanji (Chinese character used in writing Japanese) “ma” (meaning space or pause) is drawn to represent the sun shining through gates, illustrating how implied communication can shine through silence. (Yamada 1997, 77)
A further problem of Japanese Listener Talk is a high amount of back-channels in conversation. For Japanese, back-channels are a possibility for the listener to participate in conversation and showing that he understands what is being said and that he is present. Unfortunately, these back-channels are often interpreted as agreement of the Japanese, which leads to a harmful stereotype, as “Americans see Japanese as insincere agreers, and Japanese see Americans as inattentive” (Yamada 1997, 98). The given examples show, that a smooth and harmonious communication without preceding background information about the other culture can be very difficult, as the differences are so profound. In order to evade frustration and conflicts, the communication gap should be filled with information about the other culture and their way of communication.
~ Allisson, Anne (1994). Nightwork. Sexuality, Pleasure, and Corporate Masculinity in a Tokyo Hostess Club. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press.
~ Beineix, Jean-Jacques (2003). Otaku – Eine Dokumentation. Cargo Films. German Edition (2003) OVA Films.
~ Bornoff, Nicholas (1991). Pink samurai: the pursuit and politics of sex in Japan. London: GraftonBooks.
~ Diem, Angelika (2005). Lolikon und Love Hotels – Japan und das älteste Gewerbe der Welt. In: MangasZene – Fachmagazin für Manga, Anime, Lifestyle und mehr. Sonderheft 1/2005 Thema Erotik. Herausgeber: Erbstößer, Lars. Köln: MangasZene/Erstößer & Holzer GbR.
~ Diem, Angelika (2006). Tod und Begräbnisriten in Japan. in: MangasZene – Fachmagazin für Manga, Anime, Lifestyle und mehr. 6. Jahrgang. Ausgabe 34: Erbstößer, Lars. Köln: MangasZene/Erstößer & Holzer GbR.
~ Holzer, Steffi (2002). In: MangasZene – Fachmagazin für Manga, Anime, Lifestyle und mehr. 2. Jahrgang. Ausgabe 8: Erbstößer, Lars. Köln: MangasZene/Erstößer & Holzer GbR.
~ Holzer, Steffi (2005). Penis-Parade in Kawasaki. In: MangasZene – Fachmagazin für Manga, Anime, Lifestyle und mehr. Sonderheft 1/2005 Thema Erotik. Herausgeber: Erbstößer, Lars. Köln: MangasZene/Erstößer & Holzer GbR.
~ Holzer, Steffi (2006). Der Tod und Danach. In: MangasZene – Fachmagazin für Manga, Anime, Lifestyle und mehr. 6. Jahrgang. Ausgabe 34: Erbstößer, Lars. Köln: MangasZene/Erstößer & Holzer GbR.
~ Napier, Susan Joliffe (2005). Anime from Akira to Howls Moving Castle; experiencing contemporary Japanese animation. Updated ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
~ Regina (2002). In: MangasZene – Fachmagazin für Manga, Anime, Lifestyle und mehr. 5. Jahrgang. Ausgabe 29: Erbstößer, Lars. Köln: MangasZene/Erstößer & Holzer GbR.
~ Takahashi, Rumiko/Kitty Films (1981). Urusei Yatsura TV Series Vol.1. English Edition (2000) Animeigo. (booklet 1).
~ Yamada, Haru (1997). Different Games, Different Rules. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Buddhism:
http://www.bpb.de/files/X539D3.pdf#search=%22Buddhismus
%20und%20Sex%22
Confucianism:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konfuzianismus
Sailor Moon:
http://eternalsailormoon.org/help.html
©Fujisawa, Toru/KODANSHA Ltd. (1994). GTO Vol, 12. German Edition. (2004) Köln: Egmont Ehapa Verlag GmbH.
©Kobayashi, Jin/KODANSHA Ltd.(2005). School Rumble. German Edition.(2006) Tokyopop. Marvelous Entertainment. Sotsu Agency TV Tokyo.
©Mita, Ryuusuke/Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co. Ltd./Victor Entertainment Inc. (1993) Dragon Half. German Edition. (2006) ADV Films.
©Takeuchi, Naoko/Toei Co., Ltd & Video Co. Ltd.. (1991 -1995) Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon. English and Japanese Edition (2004). Geneon. Pioneer.
©Yuki, Kaori/Hakusensha Angel Sanctuary Committee (2000). Angel Sanctuary. German Edition (2001). OVA Films.
Written by Johanna Gottschalk and Patrick Förster, September 2006 (participants in the seminar Intercultural communication and intercultural learning, Prof. A. Kubanek, TU Braunschweig)
Der folgende Beitrag ist ein Bericht über Unterschiede zwischen libanesischer und deutscher Kultur, eingeleitet durch einige landeskundliche Informationen. Er wurde im Sommer 2007 verfaßt von einer im Libanon aufgewachsenen Studentin, die nun in Niedersachsen lebt.
Lebanon or the Lebanese Republic is a small country, which is located in the Middle East at the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. This sea borders it from the west, Syria from the east and north and Israel from the south. The name Lebanon means The White Mountain Der Weiße (Berg) 1 , which probably refers to the snow that covers the Lebanese mountains until late spring time.
Paper written in Summer 2007, by A.B who grew up in Lebanon and now lives in Lower
Saxony *Name der Seminarleitung bekannt. Die Namen der Verfasser der studentischen
Beitraege wurden auf Wunsch anonymisiert.
Moreover Lebanon housed large forests of cedars in ancient times that were
very famous [f]or indeed, none ever shewed the like, none ever shewed higher
Cedars, than those that were in Lebanon.
2 Nowadays, this famous tree serves as the country's
national emblem.
Although Lebanon is a small country with an area of 10,452 Km², its capital
‘Beirut’ plays an important role for the Arabian countries.
Since Phoenician times, Beirut’s distinct role has developed
from its maritime trade with the hinterland and as a link between East and West.
Linked to Europe across the Mediterranean sea and through Damascus to the classic
trade routes of the Orient, Beirut has maintained a strategic role and natural
trading functions – gateway between East and West – for thousands of years.
3
Besides it has attracted a huge number of tourists, to the point that Beirut
was called the Paris of the Middle East.
4 In addition to that the government’s encouragement
of the moving of foreign capital into Lebanon by introducing the guarantee of
bank secrecy, […] helped making Beirut the leading banking centre of the
Middle East. 5
Owing to all these characteristics and features, Beirut is in closer to the
European cities than any other Arabian city in the Orient.
6
Lebanon has faced many social and cultural developments that distinguish it
nowadays from other Arabian countries.
The special social and cultural development of Lebanon was
to a large extent made possible by the peculiar political status which the country
enjoyed […]. The presence in the country of large groups of Maronite and other
Uniate Christians, who maintained regular contact with Europe, was also important.
7
Arabic is the official language in Lebanon that is only used for writing and
reading, whereas the spoken Lebanese, which is quite different from the written
language, is used at school along with other foreign languages like English,
French, Spanish and nowadays German. In addition to the Goethe Institute and
the German schools, a German University opened in Lebanon two years ago.
I used to study Arabic at school for example, but only two times per week; just
like other foreign languages. On the other hand I studied subjects like Mathematics,
Chemistry and Biology in the first foreign language, which is English at my
school. Some people find it strange that the Arabians study their mother tongue
as a foreign language, but I think that the Arabians are in need to learn other
languages in order to gain knowledge and stay up to date, since nowadays almost
everything is in English, French or other foreign languages.
The main constituents of the Lebanese culture as well as any other culture
are the persons, practices, products, communication and perspectives. In the
following some of these constituents will be discussed. For example I will be
talking about the persons, the way of communication, practices and perspectives.
In comparison to other Arabian countries, Lebanon is known for its sectarian
diversity which has 17 different sectors of religions. For instance, Muslim
(Shi'a, Sunni, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian (Maronite Catholic,
Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Catholic, Syrian
Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Copt, Protestant),
Druze and others. 8
As mentioned above, Lebanon faced many cultural developments that made it very
similar to the European culture and different from the Arabian one. As an example
you can mention the subject of clothing. The Lebanese have traditional clothes
that they only wear in traditional dances or during plays in theatre. Thus,
the young generation never wears these clothes unless it is performing a folklore
dance to entertain spectators.
In our daily life the majority of people wear the same style of clothes as
in Europe, no matter how decent they are. This fact may sometimes contradict
with our cultural and religious backgrounds. We should notice that this kind
of freedom in our way of dressing depends on the regional and religious backgrounds
of every single person, since each region in Lebanon has different traditions
even if they are of the same religion.
The role of the family in Lebanon differs from that in Europe, since it is always
considered the most important thing for every person no matter how old this
person is. Just as the family gives protection, support, and opportunity
to its members, the individual member offers loyalty and service to the family.
9 This kind of loyalty is sometimes strange, since it
may be stronger to the family than to the fatherland. In some critical situations
we notice that every member in the family has the right to give his/her opinion
about a certain subject, no matter how private this subject is for the other
person concerned.
Although Lebanon adopted many things from Europe, the role of the man is still
considered the most powerful one in the society. Thus patriarchy dominates in
almost every family, where the father has the power and the right of making
important decisions. The centrality of the father figure refers to his economic
role, in which he is the property owner and producer on whom the rest of the
family depends. 10
According to our traditions, the power of the father will not be ignored or
decreased even if the child is older than 18 years. But on the other hand we
should not consider the father as a dictatorial person, who leads the family
but rather as an expert, who experienced a lot in his life and wants his family
to avoid known problems or bad situations.
Even though the role of the man is very important in our society, this does
not mean that the role of the woman is ignored. On the contrary, the woman in
Lebanon has more freedom than in any other Arabian country, since she has the
right to do almost everything the man does. Lebanese women enjoy equal civil
rights and attend institutions of higher education in large numbers (for example,
women constituted 41 percent of the student body at the American University
of Beirut in 1983). 11
Moreover women have their own organizations and play an important role in political
parties as well as parliament. This assures that the role of the woman in Lebanon
is very similar to the one in Europe, where she has the right to vote, to be
elected as a representative in the parliament, to work, to study, to posses
her own company, etc. … This freedom, which the Lebanese women have, is not
found to that extent in any other Arabian country. Due to this reason, Lebanon
is considered a culturally developed Arabian country that respects its citizens
and treats them equally without comparing between the two genders.
From the subjects mentioned above, we notice that there are many similarities
as well as differences between the Lebanese and the European culture. Even within
the Lebanese culture itself, there are clear cultural and traditional differences
as if there are several cultures. For example among Muslims there is a traditional
preference for marrying a patrilineal first cousin, whereas in Roman Catholic
canon law the marriage of persons within the same bloodline or of persons within
the third degree of collateral relationship is explicitly forbidden.
Furthermore the way how people marry differs totally from one religion to another.
For example in my religion the ‘Druze’, marriage will be officially declared
not only when we marry in an office that belongs to the Druze religion (as in
church), but also when we have a wedding ceremony that declares our marriage
in front of everyone. On the other hand, the Muslims can marry alone, just with
the bride and the bridegroom and secretly without declaring their marriage to
other people (in some cases the parents do not even know about it). Nevertheless
this kind of marriage is considered as a regular one in front of God, so the
couple does not commit a vice according to their religion. This difference shows
that there is a huge gap between the people because of their different religions,
which in many cases does not permit two persons of different religions to marry.
In this small country we have differences, as I already mentioned, as well as
similarities. For example we have some ‘cultural’ parallels that are the same
for every Lebanese regardless of his/her religion. These similarities, which
could also be called cultural awareness since they are shared by the whole social
group, are premarital and extramarital sexual relations. These kinds of relations
are frowned upon throughout society. A person, who has this sort of sexual relation,
will be ignored and neglected by the family as well as by the whole society
because of committing vice according to our cultural background.
Although Lebanon is an Arabian country and Arabic is its mother-tongue, the
Lebanese consider that they have only few things in common with their Arabian
neighbors; thus some Lebanese do not consider themselves as Arabians because
of the huge and immense difference between them and their Arabian neighbor countries.
Supporting this opinion this group of Lebanese says that they are Phoenicians
rather than Arabians, since Phoenicians are our ancestors. 12
Emigration, which goes back to thousands of years, is not a new phenomenon
in Lebanon. The Lebanese emigrants are spread all over the world, especially
in North and South America due to their work as traders.
13 Nowadays Lebanese emigrants, especially the young
generation, emigrate not as traders but as students, who aim for better studying
conditions in modern countries. Germany, which is one of the modern countries
that have high educational standards, accepts a lot of Lebanese students in
its universities. I am one of these emigrants, who aim to receive a better education
in this modern country than the one that I could have had in Lebanon. I also
intend to go back to Lebanon one day in order to improve the level of study
there; to make a better life for the next generation.
As a Lebanese foreigner in Germany there are some remarkable changes or differences
that confirm the intercultural awareness and the richness of cultural diversity.
Most of these differences are considered cultural, because of viewing things
from different perspectives. For instance, what is considered as normal in Germany
is not normal at all in the Lebanese culture. Some of these cultural differences
have been mentioned above, but there is much more that should be also taken
into consideration.
According to my own experience, it was not easy at all to be in a new country
and to learn a totally different language. The German language is seen as one
of the difficult languages to learn, since there are a lot of exceptions especially
in Grammar. Although I have faced a lot of difficulties at first, I was glad
and excited to learn this new language that will help me in the future and facilitate
the way of communicating with the German people. After taking a big step forward,
which is learning the German language, I began to recognize and notice the cultural
differences due to the contact with friends and neighbors.
Punctuality used to be one of the hardest things for me, because such a thing
is not taken into consideration in our daily life in Lebanon. For example, if
I am invited to lunch at someone’s home in Lebanon then I should at least come
10 minutes after the appointment, or else the lunch will not be ready and the
host will be under stress. Even at the university it would not be a problem
if we came 10 minutes later to the lecture. Punctuality in Germany is a subject,
which should not be ignored, because the German people are accustomed to being
punctual and precise in everything they do. At the beginning it was really hard
for me to get accustomed to being punctual, but now I find it very good and
helpful to be an organized person. Sometimes I find it funny that I have adopted
the German life style, punctuality being one part of it, because every time
when I travel to Lebanon I feel that I am wasting a lot of time waiting for
my visitors to arrive late. Although I cannot change such a rule in one day
or another and oblige my visitors in Lebanon to be punctual, a lot of people
now know that I do prefer punctuality and try to be more precise in their appointments.
Another cultural difference, which was also difficult for me, is the one concerning
invitation. For instance if someone is invited for a cup of tea in Lebanon and
the host serves cookies, then the guest will not try these cookies unless if
the host asks him/her more than once to try them. In other words, as a Lebanese
guest you know that you will be asked more than once to try these cookies; due
to this we accept the invitation after the second or the third try. This case,
which could be understood as a declination in Germany, confirms that the guest
is polite and well-mannered in Lebanon. At the beginning it was not easy for
me to accept an invitation from the first time for eating or drinking something
by a German person, because I have always expected that the invitation for the
same offer will be repeated once again, which was not the case sometimes.
Another example of the difference between the German and the Lebanese culture
is the one referring to judging acts, whether they are vice or virtue. Even
though premarital relations are totally forbidden and considered a taboo in
my Lebanese culture, nowadays I consider that if an unmarried couple lives together
it is something normal or at least not strange anymore. Moreover the idea of
a single parent has also become familiar to me, although it is considered as
illegal in Lebanon. The reason of viewing this cultural difference from another
point of view may refer to my experience that some single parents are able to
raise their children better than normal parents and therefore deserve to have
their way.
On the other hand, I could never and still cannot understand or accept the idea
of marrying someone of the same sex. The marriage of Gays and Lesbians is still
a strange phenomenon to me, because such an idea conflicts not only with my
cultural background but also with my own opinion. Because of this I think that
this cultural difference, which is accepted in some parts of Europe, remains
very strange for me to understand and even difficult to accept. The rejection
of this new phenomenon does not mean that I am unable to integrate in the new
culture; on the contrary it shows and assures that we should always differentiate
between what is good and what is bad referring to our personal opinion in judging
things.
In addition to the different judgments, there are different interpretations
between the German and the Lebanese people for the same events or acts. Crossing
hands, for example, is considered a bad omen in Germany that is why people try
to avoid it, while it is a good one in Lebanon. It symbolizes that someone will
get engaged or be married soon. Besides crossing hands, congratulating someone
to his/her birthday two days before is not a bad omen at all in the Lebanese
culture. It is rather a sign that you remember the person’s birthday and you
would like to be the first person who congratulates him/her. These trivial cultural
differences are very confusing and embarrassing for both the Lebanese and the
German people, since the same acts are interpreted differently by the two sides.
These different interpretations, which are considered by one side as a good
omen and by the other as a bad one, may lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations.
I have also noticed other differences, which are not considered cultural ones,
but which are nevertheless interesting to mention. For example the students
at a Lebanese school must always stand up whenever a teacher comes into the
classroom. According to us, standing up symbolizes respect towards the teacher,
who is always considered as a model for the students. Another kind of difference,
which refers to the different ways of thinking due to the different life situations
in Germany and Lebanon, is the one concerning vacation.
A lot of Germans consider the vacation after a long period of working as a necessity,
which cannot be postponed or ignored. On the contrary, most of the Lebanese
parents do not have a real vacation because they always think about investing
money in order to enable their children to lead a better life. That is the reason
why they do not spend the saved money for a relaxing vacation. Many Lebanese
parents rather save it for the children’s education or as we say ‘for the black
days’ when people are in need for money. The motive for ignoring the right to
have a relaxing vacation refers to the inability of our government to afford
the school and the university fees, health insurance or even old age pension.
In other words our government can afford almost nothing for its citizens; due
to this the Lebanese citizens must manage to pay for everything themselves.
This everyday stress obliges them to think more about the whole family and to
ignore their right to have a relaxing vacation, which everyone would like to
have. Talking about this difference does not mean that I am blaming the Germans
for having a vacation, but I would like to tell them that they should appreciate
their government for giving them a lot of facilities for a better life in comparison
to other countries.
In Lebanon I used to live in the city, that is why it was obviously easier for
me to get accustomed to the way the people live here in Germany, since it is
very similar to my former way of living. Thus this intercultural competence,
which helped me to integrate in my new environment quickly, made the things
much easier for me. On the other hand if I had been used to live in the village
in Lebanon, the situation would have been more difficult and maybe I would have
suffered from a cultural shock. It is almost the same everywhere as the people
in the city may have the opportunity to get to know more different kinds of
people than those in the village. Hence they will be more flexible towards new
mentalities as well as towards new things. That is why I think that living in
the city was very helpful for me to get acclimatized quickly to the new German
culture in a comparatively short period of time (about three years).
These similarities and differences between the Lebanese and the German culture
may give an overview or an idea for other people about the difficulties or changes
that a foreigner could face in Germany. According to my own experience, I do
not consider these differences to be immense; nevertheless they cannot be ignored.
Finally, although living in a new culture was not an easy experience, I believe
that friends play an important role concerning the integration of a foreigner
in a new culture and help him/her to acquire new things easier. Hence they have
helped me to find a way in order to merge with the new conditions of living,
which may also be called intercultural learning. Therefore I consider that my
friends have played an important role in my integration in Germany, which I
can only describe as a good experience.
footnotes:
1 Reallexikon der Assyriologie. Volume
6. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter &Co.,1983. Page: 642.
2 Bunyan, John. Solomon’s Temple
Spiritualized, The house of the forest of Lebanon, The water of life. Oxford:
Graham Midgley Clarendon Press, 1989. Page: 131.
3 Gavin, Angus and Maluf, Ramez. Beirut
reborn: The Restoration and Development of the Central Distinct. Beirut:
Academy Editions, 1996. Page: 12.
4 Beirut, Lebanon: Paris of the Middle
East. April 2002 Story by Photography. 02.04.2002. International Mission
Board. 28.08.2007.
5 Salibi, Kamal S. The modern history
of Lebanon. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1965. Page: 197.
6 cf. Allemann, F.R. Nationen im
Werden: Eindrücke und Ergebnisse einer Balkan- und Vorderasien-Reise. Frankfurt
am Main: Büchergilde Gutenberg, 1955. Page: 304.
7 Salibi, Kamal S. The modern history
of Lebanon. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1965. Page: 120.
8 cf. Lebanon. The world Factbook.
16.08.2007. Central Intelligence Agency. 28.08.2007.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/le.html
9 Ghazi, Ayman. Lebanon’s Culture Source:
The family. September 30, 1997. Federal Research Division-Library of Congress
1997-2001. 28.08.2007 http://www.ghazi.de/society.html
10 edb. Sex Roles.
11 edb.
12 cf. Allemann, F.R. Nationen im Werden:
Eindrücke und Ergebnisse einer Balkan- und Vorderasien-Reise. Frankfurt am Main:
Büchergilde Gutenberg, 1955. Page: 312.
13 edb. Page: 313.
Resources:
• Allemann, F.R. Nationen im Werden: Eindrücke und Ergebnisse einer Balkan-
und Vorderasien-Reise. Frankfurt am Main: Büchergilde Gutenberg, 1955. Page:
304, 312pp.
• Bunyan, John. Solomon’s Temple Spiritualized, The house of the forest of Lebanon,
The water of life. Oxford: Graham Midgley Clarendon Press, 1989. Page: 131.
• Gavin, Angus and Maluf, Ramez. Beirut reborn: The Restoration and Development
of the Central Distinct. Beirut: Academy Editions, 1996. Page: 12.
• Reallexikon der Assyriologie. Volume 6. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter &Co.,1983.
Page: 642.
• Salibi, Kamal S. The modern history of Lebanon. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson,
1965. Page: 120, 197.
• Beirut, Lebanon: Paris of the Middle East. April 2002 Story by Photography.
02.04.2002. International Mission Board. 28.08.2007. <http://archives.tconline.org/
Stories/april02/fc6.html>.
• Ghazi, Ayman. Lebanon’s Culture Source: The family. September 30, 1997. Federal
Research Division-Library of Congress 1997-2001. 28.08.2007 <http://www.ghazi.de/
society.html >.
• Lebanon. The world Factbook. 16.08.2007. Central Intelligence Agency. 28.08.2007.
<https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/le.html>.
Der Beitrag, den Sie nun lesen, umfasst Interviews mit
zwei inzwischen erwachsenen Kindern (Alter 38 bzw 26 Jahre) von Immigranten
der ersten Generation in Deutschland. Sie geben einen Einblick in die damalige
Situation und zeigen, wie die Befragten sich aktiv für Interkulturelle Verständigung
einsetzen.
Both of the interviewees were born in Germany, but both of them have foreign
roots. One of them has his roots in Spain and Italy and the second interviewee
in Greece. The questions for each interviewee vary a little bit, because some
arose during the interview. The questions focus on three points: the interviewee’s
experience of being in Germany as a foreigner, the differences between the interviewee’s
home and the German culture and the acceptance by the German society. Due to
this approach I first recorded the interviews in German. I visited the interviewees
at home, to create a private atmosphere. Afterwards I wrote down the interviews
in German and translated them into English. Because of the translation into
English it was not always possible to express the original terms which the interviewees
used. But both of the interviewees got a copy of the translation before the
interviews were submitted and they agreed to the publication of their texts.
Interview 1, September 1st, 2007
Interviewee A, 26 years old, resident in Wolfsburg
Interviewer: Saskia Ehlers
How long have you been living in Germany?
I was born in Wolfsburg, Germany in February 10th, in 1981, but I have got the
Italian citizenship. My father is from Italy and my mother from Spain. My father
came to Germany in 1969, when he was nineteen years old. My mother came to Germany
one year later at the age of twenty. They came to Germany because the labor
situation in their home countries was very bad. From other guest workers they
knew that Germany recruited many guest workers. Especially the Volkwagen-Werk
Wolfsburg recruited guest workers and it was known for good wages among the
guest workers. For my mother it was easier to find work in Germany, too. She
got a job as a dressmaker in Seesen. My parents met each other at a discotheque
in Seesen for the first time. The disco was known as a meeting point for guest
workers from diverse countries.
What problems did your parents have in adapting to the German culture?
The situation in the beginning in Germany was very difficult for my parents.
They were very young and felt homesick, because they had to leave their families
and their familiar environment. The biggest problem for them was learning the
German language. There were no integration programs and the guest workers were
among each other for the most time. They were accommodated in barracks, which
were constructed for the guest workers. Over the years they learned German,
during the contact to Germans. They never attended language courses or something
like that. Even today they have difficulties with the German language. But these
difficulties do not affect their daily lives and they rarely need help.
In how far do your parents feel connected with their home countries
today?
Even today they feel deeply connected with their home countries. Germany has
become their second home indeed, but they adhere to their traditions and rituals.
They still observe what is going on in their home countries while watching Spanish
and Italian newscast every day. Once a year they go to Spain and Italy to visit
their relatives and friends. During the last years they were more often in Spain
than in Italy, because the alliance to our Spanish relatives has become more
intense. I am also interested in what is going on in Spain and Italy, but I
don’t feel that deeply connected with these countries like my parents do. I
grew up in Germany and I have other cultural experiences than my parents. For
me it is interesting, because my roots are there.
You talked about traditions and rituals in Spain and Italy. In how far
do they differ from German traditions and rituals?
Our eating habits for instance distinguish us from the German eating habits.
In Spain or Italy it is important to take meals collectively, to strengthen
social contacts. Spaniards or Italians take time while eating. There is always
a tablecloth on the table while eating, also in daily life. To every meal, bread
is passed and during celebrations wine is more common than beer. Celebrations
in general are very different to Germany. Family celebrations are taken very
seriously by relatives. Weddings are celebrated very grandly. The presents by
the guests are very generous and all of the guests are well dressed. One day
before marriage friends and relatives meet at the house of the bride to praise
her with songs and speeches. Moreover there are some different holidays celebrated.
On Christmas for example the presents are given out at midnight, because the
25th of December has a greater importance for us than Christmas Eve, because
we are Catholics.
What do you recognize by comparing the three national characters?
Spaniards and Italians are more cordial than Germans. They are more open and
don’t need such a long warm-up time towards strangers. If for example a family
member brings along a friend, he or she is cordially received. Germans are more
cold-hearted towards strangers. Germans also moan about many things like their
work, their money and their family which is not common in Spain or Italy. They
are more relaxed and avoid nonessential problems. In return Germans are more
consistent in almost all domains. Concerning their appearance one can say that
Spaniards and Italians extremely look after their outer appearance, especially
the women. Family plays an important role in Spain and Italy and it is very
untypical to give away old family members into residential homes for elderly
people. For most of the time these family members are cared for by their relatives.
How would you describe the attitude towards children in Spain and Italy?
Children are very important in these countries. They have a great social prestige,
because they keep the family alive. Children are educated to become independent
much earlier than German children; girls for example are familiar in terms of
household. Before they move out of the parental household they are able to cook,
bake and wash. Furthermore it is the parents| wish that children are given a
good educational background in Spain and Italy. Unfortunately, I am not able
to compare the educational systems to Germany, because I never experienced them.
Do you think that your childhood was different from children belonging
to only one culture?
I grew up in three different cultural areas. Until I was twelve I was not really
aware of this fact. I had German friends, attended a German kindergarten and
later a German-Italian school in Wolfsburg. Within the help of my German friends
I learned German very early. Today I speak the language without any accent.
My German friends and my German teachers treated me like a German and it was
ordinary for me to speak another language with my friends and at school than
at home. But when I started to learn English and French at school I recognized
that it was easier for me to learn other languages than for other children.
I was able to deduce many words from Spanish or Italian for example. When I
grew older I became aware of many cultural differences between me and my friends.
Those differences enriched our friendship. For me it was interesting to take
part in German festivities for example and vice versa.
Which language do you speak at home?
At home we talk to each other in Italian mainly. This is because my mother speaks
better Italian, than my father speaks Spain. But over the years we started to
mix up the three languages while talking to each other more and more. There
are many words in German which we do not translate into Spanish or Italian.
“Finanzamt” is only one example. I guess we do this, because many words have
other connotations to us in every single language. Other words are untranslatable
into the other language, because they do not exist there.
What does cultural identity mean to you?
This is difficult to answer for me. I am a European somehow, there do not exist
so many language barriers for me. On the one hand I feel at home in three different
cultural areas; on the other hand I do not really belong to any of the three
cultures completely. Because of this I sometimes feel disrupted or rootless.
There are many situations in which I change my identity. Sometimes, for example
in sports I feel more Italian, in terms of work I think more German and in other
situations I am a Spaniard.
Do you have experienced xenophobia in Germany?
Yes, I have experienced xenophobia, but less on a personal level. There is a
meeting point for the youth in Wolfsburg, which is mainly visited by Italians.
A few years ago, some rowdies came to the meeting point and threw Molotov Cocktails
into the facility. Fortunately nobody was injured, but the very fact was bad
enough. But xenophobia doesn’t only exist in Germany. The Spaniards are partly
not better than the Germans, although there are no political organized groups
against foreigners. Turks and Albanians are treated very badly in Spain.
What do you do to reduce cultural prejudices?
Within my part-time work as a barkeeper in the discotheque Jolly Joker in Braunschweig
I mingle with a lot of people from other cultures. There work Italians, Russians,
Lebanese and people from other countries. I often talk with them about cultural
differences, their traditions, attitudes towards Germany, religion and soccer.
The Lebanese for example are very open- minded and modern. Before I talked to
them I always thought that Lebanese women are suppressed by the men. But there
are many women who act in leadership positions. When we exchange our views towards
German people we often come to similar conclusions. The Germans are much more
cold-hearted in general than most of the people from southern countries. When
I talk about this fact with my German friends they often do not know what is
meant by that, because they grew up with another mentality. During the last
summer holidays I went together with my best friend from Germany to Spain, afterwards
he understood what I meant. He couldn’t believe that the Spaniards received
him cordially although they didn’t know him before. He was impressed by that.
Why do you think it is important to be aware of cultural differences?
What use could it have for the general public?
It is important to be aware of other cultures, because we can learn from each
other. Within the exchange among other cultures it is possible to reduce cultural
prejudices. The exchange towards other cultures gives people the chance to learn
cultural backgrounds and to understand why people belonging to another culture
act or think in the way they do. Let’s say a leopard can’t change his spots
too, for that reason people have to be more tolerant towards other cultures.
Intercultural Interview / Interview 2, September the 20th, 2007
Interviewee B, 38 years old, resident in Leiferde (near Gifhorn)
Interviewer: Saskia Ehlers
How long have you been living in Germany?
I was born in Gifhorn, Germany in 1969. But I have the Greek citizenship, because
my parents are Greeks. At that time my parents decided to relocate to Germany
because of the acute lack of work in Greece. Germany recruited at that time
many foreigners due to the fact that Germany was understaffed and my parents
seized the chance.
What problems did your parents have in adapting to the German culture?
The situation in the beginning was difficult for my parents. They were very
young. My father was 21 years old and my mother was nineteen years old. They
had to leave their families behind and also my eldest brother. They had to do
this because Germany preferred workers without children. This was very hard
for them. Furthermore they were not able to communicate in German. The environment
was unknown for them as well as the German mentality. They also bought their
food in a Greek grocery store in Gifhorn, because they did not know German food.
This was easier for them than shopping in a German grocery store.
What did the Germans do to integrate Greek guest workers?
They did not do anything. The … AG placed my parents together with other Greek
guest workers in barracks. The Greeks lived there among other Greeks and continued
their own traditions. During their work they were among themselves and communicated
in Greek. Only their supervisors were Germans. In the beginning there wasn’t
a necessity for the Germans to integrate the Greeks, because they thought the
Greeks would go back to their home countries sometime. Most of the Greeks thought
in the same way. Moreover there were no integration programs. They didn’t learn
the German language until they became acquainted with some Germans after having
been in Germany for a long period of time. But even today my parents have got
difficulties with the German language; therefore I have to help them especially
in contact with administration.
So, the situation of your parents in the beginning is comparable to
the situation of the Italian guest workers in Wolfsburg?
Yes it is, but with the difference that only bachelors were placed in Wolfsburg.
In Gifhorn complete families were placed in barracks. The living conditions
for the families were relatively hard, because the living space was limited
to sixteen square meters per family. After my eldest brother had come to Germany,
I and my younger brother had been born and we lived together at sixteen square
meters in these two rooms. We cooked, lived and slept there. On the one hand
the Germans wanted to offer living space, but on the other hand the Germans
didn’t want the Greeks to stay in Germany for too long. Besides, in Gifhorn
there was housing shortage at that time.
What communication problems did you experience during your childhood?
Until I attended the primary school in Gifhorn at the age of nearly seven I
was able to speak only a few words of German. When I was aged six I didn’t know
that in Germany another language besides Greek existed. I didn’t understand
it. We lived in a kind of ghetto and didn’t know what happened around us. During
this time I had my first communicative experience with a German. The area around
our barracks was surrounded by fences. Behind this facility the sports field
of the MTV was given. Once we played soccer and our ball flew over the fence.
I climbed over it to get our ball back. I recognized that there were many children
on the sports field playing soccer. When I ran back with my ball, a man, the
coach, called me. He said something in German to me, but I was not able to understand
what he said. What I understand were his gestures. He showed me his clock and
he wanted me to come back the next day to play soccer with the other German
children. Afterwards I ran to my parents immediately and told them what had
happened. I told my mother that there was a man, who spoke a language I didn’t
understand and that he wanted me to play soccer with the other children. At
this time my mother didn’t allow me to go there. She said that there were Germans
and we were among ourselves. After I had cried many times, my father allowed
me to play soccer with the German children. From this time on I got into contact
with other Germans and I became aware of the country I lived in.
What communication problems did you experience during your time at school?
I attended a primary school in Gifhorn at the age of seven. Before I came to
school I had to pass a language assessment test. At the age of six I failed
the test, but one year later I passed it and was allowed to go to a German primary
school. At school I had many problems with the German language. When I had to
learn the alphabet for example or when I had to do my homework I didn’t understand
the content for the most time. At school I was together with other Greek children
and my parents were not able to help me, either. Until I was twelve I never
was invited by a German to their home. My difficulties with the language led
to the effect that I attended the Hauptschule later. But inspite of all that
I enjoyed it to go to school and I never was truant.
How did you experience your first time in a German household?
At soccer I made friends with S.R., the son of my coach. The father invited
me to spend the night with the family one day. I was looking forward to this
and rode by bike to S. the next weekend. When I had arrived I wanted to remove
my shoes. Mrs. R. said that I am allowed keeping them on, but I removed them,
because I was used to do it. She said that S. stayed in his room, waiting for
me upstairs. But I was so stunned of the big house that looked like a palace
for me, that I didn’t have the heart to go upstairs first. I had to think continuously
about the fact that S. would come to us the next weekend. When S. showed the
house to me, I couldn’t believe my eyes. His room for example was as big as
our whole living space.
In the evening we had supper together. The meal was much more ample than at
my parents. It was the same with the breakfast. Many foods like butter, I didn’t
know before but I liked them. When S. visited me for the first time, I was ashamed
of our living conditions for the first time. The Greek children were watching
at him, because he looked different. He stayed overnight. I slept on the floor
and he slept in my bed, because we had no other possibilities.
When I grew older I became more and more aware of our situation. I often felt
ashamed of our living conditions especially when my girlfriends wanted to know
were I lived. Apart from the fact that I wasn’t allowed to bring them home I
showed them from the other side of the street where I lived. The girls often
compared the facility to an Indian reservation. Such moments were awkward for
me. With the benefit of hindsight, there were other experiences which were worse.
What experiences do you mean?
We were controlled by the plant security. There were often guards with German
shepherds who controlled the fences and they were unfriendly in contact with
us. I remember that the company allocated once a week, every Wednesday, pea
soup to the workers. I liked the soup and I waited every week at the fence to
receive the soup from my mother. The guards didn’t like it when we stayed near
the fences and tried to banish us. They yelled at us and we didn’t understand
what they were saying. I thought they were joking and smiled at them, they smiled
at me, too. But the Greeks, who understood what the guards were saying, told
me what they had said later.
Where there more situations in which you were confronted with xenophobia?
Yes there were. My wife for example was often asked why she had married a foreigner
of all men. But I do often recognize that foreigners have more disadvantages
at work than German workers. During my activities in the IG Metall, where one
wouldn’t guess that there do exist differences between Germans and foreigners
I recognize many inequities. In general Germans perform better than foreigners
do. But xenophobia is not only a problem in Germany. Xenophobia exists in nearly
every country of the world. In Greece for example foreigners like Albanians
or Russians are treated very badly, worse than in Germany. The Germans are not
allowed to treat foreigners that badly in contrast to other countries because
of their history. Germans for example are not allowed to show national pride.
What does your activity in the union look like? What do you do there
against cultural imbalance?
I have been a shop steward for the foreigners working at VW in Wolfsburg for
ten years. My activity in the IG Metall is voluntary. Officially no differences
between Germans and foreigners exist, but internally it looks different. There
are many Germans who are jealous of foreign workers and try to give them a hard
time. I try to fight against that. I introduce foreign newcomers and tell them
about their rights. I listen to the problems of the foreigners and carry on
negotiations with the respective foremen. I take actively part in meeting of
the shop committees and make speeches about discrimination of foreign people.
Within my activity I don’t have any special advantages. I am released from work
for these activities and travelling costs will be reimbursed. Otherwise there
are more disadvantages than advantages. For instance I am not liked by many
foremen and my activities take a lot of time. But I have a good feeling by doing
something against cultural imbalances.
Furthermore I was an active member on the committee for youth and culture on
the level of local politics in Leiferde. During this time I listened to many
speeches about integration, but nothing ever happened. The foreigners are still
among themselves in the villages. After three years I changed my active membership
into a passive membership. I had the feeling that I wasn’t able to change things
and this was frustrating.
How often do you visit your relatives in Greece?
When I was not married, we went to Greece every second year. Nowadays we go
to Greece triennially. But at the age of twenty I went to Greece for three years
and a half. I had to do my military service in Greece because of my Greek citizenship.
Afterwards I was curious about life in Greece and stayed there for the rest
of the time.
How connected do you feel with the two cultures?
I feel very closely connected with Germany. It is my home. I was born in Germany
and I grew up in two cultural areas. The Greek culture is although important
for me, because my roots are in Greece. During my time in Greece I always wanted
to come back to Germany. I really felt homesick and returned within these years
three times to Germany. During the time in Greece I really became aware of the
fact that I belong to two different cultures. Because of my outer appearance
and my language I was “the German.” Every Greek called me the German. I played
soccer in Greece and when I scored a goal the newspapers always referred to
me as the German. In German it was the other way around. I had to assert myself
in both of the countries more than a native at any time. But in contrast to
a German, I have of course more advantages when I go to Greece for holidays.
Many things like rental cars are much cheaper for me than for a German tourist.
Altogether I think I have assimilated both cultures. I have adopted many characteristics
or habits from the German culture, but I have maintained also many typical Greek
characteristics like my hot temper. For example I am much more emotional than
many Germans. I speak louder and get excited more quickly. Furthermore there
are some Greek customs which I still keep.
What customs do you have in contrast to Germany?
Oh there are a lot of customs, which are typical for Greece. One example would
be that name days are celebrated more than birthdays. Name days are defined
and every day of the year is assigned to a name. The names are denotative. My
name for example stands for the holy light. Furthermore names are handed down
to the next generation. The first child continues the name of his father or
her mother in honor of its parents. Another example is that the Greeks celebrate
the 6th of January. The 6th January is as important as Christmas in Germany.
That has something to do with our religion. Religion is placed a great importance
in Greek besides family and football. If there it is said in the news that the
Madonna has bloody tears in her eyes for instance do many people, especially
the older generations, believe this. You are the father of two children.
What do you want to convey from the Greek culture to them?
Predominately I want them to learn the Greek language. Therefore they attend
a Greek-German school in Gifhorn. My wife is not able to help them indeed, but
I am. The advantage at school for my children is that Greek is equal to major
subjects like mathematics, German or English. After the fourth class they have
the possibility to balance other major subjects with Greek. I hope it will help
them to learn other languages later. Furthermore they grow up by learning two
cultures inevitably because they spend a lot of time with my parents.
Are there any differences between child education in Greek and child
education in Germany?
First of all the Greeks are very fond of children. They are spoiled and don’t
receive so much education like German children do. Greek children are present
almost everywhere. But in comparison to German children, Greek children get
more support in terms of learning. It is very important for Greek parents that
their children receive a good schooling.
To what extent does the Greek educational system differ from the German
educational system?
Greek children learn foreign languages like English and French from the first
class on. It is not infrequent that children aged ten are able to speak English
or French nearly perfectly. On average Greek children spend more time in school
than German children, although the Greek summer holidays take three months.
In exchange they don’t have any other holidays, except some official holidays.
Greeks don’t need to pay for schoolbooks for their children and offer more remedial
education. But Greek parents draw less child allowance than German parents.
What does the comparison of the social systems in both countries show?
The social system in Germany is better than the Greek. People have to pay for
compulsory insurances in Greek, too. Nowadays Greeks are better assured than
in the past. But reality often looks different. It is always better to have
some cash in your pocket, when you go to the doctor. Such pads are not common
in Germany, but I think it is somehow comparable to the classification in private
and state system patients. Private patients in Germany are still preferred in
Germany.
Why do you think it is important to be aware of cultural differences?
What use could it have for the general public?
First of all I think many people are not interested in cultural differences.
They don’t want to be confronted with such themes or are afraid to loose their
own culture by learning about another culture. The people who are interested
in cultural differences often stand up for foreigners already. Maybe it is possible
to mobilize people whose opinion oscillates between both attitudes. It is important
to confront people with cultural differences, so that they understand other
cultures instead of being hostile to foreigners.
I have a postcard which I bought some years ago. For this topic the text on
the postcard seems to be adequate for what I want to say and I would like to
quote it:
I want to make clear that every single culture represents enrichment for other cultures. Every culture can learn from the other culture. We should be aware of the fact that we do not only consume foreign products in our daily lives, but that there are always human beings behind respective cultures. End of interview 2.
Dieser Beitrag ist ein Interview (auf Englisch) mit einem deutsch-amerikanischen Künstler-Ehepaar, das in Wolfsburg lebt. Das Gespräch befaßt sich mit Vormeinungen, Stereotypen, Beobachtungen, Änderungen von Auffassungen, und die Kommentare sind sehr persönlich.
Reading and talking about intercultural communication and intercultural
learning with a view from the outside is an interesting issue, but it is more
interesting to talk to people who live right in the middle of it. They experience
differences between cultures in their everyday life and they do not have to
rely on mere speculations. Of course, they are not aware of it every minute,
but they all have a story to tell.
That is why I chose an interview with an American-German married couple as
my topic. Both are friends of mine since working together on a music project
in 2001.
What makes this couple so special is the fact that they live and work both
in Germany and the USA for certain periods during the year, so they have four
different worlds to tell from and they are always up to date.
Amanda (name changed) is a musician born in Flint/Michigan north
of Detroit. She met Felix at the age of 15 (Sept. 1994), after which she didn’t
see him for two years. In 1998 they got together again, got married and moved
to Germany at the age of 20 (1999). She built up a life there working in a
music studio. By reputation she is a metal diva but not necessarily by definition.
Born in Braunschweig, Felix (name changed) grew up in Wolfsburg,
where he attended school. After 10th grade, he went to America as an exchange
student for an intercultural year, where he graduated from high-school and
met Amanda. After that year, he finished school in Germany with an exam (Abitur),
then went into civil service (mandatory), apprenticed as a corporate real
estate agent at Volkswagen and worked for VW for one year (project development).
He went over to America for a few years working, got involved with photography
and videography doing artist pictures, fashion shootings, working for agencies
and for his own artist’s sake, shot music videos for artists in America (Detroit/Chicago
area). For the last three years, he has studied media science, sociology and
psychology at the TU BS / HBK and is working on his final thesis.
Every few months Amanda and Felix go back to the USA for 1 or 2 months at
a time, with the lion’s share of time being lived in Germany.
RHR: What are the most typical/main cultural differences
between the USA and Germany in your experience?
Amanda: When I moved here, one of the first things
that really hit me like a sledgehammer were closing times for stores. When
closing times in Germany say that they close at 7.30 p.m., they are closed
at 7.30 and everybody has to get out by that time. In America it would mean
something like 7.30 or 8 p.m. People plan on working at least half an hour
more and it’s no big deal. You’re not rushed or kicked out. The closing times
have changed in the last few years, but the German “Pünktlichkeit” has stayed.
Another difference is sniffing. When I had a cold the first time over here
I was going around sniffing all the time and Felix and his parents were eloquently
offering me tissues and they would insist on it. Felix would tell me: “You
ought to take a tissue, you don’t sniff over here. It’s rude!” In America
this is no big deal. The first time I heard a German mother telling her child
not to sniff because it could cause a headache I really had to laugh. It’s
just a difference in the code of politeness.
Also the closed door thing. Always everywhere in Germany doors are closed.
When we leave the bathroom in America, we leave the door open as a symbol
that it is not occupied. Here, I was always confused. I was always waiting
and standing, and then knocking and not getting any answer behind the closed
bathroom door. Every German automatically closes the door and for me that
was a symbol that it was occupied. I think it also has to do with our different
heating systems. Here there are radiators in every single room and we have
central heating. I asked Germans why they have this closed door thing and
they couldn’t tell me why, so this is my interpretation of why the doors are
closed, which makes sense to me and maybe it is because it is more drafty.
Saying “Hi” to people out on the street, I remember being looked at like I
was a crazy woman because I would smile and say “Hi” to strangers and people
are like: “What does she want from me?” That was funny.
Also getting into queues, I have the feeling Germans don’t know how to form
a line.
RHR: I thought Germans are best
at it!
Amanda: You would think so but they are worst! Except
for maybe the Japanese or the Chinese; they’re worse. It’s completely chaotic
and they totally push you out of the way. The British, for example, are polite
about it and look for the last person and place themselves in the most logical
position at the end of the line. The Germans notice a little space and jump
in there, you know? (laughing)
RHR: So you can not generalize German correctness?
Felix: Well, first of all you can’t
generalize American or German culture. America is such a huge market, such
a huge culture. There are amazing differences between, let’s say, Michigan
and New York or New York and Los Angeles. As big of differences as there are
between Germany and Poland. So it’s actually somewhat a different culture
sharing the same language.
RHR: But let’s concentrate on differences
between USA and Germany. What about this phrase “How are you?”?
Felix: But “How are you?” in New York means something
else than in Los Angeles. In L.A. it is just like a “Hi!”.
Amanda: It is basically the same thing as “Guten
Tag!” in Germany.
Felix: It is semantically empty, just a phrase.
In New York it actually means: How are you? So even within the language there
are different norms and association or value codes.
Amanda: New York is very similar
to Germany.
Felix: I would say people from the east coast are
the closest to the German mentality. But if you talk about all kinds of norms,
there is a whole variety. Americans have certain rules. For example: “Don’t
invade space!”. Or random acts of kindness. And: “Don’t say anything, if you
don’t say anything nice!”.
Amanda: They say: “If you can’t say something nice,
don’t say anything at all!”.
Felix: And if you look at these
three phrases, for example, there is a lot in there that determines American
culture. Individualism is different in both cultures. In Germany it’s more
like an “elbow mentality,” where in America it is more like: “I’ll do it my
way, you do it your way – but we all co-exist.” For example, in a German bus:
a young man is sitting, a pregnant woman is standing – nothing happens! In
America the boy would get up and say: “Here, please have a seat.” Or “opening
doors”. In America it is totally standard. Guys holding a door open for another
guy, that’s common. In Germany, maybe some hold the doors open for another
woman, sometimes. Of course I’m exaggerating, I am giving extremes. There
are always exceptions. In an American supermarket, it’s narrow and you go
by somebody and invade his space a little bit, you get close, maybe two or
three feet, you say “Excuse me!”. In Germany that doesn’t happen, it seems
everybody is in a hurry, self-centred in a way. In America they take pride
in being generous.
RHR: Is this politeness one basic
issue of education?
Amanda: Yes, definitely! From Kindergarten
all throughout school we’re told those Christian-based things like “Love thy
neighbour”. I guess our manners, politeness and code of ethics are highly
Christian-based and we put that into American values. You reach out your hand
to help somebody. And I think American kids are far more polite and respectful.
RHR: Does this refer to Americans being more religious
than Germans or are values taken more seriously?
Amanda: Maybe it’s a combination of both.
Felix: Americans are definitely
more Christian-based and there is a way bigger Christian movement also among
young people. Let’s say a more spiritual awareness.
RHR: Is religion more accepted among young people?
Felix: It’s present, it’s not a matter of acceptance.
It’s more of an everyday reality. People of our age talk about God, they talk
about going to church on Wednesdays.
RHR: In Germany, it seems, it is
embarrassing for young people to talk about Christianity or religion in general.
Amanda: It is more common in America
to discuss issues of faith and belief…
Felix: … within your community! It’s more common
to say: “I’m in church” and “God bless you!” but to talk about the content,
like what you actually believe, you don’t talk in public.
There are two things in America you don’t talk about …
Amanda: …Three!
Felix: Politics, …
Amanda: … sex and religion. And your income! (laughing)
Felix: There are some things that
make you look like an idiot if you talk about them. The whole thing comes
from the founders of America. They were freemasons and their basic belief
was to separate state and religion. That means, we can talk about how we organize
our country as a group but don’t get involved in what I have to believe or
not! Freedom of religion is a very basic, important value in America. They
are very open about professing themselves being a Jew, a Christian, a Protestant
or a Methodist, but it is not common to have a gathering of friends from all
walks of life talking about who is more important, Jesus or God or whatever.
This is very personal.
Amanda: Amongst friends, also. Unless you know that
you are of the same belief or opinion, you don’t talk about politics or religion.
In general, people try to avoid a conversation that could be potentially uncomfortable.
Felix: It’s a matter of respect.
Amanda: We do not like getting into unpleasant situations.
RHR: So you prefer a face-saving act and try not
to come too close?
Amanda: Well, sometimes, I guess for the sake of
honesty, where Germans are all about getting down to the point and being straight
forward, I can appreciate that to an extent. Where I don’t like it is when
sometimes Germans are a little too aggressive in that they don’t respect somebody
else’s feelings. Just for the sake of being honest, they say something. Although
it is a bit uncomfortable for me, I like being straight-forward and honest
without lying about your beliefs. Americans sometimes rather say something
different than what they believe just to avoid an uncomfortable situation.
RHR: So you take the best of both worlds: on the
one hand being honest without hurting anybody and on the other hand not to
come too close?
Amanda: Yes, I am selective. That is another thing
about Americans. They can have strong opinions of course and fight for what
they belief, otherwise we wouldn’t have ended up the way we are. But it is
also selective honesty. It’s always like: be careful what you say, depending
on what your audience or your company is!
RHR: But I would say this is what everybody does,
also in Germany!
Amanda: Yeah, that’s true. Everybody does that to
an extent, but I was trying to make a difference how Americans stereotype
or generalize.
RHR: Did German culture influence you a bit?
Amanda: It influenced me a lot! I am also not into
this huggy-huggy-thing anymore when someone comes up that I went to high school
with and haven’t seen in ten years and then overacts (imitates exaggeration),
and this changed. I might have done this in the past but I don’t like them
invading my space in that way. Still, I am a very huggy, touchy person but
only with my own crew.
RHR: Do the existing stereotypes and clichés about
Germans and Americans fit in your opinion?
Felix: Talking about America, I’d
say yes and no! Again, it depends where you are. If you think about this (semantically
empty) “Hi, how are you?” and you think about California, it is a cliché that
fits. In Michigan it is different, to some extent. There are a lot of stereotypes
that are somewhat true, but the interpretation of why it is and what it actually
means is often wrong. The symptom is there but the cause is misunderstood!
Something like being prude, for example. The Germans always say the Americans
are so prude. First of all: that doesn’t make the Germans less prude. Maybe
it is a different definition of being prude. What is being prude? America
is split; fifty percent are more religious than the others. So if you talk
about religious people in America…yes, they are very prude! When their kids
watch a movie like “Rocky”, the scene where he gets beaten up is rewound and
seen again because it’s so much fun for them, but in the end when Rocky kisses
his girlfriend the mother covers the eyes of her children!
RHR: But I think the German cliché concerning Americans
being prude refers more to homosexuality and certain sexual practices that
are even forbidden in some states.
Felix: I understand what you mean,
but once again you have to differentiate. Germans always think of themselves
as being very open-minded, but if they do see a guy kissing another guy in
the street, they are not that open-minded. In America that is actually more
accepted. That means being prude has many different layers, many different
social levels and overall I would even say that Americans are less prude than
Germans! The biggest porn industry is in America, the biggest sex toy industry
is in America and Americans talk very openly about sex and everything around
it. When I came to America I was shocked how open Americans talk about sex,
in general. A huge part of the Americans is very tolerant and integrating.
The craziest homosexual people, I have seen in America. In Germany I had friends
who were gay for more than ten years and their parents didn’t even know it.
And these guys were talking about Americans being prude, which is a joke in
itself!
RHR: So when you learn about a different culture
you also learn to differentiate?
Amanda: Stereotypes are there for
a reason, but it depends on what kinds of stereotypes we are talking about.
If you say Americans are a bit overfriendly to the point of being rather superficial
at times, I think that is a true stereotype! And if you say Germans are rather
harsh and kind of closed, a distant kind of people, I’d say that’s also true.
It’s when you get down into the details; it’s tough to generalize it. It’s
like saying every German drinks beer and yodels. (laughing)
A lot of these stereotypes are silly. But I think in general, if you say that
Americans are too soft sometimes and Germans tend to be a little too hard
sometimes, I’d say this is true.
Felix: Maybe the best way to describe it is that
in Germany there is a broader mainstream. When you talk about homosexuality
the majority has a somewhat similar view. In America it is more polarized.
And you can find this division on so many levels. For example, abortion; you
have more extremes. In Germany there’s more of a collective mind. But in America
this also depends, there are weird contradictions to this concept, because
there is also this dominant common sense of being nice and things like the
freedom of speech. But even though it has a huge acclaim to being the freest
country in the world, it doesn’t have this freedom of speech. Because if society
says you should not talk about politics and religion…
Amanda: … No, no, no! You have to differentiate
between private households and the public. In the public you can talk freely,
that’s not a problem. It’s when you come down to personal relationships. In
the media everybody talks about unpleasant things.
Felix: Yes and no.
Amanda: Ok, here you can see an intercultural communication
problem. (laughing)
Felix: It’s not a cultural thing, it’s just a matter
of definition. This discussion going on right now is very German where in
America the people would hold back a little more, make a statement and are
more positive. I could talk about this for hours, but the perfect example
of mentality differences is this: let’s say something costs five euros or
five dollars. The American says: “It’s no big deal, here we go, don’t even
think about it,” and it keeps the money flowing in the system. The German
would say: “Five euros? That’s ten Deutschmarks!“. Germans enlarge it, where
Americans say it’s only five dollars. This mentality actually affects a lot
of ways how business is done. In America, for example, cell phone contracts
have, let’s say, a fixed price of 40 dollars per month and you can talk how
much you want. In Germany people prefer a lower price per month, but they
pay by the minute and in the end they have the same invoice total. The result
is the same, the approach is different. But the Americans come to the result
in a more positive way, the Germans in a more stingy way.
RHR: Do you tolerate differences
or do you understand or even adapt to this differences?
Amanda: Both.
Felix: It depends. I am really
glad that Amanda knows where I come from. She speaks German and knows the
cultural context and heritage and so do I. I know Amanda’s heritage and her
traditions, I speak her language and I understand her mentality. But in America
I always feel more German and in Germany I feel more American, because I wish
the Germans to be more considerate in their honesty and the Americans to be
more outspoken in their politeness.
RHR: Do you change when you go over there or do
you adapt maybe in an unconscious way to the different surrounding?
Amanda: I don’t think so. I try not to change my
behaviour. I’m still smiling at people that I don’t know in Germany, but I
won’t do that kissy-kissy-stuff in America with people that I have never seen
before or at least not known for a long time.
RHR: It sounds like you plan not to change. Is it
because you want to fight for your culture?
Amanda: No, it’s just who I am! When I first came
here I was a little bit upset and I went through rebellion kind of period.
I was like: Ok, fine, screw those stupid Germans. I’ll ignore them and I’ll
be as much of a jerk to them, but it didn’t work out. I couldn’t be that way.
It was so negative and that just wasn’t me. It’s just more pleasant to be
the way that I am, really. Of course some things I have adapted to, being
here for so long.
RHR: Is it ok for you to take things from a different
culture and merge it into yours?
Amanda: Yes, there is definitely a wish for intercultural
learning. That is one of the biggest things that have been great about living
abroad, that I have learned so much. I was so young when I came over here
and I was very impressionable, but I was also a very strong individual and
I knew who I was. I wanted to learn the language. I wanted to learn about
the culture. It was very important for me to be able to integrate here.
RHR: How important is language for Intercultural
Communication?
Amanda: I think it also depends on where you are.
It doesn’t matter if you make grammatical errors, it doesn’t matter how huge
and rich your vocabulary is…if you come across as a jerk and you’re not polite,
they’re not gonna talk to you, anyway! If you make an effort, it doesn’t matter
if you use a wrong declination.
RHR: Did you make the same experience?
Felix: I agree with that. One of the biggest mistakes
that Germans make is trying to be perfect. Forgetting that perfect doesn’t
mean the right grammar, but being polite and a nice person. But basically
I believe that language is the key to understanding a different culture. Although
speaking a language doesn’t automatically mean understanding a culture. Understanding
goes deeper. For example, take the German words “gut” and “ok”. You can translate
them with good and ok, but the meaning is different…
Amanda: …no, it’s the word “ok” that means crap!
The word “good” is fine!
(they argue a bit…)
Felix: To finish my sentence, “good” doesn’t equal
“gut”.
Amanda: You’re totally wrong, it’s “ok” that doesn’t mean “ok”.
(arguing about the definitions of good and ok goes on for a couple of minutes)
RHR: Obviously there is a different
understanding of things like that!
Amanda: Yes. What I remember is: I got all dressed
up and asked Felix what he thought of my dress and he was like: “Yeah, it’s
ok”. For us Americans “ok” is a nice way of saying you look like shit.
RHR: Where do you feel at home
and what is necessary for doing so?
Amanda: Although I feel at home here in Germany
I feel more at home in the Unites States. How about you, Felix?
Felix: What does home mean? My home is in my heart
and in my heart lives Amanda. So basically I feel home within myself and Amanda
is present within me. That means I don’t really care where I am as long as
the circumstances are ok. But yet when I am in America there are some things
I am definitely missing. For example, this European outside bistro culture.
In America you have these shopping malls, but they are kind of artificial.
In Europe this old architecture has a certain flair. But yet again if you
are in New York the diversity is amazing. Go to Queens, it’s the most diverse
neighbourhood in the world.
RHR: You mean the melting pot?
Amanda: Salad-bowl! That definition has been changed.
When I got into junior high-school they stopped saying melting pot and started
saying salad-bowl because melting pot denotes that everything gets cooked
into the same colour, and salad-bowl means: they live together but stay who
they are.
RHR: What makes you feel more at home in America?
Amanda: One thing I was missing until the world-cup last year (Fussball-Weltmeisterschaft
in Deutschland 2006): Americans are patriotic. We are Americans in our hearts
and our souls. You know, you can take the American out of America but you
can’t take America out of the American! I guess this is part of why I feel
so much at home there. I try not to get frustrated living over here with people
being pushy, selfish and a little harsh. I do feel like a foreigner sometimes,
although I never really got treated that way. When people get to know that
I am American, they think they know me. They sum me up, they put in a drawer
and they close it. Sometimes it frustrates me that people think they know
me because they watch Hollywood movies. I don’t necessarily like the way the
Germans treat each other.
RHR: What are the differences in
both cultures being an artist?
Amanda: When people in Germany find out that I am
an American artist, I become extra interesting to them. I have a kind of exotic
aspect to me. In America, it’s hard to tell because I have always been the
singer.
RHR: Is it like you are always a foreigner?
Amanda: I got Europeanized. Friends and family in
America are telling me this. Also some people think what they like to and
say that I talk with an accent, which is not true. But if this makes me more
interesting to them, it’s ok. For my family it’s just me being different because
I lived here for so long.
Felix: For Germans it is not that special because
they travel a lot more to foreign states and even read more about it. And
Germans think more about Americans than Americans do about Germans and the
rest of the world. Germans like to travel a lot, but America is so big that
most Americans travel within America where they don’t have any problems with
the language, the money, the visa and so on. America is like a whole continent.
RHR: My last question is: how could
intercultural learning and communication be improved?
Felix: First one should talk about
values and what they mean in the different cultures, for example patriotism.
People should be aware of their own culture and be open-minded for experiencing
differences. People need to know the right way of assembling information and
most of all they need acceptance.
Amanda: Like Felix said, people
should be more open-minded. The media should depict cultures far more correctly.
In my opinion, one reason that globalisation doesn’t work is that the cultures
are neglected too much.
On a private level, the first two years of our intercultural marriage were
problematic, in addition to the “normal” problems of a marriage. Then I learned
more about the meaning of certain behaviour and it worked better. Real interest
in other people is the key. In America we have a special saying: “Don’t assume,
ask! Because if you assume, you make an ass of u and me!”
RHR: Thanks a lot for the interview and good luck
for your intercultural future!
If one is really into learning about different cultures he should be aware of the time that it takes. As one can see in the interview: Even couples have a different view after such a long time of sharing their cultures with one another. Interest and understanding, tolerance and openness are important conditions to start from and even then it takes a lifetime to understand at least your own culture. Still, it is a matter of perception and personal experiences. In the interview Amanda gives the example of Germans not knowing how to form a line. My impression is that Germans know how to do that and this is my experience, living in Germany. People, especially bicultural couples, like to take from a culture the parts they like the most and by doing so create a blend of culture
ein Aufsatz von Robert Hunecke-Rizzo im August 2007
Was ist ähnlich, was ist verschieden? Dies ist eine Schlüsselfrage
beim Prozess des Interkulturellen Lernens – ein Aufmerksam Werden und Vergleichen.
Zu welchem Zeitpunkt Wertungen ins Spiel kommen, hängt von der Situation und
der Biographie des Wahrnehmenden ab. Im Unterricht, z.B. im Fach Englisch,
wird ein Aspekt des englischsprachigen Landes vorgestellt, der Vergleich zu
Deutschland erfolgt später.
In dieser Reportage gehen I. Duin, S. Laser und
M. Schaller einen anderen Weg: Sie fragen Menschen aus anderen Ländern,
die in Braunschweig leben, was an dieser Stadt sie an ihre Heimat erinnert.
Die Interviews wurden im Sommer 2006 geführt.
This photo-report is embedded in the course "Intercultural Communication
and Learning". It deals with different groups of migrants and their attitudes
towards life in Brunswick and in Germany in comparison to their home country.
Therefore we decided to interview people from three different countries. To
us it seemed to be important to not only look at people of the European background,
but to also look at other continents, namely Africa and Asia.
We finally agreed on Finland, Cameroon and Israel, as people from those countries
are not so highly represented in Brunswick. With the help of the International
Office of the TU Brunswick, the German-Finnish Society Brunswick and friends
we got in contact with representatives from Finland and Cameroon.
Unfortunately, to contact Israelis proved to be difficult, since not many
Israelis live in Brunswick. Furthermore, the few Israelis who do live here
prefer to remain anonymous.
Consequently, we agreed on slightly changing our concept. Instead of interviewing
people from Israel, we now chose to take a closer look at migrants from a
bigger group of migrants, which happened to be the Italians.
Our aim in this photo-report is to find out about differences and similarities
which might exist between migrant groups that are not represented in a big
migration community and those which are outnumbering groups.
To provide an easier access to the migrants' attitudes towards life in Brunswick
and Germany, it seems to be important to give background information on each
of the countries.
With the help of a self-elaborated questionnaire, which will be further discussed
in the next point of the outline, we keep track the essential question: "What
in Brunswick and/or Germany reminds you of your home country?"
After we decided to do a photo report, we developed a questionnaire. With
the help of this questionnaire, we designed a framework for our interviews.
It has been consciously kept in the German language, since we could not expect
our interview partners to speak English. Furthermore the German language is
a connecting medium between the interviewed person and us and should therefore
be consciously used. The questionnaire offered as an outline for the interview,
in order to not forget anything. But we did not stick to the questionnaire
for every word. Moreover it was only used as a guide.
The first part serves to get to know some general information of the interviewed
person. We asked the name, the age, the nationality, the marital status and
the profession. Other important aspects were the belonging to a church, time
of emigration and reason for immigration and whether other family members
already stayed in Germany.
After the collection of general information, we asked for places in Brunswick
that remind the people of their home, so we could later portray these places
in our photo report. Moreover we wanted to find out in how far aspects concerning
the way of living and the mentality of Brunswick remind them of their home
and if there are any similarities in social and political structures.
After getting to know similarities, it was another important aspect to us,
to find differences between the cultures. The question of integration seemed
to be of special importance. Does the person feel integrated or excluded?
In which contexts does the person feel excluded? That aspect was important
to us, because relating to that, the migrants form a judgement about the country
of immigration and we can deduce whether a problem of racism exists or not,
if the migrants feel excluded. Accordingly we asked whether the interviewed
person could imagine staying in Brunswick or Germany or if they want to return
to their home country, for example after graduating from university. We were
also curious about the fact, if the migrants are still in contact with their
home country and family. Finally it was of personal interest to get to know
from the migrants what they like about Brunswick and Germany in general and
what they dislike and is negative and disturbing in comparison to their home
country.
Intercultural Communication and Learning – Fragebogen
Name:
Alter:
Familienstand:
Beruf:
Konfession:
Nationalität:
Heimatland:
Zeitpunkt der Immigration:
Grund:
Ist Ihre Familie auch in Deutschland?:
Was erinnert Sie in Braunschweig an Ihre Heimat?
- Orte
- Lebensart/ Mentalität
- Gesellschaftliche/ politische Strukturen
- Was ist vielleicht der größte Unterschied zwischen der Braunschweiger/ deutschen Kultur und Ihrer Heimatkultur?
- Fühlen Sie sich integriert?
- In welchen Kontexten fühlen Sie sich vielleicht ausgeschlossen?
- Können Sie sich vorstellen bzw. wollen Sie in Braunschweig bleiben?
- Haben Sie noch Kontakt zu Ihrem Heimatland? Wenn ja, wie regelmäßig?
- Was gefällt Ihnen an Braunschweig/ Deutschland besonders bzw. was gefällt Ihnen gar nicht?
- Stimmen Sie der Veröffentlichung einiger dieser Angaben ohne Nennung Ihres Namens im Internet zu?
(For reasons of data protection, we needed to ask the interviewed persons, because we need their allowance to publish their statements.
3. A brief Introduction to Finland
(All information in this chapter is taken from the webpage of the Finnish embassy: www.finnland.de/de.)
In 1919 the Finnish Republic was founded, two years after the country’s declaration of independence from Russia. Since then the republic joined the United Nations (1955) and the European Union (1995). More importantly, Finland has become a highly modern and developing country and is one of the countries with the lowest inflation rate. The country has approximately 5.2 billion inhabitants, of which almost 550 000 are living in the capital Helsinki.
One of Finland's major aspects is the striking beauty of its nature. About three-fourth of the whole country is woodland and, additionally, Finland has about 190 000 lakes and little islands.
In Finland, there are about seventeen inhabitants per square kilometer, so the population rate is relatively low. Roughly 65 per cent of Finland’s population lives in bigger cities whereas the other 35 per cent live on the countryside.
The Finnish school system is based on the concept of all-day comprehensive schools, which take nine years for all pupils. Education is much more financially promoted by the state than it is in Germany and the curricula and learning goals are the same for the whole republic. While Finland uses about 7.5 per cent of its gross home-produced goods, Germany uses around 4.5 per cent.
Today, there are approximately 13,400 Finns living in Germany.
4. First Finnish Person
4.1 Personal Data of Mrs. Roosa Mäkipäa
The first Finnish person we interviewed was Mrs. Roosa Mäkipäa (name changed). Mrs. Mäkipäa is 39 years old and works in a kindergarten. She is married to a German man but has the Finnish citizenship. After spending one year in Germany as an Au-pair Mrs. Mäkipäa immigrated to Germany in 1986 because of the marriage with her husband. No one of Mrs. Mäkipäa’s family from Finland lives in Germany. She and her husband have two children.
4.2 Which places, habits/mentalities or social structures in Brunswick remind you of your home town?
During our interview, Mrs. Mäkipäa said that Finland and Brunswick are quite different from each other in their landscape and their architecture. Since water is characteristic for Finland, she said the Oker would remind her of a river in her home town. Mrs. Mäkipäa also told us that the lakes in Riddagshausen are places which could be compared to the environment in Finland. So, generally speaking, it were places of nature and water, which reminded Mrs. Mäkipää of Finland.
Oker & lake in Riddagshausen (Foto: Duin)In the area of mentality Mrs. Mäkipäa could not think of major differences. To her, the general way of living seems to be quite similar in Finland and Germany. It were mainly little habits that Mrs. Mäkipäa characterized as typically German or Finnish.
As typical for Germany she described the action of handshaking whenever possible. According to her, there is much less handshaking in Finland than in Germany. Also typical for Germans are, in her opinion, the fixed times of the day in which one takes meals. For example, Mrs. Mäkipäa had the impression that coffee can be drunken every time of the day in Finland while in Germany, coffee is associated with a time between three and five p.m.. That hot meals are mainly served at lunch time and cake is uncommon to be served in the evening was another part of every day live which Mrs. Mäkipäa described as typically German. The relatively fix dining times were one thing she said she had to get used to. In addition, another difference between Finland’s and Germany’s mentalities or ways of living was for Mrs. Mäkipäa that in Germany drinking alcohol is mainly a component of social events or sociability whereas in Finland drinking was often done by young people for the purpose of getting drunk.
In the field of social or political structures, Mrs. Mäkipäa named the school system as one difference between Finland and Germany. As already mentioned in the short introduction, Finland has a system of all-day comprehensive schools which proved to be quite successful. During the interview, Mrs. Mäkipäa told us that taxes in Finland were higher than in Germany but in return the libraries, school books and the lunch in schools were free of charge.
Then Mrs. Mäkipäa explained that there were more employed mothers with little children in Finland than in Germany. Of course, this is also a result of the very good child care system in Finland. But Mrs. Mäkipäa described this phenomenon as a general mentality, too.
As probably a major difference between Brunswick and her home town Mrs. Mäkipäa named the size of the cities. She said her home town in Finland was much smaller and due to that fact, everybody had known each other. Therefore she appreciates the gentle anonymity of Brunswick.
4.3 General Aspects
Upon our question whether she feels integrated or not Mrs. Mäkipäa answered that she feels fully integrated. She now lives in Brunswick for twenty years and, apart from a little accent, she speaks German perfectly. She also told us that there even was no real non-acceptance towards her when she first came here in 1986. Mrs. Mäkipäa does generally not feel excluded except in situations where German friends of her speak about their youth in Germany or something similar. But she added that those situations do not evoke a negative feeling but mainly a sense of curiosity and interest.
Another occasion in which Mrs. Mäkipäa feels sometimes excluded is in elections where she is not allowed to vote because of her Finnish citizenship. Although she would like to take part in those elections she does not want to take the German citizenship. Still having the Finnish citizenship is a part of her identity which is very important says Mrs. Mäkipäa. For her it is important to have a Finnish identity beneath the German identity and that they harmonize with each other.
Her Finnish identity is of course kept up by staying in contact with her family in Finland, meeting other Finns who live in Brunswick and reading Finnish newspapers or books. All these things are important to her, but in her opinion having German friends and integrate oneself into the German culture is important as well. Mrs. Mäkipäa explained that this is not only true for herself, but for her children, too. They are raised with the awareness of their two cultures which they themselves consider as a great thing. As an example, Mrs. Mäkipäa told us that her son had been proud of Finland when the band Lordi won the annual Eurovision Song Contest 2006.
Furthermore, about our question what she likes very much about Germany or Brunswick, Mrs. Mäkipäa mentioned our medical system. In comparison to Germany, Finland has medical centres, which means that one will not always have the chance to go to the same doctor. Therefore she positively remarked the opportunity of having a “Hausarzt” in Germany, one will always go to and with whom the patient might build up a relationship of trust and comfort.
Lastly, she admits that Finland has become a place of holidays for her more and more, because she only visits her home town once or twice a year. It seems to be the general problem of emigrants that they are seen as visitors by the inhabitants when they come back to their former home town during their vacation. But Mrs. Mäkipäa said she could imagine going back to Finland to live there when she is older.
3. Second Finnish Person
5.1 Personal Data of Katja Koivisto
Katja Koivisto (name changed) was the second Finnish person we interviewed. She is married to a Finnish man and has three children. Like Roosa Mäkipäa, Katja Koivisto also has the Finnish citizenship and also immigrated to Germany in 1986. She and her husband emigrated from Finland because of professional reasons. She is the only one of her Finnish family who lives in Germany.
5.2 Which places, habits/mentalities or social structures in Brunswick remind you of your home town?
As concrete places which remind Mrs. Koivisto of Finland she named the Mittellandkanal, the parks and woodland in Brunswick. Similar to Mrs. Mäkipäa, she said that it were always nature and water which remind her of her home. In this context she told us that she had been living in Frankfurt for a while but felt uncomfortable there because of the lack of water and nature. Mrs. Koivisto remarked that for her it is important to live somewhere near water and green nature to be reminded of Finland and to feel home. Something she characterized as typical for Germany were framework houses.
Mittellandkanal & Park (Foto: Duin)When being asked about mentalities or ways of living of inhabitants of Brunswick which remind her of Finland, Mrs. Koivisto answered that sport events in general and the “Kulturnacht” would do so, because there were similar things in Finland.
With regard to politics she explained that the political systems are quite different from each other. Not only does Finland have a different school system, but there is also no federalism. Accordingly, Mrs. Koivisto said Finland was more homogeneous and therefore political reforms could be done more easily and faster. On the other hand, she added, this homogeneousness could be a reason why returning to Finland could be difficult because it would cost great effort to integrate oneself into a highly homogeneous society. Thus she imagined that immigrating to Finland was harder to do than to immigrate to Germany.
As probably the biggest difference between Germany and Finland Mrs. Koivisto described the ordering of life. In her opinion one’s life in Germany is very much influenced by many rules and laws. She said that in Germany there would be rules for everything while in Finland there were less rules. As a consequence, she characterized Finland or living in Finland as more flexible but added that the many rules in Germany also make life easier in some ways, because it is always clear what is allowed to be done or how things should be organized.
Similar to Mrs. Mäkipäa, Mrs. Koivisto mentioned the medical systems as very different from each other. She appreciates the German concept of a “Hausarzt” and the “Krankenkarte” and said that in Finland one had to pay more for the medical things one needs.
5.3 General aspects
Regarding the fact that Mrs. Koivisto has a high paid profession, she said that she feels integrated. Like Mrs. Mäkipäa, she also regrets not being allowed to vote or becoming a public-servant because of her Finnish citizenship. Nevertheless, Mrs. Koivisto indicated her willingness to take up a double citizenship if she would really wish to become a public-servant or anything else where a German citizenship is needed, although her Finnish citizenship is important to her.
As for the question whether Mrs. Koivisto intends to stay in Brunswick she would stay in Brunswick if she stayed in Germany. As already mentioned, she suggested that a re-migration to Finland could be difficult and although she and her husband are Finnish they would be foreigners. Again Mrs. Koivisto said that re-integrating into the homogeneousness in Finland could be quite difficult. Similar to Mrs. Mäkipäa she visits Finland once or twice a year, too. Although this is quite frequent Mrs. Koivisto knows that this is still not enough to be regarded as a Fin by the other Finns and not as a foreigner.
Nevertheless, her children are very much aware of their two cultures. They were bilingual since this was the only way they could communicate with their Finnish relatives, said Mrs. Koivisto. It is also important for them to have a Finnish identity and, as their mother said, they identify themselves as Finns living in Brunswick. Her oldest son was also going to do his civil-service in Finland.
About the question concerning her likes and dislikes about Brunswick or Germany she replied that she liked the ordered working culture, because of the many rules and added that German workers are also very effective. Besides, she said, this was a characteristic Germany was known for in other countries. Also important to her was the fact that nature is high valued in Brunswick as can be seen through the many parks. Mrs. Koivisto not only mentioned that many Germans were unfriendly to strangers and people working in the service sector were quite unfriendly, but also noticed that Germany was more hectical than Finland. These were things she disliked about Germany.
6. A brief introduction to Cameroon
(Vgl. http://www.bpb.de/wissen/EBZL0F,0,0Kamerun.html Stand: 15.8.2006, 10:00).
The African country of Cameroon is located at the equator on the east coast. The country has an area of approximately 475.000 km². This is 1.5 times bigger than the Federal Republic of Germany. The country has 16 million inhabitants and is therefore much smaller than in Germany.
The population of Cameroon has a vast diversity concerning the ethnicity. The southern part is mainly inhabited by Bantu, Basaa, Ngoumba and Beti, the central area is mainly populated by Semibantu and other tribes. The few remaining Europeans remind of the colonial time and the moving past of Cameroon. Due to the diversity of ethnicities, a huge diversity exists among the languages spoken. The official languages are French (80% of the population) and English (20% of the population). 53% of the population is Christian (35% Catholics and 18% Protestants), 22% Muslims, the rest belongs to ancient natural religions of the different tribes. The capital of Cameroon is Jaunde.History:
Already in the year 1884 Cameroon had been declared a German protected area. Before WWI started in 1914 the German colonial time ended and Cameroon was divided into two parts, one governed by France, the other by Great Britain with the help of a mandate of the ‘Völkerbund’, whereas France got the bigger part (Effects can still be noticed, since French is spoken more frequently than English.). After WWII and the dissolution of the ‚Völkerbund’, Cameroon remained under the government of France and Great Britain with a mandate of the UNO. It was the UNO’s aim to lead the country into self-government. That goal became irrelevant in 1957, since Cameroon struggled with riots and street fights in the french-governed territory. The separation of Cameroon seemed to be clear, when in 1960 french Cameroon became independent and from that on existed as East-Cameroon. At the same time the population of the northern part of the British area agreed on an annexion to Nigeria, the southern part for an annexion to Cameroon. Not before 1972 the Federal Republic of Cameroon has been united and transformed into the UNITED Republic of Cameroon. The presidial republic’s motto Paix (peace), Travail (work) et Patrie (fatherland).Politics:
With the step into independence the government of Cameroon did not manage to ensure a stable and enduring economic and political structure. In 1982 the era of Paul Biya started, after the head of state Ahidjo withdrew. Biya wanted to democratise the country, unfortunately failed because of the economical and social crisis, caused mainly by corruption. The one-party-system of Cameroon could no longer withstand the population’s pressure and led to the first free and democratic elections on 1992. All 32 parties failed and helped Paul Biya and his party RDPC to gain power again. In 2006 Paul Biya is still the head of state, the head of government is since 2004 Ephraïm Inoni.Economy (Vgl. http://www.bpb.de/wissen/EBZL0F,0,0Kamerun.html Stand: 15.8.2006, 10:00.):
Cameroon today has a slight export surplus and therefore imports fewer goods. Exported are especially oil, wood, cacao and coffee. Imported goods are mainly processed goods, like industrial equipment, food and beverages. The agricultural industry is still the most important economical factor. Over 60 % of the population work as farmers. Concerning the number of employees the industry and service sectors play a minor role. The average annual income of the population has increased during the last three years for one third. Unfortunately, the gap between rich and poor has increased, too and therefore it is the rich people, who have profited from this development. During the last few years, the coastal region of Cameroon has been developed for touristic purposes; nevertheless high potential is still wasted. For further development, Cameroon needs more well-educated people. The rate of children attending school is one of the highest all over Africa (75%). After graduating from school, many students decide to leave Cameroon to study abroad. Besides France and the USA, Germany as a country producing highly-developed technologies is a favourite country for academic studies. Therefore, many students from Cameroon study in Brunswick, especially for engineering studies, so that they, after they returned to Cameroon, can apply their knowledge and to support the development of their country.
7. Ms. Madeline Maudrelle
7.1 Personal Data of Madeline Maudrelle
Among the many students, we chose 21-year-old Madeline Maudrelle. She already came to Brunswick at the age of 17, i.e. at the 7th February 2002. After she had finished school in Cameroon, she decided to study Economical Engineering at the University of Brunswick. The fact that her older brother and sister were already studying here and felt comfortable eased her decision to also come to Brunswick. Like many other people in Cameroon her mother tongue is French and her church is catholic. Through the close contact to her siblings, she is almost constantly in contact at least to one part of her family. Regular meetings are important, fort he purpose of being able to speak French again and to exchange news about Cameroon. Furthermore the telephone and especially the internet have become the most important way of communication, since flights to Cameroon are too expensive. For that reason, Madeline has only returned once to Cameroon in the last four years.
7.2 Which places, habits/mentalities or social structures remind you of your home town?
The company with Germans was at first difficult to her, since the mentality and the way of living is the complete opposite in Germany than in Cameroon. In Germany she misses the usual familiarity in Cameroon and the relaxed company with each other. She finds fault with the fact that most people do not even know the neighbour’s name and what he does and that the people have a tendency to not care about others until it comes to them. In Cameroon this is completely different.
Concerning the political and economical structures, she does not see big differences, since Cameroon nowadays is a democracy and the structures can be regarded as relatively stable. After the abolishment of the one-party-system in 1991 and the stabilization of the economy, Cameroon is one of the few countries in Africa to leave the status of a development country behind (compared with the Human Development Index =HDI )(Vgl. www.uni-protokolle.de/lexikon/Human_Development_Index.html Stand: 17.8.2006, 16.30.).Asked for places and things in Brunswick, that reminds her of her home country, it proved to be difficult to her to answer this question. Only the high temperatures this summer, the ‘Oker’ (as a river running through the city) and the ‚Bürgerpark’ (a green oasis in the city) somehow gave her the feeling of home, but nothing else. More important to her are meetings at the ‚African house’ and other cultural events that particularly deal with typical African things and where African and non-African citizens of Brunswick meet for personal exchange and for celebrations. The biggest difference between the culture of the home country and the culture in Brunswick is to her the fact, that people here are more reserved and formal. Furthermore she noticed that it is difficult to make friends among the Germans, because she had been faced open rejection. Before, the idea of racism was unknown to her, since it does not exist in Cameroon. Considering the long colonial time in Cameroon and the steady presence of foreigners in the country, it is open towards his guests and cares for them. (Vgl. www.gesundes-reisen.de Stand 16.8.2006, 16.15.)
Unfortunately here in Brunswick it has already happened to her to be confronted with racism. At university she had problems to get in contact e.g. to learn groups and she received the feeling to be consciously excluded by the others. It led to the fact, that in the beginning she felt excluded and not being integrated. First after her arrival, she did not feel welcomed in Germany. Throughout the last four years, Madeline received the positive feeling of being fully integrated in Germany, especially with the help of personal and social changes.
7.3 General Aspects
Only one situation makes her still feel excluded. If it comes to the point, she has to prolong her visa, the officials at the bureau often treat her badly and make her feel she is not welcome and wanted in Germany. She is unsatisfied with the manner, the officials treat her and wishes to be in a more pleasant atmosphere and especially to finally receive security to be able to finish her academic studies here.
Questioned, whether she can imagine staying in Germany, Madeline was not sure. If she did her doctorate, she would stay in Germany. Otherwise she would like to return to Cameroon, to apply her knowledge and to help her country. In contrast to other African countries, Cameroon has a general duty for school attendance. Therefore the level of education is relatively high. Unfortunately those ressources are not used properly, are not supported and lie fallow. Considering this background, people who come back to Cameroon, are welcomed to help the economy and the politics.
Thinking about Brunswick and Germany in general, she likes that foreigners (allowing some time for settling in) are not confronted with big problems and can feel free to do what they like and that it is possible fort them, despite the debates for racism, they can relatively easy make contacts.
In view of the still existing corruption in Cameroon (Vgl. http://de.wikipedia.org: „Cameroon takes place 137 of 158 countries (…). The higher the rank position, the higher the rate of corruption."), Madeline is pleased by the fact that most Germans are respectable, honest, reliable, punctual and hard-working. In some situations the typical German virtues prove to be a disadvantage, if people are too petty and pedantic and everything is organised orderly and tends to be regulates, as for in example in official bureaus and the according bureaucracy.
A brief introduction to Italy
(All information about Italy are taken from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs Stand: 26th September, 2006; from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Stand: 26th September, 2006; from the German Embassy in Rome Stand: 27th September, 2006.)
The republic of Italy was founded in June 1946. In 1955 Italy joined the United Nations, in 1958 it was a charter member of the European Union. It is one of those members of the EU that are most willing to integrate. In October 2004 it was the first member-state to ratify the European Constitution. Today Italy has to face one of the highest rates of unemployment and a weak economic cycle. The country has approximately 58.4 Billion inhabitants of which about 2.6 Billion live in the capital city Rome. (Sicily; Picture taken from: Microsoft Encarta Encyclopaedia)
In December 1955 the Agreement of recruitment was signed between Germany and Italy. Since then about 4 Billion Italians moved to Germany as guest-workers. The reason for emigrating was often the economic distress in the south of Italy. In 2004, 548 194 Italians lived in Germany.
Italy's landscape shows many rivers and lakes and it can be divided into three different areas of nature: the Alps, the Po-plane and the Apennines. The climate ranges between warm and cold, depending on the location.
In Italy's long lasting history it had always been influenced by several different cultures which can still be traced throughout the country. The population of Italy is proud of its history, the architecture and its cultural heritage. The maintenance of it is very important to them. During the last legislative periods, much money had been invested for this purpose.
9. Mr. Vincenzo D'Angelo and Mrs. Paola D'Angelo
9.1 Personal Data of Vincenzo and Paola D'Angelo
The first Italians we interviewed were the married couple Vincenzo and Paola D'Angelo.
Vincenzo D'Angelo is 58 years old and works as a cabinet maker. He moved to Brunswick in 1969, because he was offered a job which was well paid. His wife Paola, who is 50 years old, moved to Germany in 1971. They got to know each other in Brunswick and finally married. Both come from Sicily. Mrs. D'Angelo stays at home as a house wife. They both have the Italian citizenship. Two brothers of Mr. D'Angelo and a sister of Mrs. D'Angelo live in Germany as well. They have two children and a granddaughter who were all born in Germany.
9.2 Which places, habits/mentalities or social structures in Brunswick remind you of your home town?
One of the first things that came to the couples' mind, when asked for places which remind them of Italy, were the Italian restaurants. They reported that when they first came to Brunswick hardly any supermarket offered Italian food. As a consequence they brought it with them when they visited Italy on vacation. Today, they are quite happy that they can buy almost all the food they are used to. The place which is most important to the D'Angelos is the Italian Centre in Brunswick. There the Italian Community of Brunswick meets regularly
to organize cultural events, festivities or to simply cook together and to converse with each other. Paola D'Angelo mentioned that they go to the Italian Centre at least once a week.
Italian Centre in Brunswick (Foto: Schaller)A major difference that came to their mind was the different temperature. Although Mr. and Mrs. D'Angelo got used to it in the meantime, they still prefer the climate in southern Italy and described this difference as the biggest between Germany and Italy.
Concerning the German mentality both stated that it totally differs from the Italian way of life. They described the Germans as being more reserved and less open than Italians. One example was the practice of inviting people. The D'Angelo's observed that Germans always need an invitation before they visit other people, whereas they described a different situation for Italians.
What was surprising them most, is the fact that in Germany family-life plays an inferior role. For them, the family is the most important social contact a person can have. They explained that they have hardly any German friends. Although they get along quite well with colleagues or acquaintances, Mr. and Mrs. D'Angelo prefer to stay in the family circle or to meet other Italian immigrants in their spare-time. Consequently, their German is indeed good, but it still causes problems to communicate sometimes. When the D'Angelo's have problems with the German language, for example when they have to read or write formal documents, they can ask their children to help them and for them it is always guaranteed that they will do so.
9.3 General Aspects
The question whether the D'Angelo's feel integrated or not was answered positively from both. Although they consider Germany as their second "Heimat" and said that they are more used to the life in Brunswick, the couple wanted to mention that they feel in some way betwixt and between Germany and Italy. Nevertheless, they would always stick to their Italian passport and never give up their identity of being a citizen of a town in Sicily. This is particularly true for their children. Mr. D'Angelo recognized that in Germany their children are seen as Italians and in Italy they are seen as Germans, which he called a live between two cultures.
The D'Angelo's always kept in touch with their family in Sicily. They phone each other at least once a week. Every Easter Holidays and in the autumn they spent their vacation with the family in their home country.
An occasion where the D'Angelo's felt excluded was in the first years of their emigration. They reported that especially, if not only, the elder inhabitants of Germany confronted them with some kind of racism. An example was the sister of Mrs. D'Angelo, who tried to find a flat when she moved to Germany. After replying to the question whether she was Italian or not, the landlord and landlady refused to let her move in. The D'Angelo's generally recognized and experienced some unfriendliness in the first years of their stay. In addition to that, at the beginning of their long term stay, the couple had problems with the language and with the German food. Furthermore, the distance between Italy and Germany seemed longer to them as long as the Schengener Agreement was not into force. Today, the couple says, the treatment with reserve, because of them being Italian, has almost vanished. They have not experienced distrust for a long time now.
What both like about Germany or the Germans is their punctuality, their organization and that they are hard-working. The Question whether they disliked anything in particular about the German mentality, the D'Angelo's answered that only little annoys them.
When Mr. D'Angelo will get pensioned they both want to move back to Italy. Anyway, they plan to live in Italy but to stay in Brunswick for some time of the year. One reason for that is that the children and their families live in Brunswick and will stay there.
10. Conclusion
The interviews showed that there are obviously hardly any differences concerning the feeling of integration between small and large migrant groups. Nevertheless, the Italians belonging to a large group of migrants associate less with Germans than the people of the other groups. In the end the change of our concept to also involve larger migrant groups approved to be useful, since it allowed us to compare the different types of groups.
All migrants stated that they seldom feel excluded from society. Nevertheless, all except the Finnish migrants reported that they had been confronted with racism in some way. As the example of the interviewed Europeans shows, they agreed, in their statements, on basically the same points as the other interviewee within their group. One point on which they all agreed is the typical appearance of a German, who they described as punctual, hard-working and orderly.
Concerning our essential question, what reminds the migrants of their home country in Brunswick and Germany in general, it took them quite a while to find similarities.
This project offered us the possibility to take a closer look at other cultures and to experience how migrants think about Germany and their life as a migrant. New regards on this topic were presented to us and we were able to gain an insight into three different cultural perspectives.
Sources
http://www.abenaa.de
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/de/Laender/Italien.html
http://www.bpb.de/n.html
http://www.esteri.it/eng/.asp
www.finnland.de/de
http://www.gerardo-mada.de
http://www.gesundes-reisen.de
http://www.rom.diplo.de/Vertretung/rom/de/patronati.html
http://www.uni-protokolle.de/lexikon/Human_Development.html
http://de.wikipedia.org
Das folgende PDF An example of different intercultural encounter - How does one cope with "Unbehaglichkeit?" ist eine kurze Präsentation von Studenten, die sich einen Tag in einer Einrichtung für geistig behinderte Erwachsene aufhielten. Sie fühlten sich zunächst unwohl, kamen aber in die Kommunikation mit den Bewohnern hinein. Unbehaglichkeit - Ist in einer Situation in einer anderen Kultur dem neu Eintreffenden oft Begleiter. Eine Aufgabe für Studierende war, aktiv eine Situation zu suchen, in der sie sich wahrscheinlich zunächst unwohl fühlen würden.
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