Culture Shock in India There a several different and diverse cultures around the globe that have specific ways of living. With these cultures, an individual who travels to a foreign land that is quite different than what their own daily way of life consists of might find their selves in a predicament. This occurrence is known as culture shock. Culture shock can be experienced in any area in the world, but one specific place that can help show the difference between American culture and other worldly cultures is the country of India. Among Indian culture, there are specific differences such as eating with ones right hand, means of transportation, types of foods and the Holi holiday that show how effective culture change is amid a foreigner …show more content…
This practice is one of the many examples of culture shock that are shown in the movie Outsourced, which follows the journey of Todd “Mr. Toad” Anderson in India. One event that Mr. Toad experiences is the way in which you eat with your hands, “When he is offered a snack at the guest house where he stays, Todd makes the cultural faux pas of eating with his left hand, considered the unclean “toilet” hand in many parts of the world.” Since the left hand is used to wipe after using the bathroom, it was strange for not only Mr. Toad to use such method, but also for the home owners in which he was staying with. It is very easy to think that Americans who are experiencing a different culture to feel out of place and believe that certain customs in another country are weird. But to those individuals that are not from the United States, some things that Americans do are just as strange. This instance that Mr. Toad experienced shows exactly what culture shock can be …show more content…
For Americans, it is easy to get use to driving your own car and being in control of your own way of getting somewhere. In India, transportation is different and this difference can be easily seen in the movie, “On arrival, Todd faces a chaotic transportation system, having to jump onto a crowded moving train, and later chasing after his suitcase which is thrown into a small auto-rickshaw, or as Todd calls it, “one of those taxi go-cart thingies.” Mr. Toad faces several obstacles while in India, and right off the bat he found himself struggling to understand this cultural difference. In India, one of the most prominent ways of transportation is an auto-rickshaw, and it shows how different the ways of getting around can be different for certain individuals in another country, “Nipping between the monstrous Bluelines and chauffeur-driven SUV’s are the yellow and green auto-rickshaws. Their passengers are neither wealthy enough to have their own cars nor poor enough to ride the buses.” Transportation is a very important aspect to examine in order to understand culture shock and how it can shape the view in which one might have upon another country or
Each year there are many people from around the world that want to migrate into the United States making it their permanent home. Culture shapes and designs the world we live in and our place in it. Individuals and societies examine their surroundings through constant interpretations of what they do on a daily basis. Everyone who lives in any part of what we call “society,” are constantly trying to belong to that are they live in. The term “culture” is depicted in a new context, and includes everything from activities and buildings to language and practices of human beings. People from different cultures have characteristically different practices and a practice that is normal and acceptable in one culture may be abnormal and unacceptable in another.
India in 1757 was colonized by the Great Britain after the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies lost the Battle of Plassey in 1757 to Britain. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, seeing India becoming exhausted from the interwar years of 1919-1939, led an independence movement against British imperialism in India. Unlike most major reforms at the time Gandhi used non-violent disobedience to not only deter bloodshed but to also encourage others to join his cause. India, a large but depleted nation, was time and time again exploited throughout history for its people or natural resources. One such exploitation of India Gandhi thought as cruel was the British-imposed salt tax. This led to the now famous Dandi salt march in 1930 where Gandhi was imprisoned
Culture shock includes all those beliefs and expectations about how people should speck and act, the social organisation, the relationship and the rules that govern kinship systems. Also it includes ones ethnicity, the socio economic status, and the ideas, customs and learned behaviour that has become second nature to a person (Fernandez p.158). Culture shock comes in when the student discovers that all the behaviours and skills he or she had are no longer accepted in the new environment.
A sudden change in one’s surroundings can result in culture shock. Culture shock refers to the anxiety and surprise a person feels when he or she is discontented with an unfamiliar setting. The majority of practices or customs are different from what a person is used to. One may experience withdrawal, homesickness, or a desire for old friends. For example, when a person goes to live in a different place with unfamiliar surroundings, they may experience culture shock. Sometimes it is the result of losing their identity. In the article “The Phases of Culture Shock”, Pamela J. Brink and Judith Saunders describe four phases of culture shock. They are: Honeymoon Phase, Disenchantment Phase, Beginning Resolution Phase, and Effective Function Phase. These phases denote some of the stages that exemplify culture shock. The four phases are illustrated in the articles “New Immigrants: Portraits in Passage” by Thomas Bentz, “Immigrant America: A Portrait” by Alejandro Portes and Ruben G. Rumbaut, “When I Was Puerto Rican” by Esmeralda Santiago, “Today’s Immigrants, Their Stories” by Thomas Kessner and Betty Boyd Caroli, and lastly, “The New Americans: Immigrant Life in Southern California” by Ulli Steltzer, and are about the experiences of some immigrants. This essay will examine the four phases of culture shock and classify the experiences of these immigrants by the different phases of culture shock identified.
It is often social norms and behaviors that are ingrained in a person. In comparison to explicit culture, tacit examples of the Narcirema culture includes how they communicate and the belief that the human body is ugly is the basis for most of their rituals and ceremonies. Most people in American culture don’t think too deeply about why they say “bless you” when someone sneezes or why it is considered polite to refer to an authority figure as Mrs. or Mr. Additionally, there are stark differences in tacit culture between people differing cultures that leads to culture shock. Culture shock is feelings of confusion and disorientation often resulting from cultural misunderstandings. For example, people in some parts of Japan consider physical touching inappropriate and may consider a U.S. citizen’s offering of a friendly handshake, instead of a bow, offensive. This simple interaction reveals their cultures differing views on personal space and what is considered friendly.
One of the laws prohibited Indians from making their own salt. Salt was essential in the Indian culture and the British forced them to buy salt and had a tax on salt. A large population of India was impoverished and struggled due to the expense of salt and the additional tax. Gandhi led the salt march, an act to defy the British laws on salt. Thousands of people joined Gandhi on his march and they gathered at the seaside to make sea salt. Symbolically, they reach the sea on the anniversary of the Massacre of Amritsar. The protest, once again aggravated the British. The police arrived and demanded that they hand over the salt. After refusing to give the salt to the police, many Indians were arrested. It was an issue for the British primarily because of money. They made it illegal for the Indians to make their own salt because the needed the profit they got from selling and taxing salt. The Indian people suffered from poverty from many of the British laws, and the salt laws were increasingly frustrating for them. A group of non-violent protesters arrived at the Dharasana Salt Works and were beaten. Although every man before them had been brutally knocked down, the peaceful protesters continued to walk up to the British. The act showed the British the determination of the Indian people. No many how many times they were beaten or arrested, there would still be people protesting. Soon after the protest at Dharasana Salt Works, Gandhi and others were released from jail. A conference was held in Britain to discuss the possibility of India’s independence. The Indian people were successful in their fight against British
In India, a reformer named Gandhi lead his followers across the country to protest the British salt restrictions. These restrictions prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt, which was very important to Indian cuisine. Indians were forced to purchase from the British who placed a tax on salt. To help his people, Gandhi resisted the British salt policies and started a civil disobedience. When Gandhi and his followers accomplished their travels, they planned on making salt from seawater. Gandhi and his people's dedication to resistance spread across India. In a result, many got arrested including Gandhi himself. Although in prison, the resistance still fought on. This resistance easily helped grant India’s
Culture is all about an individual knowledge based on belief ,art,morals customs.Therefore culture shock occurs when people have different values and beliefs and are not tolerant of each others differences(Eckermann,Dowd,Chong,Nixon,Gray and Johnson,2006.).The separation of important people in our lives such as family, friends and colleagues that we would often talk to at times in our certainity can affect our physical social emotional and mental health(Eckermann,Dowd,Chong,Nixon,Gray and Johnson,2006.).Jenny in this case has to fly to a hospital in a town to give birth,she is separated from her husband and her kids,another example of culture shock is when Isabel is fed through Naso-gastric tube whereas Jenny is used to breast feeding.
When one first moves to a completely new and unfamiliar cultural environment, assuredly he or she will experience cultural shock and disorientation. Culture shock can be from many different aspects, for examples, climate, foods, language, custom, social etiquette, environment and etc. Culture shock might cause depression, homesickness, confusion, sadness, frustration, in which one has to overcome when arrived in a new country. Personally, I had experienced culture shock when I first arrived in America from FuZhou, China; I felt lost and confused. Similarly, Tanya, who is from Kharkiv, Ukraine had experienced cultural shock and had felt unsuitable because of foods, school, and living habits when she came to America one and a half years ago.
Mukherjee compares her experiences in Indian culture, Canadian culture, and finally American culture in her quest to describe “American.” In India, she was a part of a primarily “…Hindu, Bengali-speaking, a...
No matter what your culture is, it will determine how you see the world. Whether you’re from China, India, or America it doesn’t matter. Many people experience culture shock when they visit a foreign place that has a culture that differs from theirs. Even if you travel to a different region of the same country there are bound to be cultural differences. Take America for example, if you're from the mid-west and you travel down to south-east you'll notice a different dialect and slang, changes in social tolerances, and different food. Your background and culture in life will determine your worldly view and your perspective on things from linguistic to socio-economic standpoints.
Some subtle way it affects us is simple manners and traditions. It is polite to open the door for someone and to eat with your mouth closed. Culture is different all around the world and why you may feel a little strange in another country. They are brought up differently and look at things from a different perspective. I think that is a very useful skill to have is to be able to see things from a different perspective. Not all cultures are the same and some things may seem weird to you but may be completely normal to someone else. It goes back to my statement of how we tend to want to be around people that are like us and if we aren’t we feel out of place. But who determines our morals and beliefs? I think your family have a lot to deal with
Lets start by understanding that cultures are a melting pot of people’s beliefs, language, behaviors, values, material objects, and norms. Norms are written and non-written “expectations of behavior” that govern a certain location, place, or culture (26). These norms also vary from culture to culture meaning what is a norm in the U.S may not be a norm in India. For example, a norm in America would be tipping a waiter after a meal. Another would be acknowledging someone as you walk past him or her, typically done at work or in a public place. In all, norms are folkways, mores, taboos, and written laws that are an established standard of one’s behavior.
In an effort to help free India from the British rule, Mahatma Gandhi once again contributed to a protest against salt taxes, known as the Salt March. This protest advocated Gandhi’s theory of satyagraha or nonviolent disobedience as the nation came together on March 12, 1930 to walk the 241 miles long journey to the shores of Dandi to attain salt. Although some Indians criticized Gandhi for not achieving direct independence from the Raj or British rule, Gandhi’s execution of the Salt March helped to create a stronger nation for the Indians to live in. Gandhi motivated the Indians to act robustly against the injustices of the salt taxes through nonviolent means. This caused Gandhi to create a temporary compromising pact between Gandhi and the British viceroy over the turmoil created by the salt taxes. In addition, Gandhi drew a plan known as the “Quit India” resolution, whose immediate effect brought India closer to obtaining independence than before.
The British invasion formed into a historical development of British colonialism in India. Despite India under the British rule, Mahatma Gandhi played an important role in gaining Independence. He not only changed India but also strongly fought for India's independence, using various strategies. The British Empire ruled as long as they could to reform India both politically and socially.