Various Factors of Intercultural Encounters

Class discussion and analysis has been centered on interactions between Africans, African Americans, Europeans, and European Americans. Through various texts and genres, the class has been shown various intercultural encounters that have shaped the perceptions of the people of the twenty-first century. Many factors play a role in intercultural encounters. This paper examines three such factors: race, gender, and education. Examination of these three factors will ultimately give the reader choices to choose out of when deciding what factor is the most responsible for shaping the intercultural encounters that have been presented in class texts.

When looking at intercultural encounters, it is important to keep in mind the complexity involved when an encounter occurs. Initial interactions lead to a power dynamic that usually leads to a superior figure and, consequently, an inferior figure. The idea of power dynamics will be sufficiently covered later in this paper. However, after the initial interaction, there is a catalyst that propels the encounter to further heights. The mystery is finding those catalysts, or reasons for continuing the intercultural encounter. The three factors that could be the most responsible for shaping the intercultural encounters that have occurred in our classroom texts – race, gender, and education – can all be examined as separate entities. Before this paper does just that, a look at all three factors playing a role simultaneously in an intercultural encounter are looked at.

Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions is a culmination of all three factors playing a role in the various intercultural encounters that take place within its text. Early on in the story, Tambu states to her brother, “I want to go...

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...the driving force to which the white race has suppressed the black race. Education and gender, moreover, are seen as separate mediums to which manipulation could be facilitated through. Educational manipulation was shown in Babamakuru’s actions and in Frank’s words. Gender, as well, was shown through inequality women suffer through when related to the power dynamic system that was described above.

As a reader, various factors that could be responsible for shaping intercultural encounters have been presented. Race, gender and education have been detailed thoroughly. Moreover, a common denominator that was said to be inferiority was also related to the three factors presented in this paper. It is incumbent of you to decide which factor is the most responsible for shaping intercultural encounters. The options have been presented, and now it is time for you to choose.