Assignment Oral History and reflection

Assignment

This assignment has two parts: A)
Interview someone who has a significantly different cultural background to your own to elicit a story that gives you some insight into their relationship with their culture(s) and/or Australian culture and how they see themselves in terms of cultural identity. This might be a migration story, a coming of age story or another story that talks about a significant interaction across difference that has somehow shaped this person’s identity. Before you begin, write a series of questions you might ask to elicit some in depth narratives or stories. Make sure your questions are sensitive and nuanced. Gain their consent via information sheet and consent form before beginning the interview
Depict this narrative in one of the following ways:
• Write a narrative using your participant’s words
• Draw a cartoon or storyboard
• Edit your narrative to make a radio documentary or podcast style narrative
• Make a multimedia presentation ( for example, a video,animation, recount to video)
Written accounts should be 1000 words; audio or multimedia presentations should be 5-10 minutes in length; cartoons/storyboards should be 10-25 panels.
Cite relevant in-text and end-text references in proper APA style.
Part B) 1000 words
Write a reflective piece in which you explore the similarities and differences between this person’s experiences of identity and culture and your own. The following questions:
may help you to think through your reflection piece:
• What similarities and differences between you and your participant did you encounter? How did this allow you to make connections across difference? Reflect upon Giugni’s (n.d). ideas of difference and how this acknowledgement that we are all both similar to and different from each other allows us to make connections across difference.
• How has hearing this story changed your understanding of this person’s culture? How has this helped you to engage with the idea of the ‘danger of a single story’ that Adichie (2009) discusses?
• What depth of experience and knowledge have you gained through this process?
• What dominant social narratives of this person’s culture were overturned/supported by this account?
• How did you find the interaction with your participant? Were you able to have an easy conversation? Why? What skills or strategies did you enlist to make connections with this individual during your interview? How did you make them feel safe and comfortable? Were there moments of discomfort? Why? How did you work with this?
 In writing this reflection, you should engage with the theoretical and conceptual knowledge that we have explored so far and make use of course (and other) readings to support your position and elaboration of your experience of conducting the oral history. This section should be 1000 words in length.

Solution (2000 words)

1.      Introduction

There are various definitions of culture in the world but all of them are pointed towards one thing. Culture is the language, norms, ethnicity, values, beliefs and the material objects which are being passed from generations. Different groups of people have different cultures but the thing which is universal is that each group is having a culture. Culture is further divided into the material and nonmaterial culture. Material culture consists of the tangible things associated with a group of people, such as art, architecture, weapon etc. whereas Nonmaterial culture is the perception and behavior of people, as in how people think and act, such as beliefs, language, gestures etc. (Kimmel, and Aronson, 2009).

2.      Discussion

2.1.   Narrative of the Interview

For this project, a Chinese friend of mine was interviewed. The reason behind choosing China is that this country is having the largest population and with such huge population comes different ethnic groups, religion and along with that, China is famous for their rich culture and religion. The friend I interviewed was Ying. She was very kind and supportive while giving the interview. It was not a  strict question and answer section but we got along and we had a proper conversation regarding the culture of China.

To start this interview I asked Ying about the Ethnic groups and the languages spoken in China. To which she replied: China is a huge country and so it has a good number of ethnic groups.  She was not aware of the exact number of those Ethnic groups but she estimated them to be around 40 – 45 or even more. About languages, she told us that the most common language spoken in China is Mandarin, which is also known as Putonghua but each ethnic group is having their own languages. Such as the people called Bai speak Tibeto but Dur speaks Dagur and so on. Every ethnic group might not know the languages of each other but they all know Mandarin and that is how most of the Chinese communicate regardless of the group they belong to.

Furthermore, I asked her about the religious beliefs of Chinese people and if there are any Atheists found in China. To this, she replied: "Yes we do have a few Atheists in our country”. Although most of the people have their association with a religion. Moreover, she told me that the most popular religion followed in China are Confucianism, Daoism or you may call it Taoism, that is another famous name used for this religion. Along with that, Buddhism, Christianity, Catholic and Muslims are also followed by people of China. Regarding that, I also asked her if religious fights occur in China and for this, her answer was in affirmation. She said often people belonging to major groups of religion and people of minor religious groups fight among themselves and at times they fight with the government as well for their rights.

Then I started asking her about the family structures found in China and while answering that she told me that families are valued the most in China. Elder members of the family are always respected and young members are getting the most attention. Joint family system is followed. Children live with their parents until they are married or they leave if they want to get an education or job somewhere other than the place they are living in. When asked about one child policy she stated that due to that policy a lot of pressure has come to the child. Now, grandparents and parents all of them are upbringing one child and that make things complicated among the families.

I was curious to know how Chinese people make friends and if it is easier for them to include other people in their lives then Ying told me that Chinese people are not willing to open up to everyone. In the first meeting, you might think of them as rude but eventually you will realize that they are very friendly. They just keep their external posture cold for avoiding wrong people. You have to earn the friendship of a Chinese with time and actions.

Ying also told us about different events and festivals which are celebrated in China. She told us that they have huge festivals which usually last for days. Their most festivals aren't just one-day thing. Their most famous festivals include the Spring Festival, which is also known as Chinese New year. According to her if anyone wants to see the atmosphere of festivity in China then they must come to China during this festival. It is a huge festival with fireworks, art, food, and everything. Ying also told us that her favorite dish Laba Porridge is also made in this festival. Along with that more activities, like dancing lions, are also the spotlight of this event. Moreover, she also told us about the Lantern Festival, which is actually called Yuanxiao Festival in China. She told us that this festival is celebrated to promote peace. The main attraction of this festival is various lanterns having beautiful designs. Another attraction is Dumbling balls, made of rice. Moreover, there are various other festivals being religiously celebrated in China, their people have an emotional attachment with these festivals.

Furthermore, she told me that the belief of Chinese in colors is very strong. Some colors are considered lucky for us and they are used almost everywhere such as red and yellow. They are the prominent colors in most of our festivities because they are considered to be lucky and it is believed that they bring happiness, peace,  joy, and harmony.

About the food of the people of China, Ying jokingly said that it is true we eat anything and everything, but our food varies according to the region that we are living in. For example, Central Chinese love spicy food whereas Northern Chinese have more of a taste for simple but salty food, but the Southern Chinese prefer sour and spicy food.

Furthermore, she told us that the zodiac signs followed in China are different from the ones followed by other people and the lucky number of Chinese is 8. She also told us about the wedding traditions of the Chinese people. She said Chinese marriages are the most fun. They last for two days, having a tea ceremony, testing the groom, maid of honors, and it is the most enjoyable thing for everyone. One more thing that she pointed at was that the Chinese are very concerned about their health and beliefs and they will not compromise with them at any moment. Last thing that I asked her was about genders and their role to that she said Females face tough time in pursuing their careers. Their culture entails that females are to be protected by males and due to that a lot of bad incidents regarding females occur. Moreover, this culture is used to treating man and woman very differently and there is no equality among genders in China.

One more unique thing which was told by Ying and is worth sharing is of face. Chinese call their status as face and it must be respected and if for any instance someone insults the face of any person then it is considered very embarrassing and to avoid that, Chinese people often become very polite and generous.

2.2.   Similarities and Differences Between Chinese and Australia

An obvious similarity between Australia and China is of the huge land of their countries. According to World Bank (2018), China is having around 9 million square kilometer area and the land of Australia is around 7 million square kilometer. Along with that, another similarity is of ever-changing climate in both the countries. Furthermore, another similarity is that China and Australia both the cultures are involved in the inequality of either on gender or on the social class. As stated in Greig et al., (2003)  the culture of Australia has inequality integrated in it from ages. Another very prominent similarity among these two cultures is of drinking tea. Tea is the most popular drink in both the countries.

The first and major difference between Australia and China is of language. In Australia, English is mostly used as a mean to communicate (Ammon, 2011), but in China, the common language used for communication is Mandarin. Another huge difference is in family structures. China wanted to slow down the growth of the population, hence, they started the one-child policy for their citizens. People are not allowed to have more than one child (Vleminckx, and Smeeding,  2001). Although in Australia situation is different. According to the World Bank, they are underpopulated and hence, whenever a new baby is born or adopted then the government provides them with some financial leverage (APH, 2014).

Another huge difference between these two cultures is of family structures. Chinese have three generations living together in one place whereas you will hardly see such a thing in Australia. Chinese people respect their elders a lot and they have the power command. In front of them, children can hardly say anything but in Australia, it's not the case. Children and parents are treated equally in Australia and they want freedom they are not as linked with their families as Chinese people are (Yuesheng, 2006; & Gilding, 2001).

Moreover, they have a difference of economies as well. China has a command economy but Australis is having a mixed market economy. In China, a few regulatory bodies have all the control whereas in Australia the most of the control is in the hands of the private sectors with some government involvement. Along with that, the unemployment rate of Australia is more than that of China, even though China is comprising of a lot more population than Australia, Australia is, in fact, underpopulated (Calomiris et al., 2010; Glen et al., 2007).

In the interview, it was said that the Chinese have strong beliefs. These beliefs were on superstitious things as well. Chinese people have a strong culture of believing and working according to their superstitious whereas, as far as I have observed in the culture of Australia such things are not given much consideration. Religion is also one of the differences among these two cultures (Bongiorno,  2006).

Another huge difference between Australia and China is of the festivals. China has a lot of traditional festivals, but Australia is not having any festival like that. Festivals celebrated in China are many and they include various things whereas Australia celebrates Anzac Day, Easter, Christmas and an Australia day. These are the most famous festivals which are celebrated in Australia (Darian, 2011).

2.3.   Problems faced while interviewing

Problems faced while interviewing the Chinese individual were negligible. This was a very enlightening experience and Ying was very supportive of this. At first, she was a bit reserved but eventually, she got over it and she really started communicating with me. It stopped being a strict question-answer session but it was more like a discussion of the cultures of China and comparing it to Australia. Along with that, she told me whatever I wanted to know. But I would say that the things she stated in this interview are limited to her experiences and exposure but the overall reality of the country and the culture of the country could be different.

2.4.   My perception of Chinese Culture

After working on this project I have got this perception of Chinese culture to be very colorful and peaceful. As the interviewee said they have so many festivals, I felt like they like having fun and celebrations. Along with that, they have a very strong place for their religious beliefs and customs and values for family. Their culture seems so different from the culture of Australia but some of the things there can be connected to my home country Saudi Arabia, such as a family structure of Arabs and Chinese people seem same except for the child policy. Moreover, Chinese are working really hard on not letting their culture be corrupted by any means but they have gone really far for saving their culture that they have blocked most of the social media sites and communication of the Chinese people with the world outside.

3.      Conclusion

Cultures of two countries are very distinct and can not be judged by anyone. Each culture contains their own values, beliefs, and traditions. All of which seemed perfectly fine in their own context but when compared to other cultures they may seem odd. Cultures evolve with time and often gets mixed due to the exposure. Exploring cultures is a very intriguing phenomenon

References

Ammon, U. (Ed.). (2011). The dominance of English as a language of science: Effects on other languages and language communities (Vol. 84). Walter de Gruyter.

APH. (2014). Abolishing the Baby Bonus – Parliament of Australia. Retrieved from https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/BudgetReview201314/BabyBonus

Bongiorno, F. (2006). In this world and the next: political modernity and unorthodox religion in Australia, 1880-1930. ACH: The Journal of the History of Culture in Australia, (24-25).

Calomiris, C. W., Fisman, R., & Wang, Y. (2010). Profiting from government stakes in a command economy: Evidence from Chinese asset sales. Journal of Financial Economics, 96(3), 399-412.

Darian-Smith, K. (2011). Histories of agricultural shows and rural festivals in Australia. Festival Places: Revitalising Rural Australia, 27, 25.

Gilding, M. (2001). Changing families in Australia. Family Matters, (60), 6.

Glen, M., Alfenas, A. C., Zauza, E. A. V., Wingfield, M. J., & Mohammed, C. (2007). Puccinia psidii: a threat to the Australian environment and economy—a review. Australasian Plant Pathology, 36(1), 1-16.

Greig, A., Lewins, F., & White, K. (2003). Inequality in Australia. Cambridge University Press.

Kimmel, M., & Aronson, A. (2009). Culture and Society. In Sociology now: The Essentials. (pp. 37 – 62). New York, NY: Pearson.

Vleminckx, K., & Smeeding, T. M. (Eds.). (2001). Child Well-being, Child Poverty and Child Policy: What Do We Know?. Policy Press.

World Bank (2018). Land area (sq. km) | Data. [online] Data.worldbank.org. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.TOTL.K2?locations=CN .

Yuesheng, W. (2006). The Changing Family Structure in Contemporary China: An Analysis [J]. Social Sciences in China, 1, 96-108.