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Russians are very proud of their culture, their nation, their history

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this is a, of course, complicated statement and not always true

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but this pride in culture, nation, and history is a serious component of being Russian

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true for other cultures as well

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cultures make us emotional, not an object that we study away from us

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Barnga

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a simulation game of cross-cultural encounters

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created by two anthropologists

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cultural knowledge is important when interacting with people in other cultures

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participants in a card game tournament

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not allowed to talk

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two winners, these move to another table

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they continue playing with new partners

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as they play at the new table, strange things happen

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unbeknownst to the players, their new partners play according to slightly different rules

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players get emotional: angry, frustrated

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they will eventually, hopefully, arrive at an understanding that the rules are slightly different for others

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similar to the experience of being in a different culture

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even if you have a common language, there are often misunderstandings as you learn the different rules

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people don't think about these rules, they are automatic, a part of your culture

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culture makes life easy because it enables us to work in a kind of autopilot mode

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we don't think about how we say hi to our friends, or polite exchanges at the store, we do it everyday, but when we get to another culture, these simple activities may become difficult, confusing, and stressful

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results from the Barnga simulation

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the feeling of culture: you realize what it is when it isn't there

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you learn how little you consciously know about your own culture

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going to another culture is like playing a game where you don't know all the rules

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your experience and success in a target culture depends on how competent you are at learning about and adapting to your target culture

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quotes:

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"Culture makes life easy because it enables us to work in a kind of autopilot mode."