The New Oxford American Dictionary defines acumen as “the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions, typically in a particular domain : business acumen“.
So having cultural acumen would mean that a person possesses the ability to make good judgments pertaining to the culture in which they find themselves. I wonder how long it takes to build up acumen. I’ve been here a little over 2 years and there are certain things regarding culture that I feel like I can make good judgments on. But there are still things, even after 2 years, that I’m no closer to feeling comfortable judging now than I was then.
This all came to light as I was reading a colleagues website regarding acclimation to their new culture. This colleague recently arrived to the country and immediately started language training. Within the first couple of weeks this colleague of mine wrote about how the city (that I live in and they study in) is one of the most spiritually dark places they’ve been, that people walk around with blank looks on their faces, and spend their time wasting away in the bars.
While I would agree with the last observation, people really do like to drink here, I would disagree with the first two observations. First, this city is alive. There are not many blank looks on the faces of the people here. In fact, most seem to carry themselves as though they have no care in the world. They have immense pride in their city and country and know how to have a good time. These things can’t be noticed and truly appreciated in the first 2 weeks in a city. Another thing worth mentioning, this is not a spiritually dark city. Places like New Orleans and parts of San Francisco are spiritually dark. This city is spiritually indifferent, which may be worse than being spiritually dark. The overwhelming majority here have no thoughts towards religion. They can take it or leave it, and most leave it. As long as your beliefs do not infringe on how they live out their life they could care less what you believe.
So maybe my colleague mistook spiritual indifference for spiritual darkness. Which brings me back to my original question…how long does it take to gain an appreciation for and understanding of a culture? I don’t know that I have the answer, but I have some principles that I’ve followed in the 2+ years I’ve been here:
- be quiet. just sit, watch, and listen
- go where the people are - downtown, parks, festivals, restaurants
- plug in - sign up for an art or photography course, join a knitting group, get involved in some athletic group/team
- ask a lot of questions, be patient in waiting for response, don’t judge the response or the response giver and then repeat the first principle
These are just a few things I’ve tried to incorporate into my daily life as I try to develop my cultural acumen.
August 26th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Good post, and a great thought for us all. As you would probably agree, knowing about a culture and knowing a culture are on the opposite ends of the spectrum.
As to your question, I think you can gain an appreciation for a culture by learning about them, but you cannot gain an accurate understanding of a culture without knowing them. Knowing about them may include visiting their culture for a vacation, reading books about their history, challenges, and successes. Knowing them is more intimate, and it is much more difficult. I wouldn’t think you coul know a cluture without spending a lot of time with the people of that culture, and even then, although you are starting to know them, your understanding is only partial.
August 29th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
I agree. Learning and knowing are 2 different things. There were certain things I learned about the culture I was moving to before I came, but I only came to know certain things after moving here.