Cultural Perceptions: Exploiting the Unexpected of the Other

Abstract

Studies of perception seem to have been dominated by scientific theory for disciplinary purposes. The present work proceeds from the standpoint that people's discourse of perception deserves attention in its own right and examines constructions of perception with special reference to their situated sociocultural meaning. The investigation focuses on descriptions of unexpected perceptual experience about the Chinese in present-day Dutch travel literature and, from a rhetorical perspective which views discourse as both constructive of reality and active upon it, attempts to make transparent the sociocultural purposes to which such perceptual representations are put. Methodologically, since the meaning of (perceptual) discourse is cued through verbal and situational context, the present analysis premises its interpretation upon the ways that the perceived reality is formulated, accounted for and culturally understood. It is shown that perceptual representations of unexpected cultural experiences can be contextually managed to show distance from, unworthiness of, contempt for, disbelief in or transcendence over the cultural Other. In conclusion it is suggested that discursive perception of culture be conceptualized as culture-making practice and that people's perceptual discourse be conceptualized as individuals' resources for social ends.