American Culture Research Articles

CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION: COMPARING THE MEANING OF HUNGARIAN-RUSSIANAMERICAN NONVERBAL SIGNS

The aim of my research was to conduct a comparative analysis of nonverbal communication cues between Hungarian, Russian and American cultures, with a focus on the cultural specificities and overlaps of nonverbal cues used to express different emotions and states, such as aggressiveness, uncertainty and interest. The study involved an extensive literature review and a questionnaire survey with participants from different cultures to understand how these nonverbal signals are interpreted and perceived in different cultural contexts.
 In the analysis, I paid particular attention to the different interpretations of body language, facial expressions, gestures and touch, and spatial relations cues. The results of the research have highlighted that although there are some common forms of nonverbal communication, there are also a number of significant cultural differences that fundamentally influence the encoding and decoding of messages.
 For example, while in American culture direct eye contact and open posture can be signs of sincerity and confidence, in Hungarian and Russian cultures these signals can have different contexts and intensities. The meaning and acceptability of touch also varies; what is seen as a friendly gesture in one culture may suggest excessive closeness and inappropriateness in another.
 The research also highlighted the intercultural communication difficulties and misunderstandings that can arise from different interpretations of nonverbal signals. This underlines the need to better understand and respect the communication customs and norms of different cultures in order to communicate effectively and efficiently.
 At the end of my research, I have formulated recommendations for those involved in cross-cultural communication, whether in business, educational or personal contexts. I have stressed the importance of cultural sensitivity, avoiding prejudices and active listening, which can be key to successful and meaningful intercultural dialogues.

Extended commentary—Keeping the republic: A vision for America

AbstractThe United States is enduring an identity crisis characterized by a polarized political climate precipitating an American culture war. In this battle the Republican Party has been overtaken by “Anti‐wokeism” allied with antidemocratic “states' rights” beliefs claiming an exclusive, antipluralist definition of republic. The extremist right in America insists that America is not a democracy, but a “republic” built to respect the status of a minority characterized as white, nationalist and Christian. “Anti‐wokeism” is an extension of Trumpism and MAGA (Make America Great Again), gathering together antidemocratic forces, fueled by resentment and theories of racial displacement known as the Great Replacement Theory. These forces are overwhelming the modern Republican Party, inspiring homophobia, misogyny, racism, book bans, and violence. This essay addresses the following four elements of this crisis with an eye to a renewed vision of America: (1) the difference between an 18th Century and 21st Century definition of a republic; (2) the antidemocratic states' rights movement; (3) the nature of strongman populism in American politics; and (4) a vision of diversity as the core principle of the American Republic.

Crisis of Genre and Diasporic Identity in Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior

Maxine Hong Kingston makes a conscious choice of presenting a multi-generic narrative in her autobiography, The Woman Warrior (1975) as a method of structural navigation which describes her experiences and struggles while growing up as a Chinese-American girl in California. As a diasporic text this choice of stretching the sacred conventions of autobiographical genre subjects it to scrutiny which primarily focuses on the text’s impact rather than search for meaning for the protagonist. The dispute among critics essentially considers the novel as fiction clumsily disguised as autobiography. This paper argues that the incorporation of talk stories, memory, fact, fiction along with elements of Chinese and American culture enables Kingston to truthfully comprehend a disoriented past where stories of the ‘other’ coexist and help in reconstructing a unique personal self. The deconstruction of generic boundaries in the text become tools for questioning the public-private binary associated with history and autobiography respectively. However, this blurring of distinctions between fiction and non-fiction in the novel is brought about not by ignoring norms of genre but by actively evaluating and engaging with it. An objective retelling of Kingston’s story then relies on multiple subjective experiences and fictious accounts which enable her to situate herself within her family and community and to understand the complexities of Asian-American identity.

Unearthing, preserving, and promoting Sikh American history: The Sikh American history project

ABSTRACT The Sikh American History Project (SAHP) is a grassroots organization of scholars, students, and community members committed to unearthing, preserving, and promoting the stories and experiences of Sikh Americans. By sharing these stories from the early pioneer era to the present day, SAHP aims to build greater understanding and respect for Sikh American history. SAHP also offers a variety of educational resources and programs designed to engage and inform individuals both within and outside of the Sikh American community about Sikh American history and culture.

Immigrant Exclusion Acts: On Early Chinese Labor and Domestic Matriarchal Agency in Lin Yutang’s Chinatown Family

In the introduction to her influential work on Asian American cultural studies and feminist materialist critique, Immigrant Acts: On Asian American Cultural Politics, Lisa Lowe shatters the contradictions manifested in Asian immigration, wherein Asians’ entry into the United States marked them either as marginalized from “within” the national political sphere or as linguistically, culturally, and racially “outside” of the national polity For Asian immigrants, the debate of being simultaneously needed and excluded is no more evidenced historically than using Chinese labor during the California Gold Rush in the mid-nineteenth century. Their migratory relocation was hardly met with ease and public enthusiasm, however. Evoking anxiety in their Anglo counterparts, the Chinese were characterized as foreign noncitizens: barbaric, alien, and dangerous, the quintessential “yellow peril” threatening to displace white European immigrants such as the Irish. The irrational fear of the “Oriental” from the Far East led to a succession of immigration exclusion laws passed by Congress that denied the Chinese from entering the U.S. and their rights to naturalization in 1882. Passed by Congress and signed by President Chester A. Arthur, the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act suspended the entry of Chinese laborers into the U.S. based on their nationality for ten years. This paper argues that the possibility of agency for Chinese workers existed throughout the exclusionary period. Specifically, this site of agency resides with Chinese women and is expressed through a literary mode. For instance, Lin Yutang’s Chinatown Family (1948) captures this moment of immigrant agency in the post-exclusion era. Lin, a pioneering Chinese writer and inventor who wrote texts such as My Country and My People (1935), The Importance of Living (1937), and Moment in Peking (1939), often utilized his narratives to bridge the clash between the East and West. Identifying what I see as the inadequacy of probing one of the earliest Chinese American texts from a rigid literary mode, I move to reconsider the novel as a legal counternarrative to the three exclusionary laws: the Page Law of 1875, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and the Cable Act of 1922. To direct my critical reorientation of Lin’s novel away from, though not necessarily against, literary castings of this early immigrant tale, I take the narrative as a strategic literary re-imagination that structures itself around these three legislative pieces to critique restrictive practices enacted upon the Chinese. The novel showcases how Chinese immigrants maneuvered and manipulated the legal system in their favor during assimilation. In this context, critical reappraisal is needed in scrutinizing how the Exclusion Act generated a wave of domestic-based diasporic relocation of Chinese workers from California to New York. Due to acute anti-Chinese sentiments on the West Coast, resetting Chinese workers in the northeast in search of a new Gold Mountain led to a unique phenomenon. This dispersal elevated Chinese women as valuable social capitals who transformed metropoles like New York City and redefined their views as nationalist subjects of the “about-to-be” in industrial capitalist modernity. Through a legal framework, then, Lin’s portrayal of the Fong clan suggests the emergence of a gendered Sino-immigrant agency, one that enabled the Chinese woman/mother to situate herself as the locus of the traditional patriarchal Chinese entrepreneurial family and the forefront of the northeast industrial capitalist scene.

Collections of Collections: Alice T. Miner and Electra Havemeyer Webb

Electra Havemeyer Webb, in 1947, founded the Shelburne Museum in Vermont. A “collection of collections,” the museum brought together examples of art, architecture, and even local trees, all showcasing Webb’s interest in objects that can educate and illuminate American life and culture. On the other side of Lake Champlain, Alice T. Miner, with her husband, created the Alice T. Miner Museum in 1924. Her collection focused on the Colonial Revival, though, in a sense, this, too, is a “collection of collections.” The character of their museums reflects on their individual personalities and circumstances, but the fact of the collections speaks to the time period and to the ways in which women have seen and understood American culture. This article explores what these collections tell us about the women who created them and about the ways in which race, gender, and class intersect in the inclusion and exclusion of objects and images. Whether the steamship Ticonderoga or the top of a crazy quilt made be Lena Olena Blow of Sciota, NY, in 1908, the objects chosen by Webb and Miner (respectively) tell a story, one that is reinforced by their presentation within the museums. Through examining the provenance and presentation of specific objects, this essay will consider the wider themes, including the relative invisibility of women, craftspeople, and people of color, considered through the two museums. Of particular interest will be the women themselves and their intentions in creating museums that have long outlived them. Were they aware of the significance of their work? Did they strive to include objects and images that illustrated race, gender, and class, as understood or misunderstood by the America of their times? Have the curators and directors that followed them changed the tenor of the museums in order to address those questions more fully?

Aspects of Fantasy and Mythology in Neil Gaiman's "American Gods"

American Gods (2001) by a British writer Neil Gaiman, is a mixture of American culture, fantasy and various streams of ancient and modern mythology, all centered around the mysterious and taciturn shadow. Neil Gaiman's American Gods, the exploration of fantasy and mythology extends beyond mere storytelling to serve as a lens through which the author comments on profound cultural phenomena. The characters, drawn from diverse mythological traditions, embody archetypal qualities that resonate universally.

Prostitution adjacent: the politics and performance of mediated motherhood and sex work

ABSTRACT American television producers have created a slew of television series that focus on motherhood’s experience and meanings. This paper examines how SMILF (Showtime, 2017–2019) and The Deuce (HBO, 2017-) depict the intersection of motherhood and sex work under a capitalist and neoliberal society. Both series aired in 2017 when U.S. conversations around women’s bodily agency increased and thus, intervene in historical and current debates regarding women’s bodies and motherhood. I situate this paper within feminist television criticism informed by motherhood studies to examine cultural meanings circulated by each series. This paper reveals the connections between sex workers and mothers concerning their gendered labor and how this intersection displays neoliberal paradigms that govern mothers. While both series explore sex work seriously in the context of motherhood, I argue that SMILF and The Deuce suggest their characters’ labor is only moral if carried out for the sake of their children. Ultimately, these series complicate discourses around motherhood and sex work and reinforce dominant neoliberal narratives around the morality of motherhood in American culture.

Subjugated to Free Independent States of America, Boston Tea Party by Sons of Liberty and Declaration of Independence

This article explores how Native Americans and Africans have historically been treated by Europeans, with a particular emphasis on how both groups have been portrayed as barbaric and primitive in a variety of media, including literature, minstrel shows, newspapers, and advertisements. We'll talk about Native Americans' difficulties and how they gained their independence in this section. European colonization of North America resulted in the displacement of these tribes, who were then forced into reservations and subjected to assimilation strategies that were often violent and betrayed treaties. European assimilation efforts aimed to erase Native American culture, history, and identity through the establishment of boarding schools that forced Native American children to adopt European habits, attire, and language. The method was intended to "kill the Indian, save the man," as institutions such as the Carlisle Indian School illustrated. Despite the hardships and cultural loss inflicted on Native Americans, their experience in boarding schools was critical in developing future Native American leaders and building a sense of pan-Indian identity, thereby refuting the notion of them as a dying race. The article also delves into the influence of British colonial rule on Native Americans, as well as the imposition of taxes without representation, which sparked riots such as the Boston Tea Party. The Continental Congress and the following Declaration of Independence were watershed points in the American Revolution. Furthermore, the Coercive Acts meant to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party, stoked colonial discontent and aided in the commencement of the American Revolutionary War. The article finishes by underlining the significance of these historical events in establishing the identity of the United States and the ongoing struggle for Native Americans' rights and acknowledgment. This in-depth examination of historical events and their interconnectivity sheds light on the complicated and often brutal interactions between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans, which ultimately influenced the establishment of the United States and its values (Volo, 2003).

Introduction: Latin American Children's Literature and Culture

Introduction: Latin American Children's Literature and Culture

Depiction of Machismo through Castillo Brothers in Oscar Hijuelos’ The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love

The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love (1989) is a novel by Oscar Hijuelos, a Cuban-American writer. It talks about the lives of Cesar and Nestor Castillo, Cuban immigrants who live in America to pursue their dreams as musicians. The novel strongly connects to Latin American culture. The Castillo brothers are known for embracing their "Cubanness" as men. Men in Spanish-speaking countries are recognized for their masculine solid pride. Their strong masculine pride is often associated with an exaggeration of their masculinity. People often call it machismo. Machismo, derived from destructive aspects such as aggressiveness, womanizing, emotional withdrawal, and male chauvinism, is known for having harmful outcomes for men who embed it. Operating Hall's Theory of Representation and Kupers' concept of toxic masculinity, this research aims to show how the Castillo brothers represent machismo and reveal the ideology of Oscar Hijuelos' regarding machismo. This research is conducted as qualitative research, utilizing narratives and dialogues. The study found that Cesar's practice of machismo through the act of being a Latin lover affects his participation in alcoholism and resistance to professional help. Besides, Nestor's practice of machismo for being a "man with muscle" eventually leads him to depression, anxiety, and rejection of therapy. It is acknowledged their status as immigrants heighten their practices of machismo. Through his writing, the author expects to criticize machismo.

Efficacy of the Pedagogical, Cultural, and Advocacy Programming at Purdue University Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center

Efficacy of the Pedagogical, Cultural, and Advocacy Programming at Purdue University Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center

Analysis of Leading Actors’ Career Pathways in The Intern based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

The essay tells a story that Ben who is a 70-year-old retired man returning to career life and being a particular intern of Jules of CEO who manages a fashion web. The film shows the high-pressure and fast career life, unobvious discrimination against women and the atmosphere of daily life which is featured by family neglect. Basing on the five dimensions of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which includes Physiological Needs, Safety Needs, Love and Belongings Needs, Esteem Needs and Self-actualization Needs so that this paper could make an analysis of the two protagonists’ character, figure, psychological journey, life choices, etc. in their career life pathways, at the same time, which has high-level analysis and interpretation on similarities and differences. As a result of the paper, it reflects differences of both sexes’ career life features under the influence of American culture. On the one hand, people deeply recognize this thesis. On the other hand, it is significant to developed the relative researches and western culture thesis in the future by more scholars.

Black America and Hollywood’s Korean War: The Steel Helmet (1951) and Pork Chop Hill (1959)

Representing neither the glory of World War II, nor the anguish of the Vietnam War, the Korean War continues to occupy an obscure place in American history and culture. Similarly, those who fought in this conflict – including African Americans – have been overshadowed by the combatants who served before and after. Yet the Korean War was enormously significant, not least because it was the first conflict fought by a racially integrated American fighting force. For the first time, black and white soldiers ate, slept, and fought side by side. Films about the Korean War made during the 1950s explored this new racial dynamic. Focusing on the representation of African Americans in The Steel Helmet (1951) and Pork Chop Hill (1959), this article examines the ways in which screen representations both reflected and challenged popular attitudes regarding African American military service during the Korean War.

Study on Cultural Hegemony Infiltrated in Kung Fu Panda from Orientalism Perspective

Edward Said holds that Orientalism essentially explains the power relation between the West and the East in which the former controls the latter with hegemony. Hollywood films, the symbol of American culture, play an indispensable role in promoting American cultural values and ideologies, but the images of non-western countries are often distorted in them. Thus gradually, the East is marginalized and the gap between the image of the East and the West becomes difficult to bridge. This paper is a study of the cultural hegemony infiltrated in Kung Fu Panda which is permeated with both Chinese and American cultural elements.

The Music Education Legacy of William Frederick Cardin, or Pejawah: “A Language All America Should Know”

William Frederick (“Fred”) Cardin served as a director of instrumental music in the Reading, Pennsylvania, School District from 1930 until his retirement in June 1960. An accomplished performer and composer, Cardin studied at the Curtis School of Music and the Conservatoire Américaine in Paris, France. He is remembered as an outstanding educator and conductor both in the public schools and with community organizations. Cardin was also known as Pejawah, his Native American name. To gain further insight regarding Cardin’s musical legacy and how it reflects his heritage, interviews were conducted with former students and colleagues. Additional artifacts were collected pertaining to his education, influences, and accomplishments. Cardin pursued a focused mission through compositions and performances to promote Native American music and culture while also demonstrating aptitude in music composition, performance, and conducting. Cardin is one individual who pursued a successful career in music and music education while navigating the issues of racial discrimination.

Are Dwarves Protestant? American Religion and “Dungeons & Dragons”

I analyze the ideology of representation of religion in the tabletop role-playing game (TRPG) Dungeons & Dragons. I approach TRPGs as a type of protostory, an interactive set of stories governed by rules which provides affordances to create different stories. Whether a specific story is relatively hard or easy to instantiate from the protostory indicates if this particular instantiation serves as a preferred, negotiated, or oppositional reading of the TRPG rules. Based on an analysis of the dimensions of religion proposed by Ninian Smart, contrasted with Harold Bloom’s idea of American religion, as well as the concept of intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientation, I discuss the similarity between the way Dungeons & Dragons simulates religion, and the traditional understanding of religion in American culture.

Editorial: American Culture in Games and Game Studies

Editorial: American Culture in Games and Game Studies

How service robots’ human-like appearance impacts consumer trust: a study across diverse cultures and service settings

Purpose This study aims to compares the effects of different human-like appearances (low vs. medium vs. high) of service robots (SRs) on consumer trust in service robots (CTSR), examines the mediating role of perceived warmth (WA) and perceived competence (CO) and demonstrates the moderating role of culture and service setting. Design/methodology/approach The research design includes three scenario-based experiments (Chinese hotel setting, American hotel setting, Chinese hospital setting). Findings Study 1 found SR’s human-like appearance can arouse perceived anthropomorphism (PA), which positively affects CTSR through parallel mediators (WA and CO). Study 2 revealed consumers from Chinese (vs. American) culture had higher CTSR. Study 3 showed consumers had higher WA and CO for SRs in the credence (vs. experience) service setting. The authors also had an exploratory analysis of the uncanny valley phenomenon. Practical implications The findings have practical implications for promoting the diffusion of SRs in the hospitality industry. Managers can increase CTSR by augmenting the anthropomorphic design of SRs; however, they must consider the differences in this effect across all service recipients (consumers from different cultures) and service settings. Originality/value The authors introduce WA and CO as mediators between PA and CTSR and set the culture and service setting as moderators.

Consumerist Environmentalism in “The Sims 4: Eco Lifestyle”

In 2021, the United States was the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases globally (after China, whose population was then over four times larger). The scale and urgency of the problem has been broadcasted for years, but the necessity and methods of dealing with it on a national and individual level seem to be quite obscure. Recycling is not the norm, oil and meat consumption is high, and excess spending is common. Consumption is still seen and presented as the means of satisfying most of one’s needs as well as a necessary condition for achieving a high social status. Dealing with climate change, as much as materially possible, involves dealing with the specificity of American geopolitics and culture: among other factors, its post-Protestant views on money and poverty, imperial position, and extreme individualism.
 The expansion pack The Sims 4: Eco Lifestyle, produced by California-based Electronic Arts, fits into the consumerist approach to climate change popular in the United States. Eco Lifestyle introduces air pollution, recycling, living off -grid, and local politics, as well as the styles and activities related to pro-environmental attitudes. However, these activities are stripped of their material sense, as the actions depicted in the game are not what limits emissions and carbon footprint in the real world. This seems to be more a strategy than an error; and yet, it is hard not to regret a missed opportunity of creating a playable and ecologically sound Sims expansion for the lovers of the gameworld—and the world.