Intercultural Contact Research Articles

Орхоны Хар балгасаас олдсон Уйгур хаадын цол өргөмжлөх бичиг

Material culture from archaeological excavations along with textual records form the basis for a better understanding of Nomadic steppe empires of the Middle Ages and their intercultural contacts. The Mongolian-German Orkhon Expedition (MONDOrEx) retrieved a fascinating collection of artefacts in Karabalgasun, the former capital of the Uyghur Empire (744/745-840). Among these artefacts, remnants of “jade books” were discovered. They are considered royal decrees for the coronation of Uyghur khans. These strips of stone are polished and inscribed with Chinese calligraphy, with the incised letters covered in gold. Originally, several of these strips were held together with gold wire, giving them the appearance of a traditional Chinese bamboo scroll. Chinese emperors used these precious gemstone scrolls during significant rituals. The discovery of these artifacts in Karabalgasun (Ordubaliq) highlights the strong affiliation between the Uyghur rulers and the Chinese imperial authority. This also bolsters the notion that the citadel held a significant political role, potentially as the Uyghur ruler’s palace. A total of 46 marble fragments with Chinese text were uncovered at the HB2 excavation location in the palace precinct of Karabalgasun. After examining the written sources detailing the history of East Asia in the 8th and 9th centuries, it is apparent that the Tang dynasty of China sent “title letters” to confirm the authority of their political partners, the Uyghurs. Analysis of Chinese inscriptions on these marble stones revealed four different inscription stages which vary by inscription size, content, and writing style. These include 1) letter for crowning Ch’ung-te as khan (821), 2) letter for re-crowning Ch’ung-te as khan (821), 3) letter for crowning Zhao-li as khan (825), and 4) letter for crowning an unknown individual as khan. The Karabalgasun citadel, where these inscriptions were discovered, underwent excavation between 2010 and 2018 under the auspices of the Mongolian- German Orkhon Expedition. The inscriptions repeatedly mentioning the names and titles of Uyghur khans indicate that the building complex was likely the royal palace. It is probable that the complex also served as an archive for important artefacts from the reign.

Plants in the artefacts not used for their original purpose. A remarkable case from the Lazdininkai (Kalnalaukis) cemetery in western Lithuania

This article investigates tinned bronze ornaments found in two graves of the Lazdininkai-Kalnalaukis cemetery dated to the end of the 2nd century to the first quarter of the 3rd century AD from the perspective of archaeological materials, intercultural contacts, 14C AMS dating, and chemical-physical and biological research. These ornaments — a wheel-shaped pendant and a bead — were originally parts of fashionable necklaces. However, these ornaments went into the graves as spinning tools. The wheel-shaped pendant from grave 8(1992) contains the first ever found, or at least officially recorded, use in Lithuania of an aquatic plant for a spinning tool bobbin. The piece of possible linden tree wood was used to compose the spinning tool bobbin found in grave 68(2001). These spinning tools are the first to have appeared in Lithuanian archaeological material from as early as the end of the 2nd century to the first quarter of the 3rd century. In addition, both spinning tools are unique in the Lithuanian archaeological record so far in that the copper alloy spindle whorls were used to compose both working tools. The closest analogues for the wheel-shaped pendant are known from the Wielbark culture and this example should be considered as an import from that cultural area. Copper alloy beads and various local derivatives, however, are numerous in the range of the Baltic cultures area. The copper alloy wheel-shaped spindle whorls from the Migration period cemeteries are the spinning tools created for the specific purpose of spinning which were produced locally, even possibly in the same workshops.

Development of Students' Linguistic and Cultural Outlook on the Example of the Concept of "Intensity" in German and Russian

The article is devoted to the analysis of the development of the linguistic and cultural outlook of students of non-linguistic specialties in the process of teaching language and culture, since for the formation of a linguistic personality it is very important to possess not only communicative competence, but also to be able to use intercultural knowledge for self-improvement. In the system of teaching foreign languages, one of the main goals of training is the formation of a personality capable of conducting successful intercultural communication, establishing intercultural contacts, and a decent representation of native culture. achieving these goals is possible with the help of many factors. Not only the knowledge of the language at a high level, but also the possession of cultural experience, knowledge, skills and skills of intercultural communication determines the qualified specialist in demand. Therefore, the inclusion of phraseological units from different languages in the educational process allows expanding the horizons of students, forming their linguistic and cultural culture.

ТАРИХИ ҮДЕРІСТЕР КОНТЕКСТІНДЕГІ ИРАНДЫҚ ҰЛТТЫҚ ИДЕНТТІЛІК ДАҒДАРЫСТАРЫ: ҚАЛЫПТАСУ СЕБЕПТЕРІ МЕН ШЕШІМДЕРІ

Бүгінгі ирандық ұлттық-мәдени бірегейлік көптеген кезеңдерді қамтыған күрделі үдерістің нәтижесі болып табылады. Мақалада тарихтың әртүрлі кезеңдерінде болған өзгерістер жергілікті мәдениеттердің негізгі құндылықтарымен үйлесе отырып, біртұтас бірегейліктің үйлесімді түрлерінің қалыптасқанын көрсетеді. Тарихта ұлттық дағдарыс процестеріне қарсы тұру және ұлттық бірегейлік дағдарысын еңсеру үшін мәдени-тарихи мұраны жаңғыртуға күш салған. Мақалада Иран халқының ұлттық болмысын зерттеудегі маңызды мәселелердің бірі – оның тарих кезеңдеріндегі дағдарыстарын, құлдырауы мен өрлеуін қарастыру. Иран тарихына тарихи шолу жасау - бұл елдің өз тарихында ұлттық болмысының дамуында дағдарыстарды өткере отырып, маңызды рөл атқарған түрлі өзгерістерді бастан кешіргенін көрсетеді. Тұлғалық дағдарысты жеңу немесе ұлттық бірегейлік дағдарысының туындауына жол бермеу үшін ұлттық бірегейліктің сабақтастығының құрамдастарын анықтап, оны нығайтуды қажет етеді. Тарихи сананы тереңдету мен дамыту және соның нәтижесінде, жаһандануға қарай қарқынды қадам басып келе жатқан заманда ұлттық бірегейлікті нығайту – кез-келген қоғамда өзекті мәселе болып табылады.Ирандық болмыстың шиеленісу мәселесінің өзектілігінің бір қыры – бүгінде, әлемнің барлық аймақтары сияқты Иранның да жаһандану процестері мен батыстанудың ықпалын бастан кешіруімен байланысты. Ғылымның таралуы, мәдениетаралық байланыстардың артуы қазіргі иран халқының ұлттық санасында бірегейлік «түсінігін» шиеленістіре түсті. Осы мақсатта, мақалада Иранның тарих бойындағы бірегейлік шиеленістерін, дағдарыстарын қалай еңсергенін қарастыру арқылы бүгінгі жаһандану дағдарысын шешуге белгілі бір жауаптар, түсініктер алу көзделді.

PECULIARITIES OF OBSOLETE VOCABULARY USAGE IN THE NOVEL «BLOOD BROTHERS…» BY VASYL SHEVCHUK

Background. One of the indicative characteristics of human language, especially which has a significant number of speakers, is the ability to changes. According to historical and cultural context, a language can undergo changes at different levels. Mostly both the emergence of new words and the disappearance of those that already exist in the language, are associated with technological progress, intercultural contacts, socio-political processes, etc., and all these processes are quite dynamic. Since events in these areas of life are relatively fast, the vocabulary must change at the appropriate pace to meet the needs of speakers. Therefore, in accordance with the above, we can say that the language contains both active and passive vocabulary. Active vocabulary includes common vocabulary, as well as some special vocabulary (mostly general scientific terms), which is also actively used. Accordingly, the passive stock consists of words that speakers use almost or not at all in everyday communication, using them only in certain areas of activity. These can be stylistically colored words (such as poetics), obsolete (archaisms and historicisms) or new ones (neologisms) and limited in use by a certain social stratum (jargon, professionalisms) or territory (exoticisms, dialectisms).
 The purpose of our investigation is the analysis of lexico-semantic features of historicisms and archaisms in the novel «Brothers…» by Vasyl Shevchuk.
 Methods. The choice of research methods depends on the purpose of the article, its objectives and the object of study. In our scientific work general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison are used; linguistic methods, in particular, such as descriptive one – to interpret the meaning of obsolete units; the method of integrative analysis, which is the basis of a comprehensive study of a set of various aspects that we touch on when studying outdated vocabulary in the literary text, as well as contextual-interpretive method – to describe possible strategies for perceiving the literary text.
 Results. Archaisms and historicisms are those units that were already obsolete at the time of publication of the novel (because the exact date of its writing is unknown). This will make it possible to single out those obsolete words that the author used intentionally, for a specific purpose, and which in terms of synchronicity were already obsolete during his lifetime. It is the stylistically conditioned use of archaic units of vocabulary that we need for further analysis of their role in the language of the work and its poetics in general. Guided by this principle, we can determine that the author used 300 units of outdated vocabulary within the novel (excluding word forms of one word and repetitions). Regarding the differentiation of this vocabulary into archaisms and historicisms, we can say that their relationship is as follows: of the 301 obsolete lexical units, 87 words are archaisms, and 214 are historicisms.
 Discussion. According to the denotation criterion, we determined that the novel is predominated by historicisms (which in its semantics can be divided into supergroups «State and Society», «Military Action and the Army», «Life, consumer goods», which contain relevant groups of vocabulary) . Somewhat less common are archaisms, which can be divided primarily on a formal basis, i.e. on what level archaism belongs to outdated linguistic units (phonetic, morphological, word-forming, semantic or lexical); lexical archaisms can be divided into some thematic groups (such as architectural terms, names of diseases, body parts, etc.). The prospects of the investigation relate to the study of its translation into English.

Wielokulturowość w perspektywie uczniów edukacji wczesnoszkolnej w Polsce i Islandii

In recent years, Poland has witnessed a gradual increase of foreign cultures, which is inextricably linked to a new challenge for educational institutions. On the one hand, schools have to face the influx of students for whom the Polish language and culture is not their mother tongue; on the other hand, they have to prepare Polish students for encounters with elements of culture other than their own, i.e. language, customs, traditions or religion. The article presents the results of a Polish-Icelandic research project, the aim of which was to learn the views of students of early childhood education on multiculturalism. Quantitative (diagnostic survey) and qualitative (content analysis) methods were used in the research. The research group consisted of 141 students, 71 from Poland and 70 from Iceland. The research was conducted from June 2022 to March 2023. The results showed that both the place of residence and the educational experience (Iceland has successfully applied systemic solutions to the integration of foreigners for many years) have a significant impact on how students understand and define multiculturalism. Of interest to the researchers were the analyses showing that, regardless of their place of residence, children of early school age are characterised by an open attitude towards intercultural contacts. Early school children are curious about other cultures, they want to exchange experiences and develop their knowledge in the field of intercultural education.

Информационный потенциал разрушенных погребений саргатской культуры: курган Новопокровка 16 в Среднем Прииртышье

The article deals with a complex study of the materials obtained during archaeological excavation of the kurgan Novopokrovka 16 in the middle Irtysh river basin (Omsk region). The site, which is attributed to the Sargat culture (5th century BC – second half of the 3rd century AD), was located farmost on the right bank of the river Irtysh, nearby the group of “Princely kurgans”. Despite almost total disturbance by robbers and agricultural activity, common scholars’ efforts demonstrate high informative capacity of the multidisciplinary approach, while modern level of undertaken research is not just being declared but enables to reconstruct seemingly lost information. The kurgan erection stages and mound structure features have been decoded using the results of a geophysical survey and soil morphology data. The paleoanthropological study of the incomplete skeletal remains does not support multiple or inlet interment inside the central grave, and provides sexing and aging of the buried individuals as well as some paleopathological observations. Apart from species examination, archaeozoological data testify that a warm period from spring to early autumn was the season of animal slaughter. Characteristics of mortuary rituals and direction of intercultural contacts of the ancient forest-steppe groups have been completed by new details based on the results of strontium isotope analyses (dental enamel of humans and animals) and evidence non-local origin of the individual buried under the excavated kurgan, what is different from local origin of horses butchered for funereal feasts. The proposed hypothesis supports previously suggested archaeological, paleoanthropological and paleogenetic facts on the origin of the forest-steppe population, indicating an involvement of various population groups with notable external components. Based on the archaeological materials, the kurgan under study might be dated back to mid-4th – 3rd centuries BC.

Intercultural experience facilitates majority-group acculturation through ethnocultural empathy: Evidence from a mixed-methods investigation in Japan

The present two-phased sequential exploratory mixed-methods study investigated majority-group members’ acculturation through pre-tertiary Japanese teachers’ experiences with children of Kurdish asylum-seekers in school settings. In Study 1, we employed an interpretative phenomenological analysis to understand and make meaning of the personal experiences of nine Japanese pre-tertiary teachers from a majority-group acculturation perspective. The qualitative data suggested a link between the participants’ intercultural contact experience, ethnocultural empathy, and receptiveness to majority-group acculturation. Furthermore, the acculturative changes experienced by the majority-group members appeared to influence institutional changes. Subsequently, we tested these relationships in quantitative analysis with a sample of 110 Japanese school teachers in Study 2. We used a survey informed by the works of Wang et al.’s (2003) Ethnocultural Empathy scale and Kunst et al.’s (2023) Majority-Group Acculturation scale. The results confirmed the positive association between intercultural contact experience, ethnocultural empathy, and majority-group members’ acculturation. We conclude that promoting multiculturalism in school settings may have long-term benefits for both majority and minority group members within the Japanese context despite potential adversities involved in regular intercultural contact.

Intercultural learning in the classroom: Facilitators and challenges of the learning process

Higher education institutions have the potential to significantly contribute to students’ intercultural competence development through internationalization at home. However, the intercultural competence literature lacks empirical research on how students learn and the process of intercultural learning. This study investigates in-depth learning experiences in a six-week cross-cultural management course at a Dutch research university in which a blended learning tool was incorporated to enhance students’ intercultural competence. Thematic analysis of the data from qualitative semi-structured interviews resulted in an inductive explanatory model. This shows that facilitating factors for learning were teaching tools, intercultural contact (teamwork, multicultural classroom, cultural informants), motivational factors and intercultural experiences. Learning happened through experience, reflection, abstract conceptualization and experimentation. Learning dilemmas occurred around adaptation and stereotyping/generalizing. Pivotal for intercultural learning is dissonance: this needs to be sufficient to stimulate learning, but may also lead to learning dilemmas. The study concludes with recommendations for intercultural course design.

Культ святых и паломнические традиции у народов Волго-Уральского региона в досоветское время

The history and culture of the holy sites in the Volga-Ural region remains an underdeveloped topic in ethnological science. The introduction of new written sources into scientific circulation and a secondary analysis of the works of Russian and foreign researchers can help in solving this problem. The article aims to systematise and analyse information about the cult of saints and pilgrimage traditions among the peoples of the Volga-Ural region in the pre-Soviet period. The belonging of holy sites to certain peoples has become the main principle of the distribution of information. Its use showed the need to single out a separate group of data that reveals the syncretism of holy sites among the Volga-Ural peoples. The collected corpus of materials made it possible to identify the main places of worship in the region, pilgrimage traditions, the attitude of national and religious elites towards sacred objects, and the nature of public discussions. The authors believe that when studying the cult of saints, it is important to take into account the essence of "holiness" and the ideas about it among individual peoples, the system of its maintenance – oral and written heritage, ritual and ceremonial culture. The nature of the worship of holy sites in the context of intercultural contacts in the Volga-Ural region is of great importance.

A Cross-Cultural Analysis of a Turkish EFL Textbook: Hu and McKay's Analytic Framework

Due to rapid globalization, culture is an essential element of foreign language pedagogy. Cross-cultural communication and foreign language learning have become increasingly important since it provides the common basis for intercultural contact. Textbooks are crucial pedagogical resources in the EFL context since they are the primary sources of building intercultural understanding. The main purpose of this study was to explore how a local Turkish EFL textbook presented interlingual and intercultural diversity in Turkish EFL classrooms. Hu and McKay's (2014) analytic framework was adopted to investigate the linguistic and cultural contents of the textbook. The findings revealed that the textbook needed more group work activities, which does not promote communication enough. In addition, the cultural content was dominated by the native culture (Turkish). In the textbook, mainstream contexts (i.e., family, school, holidays) along with local Turkish cultural elements formed the majority of the settings. In addition, places, names, and events were mainly from Turkiye, while these elements from other cultures, including Anglo-American, were limited. Finally, cross-cultural conversations were included; however, the topics chosen were about Turkiye and popular culture. These findings were discussed regarding cross-cultural communication, EIL and practical ELT pedagogy.

Michiko Toyama Disrupts the Historiography of Modernism

AbstractThe Paris-trained, Japanese composer Michiko Toyama (1913–2006) was appointed as the earliest foreign-born visiting composer at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center (CPEMC), the first institutionally supported studio of its kind in the United States. Yet she remains virtually unknown to scholarship, despite a growing literature on women pioneers in electronic music. Drawing on interviews, archival research, and the interpretive study of music, this article studies the conditions under which Toyama has found little remembrance to date; and it conceptualizes Toyama's own ideas of modernity formulated over the massive cultural and geographical dislocations of her lifetime. Within an intensely lyrical compositional practice, Toyama thematized hallmarks of traditional modernism studies: self-reflexivity, estrangement, exile, and exoticism. Racist criticism during her lifetime dismissed her music as a belated mimicry of Western models. Yet the modernist qualities and themes of her work emerge as a consequence of her life lived in intercultural contact zones of uprooting – the very conditions that make ideas of the ‘modern’ possible.

Untimely thoughts on the culture of diversity

The study of cultural diversity and relevant models of diversity management, including historical patterns of cultural dominance, helps to form immunity to the latest manifestations of Eurocentrism. As a new approach to diversity, interculturalism implies a shift in the focus from the diversity of cultures and multicultural coexistence to the culture of diversity. The main dimensions of the culture of diversity are awareness of diversity, recognition of diversity, engagement in contexts of diversity, and the creation of more common public spaces. Another important trend is rethinking the diversity: a) its destigmatization as a phenomenon associated with Others, with exotic and peripheral loci, and representation of diversity as an advantage in terms of creativity and innovation; b) conceptualization of contemporary social and cultural contexts in terms of superdiversity. Unlike the classical concepts of multiculturalism, interculturalism focuses on both positive contacts as the most promising way of social integration and social dynamics in local contexts of superdiversity. However, the understanding of these processes differs in the political (G. Bouchard), social (T. Cantle) and cultural (R. Zapata-Barrero) directions of interculturalism. Under the destruction of social structures and institutions, interculturalism focusing on the development of interpersonal contacts and relations across borders can become a basis for the search for compromises and mutual understanding. However, the ideas of interculturalism and the processes launched by it turned out to be ‘locked’ in Western contexts, outside of which polarization is obvious in both political and cultural spheres. These tendencies imply an epistemological and ontological distinction between the West and Russia, producing gaps in the social-cultural space, patterns of escalation of schismogenesis and cultural encapsulation, and the rejection on intercultural contacts.

NEW APPROACHES TO THE PRESENTATION OF UKRAINIAN CHORAL PERFORMANCE IN THE FORMATION OF SOCIOCULTURAL ORIENTATIONS OF THE YOUTH

The article deals with the problems of modern Ukrainian choral performance and the specifics of its components. The article reflects the analysis of scientific and popular literature on issues related to the study of the history of the formation and development of choral performance. Its various aspects have been considered: musicological, sociological, cultural, historical. The authors of the article argue that this problem has not been sufficiently studied in the scientific literature, therefore most sources used were taken from the Internet.
 The research methodology was based on a comprehensive approach, which connects the application of cultural, aesthetic, historical research principles and modern musical cultural studies. The article determines the research methods such as analysis of modern literature and sources on the subject of research, observation, method of generalization and understanding of theoretical material. The authors of the article present a general description of the main stylistic trends and modern forms of performance presentation through the prism of scientific research. The essence of the concepts "choir performance", "virtual choir" is revealed. The authors outline the examples of artistic and genre innovations of choral performance in Ukraine in the 21st century. The article highlights the results that prove that the culture and art of today embody a meaningful function in the implementation of political, economic and sociocultural strategies of many countries; help to generate a positive image and prestige of states and peoples; serve as the basis for the establishment of colossal intercultural contacts. The authors of the article confirm that the world and domestic choral performance of the 21st century confidently presents diversity in the symbiosis of artistic and stylistic systems, in the use of various intonation and genre forms, means and specifics of musical communication, which, in turn, is an effective factor in the formation of socio-cultural orientations of modern youth.

Atraḫasīs, behind the First Sin That Cried to Heaven and Related Matters

Abstract This paper inquires about the source of human blood in the Biblical Primeval History, beginning with the report in the Cain and Abel story of bloodshed and a related cosmic-upsetting noise. It is posited that this unique report and the sophisticated case of ancient philology extending to it from the Eden story and relating ʾādām, “Adam,” dām, “blood,” and ʾădāmâ, “earth” are inspired by the Mesopotamian myth of Atraḫasīs, in which an equally complex case of philological speculation concerning anthropogeny also relates to an outstanding account of bloodshed and a cosmic-upsetting noise. This occasion of a posited transformation of Mesopotamian lore in the Primeval History is considered within the broader context of this intercultural contact and its underlying philological and theological assumptions and motivations.

Genomic history of coastal societies from eastern South America.

Sambaqui (shellmound) societies are among the most intriguing archaeological phenomena in pre-colonial South America, extending from approximately 8,000 to 1,000 years before present (yr BP) across 3,000 km on the Atlantic coast. However, little is known about their connection to early Holocene hunter-gatherers, how this may have contributed to different historical pathways and the processes through which late Holocene ceramists came to rule the coast shortly before European contact. To contribute to our understanding of the population history of indigenous societies on the eastern coast of South America, we produced genome-wide data from 34 ancient individuals as early as 10,000 yr BP from four different regions in Brazil. Early Holocene hunter-gatherers were found to lack shared genetic drift among themselves and with later populations from eastern South America, suggesting that they derived from a common radiation and did not contribute substantially to later coastal groups. Our analyses show genetic heterogeneity among contemporaneous Sambaqui groups from the southeastern and southern Brazilian coast, contrary to the similarity expressed in the archaeological record. The complex history of intercultural contact between inland horticulturists and coastal populations becomes genetically evident during the final horizon of Sambaqui societies, from around 2,200 yr BP, corroborating evidence of cultural change.

Using Byram’s Savoirs to Ensure the Incorporation of Intercultural Communicative Competence into Language Teaching

<em>Although the term “intercultural communicative competence” (ICC) is often used in academic literature, studies indicate that the ICC element is often not included in the actual teaching practices of tertiary institutions. Due to the lack of ICC instruction across the curriculum, foreign language (FL) courses seem to stand out as logical sites for instruction in ICC. FL instructors, however, are not necessarily trained in matters of ICC, and the standard default method of acquiring ICC outside the language class (i.e., study abroad) is clearly not available to all students. In a global society, ICC is relevant for all students. This paper uses Byram’s 1997 savoirs (i.e., competences desirable of the “intercultural speaker”) as a starting point to provide evidence of tried and tested FL teaching practices that reveal ways in which ICC instruction may be incorporated into FL courses even in academic environments in which direct intercultural contact is unlikely. While recognizing the obstacles of teaching ICC in such environments, the study reveals that the inclusion of ICC is not only possible but necessary in them.</em>

Strategies employed for information transfer and relation building in intercultural communication – A cross-cultural study

The aim of the study is to examine strategies used in intercultural encounters by Polish and Turkish students of Foreign Languages (n1=50, n2=50, respectively) who have experienced intercultural communication. Intercultural encounters are viewed as ‘language-in-action’ situations because they provide a rich source of information about linguistic devices used during intercultural exchanges, sources of misunderstanding and miscommunication, and strategies implemented to transfer information or maintain conversational involvement of the interlocutors. This study offers some insights into the frequency and variety of the strategies used in intercultural encounters. It was conducted as a small-scale project, with the Critical Incident Technique and questionnaires administered to collect data. The research participants (C1/C2 levels of proficiency) were supposed to produce written narratives describing the most memorable intercultural encounters and report on intercultural communication strategies. Their narratives were later analysed to identify strategies applied to manage intercultural communication and achieve communicative goals (e.g. maintaining contact and/or conveying necessary information). Research findings show that Proactively seeking clarification and Building intercultural connection or relationship were the most frequent strategies used by these two groups. However, research results also suggest that the choice of strategies depends on such factors as the participants’ level of language proficiency, their cultural background or the quality and quantity of intercultural contacts. Cross-cultural analysis indicates that Turkish students are more socially- and culturally oriented, whereas Polish students display a tendency to focus more on cognitive and linguistic aspects of intercultural encounters. Findings from the study can be of help for educators and trainers involved in researching intercultural communication, strategic involvement and training.

Intercultural Mediation in the Translation of the Self in Travel Writing: A Case Study of Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper

ABSTRACT Travel writing narrates travellers’ psychological development through mediation in the complex interplay between otherness and identity. Based on the notion that translation embraces personal experience and active transformation of the self through text, this paper manifests travel writing as a translation of the self of the traveller/writer. It aims to investigate intercultural mediation in the traveller’s translation of the self via a case study, Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China, a travel writing classic by Fuchsia Dunlop. We first explore Dunlop’s intercultural mediation by drawing on the concept of acculturation, focusing on her stresses and strategy in acculturation and intercultural adaptation throughout her translation of the self. We then review her ethic of difference in intercultural mediation. Dunlop adopts the integration strategy through intercultural contact. Her attitude towards Chinese culinary culture changes from an unconscious core belief in ethnocentrism to an acknowledgement of ethnorelativity, finally achieving an intercultural adaptation. Dunlop’s memoir provides an opportunity to look at a broadening concept of translation, which is to examine the translation of the self in an intercultural context, particularly changes in translators’ attitudes towards cultural difference: ignore it or open up to it.

Adolescents' mutual acculturation attitudes and their association with national self-identification in three Swiss cantons.

Acculturation is a mutual process, meaning that members of minority as well as majority groups acculturate and thus experience cultural and psychological changes when having intercultural contact. This study assessed mutual acculturation attitudes in the school context through a four-dimensional measurement examining attitudes toward (1) migration background students' heritage culture maintenance and their (2) dominant culture adoption, (3) majority students' intercultural knowledge acquisition, and (4) schools' intercultural contact endorsement. Acculturation attitudes are commonly analyzed through minority and majority perspectives; however, the ways in which researchers categorize group members can differ significantly from how those members self-identify. This matters particularly for adolescents because they explore group identities and belongings. So far, adolescents' mutual acculturation attitudes have not been studied in relation to national self-identification measures. The current study addressed this research gap by analyzing mutual acculturation attitudes in relation to how strongly adolescents self-identify as (1) being Swiss, (2) having a migration background, and (3) the interaction of the two. The sample consisted of 319 adolescents in public secondary schools in three German-speaking cantons in Switzerland (45% female, Mage = 13.60 years, range 12-16). Latent profile analyses resulted in three distinct mutual acculturation profiles. The first is a mutual integration profile (n = 147, 46%), where minority and majority adolescents and schools are expected to integrate. The second is a multiculturalism profile (n = 137, 43%), with slightly lower expectations in all dimensions. The third is a cultural distancing profile (n = 33, 10%), which places particularly low expectations on majority adolescents and schools. Through an analysis of variance and a multiple logistic regression, those in the cultural distancing profile were found to identify significantly stronger as not having a migration background compared to those in the mutual integration profile. Thus, students having separation expectations toward minority students and non-involvement expectations toward schools and majority students are more likely to self-identify as not having a migration background than students having mutual integration expectations.