Cultural Mapping: What is it and what does it tell me?
There is no doubt that people are influenced by culture. One simple definition I have always liked is that culture is the common sense and values that unite a group…
What do we mean by culture?
There is no doubt that people are influenced by culture. One simple definition I have always liked is that culture is the common sense and values that unite a group of people (and can divide them from others). Think about it; people naturally connect with and desire to be around others with similar values and beliefs. Behavior is driven by our beliefs and values. And to people who share values, this behavior is “common sense” and expected.
One problem with culture is that it is mostly hidden. We do not really recognize that we are, or have been, influenced by it. By that I mean how we were raised, where we were raised and what beliefs and traditions were taught to us. I have always liked the analogy that fish discover water last. A fish does not appreciate water until he is removed from it. We do not realize the impact of culture on our lives, behavior, and beliefs until we are pulled out of it and experience other cultures. To complicate matters, there are many levels of culture. You have national and ethnic cultures, company cultures, and family cultures to name a few.
So what does this have to do with what we term Cultural Mapping?
Simply put, cultural mapping is about discovering your cultural norms. This can allow you to see how culture may be influencing you, your values, and beliefs and how you “see” (or judge) other people.
Our cultural mapping process is a simple assessment that measures your behavioral tendencies and expectations around several key aspects of culture. Our basic map assesses six aspects of culture. Time Space, Relationships, Communication, Work and Thinking. Your answers for each aspect convert to a score that places you on a continuum of two different extremes for that aspect of culture. When all six aspects are graphed together, we create a map representing your personal tendencies. In short, the map is a quick view of your cultural tendencies around these six aspects that can then be shared and compared with other people and/or ethnic and national cultural maps and norms.
How valid is this?
It is as valid as you are honest in your answers. Again, there is no right or wrong. Map size and shape is not important. This exercise measures your personal tendencies. The aspects of culture we use are well documented and researched topics of discussion and study by cultural anthropologist around the world. Sometimes they use different terms than we do. We have chosen to use easy-to-understand, non-technical terms for these aspects in our mapping assessment. For example, the cultural aspect of ‘time’ is commonly studied and researched by scholars. They often categorize cultures, mainly at the national level, as being polychronic vs. monochronic, linear vs. circular or something similar. In our assessment, we simply measure a strict view of ‘time’ compared to a flexible view. Strict and flexible are aspects reflected in the more scientific labels used by anthropologist mentioned above.
Pick most any cultural studies book and you will see discussion about these various aspects of culture, usually in dichotomies, with any given culture falling somewhere on a continuum between the two extremes. The cultural maps follow this same process, creating a visual representation of your personal tendencies, as per your responses to the questions.
Granted, this is a simple assessment. It is not hundreds of questions validated through years of study. We do not claim it to be so. However, we do believe this to be a valid representation of your cultural norms around these aspects of culture.
Why is it important?
That depends on you. Think of the map as taking you “out of your water” in the fish analogy above. The map can let you see the beliefs, expectations, and behaviors that are “common sense” to you around each of these cultural aspects, but that may not be the “common sense” to others. The maps help you see yourself in a new way that reflects how your values and how culture may be influencing your view of the world and others. There is no right or wrong view, but your cultural bias may make you feel there is. The purpose here is not to debate morals, but to allow people to understand that there can be two correct views to one thing.
Think of a person standing on the top of a staircase and another standing at the bottom. The person on the top would say the stairs go down, while the person on the bottom would say they go up. Each is correct, yet they may never agree until they can see how their own perspectives are influencing their judgement. By seeing how you view a particular aspect of culture, you can then more objectively begin to understand how others may see the same aspect, and how that view influences their behavior and yours.
What about the country or national cultural maps you share.** Where do these come from?**
Any country map shared on TOTA is a compilation of data published in cultural books and scholarly studies that show how each culture generally views these particular aspects of culture. To some extent most people can recognize some of these tendencies without a map. For example, Central and South American cultures (and some Southern European countries) tend to have a more flexible view of time than say many Northern American and European countries. However, these differences only exist as you see them from your own frame of reference (or your personal cultural map) which is influenced by your national culture to some extent.
Do not mistake these maps as stereotypes of people and cultures. There are people in all cultures who are more flexible on time, that communicate more directly than others, and prefer group concepts over individual focus. What these maps show at a national cultural level is patterns and norms for a majority of people raised and living in these cultures. It is not an exact science, but valuable data nonetheless. I love this quote by David Landes the author of The Wealth and Poverty of Nations. I think it captures the essence and purpose of these cultural maps, especially at the national level:
“The reality of nuance does not rule out the light that comes from generalization. Everything, to be sure, is more complex than it appears. Every person, every event is unique. Even so, some effort must be made to simplify, to find patterns.** Otherwise we have nothing but a grab bag of unrelated data**.”
The goal of cultural mapping is help us find patterns and to give us a point of reference. When experiencing different cultural norms and behavior, with no point of reference or understanding of patterns, we may conclude that what we are witnessing is simple stupid, illogical, rude or unacceptable behavior. Sadly, this is often our reaction to those who are different from us.
The country maps we share identify patterns and norms represented in that national culture. When you compare your own map with these, you may identify similarities and differences. The differences will be represented by gaps on the continuums for various aspects of culture. Knowing these gaps exist can help one navigate cultural differences more effectively and seek to understand why they exist.
In Conclusion
Cultural mapping is not an exact science, but it can be a valuable tool to help people see themselves in a new way. To better understand others, we must first understand how our own cultural biases are influencing how we see others. In the end, how we see others determines how we treat others. And how we treat others will determine the quality of our relationships and our overall effectiveness in dealing with them. Cultural maps can be a valuable tool in this process of discovery and evaluation. If your cultural map has awakened you to new insights about yourself and caused you to think deeper about your view of others, then they have served a valuable purpose and supported TOTA in fostering more understanding about culture and our global family.
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About TOTA
TOTA.world provides cultural information and sharing across the world to help you explore your Family’s Cultural History and create deep connections with the lives and cultures of your ancestors.
