Cross Cultural Comparison

CROSS CULTURAL COMPARISON

By Sanja Radosevic

In my cross cultural comparison I compared my own Serbian culture with the Cuban culture. Through analysing my own culture, I got to explore and write in detail just what my culture exactly is. With thorough personal research and reflection I learnt more about myself in general, as this particular task gave me the opportunity to really think more about my culture and go into depth. I chose to do the culture of Cuba because I have always been fascinated by Latin American countries, in particular by Cuba. I already had some background knowledge on it and wanted to learn more about this country’s culture. I also wanted to find out if there were any similarities between my culture and that of Cuba’s.

FAMILY

For Serbians, family is an integral part of community life and family honor is highly admired and strived upon; as is in the Cuban culture. The Serbian family structure is more defined than the contemporary Western society. Unlike Cubans, who favour to live with extended family members, the majority of Serbians reside with their nuclear family and it is not uncommon for children to remain with their parents until they get married, and when they do, they rarely move far away from each other. Both cultures prefer to keep their family members and close relatives nearby and all generations remain in close contact and relationships with one another. Most of the elderly family members in the Serbian culture are taken care of at home instead of being placed into aged care facilities. “As family honor and community life is highly strived upon, there is still a large social stigma attached to placing elderly parents, grandparents or relatives into aged care facilities”. (Serbian Community Association of Australia Inc, 2010)

The neighbourhood community is also highly valued by the two cultures. In Cuba, every person matters and is important in the tightly woven neighbourhood identity. When one family has financial or personal problems, the surrounding families will offer their support. “Cubans often leave their apartment front doors open, expecting informal visits from neighbours and relatives”. (Cromer 2003) This is slightly different in the Serbian culture. The people are more reluctant to leaving their homes unlocked and it takes a long time to earn a neighbours trust but once they do, they will have a loyal friend for life. On the website Cultural Orientation (2004) it states that the traditional Hispanic family pattern in which children are almost totally cared for by parents or grandparents has been substantially replaced by a reliance on day care centers and other public institutions. Pre-school in Serbia is compulsory whereas day care centers are optional; most are unwilling to send their children to these centers and will therefore leave them in the care of their close relatives or neighbours when they are too busy and can’t take their children with them. In both cultures, families are generally close-knit, especially in relation to the mothers. Children are closer to their maternal side and can rely and depend more on their mothers than their fathers in various aspects of their lives.

ROLES AND STATUS

Cuban, as well as Serbian children show devoted respect towards their elders and are very obedient. Children from both cultures are privileged to a free education system and are encouraged to work hard in order to achieve their goals and be successful in life. Serbian “parents strive to provide for the education and specialisation of their children, expecting them to continue with independent life and work, to provide for their families, and enter the economic and social life of the country.” (Vuk St. Karadzic Foundation Belgrade, 2002) Unlike in Cuba where the vast majority of children are required take part in social activities outside of the home, such as working in the fields to contribute to their family’s income, it is often unnecessary for Serbian children to work. Serbian parents will strive hard to provide for their children, even if that means working for most of the day. As a result, children will often have the responsibility of helping around the house and doing household chores.

Status within the family is mainly accorded by age and in some cases by gender. This is generally the same for the Cuban and the Serbian culture. In Cuba, your economic, political and social status will influence your status within your community. Their contribution and impact on the community will make a difference in their status.

CONFLICT, COOPERATION & DECISION MAKING

Instances of racism and discrimination still occur in both cultures. Mulattoes and black Cubans are the main sources targeted and since there are a number of different cultures from the Former Yugoslavia residing in Serbia, racism and discrimination can commonly be seen every day. This is mainly due to cultural and religious differences and a sense of hatred or dislike introduced during the break-up of Yugoslavia period. Cubans are known to like complaining and arguing heatedly, “it is said that an argument is not finished until everyone collapses from exhaustion”. (Advameg, 2012) On the positive side, these arguments relieve social tension. More intense interpersonal conflict requires a more subtle approach. Cubans loath open conflict, so the social norm is to minimize interpersonal conflicts by expressing them through allusion rather than direct accusation.

Cuba’s culture is a system where everybody shares what is available. As the communities are very close-knit, some decisions will be made collectively and will have an impact on everyone. Generally, Cubans are very involved in each other’s lives and different families in the same neighbourhood often treat each other like blood relatives. In the Serbian culture, people have a more individualist view on society. They make decisions based on them or their family not on their neighbours or community as a whole. They don’t usually seek advice or support from their neighbours, only from their close relatives.

GENDER

From a very young age, Cuban children are taught to behave according to their gender through the learning of specific household chores, music and dances. To a great extent, girls participate equally in the education system. Perhaps as a result of this education, more Cuban women publicly stand up for their rights than one might expect. “Equality of the sexes is the official socialist ideal, although sexism is still prevalent, and women still do most of the domestic work”. (Cultural Orientation, 2004) A man is considered head of the household in both cultures, although within the home the woman usually has control. “Women are always the mainstay of Serbian families, with men often away in wars or working and traveling around”. (Vuk St. Karadzic Foundation Belgrade, 2002) Women often have to take over man's work as well and accept it as her chores, which makes life very hard for Serbian women; but it adds value to the old cult of motherhood that had always existed among the Serbs and confirms the honor and distinction of women in Serbian society.

Significantly in the two cultures, the role of men and women is changing rapidly as females are beginning to get the same rights and responsibilities as males. Traditional pressures to stay at home have changed in both the Cuban and Serbian cultures and working women now make up a large percentage of the national labor force, but men continue to expect women to perform housework and maintain child-rearing responsibilities even if they have full-time careers outside the home.

COMMUNICATION

Cubans are very friendly and open in their communication, as are Serbian people. It is rude not to greet every Cuban man with a handshake and every woman with a kiss on the cheek. “Touching as a demonstration of affection is not taboo and does not carry a sexual connotation”. (Advameg 2012) Cuban people tend to speak very quickly and loudly. They use their hands and bodies for emphasis when speaking and tend to be emotionally expressive. This is very similar to the Serbian culture. For a typical Serbian, salutations are obligatory at encounter as a sign of good will, honest intentions and good manners.

Handshakes are used, with appropriate greetings between acquaintances and friends and kisses are exchanged between close relatives, godfathers and the family. When coming to a family gathering, celebration or a feast, guests exchange kisses with the host and hostess, kissing their cheeks three times.

Cubans “have relied highly on the arts, music and dance to express themselves in many situations”. (Cuba-Junky, 2009) Music is a way they bond and connect with people and is one of their main sources of joy and happiness. On the other hand, Serbian people usually love to listen to music when they have company and want to enjoy themselves. They aren’t as connected to music as some Cubans may be and it is not generally a way they express themselves.

POWER, AUTHORITY & INFLUENCE

Both Serbian and Cuban people have a strong and proud cultural identity. Their long history also shapes their culture and adds to the pride and love for their home country. In the two cultures, the man is generally the head of the family and is usually the main source of income; he has the most power and authority in the family whereas the woman takes care of the home and the children where she has a special power and authority as the housewife and mother.

Younger generations from both cultures are influenced by their traditional upbringings and the community they grew up in. Traditional dances, music and celebrations will also have a significant impact on Cubans and Serbians as it gives them their sense of identity and defines who they are. Popular culture from all around the world, especially from the USA greatly influences the two cultures especially in regards to their “style, behaviour and interest in music and film.” (MDAA, 2008) Many Serbian people have lost their identity due to the overexposure to Western popular culture and the younger generations are becoming so immersed in the American way of life that they are starting to forget their roots and traditional culture.

There were many aspects of the Cuban culture that were very similar to my Serbian culture but in saying so, there were also a number of notable differences. What didn’t surprise me was the fact that both cultures highly value their family and that evidently it is one of the most important factors in their lives. In both cultures education was free and equal and that is certainly something I did not know. What I also found interesting was that women from Cuban and Serbian origin are both liberating and receiving the same rights and responsibilities as men. This was a great learning experience and to an extent it gave me a different view on the Cuban culture and to a point, my own culture.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Advameg Inc., “Culture of Cuba” 2012, http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Cuba.html

Centre for Intercultural learning, “Cultural Information – Cuba” 2009 http://www.intercultures.ca/cil-cai/ci-ic-eng.asp?iso=cu accessed: 02.03.12

Children and Society., “Child Labor and Child Work in Cuba”1998, http://www.tulane.edu/~rouxbee/kids98/cuba5.html accessed: 02.03.12

Cromer, Mark, Countries of the world – Cuba, 2003, Times Edition, Singapore

Cultural Orientation., “Political, Religious and Family life”2004, http://www.cal.org/co/cubans/life.htm accessed: 02.03.12

Kleinman, Rebecca, “Deep into Cuban Culture”, Ocean Drive, http://oceandrive.com/living/articles/hunting-for-the-real-havana accessed: 01.03.12

Luis, William, Culture and Customs of Cuba, 2001, Library of Congress cataloging in publication data, USA

Map XL,, “Culture of Cuba”2011, http://www.mapsofworld.com/cuba/culture-of-cuba.html accessed: 02,03,12

Vuk St. Karadzic Foundation Belgrade., “Who are Serbs?” 2002 http://serbianlinks.freehosting.net/serbs.htm accessed 17.03.12

Serbian Community Association of Australia Inc.”Serbian Cultural Profile” 2010 http://www.health.vic.gov.au/agedcare/downloads/cui/serbian_culture42.pdf accessed 17.03.12

MDAA., “Serbian General Information” 2008 http://www.mdaa.org.au/publications/ethnicity/serbian/general.html accessed 18.03.12