Transculture, or Transcending Culture
Ranked #14,472 in Culture & Society, #293,671 overall
Being Transcultural
I have spent the last eight years of my life in the pursuit of becoming transcultural. I have met thousands from people of various socio-economic backgrounds, from dozens of cultures and learned to make meaningful connections with anyone almost instantly.
This lens will do two things:
1. Explain what transculturalism is and why we need more transculturalists in the world.
2. Give links and tips on how you can do the same. You don't need to learn a foreign language You don't need extensive training. All you need are the suggestions I will be posting here and on my blog.
This lens will do two things:
1. Explain what transculturalism is and why we need more transculturalists in the world.
2. Give links and tips on how you can do the same. You don't need to learn a foreign language You don't need extensive training. All you need are the suggestions I will be posting here and on my blog.
Table of Contents
Links to Transculture!
- International Society for Universal Dialogue
- Features philosopher Mikhail Epstein and others!
- RadioLab - Pass the Science
- Richard Holmes and a Russian mathematician at Cambridge use one word to transcend their respective cultures in order to create a meaningful connection with each other.
The transculturalist transcends the borders of her own culture to cross the borders of others
Transculturalism
more depth
Transculturalism, according to Mikhail Epstein, "promotes openness of cultures to each other. Transculture is a way for each individual to overcome determinations of his or her own culture. To live on the borders of one's culture, to be beyond the limitations and confines of one's cultural identity."I like this definition, from the International Society for Universal Dialogue:
Transculture is a new aspect of cultural development, which transcends the borders of traditional national, racial, gender and professional cultures. Transculture overcomes the isolation of these traditions, language and value determinations, and broadens the field of "supra-cultural" creativity.
We acquire transculture at the boundaries of our own culture and at the crossroads with other cultures. Transculture is a freedom that cannot be proclaimed, but only sought and partly realized through the risky experience of one's own cultural wanderings and transmutations.
According to Richard Slimbach's article titled, "The Transcultural Journey," transcultural persons "may be sustained through transnational corporations, grassroots organizations, professional societies, and advocacy groups. But they are also identified at the level of simple, cross-cultural friendships made with residents of local communities."
A Transculturalist...
lives on the borders of her culture and overcomes the isolation of traditions, values, language to explore seemingly alien cultures.
Who are Transculturalists?
Who is a transculturalist? Dr. Wolfgang Berg in Exploring Transculturalism describes a transculturalist as an individual who finds a way to transcend her native culture, "in order to explore, examine and infiltrate new, seemingly alien cultures."
A transculturalist can come in a variety of forms and one does not have to travel frequently to become one.
Transculturalists "date and marry outside of their race or religion; they date and marry inside of their gender; they travel on a whim and venture into faraway lands; they dress unconventionally, and customize new dress codes regularly; they live in areas from which their parents were once barred, and take jobs previously considered outside of their leagues; they listen to, create and criticize music they are not supposed to listen to; they display high levels of creativity in the arts and other progressive disciplines" (Berg).
A transculturalist crosses borders and defies typical classification. Her curiosity takes her into realms outside her comfort zone and pushes her beyond the boundaries of her "original culture." She does not "trade in" her culture for another one. Nor does she acquire a new culture beside and isolated from her original culture. Instead, she synthesizes something new out of the ideas and cultures she encounters and leaves behind pieces of her own culture within the people she touches. She impacts those she encounters and may challenge the rules and values of cultures she encounters by introducing new ideas and behaviors.
See my bio for why and how I am a transculturalist.
A transculturalist can come in a variety of forms and one does not have to travel frequently to become one.
Transculturalists "date and marry outside of their race or religion; they date and marry inside of their gender; they travel on a whim and venture into faraway lands; they dress unconventionally, and customize new dress codes regularly; they live in areas from which their parents were once barred, and take jobs previously considered outside of their leagues; they listen to, create and criticize music they are not supposed to listen to; they display high levels of creativity in the arts and other progressive disciplines" (Berg).
A transculturalist crosses borders and defies typical classification. Her curiosity takes her into realms outside her comfort zone and pushes her beyond the boundaries of her "original culture." She does not "trade in" her culture for another one. Nor does she acquire a new culture beside and isolated from her original culture. Instead, she synthesizes something new out of the ideas and cultures she encounters and leaves behind pieces of her own culture within the people she touches. She impacts those she encounters and may challenge the rules and values of cultures she encounters by introducing new ideas and behaviors.
See my bio for why and how I am a transculturalist.
Transcultural stuff on Amazon
And general cross-cultural themes
Important!
Transculture is different from multiculture
How is this different from being multicultural?
I don't get it
Multiculturalism is all about individual isolated, impenetrable cultures and insists on fixed cultural identities. The individual who is culturally different from the majority culture is considered representational of her "original culture" and is pigeonholed into an identity she may not quite fit into.Multiculturalism is not the appropriate ideology to promote in the workplace or in educational settings because it takes preconceived ideas of given cultures and promotes a stereotyped image of them. In this way, multiculturalism can turn those culturally different into exotic representations of faraway lands. Bubbles are created around both cultural minorities and the majority population, inhibiting any chance of intermingling or for either person of a culture to easily break down barriers to become familiar with the "other."
Multiculturism creates barriers where transculturalism asks individuals to transcend the determinations of one's own culture and to live on the boundaries between cultures. It urges individuals to cross cultural borders and to leap into the unknown and the uncomfortable, to make meaningful connections with those who are different, and to make the unfamiliar familiar.
“There's transculture on this blog!”
Garrek Stemo's Blog
Starter. Transculturalist. Bold.
Check out my blog for in depth topics on transculturalism and making instant connections with anyone.
The World is Flat 3.0
The World Is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
Amazon Price: $3.89 (as of 06/01/2012)
This is a book about globalization, panamericanism, and the interconnectedness and shrinking of the world. No, Thomas Friedman does not talk about transculture. But it becomes apparent after reading his book and my lenses/blog why we need to be transculturalists.
Transcultural Connections Poll
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More Lenses that are Transcultural!
Amazon Spotlight Personal Review
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (Expanded and Updated)
Amazon Price: $10.50 (as of 06/01/2012)
This book is a guide to making one's life meaningful by escaping the out-dated 9-5 workweek. It is the basis for how I am developing my life out of college.
Do you transcend your culture?
Tell me how you SMASH cultural boundaries to understand the "other"!
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capriliz
Apr 4, 2011 @ 12:33 pm | delete
- Sounds like you have a fascinating life in your pursuit of crossing cultural boundaries.
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masunyoananda
Mar 29, 2011 @ 6:50 am | delete
- interesting.....
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masunyoananda
Mar 29, 2011 @ 6:50 am | delete
- interesting.....
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TheCureForYouthMinistry Mar 26, 2011 @ 5:42 pm | delete
- great lens! I have been to El Salvador and Mexico. I grew up in N.Y and now live in the south. I think that should be considered transcultural :)
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Rafick Mar 26, 2011 @ 1:10 am | delete
- Very nice lens. I have visited 45 countries and transcended cultural and national boundaries a long time ago.
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garrekds
Mar 26, 2011 @ 7:36 am | delete
- I've been reading your lenses. I was attracted to your bio when I saw that you said you were a "world citizen." I really appreciate your feedback and opinions!
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jackiebolen
Mar 25, 2011 @ 8:02 pm | delete
- I'm sure I do! I've lived outside my country for the past 6 years.
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garrekds
Mar 25, 2011 @ 8:09 pm | delete
- Do tell! Where? How have you integrated? Have you touched your new community in positive ways?
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I-sparkle
Mar 25, 2011 @ 3:36 pm | delete
- Excellent lens. This will go a long way toward persuading people to step outside of their personal boundaries, and experience a new understanding of a different culture.
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Lironah
Mar 25, 2011 @ 3:11 pm | delete
- I'm American, but I collect languages. My major focus has long been Japanese, and I feel like I understand their culture almost as much as my own.
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kab
Mar 22, 2011 @ 7:52 pm | delete
- In college, I had a study group that was as multi-cultural as they come. There were 9 of us, and no two from the same country. Some of the most interesting conversations I've ever had, and stories I've ever heard happened when we went out to eat.
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About Garrek
by garrekds
Starter. Transculturalist. Bold.
Garrek is a recent graduate from Michigan State University with a BA in Global & Area Studies with a concentration...
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Garrek's Blog
4-Hour Work Week
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (Expanded and Updated)
Amazon Price: $10.50 (as of 06/01/2012)
This book is a guide to making one's life meaningful by escaping the out-dated 9-5 workweek. It is the basis for how I am developing my life out of college. Highly recommended!
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