Intercultural Interview Reflection
Introduction
I interviewed Mr. Alvarez, a Peruvian. Since Mr. Alvarez is not a person I know physically, I located his contacts through a local cultural center. I conducted the interview over the phone. Prior to conducting the interview, I introduced myself and the purpose of the interview to the interviewee to create a rapport and motivate the interviewee to provide accurate responses to the questions. I had a friendly demeanor, excellent communication skills, multi-culture competence, and the ability to control emotions. Also, Mr. Alvarez introduced himself in terms of culture, religion, background, and more. This paper summarizes and reflects on the interview responses I received from the Peruvian interviewee.
- What do you identify as the most important or distinct practices of your culture?
As aforementioned, I interviewed Mr. Alvarez, a Peruvian living in the U.S. Thus, he associated with the Peruvian culture, a mix of European, Amerindian, and African ethnic cultures. According to the interviewee, Peruvian culture is rich and characterized by rich culture and traditions. The distinct practices within the Peruvian culture include music and dance, religion, food, family, fiestas, and more. In the Peruvian culture, music and dance are extremely important practices. Peru’s music and dance heritage include styles and instruments passed down by the Spanish, Incas, and African slaves. Also, Peruvian culture is comprised of multi-religious groups, including Catholicism, Protestantism, other Christians, no religion, and others. The interviewee associates with no religion. Also, traditional Peruvian foods include potatoes, corn, legumes (lupins and beans), and other tubers. In addition, the interviewee stated that Peruvian families are comprised of three (3) or more children and extended families. Peruvian families value spending time together and expressing emotions during family gatherings or when taking meals. Besides, the Peruvian people value fiestas which are highly influenced by religion.
- How are gender roles addressed in your culture?
In the Peruvian culture, there are set characteristics that are perceived as ideal for females and males. According to Mr. Alvarez, Peru has distinct cultural standards as far as how males and females are perceived in society. In Peruvian culture, men are expected and required to be masculine, dominant, and self-reliant. On the other hand, women are expected and required to be feminine, submissive to men, and care providers for the family. In the Peruvian culture, the interviewee explained that these attitudes and perceptions place different expectations upon women and men regarding household chores and duties. Men are expected to be responsible, provide financial support for the family, and be consulted for advice on major family projects and matters (Voevoda, 2020). The responsibility of women is generally to raise kids, manage household finances, and influence men’s decision-making for the betterment of the family. However, in middle and upper-class families, women do not discharge domestic roles. Instead, women direct and supervise employed child carers or domestic helpers. Thus, the Peruvian culture allows women to leave their children and work to earn family income and support men in financing family matters.
- How is social power, authority, or social roles in a hierarchy expressed in your culture?
Social power, social roles, and authority are uniquely expressed in Peruvian culture. As per the interviewee, Peruvian society is stratified between distinct socioeconomic groups that are related to people’s ethnicity. The hierarchical classes greatly reflect Peru’s past colonial period, with those of European heritage belonging to upper socioeconomic classes. These tend to have lighter skin. On the other hand, people having indigenous heritage/darker skin are more socially and economically disadvantaged. Also, in Peruvian culture, authority is expressed for both administrative and operational purposes. In addition, social culture roles are recognized for their significance in helping Peru society drive strategies, programs, guidelines, policies, and projects. The aspect of power elites controlling resources and exerting power on the marginalized is a norm. However, social class demographics are not ethnically homogenous. As a result, there is less social mobility for individuals of certain ethnicities. The interviewee gives the example of the Amerindian people who migrate to urban zones and find it hard to secure stable employment. Nonetheless, economic improvements have brought about greater mobility and fluidity in society. According to the interviewee, this has helped people from marginalized groups to grow into the higher socioeconomic classes to occupy influential hierarchical positions. In families, authority belongs to parents. Children are expected to respect parents, elders, teachers, government officials, and leaders having higher social power and status to make the final decision. In addition, the interviewee noted that the Peruvian people are highly collectivist and value sharing a sense of solidarity. Often, community people are interdependent and prioritize the needs of their group over individual desires. This solidarity sense thrives during adversity times.
- Are honor/pride and dishonor/shame important concepts in your culture?
The Peruvian culture is an “honor-oriented society.” They are a highly collectivist culture that shares a sense of solidarity. The interviewee argues that Peru’s culture is generally group-oriented. To Peruvians, self-interest is devalued, and they emphasize creating a sense of belonging to group membership, conforming to group norms, and maintaining group harmony with members. This culture believes that community harmony is more important than individual preferences. Most Peruvians believe that creating trusting and lasting individual relationships is valuable (Barker, 2016). This is why Peruvians find it crucial to develop strong relationships before agreeing on any deal. For example, Peruvians prefer doing business with people they like, trust, or know. Thus, honor is an important concept in Peruvian culture. A good example is when I asked Mr. Alvarez about a job that most Peruvians dislike and he responded that people would not like becoming a bus conductor because the job pays a low salary yet the wealthy employ personal drivers. To Peruvians, the community is everything and thus must come first. Also, honor regulates early Peruvian lives. Just like gender relations, honor is structured and explains the interactions between commoners and power elites in society.
Reflection and Conclusion
From this interview, I learned that people have diverse cultures in terms of beliefs, identity, social roles, social power, gender roles, authority, and background. To become a good interviewer, one should be multiculturally competent and be able to respect other people’s cultures. This necessitates not imposing one’s views, opinions, or belief system on the interviewee’s. My culture and the interviewee’s cultures differ. From the interviewee’s responses, I changed my perceptions about cultural identity, cultural diversity, gender roles, social power, social roles, authority, and more. I learned that every culture is rich in its unique way. Before the interview, I understood little or nothing about Peruvian culture. I have learned that interacting with different people exposes us to different cultural dimensions. Based on the interview, I think people of different cultures have wrong perceptions about other people’s cultures. Nonetheless, it is important for people to respect cultural diversity, embrace a non-judgemental and respectful attitude, and communicate effectively with others regardless of cultural diversity.
References
- Barker, G. G. (2016). Cross-cultural perspectives on intercultural communication competence. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 45(1), 13-30.
- Voevoda, E. V. (2020). Intercultural communication in multicultural education space. Training, Language and Culture, 4(2), 11-20.