Incoherent culture
by Brendan McSweeney
European J. of Cross-Cultural Competence and Management (EJCCM), Vol. 1, No. 1, 2009

Abstract: Culture is implicitly defined in most national cultural and multi-cultural studies as coherent. Each culture is supposed to be a holistic contradiction-free pattern, creating and sustaining uniform and enduring practices. This paper, whilst acknowledging the causal (but not deterministic) influence of culture, argues that all cultures are incoherent – they contain contradictions and other forms of heterogeneity. Thus we should be hesitant about relying on uniform cultural depictions of any group – national, ethnic, gender, community, organisational or whatever else – and be open to identifying and acknowledging diversity of cultures and practices within such populations.

Online publication date: Wed, 24-Jun-2009

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