This dissertation is an ethnography of the cultural politics of Indian/white relations in a small, interior British Columbia resource city at the height of land claims conflict and tensions. Drawing on the theoretical approaches of Nicholas Thomas (1994) and Raymond Williams (1977, 1980), I show how the power that reinforces the subordination of aboriginal peoples in Canada is exercised by 'ordinary' rural Euro-Canadians whose cultural attitudes and activities are forces in an ongoing, contemporary system of colonial domination. In approaching these issues through in-depth ethnographic research with both the Native and Euro- Canadian populations and in exploring the dynamics of cultural domination and resistance at the level of a local, rural community, this dissertation stands as a unique contribution to the ethnographic study of colonialism and Native/non- Native relations in Canada. The dominant Euro-Canadian culture of the region is defined by a complex of understandings about history, society and identity that is thematically integrated through the idea of the frontier. At its heart, the frontier complex consists of an historical epistemology - a Canadian version of the American frontier myth (Slotkin 1992) - that celebrates the processes through which European explorers 'discovered' and 'conquered' North America and its aboriginal inhabitants, . Central to this complex is the Indian/white dichotomy, a founding archetype in Euro-Canadians' symbolic ordering of regional social relations and in their private and public constructions of collective identity. Also central is the Euro-Canadians' self-image of benevolent paternalism, an identity that appears repeatedly in discourses of national history and Native/non-Native relations. Facets of the frontier complex are expressed in diverse settings: casual conversations among Euro-Canadians, popular histories, museum displays, political discourse, public debates about aboriginal land claims, and the town's annual summer festival. In each setting, these practices contribute to the perpetuation of relations of inequality between Euro-Canadians and area Shuswap, Tsilhqot'in and Carrier peoples, and in each setting area Natives are engaging in diverse forms of resistance. The plurality of these strategies of resistance, rooted in different cultural identities, biographical experiences and political philosophies, reflects the creativity in which new forms of resistance are forged and tested in public contexts of Native/Euro-Canadian interaction.

This thesis explores gender and impoliteness in the multilingual and multicultural context of the University of Natal, South Africa. My study uses respondents' perceptions of impoliteness to investigate how male and female students of different African cultures and language backgrounds construct and reconstruct their identities through their choices to use the languages available at the University of Natal. The study was motivated by a perceived dearth of research into gender-sensitive accounts of multilingual situations. The goal of this study is to contribute to the understanding of the invention of identities in a multilingual, multicultural and multiracial environment, while interrogating the relationship between impoliteness, whether perceived or intended, and the gendered identities available to the different African subgroups at the university. Hence the thesis reviews recent theoretical approaches to intercultural communication, impoliteness and gender, and attempts to identify a suitable framework for the understanding of gendered aspects of multilingualism in the university. A combination of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies was adopted for the study. I used several modes of data collection which included indirect observation carried out through the reporting of perceived impoliteness, questionnaire surveys for evaluations of instances of impoliteness and focus group discussions with different categories of students. Discourse analysis was drawn on for the presentation of the data. The body of data reveals that while there are some general perceptions of impoliteness amongst the students that transcend culture and language diversity, differences in the perceptions of and responses to impoliteness impact greatly on the ability of individuals to communicate effectively. The study shows that the different groups identified in the study: Zulu bradas, dilute males, Model C guys, diverse males, modern Zulu women and decisive females, whilst they are attending university, decide on and construct their identities according to their preferences. This is not necessarily a matter of their original cultural identity, especially in the case of the modern Zulu women, decisive females and Model C guys. A range of different identities from which the individual may choose is made possible at the university, given that the university has its own, non-ethnic culture. The preferred identity varies amongst the students: for instance, the Zulu bradas' desire to be seen as 'traditional' pushes them to construct a 'traditional' - as they see it - Zulu identity. The decisive females in contrast are far less culture-conscious and construct an identity that is related to their personal needs. Consequently, some respondents construct communal and others individual identities. The students' interpretations and judgements of impoliteness reveal that the preferred identities influence their evaluations of behaviour. Similarly, the gender of perceiver or speaker may influence the interpretation and assessment of the degree of impoliteness. A majority of the male respondents draw on gendered cultural expectations in their judgements, while the female respondents were more egalitarian in their approach. Identity in this study emerges as crucial for the understanding of impoliteness. The study further shows that whenever the individual's constructed identity is seen to be under attack, a student may respond with equal impoliteness to defend him/herself. While this research is specifically located in the context of the University of Natal, it is relevant to the South African workplace today, where linguistic and cultural diversity may enhance or impede racial integration and gender equality. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

This thesis examines sources of interactional asynchrony and synchrony in intercultural medical consultations between South African English speaking doctors and Zulu-English speaking patients in an urban setting in South Africa. It employs, principally, the theory and methods of Interactional Sociolinguistics to identify and describe sources of asynchrony and synchrony in medical encounters. The thesis provides a review of the South African and international literature relevant to the analysis of doctor-patient interaction. Having noted the significant absence of research that utilizes a model of language use such as Interactional Sociolinguistics, the author reviews South African and international interactional sociolinguistic research literature with a view to identifying an appropriate research framework for the analysis of selected medical consultations. The thesis reports the findings of the fine-grained analyses of three consultations. The societal consequences of the asynchrony evident in two of the consultations are explored drawing, in particular, on insights provided by Critical Language Study. The relative synchrony of the third consultation is traced to the participants' use of positive politeness strategies to generate the "co-membership" of maleness. The significance of this discovery is explored in some depth. Finally, attention is given to further research possibilities arising from the present study. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1995.

No description available.

This study analyzed the perceptions of University of Kentucky Dietetic and Human Nutrition students as they relate to the benefits and barriers of study abroad educational opportunities. The final sample consisted of 164 participants, with 18.9% (n=31) in the Coordinated Program in Dietetics (CP), 32.3% (n=53) in the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD), 42.7% (n=70) in the Human Nutrition (HN) program and 5.5% (n=9) who identified their program as ‘other’. The primary barriers to participation in study abroad were cost and problems fitting education abroad into the current program of study. The primary benefits were identified as dietary and health knowledge acquisition, cultural knowledge acquisition and forming relationships with other students, professors and members of the host community. The information found in this study can be used in the design of study abroad programs for nutrition majors to make programs tailored to fit these students’ needs.

Stephan and Stephan (1985) introduced intergroup anxiety theory which encompasses situations in which people interact with individuals from different racial, ethnic, cultural backgrounds, namely the "outgroup". In the present study, the researcher aimed to compare intergroup anxiety of International students and African-American students when they expected to interact with ingroup members versus outgroup members, namely White-American students. The participants were presented with pictures and demographic information of hypothetical participants and were told that they would interact with these other participants in a nonverbal game. It was expected that intergroup anxiety would be lower when participants expected to interact with ingroup members, compared to the condition when they expected to interact with outgroup members. The results indicated that anxiety towards ingroup members was not significantly different from the anxiety towards outgroup members. It was found that African-American students had significantly lower levels of trait anxiety compared to International students. / Department of Psychological Science

Communication is a critical success factor to information systems development (ISD) projects. Intercultural communication involves two or more people from diverse cultures communication and using different worldviews and context transmit messages to each other. The aim of this study is to gain an understanding on the influence of the intercultural communication on the performance of an ISD team. In order to achieve this aim one needs to understand information systems research and to justify the selection of the chosen research methodology; to understand information systems development and ISD teams; to understand culture and communication; to understand what affects communication has between different cultures; to discover how cultural misunderstandings impact upon ISD team performance and to discover the steps taken to eliminate miscommunication due to cultural issues in organizations. The interpretive research was carried out in several organizations in Gauteng province of South Africa that develop or has a department that develops information systems. A multiple case study using interviews and content analysis as research methods were instrumental in coming to the conclusion of the research. A multicultural dyad conducted interviews in three participating organizations. Diverse information systems development team members participated in this study. The results of the study describe how intercultural communication influences ISD teams in a South African environment. They also provide an understanding on culture and communication. The results of the study also report on culture and personality as determinants of behaviour, and also on different perceptions of culture. The different ISD team dynamics may be affected by team members’ culture and personality. The results also report on intercultural communication in information systems development teams and how it is affected by the different cultural context. / Thesis (MSc (Computer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Communication is a critical success factor to information systems development (ISD) projects. Intercultural communication involves two or more people from diverse cultures communication and using different worldviews and context transmit messages to each other. The aim of this study is to gain an understanding on the influence of the intercultural communication on the performance of an ISD team. In order to achieve this aim one needs to understand information systems research and to justify the selection of the chosen research methodology; to understand information systems development and ISD teams; to understand culture and communication; to understand what affects communication has between different cultures; to discover how cultural misunderstandings impact upon ISD team performance and to discover the steps taken to eliminate miscommunication due to cultural issues in organizations. The interpretive research was carried out in several organizations in Gauteng province of South Africa that develop or has a department that develops information systems. A multiple case study using interviews and content analysis as research methods were instrumental in coming to the conclusion of the research. A multicultural dyad conducted interviews in three participating organizations. Diverse information systems development team members participated in this study. The results of the study describe how intercultural communication influences ISD teams in a South African environment. They also provide an understanding on culture and communication. The results of the study also report on culture and personality as determinants of behaviour, and also on different perceptions of culture. The different ISD team dynamics may be affected by team members’ culture and personality. The results also report on intercultural communication in information systems development teams and how it is affected by the different cultural context. / Thesis (MSc (Computer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-82). / ix, 82 leaves, bound 29 cm

The study is an historical investigation exploring the impact of the Carnegie Corporation's philanthropic cultural and educational activities in North America and Australia during the 1940s. The author examines the Carnegie's formation of public values and perceptions using cultural and aesthetic material in order to transmit American ideological ideals with the goal of influencing Australian, Canadian and USA cultural norms. The principal case examined in the paper is the "Art of Australia 1788-1941" exhibition, which toured the USA and Canada during 1941-42. Scrutiny of the exhibition uncovers the role it played in alliance building and the promotion of a range of cultural and political agendas. The investigation deploys a theoretical framework derived from the writings of Tony Bennett. The framework takes the form of a matrix that uses concepts of institutionalized agencies/power and individual agencies/knowledge detailed in a nine-cell matrix composed of propositional statements under the intersecting categories of culture, technologies, ethics, zones, objects, and visualization. The "Art of Australia" Exhibition is a paradigmatic case of the instrumental, cultural application of exhibitions in the interest of the state, using government and non-government, public and private organizations as intermediaries. The analysis reveals the existence of diverse agendas and power/knowledge relationships between governments, corporations and the exhibition. This account highlights the museum as a significant arena for establishing and legitimating social norms and practices whilst steering cultural values. Such actions sponsored by government and entrepreneurial philanthropy are analyzed and interpreted as an early instance of building civic values and promoting the public belief in shared national identity. In this sense the investigation explores the educational mission of the museum and it's supporting agencies in the broadest public context.