Cultural iceberg6/1/2023 ![]() Hall (1976).īut the visible, above-the-water part of an iceberg indicates an invisible and much greater section below. The Cultural Iceberg, adapted by Sheri L. Thus, on a project trip we might learn to eat spicy food, sing a Spanish song, or bow rather than shake hands. You might call these the What.Ībove-the-water concepts are explicitly passed on by other members of that culture, as when I teach my toddler when to wear shoes or use her “indoor voice.” Since these aspects of culture are consciously learned, they are also more easily recognized and changed. He explained that the parts of culture which we can observe with our senses-clothes, food, gestures, music, etc.-are just the tip of the iceberg. Hall first developed the iceberg concept in 1976 as a way to understand human societies. The Tip of the IcebergĪnthropologist Edward T. We must become adept at recognizing these icebergs and the essential aspects of culture which lie below the waterline. ![]() As with icebergs, the greater mass of any culture lies beneath the surface, under the waves. Yet our work with EMI begs the question, just how different is it? How does living and working in a radically different culture affect design? Isn’t a building still a building? At the end of the day, aren’t all people really the same inside? Doesn’t the bond of Christ bridge the gap within our culturally diverse teams and the clients we serve so that we don’t have to worry about differences?Įvery traveller quickly learns that people from other nations eat different foods, wear different clothes, and speak different languages.īut culture runs much deeper. Without warning, a teenage girl slips silently past the curtain that functions as the door to my room and bows at my bedside with a tray of hot tea.Įvery day in India reminds me that this place is different from the America of my childhood. ![]() A vendor shouts the names of fruits for sale. A Hindu neighbour rings a tiny bell as he chants his morning prayers at the family shrine. Wide awake, I lie in bed and listen to the other sounds around me. Though tired from yesterday’s EMI project work, I cannot remain asleep as a mosque’s siren signals the start of Ramadan fasting. I wake up in an orphanage in south-eastern India. It may even reveal unseen obstacles to our presentation of the Gospel. Hopefully it will help jumpstart real solutions for cross-cultural sensitivities, and help any culture manifest Jesus Christ according to its own cultural icebergs. Sheri applies these cross-cultural points poignantly to the elements of designing cross-culturally–but we believe you’ll find inescapable parallels to any cross-cultural work. Meanwhile, they raise up disciples and trained professionals in-country. We’re talking water projects, hospitals, schools, orphanages, you name it. EMI mobilizes architects, engineers, construction managers, and other design professionals–including those through an incredible internship program–to provide design services for those helping the poor. We’re excited to welcome Sheri of Engineering Ministries International.
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