Differences in Culture between Canada and Saudi Arabia - Literature review Example

Differences in culture between Canada and Saudi Arabia Location Canada is located in North America’s northern part and United States of America borders it to the west and to the south (Mookerjea, Imre and Gail 2). On the other hand, Saudi Arabia lies between longitudes 34° and 56° E, and latitudes 16° and 33° N and occupies approximately 80% of the Arabian peninsula. In the Western Asia, Saudi Arabia Kingdom is the biggest Arab state. Iraq and Jordan borders it to the north, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar to the east, Oman in the southeast, Yemen to the south, and the Red Sea in the west and Persian Gulf in the east (Zirinski 2). Culture Canadian culture is the artistic, literary, musical, culinary, social, and political elements representative of Canadians and Canada, to its population, and to people worldwide. The culture of Canada has been historically influenced by its indigenous cultures and the European traditions and culture, particularly French and British (Mookerjea, Imre and Gail 4). The immigrant populations in Canada brought their cultures with them, and these cultures have over time been included in Canadian’s mainstream culture. Subsequently, American culture has influenced the Canadian culture because of its proximity, shared language, and migrations taking place between these two countries. Canada is characterized as diverse, very progressive, and multicultural. Government policies of Canada such as legalizing of same-sex marriage, health care, capital punishment outlawing, cultural diversity emphasis, strong efforts to eradicate poverty, and more progressive and higher taxation act as indicators of the Canadian’s cultural and political values. The federal government of Canada has influenced the Canadian culture with laws, programs, and institutions. In order to promote Canada’s culture through media such as National Film Board of Canada and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the federal government has made crown corporations. Canadian culture is protected by the federal government, which through bodies such as Telecommunications Commission and the Canadian Radio-television, has set a legal limit of Canadian content in a lot of media (Mookerjea, Imre and Gail 7). Saudi Arabia’s cultural setting is Wahabi Islam and Arab, and it features a lot of elements ranging from folk culture like music and dance and historical ritual. Cultural and traditional values tend to be incorporated into legal restrictions for Muslims and non-Muslims who may be prohibited from exercising their own faith within the kingdom by law. Alcoholic beverages and pork products tend to be forbidden. Women do not drive a motor vehicle, ride a bicycle, or sell to fellow women make-up. Saudi Arabia is better noticed for its nature of life, which is unique and preserves its age old heritage (Zirinski 5). Saudi Arabia’s official language is Arabic although English may be commonly spoken. In business, English is used, and in schools it is also a compulsory second language. For the population of non-Saudis, many individuals speak Urdu, Pakistan’s official language and other languages from Asian like Turkish and Farsi. A population of almost 200 million persons speaks Arabic in 22 countries and more. It is the Quran’s language, the Islam’s Holy Book, and the Arab literature and poetry. Arabic differs from one country to another while spoken, but classical Arabic has not changed for many centuries (Zirinski 6). Dresses Canadian’s dressing style varies depending on weather. Unlike in Saudi Arabia, the mode of dressing in Canada is not restricted by law. Men, women, foreigners, and locals are all free to dress up in whatever feels comfortable to them. During summer, Canadian’s only put on some light clothing while during winter they dress heavily. Anyone can put on tight fitting jeans, and females can wear tank tops and low necks. Bathing suits and shorts are not restricted (Petty, Garry and Annie 4). The dressing style in Canada differs when it comes to official and casual wear. Unlike in Saudi where all men put on thobes as a sign of inequality, in Canada, most rich people and businessmen dress in expensive suits though not necessarily. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia’s customs and religion dictate conservative dressing style for both women and men. Some leeway is given to foreigners in the way of dress, although they have to adhere to local customs, especially in public areas (Zirinski 8). The general rule of Saudi is that foreign men must put on trousers long enough and shirts which must cover the upper torso. Foreign females must put on skirts which are loose fitting and with below the knee hemlines. Sleeves must at least be the neckline modest and elbow length. The fashion guideline in Saudi is "conceal instead of reveal". Teenagers must dress modestly especially in public areas. Tight fitting jeans are not permitted, and tank tops and low necks tend to be prohibited. Bathing suits and shorts must not be put on in public places. Regardless of their social status or job, all Saudi men put on the traditional dress known as a thobe. Dressing in the thobe shows equality, and perfectly suits the hot climate of Saudi. During hot and warm weather, Saudi boys and men wear white thobes. At the time of chilly weather, the most common thobes are dark colored wool thobes. During special occasions, men put on a mishlah or a bisht on top of the thobe. These are long black, brown, or white cloaks which are gold trimmed (Zirinski 11). Weather The far north parts of Canada are extremely snowy and cold. However, the southern regions experience milder weather. Temperatures in some cities of Canada become extremely cold during winter while, during the summer, they get extremely hot with more than 30 degrees Celsius. Canadians enjoy snowboarding, skiing, and ice hockey during winter as well as other games and sports during summer (Petty, Garry and Annie 9). Unlike Canada, which experiences four seasons that include summer, autumn, winter and spring, Saudi Arabia experiences only two seasons; winter and summer. There is little rainfall in the central regions of the country. Dust storm or rain precedes season change with the dusty season taking about 40 days to end. The southwestern coastal regions experience rain regularly and a lot of humidity during summer. January and December are the peak winter months while July and June are the peak summer months. As of May through September, temperatures during the day reach 45°C or more in the whole country apart from the coastal regions, which experience slightly cooler temperatures. In winter, there is a substantial drop in temperatures during daytime, at night temperatures can hit zero, and the mountains are normally covered in fog (Zirinski 15). In the desert, the peak winter season usually causes the temperatures to drop at night quite radically and mostly they are zero degrees. The months of February to May and November are not extremely cold or extremely hot. The weather is rather moderate, and the difference in temperature during nights and days is not extreme (Zirinski 20). Works Cited Mookerjea, Sourayan, Imre Szeman, and Gail Faurschou. Canadian Cultural Studies: A Reader. Durham [NC: Duke University Press, 2009. Print. Petty, Sheila, Garry Sherbert, and Annie Gérin. Canadian Cultural Poesis: Essays on Canadian Culture. Waterloo, Ont: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2005. Print. Zirinski, Roni. Ad Hoc Arabism: Advertising, Culture, and Technology in Saudi Arabia. New York: Lang, 2005. Print. Read More