Cross-Cultural Conflict in Modern Society - Term Paper Example

? Cross Cultural Conflict in Modern Society Department, Correspondence address. Cross Cultural Conflict in Modern Society Conflict, is a feature of modern life that has come to define the way society functions and defines itself. In a globalized and multicultural world where people of many ethnicities and linguistic backgrounds seek t exist together in a peaceful and non-violent manner, it is imperative that conflicts be resolved in an equally non-violent way. Different ways of leading lives and beliefs make it absolutely necessary that differences in opinion are negotiated and solved, without any damage to the fabric of a society that has ceased to be an organic entity anymore. In our daily lives, many situations arise that need to be tackled in such a manner, especially in societies that go through a phase of transition that requires its members to keep aside their differences and merge into a collaborative unit (Keel). These differences manifest themselves in various institutions of the society, like marriages, social celebrations and religions. These social institutions are points of conflict in most societies, since most societies today comprise more than one religion and more than one way of celebrating an event such as a wedding. Tensions regarding these differences need to be resolved before they reach a point where the two (or more) parties that are involved in the conflict engage in actions that may irreversibly damage the functioning of a society. This paper shall seek to elaborate a situation that arose during the conduct of a Wedding and a peaceful resolution of it through mediation by a third party, a neutral mediator. This is another vital cog in the process of negotiation. The role of the mediator, a neutral presence is crucial to the success of a negotiation, since it eliminates the possibilities, to a great extent, of partisanship. The wedding, between two members of a community that believes in celebrating social events with loud music and processions that include the bridegroom’s family and friends to the bride’s house, was held in a residential area where government servants resided. The processions were accompanied by musicians playing music at a high volume and the people accompanying them were in the mood for a lot of revelry that created more noise. Fireworks added to the already existing atmosphere of commotion that aggravated the situation. Residents of the area, many of whom were not a part of the function, were inconvenienced by the processions and sought an end to the noise that emanated from the wedding function. They cited the fact that their young children couldn’t study while a lot of noise was being produced and many also complained that their old parents who lived with them were being inconvenienced. The situation of conflict arose when members of the locality who were not a part of the community that was a part of the wedding complained of the noise. They were unable to comprehend the reasons for the levels of noise that were being produced. It is significant that many of them belonged to communities which have marriages that are conducted in a manner that does not employ a lot of music. Their demands to stop any form of music as soon as possible were not accepted by the wedding party and a situation of conflict arose, that could have assumed greater proportions if it had gone unchecked. The community that refused to do away with the music was a community that belongs to the northern part of India, while those that were protesting were mostly from the eastern and southern parts of the country. The problem that arose did so because of the inability of either community to fully understand the dynamics of each other’s cultures. The competition for cultural space in a neutral territory like a government officials’ residential complex intensified the problems, since they happened in New Delhi, a city that is fast changing into a much more cosmopolitan city than it was ten years ago, when communities from the northern parts of the country held a dominant position in the capital of the country. With a change in this situation, with the ascendance of groups from the southern and eastern parts of the country, tensions have increased, with either group refusing to acknowledge each others’ social and cultural beliefs and the changed social dynamic. As mentioned earlier in this paper, a society in transition offers ample opportunities for conflicts to crop up, since the mentalities of people who were in a dominant position are unable to adjust to the pace of the change. This leads to misplaced notions of superiority that may be based on supposed superiority in terms of the color of one’s skin or the language that one speaks. In the Indian context, caste that forms a part of the Hindu religion can also be a very important factor in assessing social superiority and the hierarchies that exist within society (Ethnic). This means that a resolution of any conflict requires the two parties and the mediator to be very careful. As a person who does not belong to either community, my eligibility as a mediator cannot be questioned. Since I owe no allegiance to either party that was involved in the conflict, my credentials as a potential mediator in the process of resolving the conflict was accepted by both parties. The values that I brought to the table as a negotiator is that of neutrality that is needed the most in a mediator. This enables the mediator to gain the confidence of the two parties involved. Moreover, it enables either party to accept the verdict as a just one and does not leave any scope for either party to prolong the conflict. As a resident of the residential complex for a very long time, I am known to other members of the community as well and have a good social standing that enables my opinion to be heard and valued by both parties as well as their respective communities. Being an educated member of the residential complex also heightens my eligibility as a mediator, since it enables me to analyse the situation in detail and pronounce a verdict on the basis of my knowledge regarding the customs and practices f both communities. This brings us to one of the most important qualities that are necessary for a mediator of cross cultural conflicts - knowledge of the cultural practices of either party. The relative importance of each practice that the communities indulge in is necessary to restore normalcy through a resolution that is acceptable to all. A knowledge also of a common language that may be used to communicate with both parties enhance the abilities of a mediator since he or she is then able to communicate smoothly between both communities. In a lot of cross-cultural conflicts like the one that has been described in this paper, pride regarding one’s own language that then becomes a symbol of a community’s pride, can be an important factor that causes conflicts. In this instance, the language that is widely spoken by communities that are a part of the northern states of India, Hindi, is the national language of the country. This move had earlier created tensions between communities of north India and other linguistic groups such as the Tamils. Pent up anger regarding the sidelining of the language of a certain group can lead to the heightening of a situation of conflict that already exists. Public perceptions about communities and stereotypes are often invoked during a conflict situation (Williams 2, 1994). This also often is the cause for the start of the conflict. The conflict that has been described in this paper has its roots in the stereotypes that the communities involved harbor regarding each other. People of the southern and eastern states of India tend to think of the people of the north Indian states as boorish and loud. This partially derives from the fact that the wedding that is being discussed in this paper took place in New Delhi, a place the culture of which is heavily influenced by the culture of north Indian communities as a result of its geographical location. This is also influenced by the greater number of people belonging to north Indian communities who live in the city of New Delhi. A residential complex where employees of the central government live, however, presents a different picture. Due to the large number of people from the eastern and southern parts of India who enter the government services, the number of people from these communities who live in these residential complexes is high. The cultural dynamics of such a locality is thus different from the overall dynamics that the city as a whole presents. Coming to the stereotypes that are prevalent regarding members of the eastern and southern communities of India, these represent notions that club these communities together in a manner that overlooks the obvious differences between these two communities. They are generally, however, considered to be good at bookish studies and intelligent, but uptight regarding rules, according to general stereotypes that are circulated in various forms of the media. This clubbing together of these two communities may also be linked to the racial differences that they exhibit, from the members of various north Indian communities. An important factor, race and skin color is often used as factors to discriminate against people from the south and the east, leading to resentment in these communities. The resolution of any conflict involves compromises from either side. Like conflict, compromise is also an important part of modern life, says Franco Moretti. The loss of organicity that modern society has gone through means that the coexistence of communities is possible only through compromises that are effected by each and every community that is a part of this fractured society (Moretti 36, 2000). Compromise also becomes the most effective tool to fight against the tendency to produce conflicts that arise partially out of nostalgia for an older and more organic society. This nostalgia leads, however, only to a desire to occupy completely a geographical and cultural space that has to be apportioned to several ethnic and linguistic groups. Globalization as a phenomenon has caused the fragmentation of several third world societies such as the one that is under discussion in this paper. It has achieved this fragmentation that has taken place not just at a mental and cultural level but also at a geographical level that has served to intensify the cultural conflicts that are a part of these societies. This is exactly what had happened at the wedding function that this paper has discussed. A solution to this cultural conflict, which arises primarily out of a competition for physical space that gets translated into a cultural war, lies in the ability to respect the fact that there is only limited space that has to be shared. This was effected by making both parties understand the need for a reconciliation. They were made to see the fact that they were both residents of the same locality and the privacy of every member needed to be respected. However, it was made clear that a special occasion like a wedding required special rules that allowed the playing of music and processions within a certain time bracket that would not inconvenience the other members of the locality too much. The members of both the communities appeared to be satisfied with the outcome of the outcome of the negotiations and the fact that the wedding had to take place within a certain time that was fixed by astrologers also contributed to the viability of the solution that was proposed. The knowledge of the beliefs of the communities was thus instrumental in effecting a solution. Finally, one needs to understand that culture is a fluid and dynamic entity that changes from time to time (Culture). The culture of New Delhi has changed from what it was a few years back, as has been the case with most cities across the world. A cosmopolitan culture may emerge in the near future in the city that may not eliminate all conflicts; however, it shall definitely retain a fluidity and shall consist of citizens who recognize the need to compromise in their cultural values. Works Cited Moretti, Franco. (2000). “The Soul and the Harpy”. Signs Taken for Wonders. New Delhi: Verso. Print. p 36 Keel, Robert O. (2005). Culture Conflict Theory. Last Updated on 14th July, 2005. Accessed on 21st October, 2011. “Culture and Conflict: Introduction”. The Power of Culture Special. Accessed on 21st October, 2011. “Ethnic and Religious Conflicts in India”. Cultural Survival. < http://www.culturalsurvival.org/ourpublications/csq/article/ethnic-and-religious-conflicts- india> Accessed on 21st October, 2011. Williams, Andrea. (1994) "Resolving Conflict in a Multicultural Environment." MCS Conciliation Quarterly. Pp. 2-6. Read More