Nonverbal communication and culture. Identity, stereotypes and prejudices, страница 40

Blaming, competition, cooperation, collaborative, commitment, conflict style repertoire, cooperative problem solving, destructive conflict, exploration, flexibility, forgiveness, homophobia, international conflict, confrontation, to maintain conflict, mediation, mediator, nonviolence, preferred style, scapegoating, productive conflict, social conflict, social movement, suspicion, trust, willingness, xenophobia.

       Interpretive and Critical Approaches to Social Conflict

Both the interpretive and critical approaches tend to emphasize the social and cultural aspects of conflict. Conflict from these perspectives is far more complex than the ways that interpersonal conflict is enacted. It is deeply rooted in cultural differences in the contexts of social, economic, and historical conflict.

Social conflictarises from unequal or unjust social relationships between groups. In addition, a conflict may be motivated by a desire to bring about social change. In social movements, individuals work together to bring about social change. They often use confrontation as a strategy to highlight the injustices of the present system. So, for example, when African American students in Greensboro, North Carolina, sat down at White-only lunch counters in the 1960s, they were pointing out the injustices of segregation. Although the students were nonviolent, their actions drew a violent reaction that, for many people, legitimized the claims of the injustice.

Historical and political contexts also are sources of conflict. Many international conflicts have arisen over border disputes. For example, Argentina and the United Kingdom both claimed the Malvinas (or Falkland) Islands in the South Atlantic, which led to a short war in 1982. Disputes between France and Germany over Alsace-Lorraine lasted much longer – from about 1871 to 1945. Similar disputes have arisen between Japan and Russia over islands north of Japan. The historical reasons for such conflicts help us understand the claims of both sides. Considering intercultural conflict in context can help us understand why the conflict occurs and to identify opportunities for resolving those conflicts.

Xenophobia – the fear of foreigners or strangers – is sometimes tied to social class differences. Note the assumptions made about immigrants in this conflict. Is it possible to have a more satisfying resolution to this conflict? How might that be achieved?

My conflict is between my in-laws and myself. This conflict has existed for years and has caused many problems and heartaches in our lives.

It is now hard to pinpoint when the problems began. My husband and I went to visit my now father-in-law when we were first dating, and he gave me the third degree. I was on my very best behavior, but when we said our goodbyes, he insisted that I go back to California (I was just visiting here, and still lived in California) and surely I would be able to find a new job there. I did not take this very seriously at the time, but through later conflicts became aware that my husband's family is prejudiced against Germans (as well as Mexicans, African Americans, and immigrants of all sorts).

Since then, many difficult situations have occurred, including a rather violent outbreak with my husband's grandmother and aunt, in which I was referred to as "the German whore," who was "just with him to get her green card," and was "after his money." None of these cliches apply in my case. I have never been a whore, I had a green card prior to meeting my husband, and I was unaware at this point of my in-laws' wealth.

This conflict I believe is about prejudice against foreigners, and specifically, immigrants. There seems to be a perception within my husband's family that I am only taking, not giving anything. There is also an assumption that I come from a poor family because my family is not college-educated, which a generation ago only a very, very small percentage of the German population was. There is a misunderstanding of the educational system in Germany, the apprenticeship system, through which people are trained and able to make very good and profitable careers. My father, for example, had a more respectable social standing and earned far more than my husband's father, who was college-educated. Another issue was that I had not yet received a college degree.