Understanding the Cultural Context

To make a sustainable project that covers the intended need it is important to understand the cultural context in which you are shaping it. You have to go beyond assumptions and look for patterns, habits, customs, and norms to see how people act and then attempt to decipher what this means. Whether it is the culture of a foreign country or a familiar neighbourhood it is important to look at it with a curious mind.

To understand a culture different to your own you must be aware of which filters you possess. This means that you have to find out which culture you yourself come from and be aware of your own frames of reference. This also means stepping back to see which segment or group in society you belong to in order to both understand your own perspectives as well as to avoid taking for granted things based on your own experiences that do not apply to persons from another background. The better you understand your own cultural background the better you will understand the context in which you want to operate which in turn will make it easier to find viable solutions and cover actual needs. As part of a culture we often take for granted the customs, habits, and rules that are unspoken and this can make them almost invisible to us. It can even be surprising to hear our own culture voiced. When observing a culture different to our own, however, things that are unusual to us stand out clearly. Because of this it may prove easier to understand and question a culture when observing it from a distance. Whether in our own or a foreign culture, however, these unspoken customs, habits or rules often prove to be some of the strongest guides to a deeper understanding. Make this your starting point and work on finding out why you find certain things or behaviours noteworthy.

Understanding the template

We recommend that you fill in two templates. One for your own cultural background and one for the target culture. This is to gain a deeper understanding of how they influence one another. When you do this you may find links between the “mapping out me” template and the mapping out of your own culture as well as links between “the target group” template and the mapping out of your target culture.

Target culture: Write a headline that sums up the culture you are observingin the sign.

Distinguishing features: What stands out and why? Note things that have triggered you in a good or a bad way. These are often things that are different from what you know. Ask yourself; “what has made me intrigued, annoyed, surprised or frustrated?”. Write it in the sun and the cloud. Remember to find out why you had these reactions. Taken for granted: What is taken for granted and why? Some people expect there to be food on the table every day while others do not. Try to find out what is taken for granted and why by asking or observing and write it in the airwaves.

Community: What creates a sense of community? What links people together? What makes them belong to their culture and how is this acted out? What would people in a certain culture collectively defend if they were put under pressure? Write your findings in the body of the group of people. New insights: In the globe where the group is standing, list your key learning and new insights based on all the observations you have just listed.

“Make the Known Unknown and the Unknown Known”