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Are we culturally more similar or different?

Press/Media: Expert Comment

Description

My recently published paper* provided empirical evidence from 39 societies that there was more cultural heterogeneity within nations than we used to believe. Therefore, we wrote up this media piece to educate the public that cross-nationally, we are more similar than being different.  In Malaysia this is of particular relevance because the dominant ethnic groups all maintain their strong ethnic identity, which in a way continues to divide the country. Moreoever, ethnic conflicts often arise out of ethnic differences in perspectives and values. We attempted to present the facts to support ethnic similarities. 

*Ralston, D. A., Russell, C. J., Terpstra-Tong, J., Trevino, L. J., Ramburuth, P., Richards, M., ... & Brock, D. M. (2022). Are societal-level values still relevant measures in the twenty-first century businessworld? A 39-society analysis. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 1-46.

Period24 Jun 2022

Media contributions

1

Media contributions

  • TitleAre we culturally more similar or different?
    Degree of recognitionNational
    Media name/outletNew Strait Times
    Media typeWeb
    Duration/Length/Size650 words, 3 min read
    Country/TerritoryMalaysia
    Date24/06/22
    DescriptionThis article challenges the common knowledge on the heterogeneity across nations. We present facts and arguments to explain why national cultures are more similar than different. The co-author, Dr. Hirra Butt, was a fresh PhD and joined Monash in early 2022. Hence I served as a mentor in working with her for this article.
    Producer/AuthorJane Terpstra-Tong, Hirra Butt
    URLhttps://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2022/06/807926/are-we-culturally-more-similar-or-different
    PersonsJane Tong, Hirra Pervez Butt

Keywords

  • Within nation culture
  • national culture