Differences

Difference is everywhere. To start broadly there are different cultures, and different people, and different languages, different ways of using the same language, different ways of living, different ways of seeing the world, different ways of storytelling, different ways of thinking, different standards and differences in the things we notice. Simply, humanity consists of many different habitus. What writing can achieve is taking us into those differences. If we are willing, and we understand that our way of seeing is not the universal, we can tilt our perspective and see the world slightly differently.

Before this course I believed that if humanity could bridge all differences and unite then people could live much more happily. But what does it mean to bridge differences? If bridging means to connect then how do we connect? Let’s say that connecting is the same as understanding. So to bridge means to understand differences. But what does understand mean? Is it to know and accept, or is it to believe and act? The evidence of understanding is action. In the simplest sense, if you understand that you need to drink water to survive, you will drink water. Knowledge follows belief and then it is shown in action. To bridge differences between cultures – if we think of bridging in terms of acting on understanding – is then a mammoth task. We can’t accept everyone’s differences and then act accordingly. We can learn, we can accommodate, we can change ourselves, we can adapt and take on the differences of something else, but perhaps the idea of totally bridging everything is a fantasy. But an awareness of differences and an eagerness to learn and understand is possible.

All the readings pointed me towards understanding the value of difference.  

Appiah taught me that if we can’t understand each other, then we should at least get used to each other, because “human variety matters”. With globalisation and migration etc, cultures may change and diverge and “contaminate” each other. In this world, differences flow more freely, similarities arise when one culture adapts to another. But this is not necessarily assimilation, if you look closely you will still find differences. 

Xu Xi called for an acknowledgement of differences and to see multi-culti writing and different perspectives as a “distortion of our own way of knowing and being, just as we are, as well, a distortion of theirs.” Vittachi made me more aware of differences in narrative arc and story consumption between the “east” and “west”. Gudykunst showed me that we should categorise deeper and deeper to understand other cultures/groups more. We should be aware of and open to different perspectives.

What I took away Varga was that the production of an authentic self involves creating differences. One is “authentic” because they are different from another.

Patterson and Xiaolu Guo revealed that despite the hierarchical nature of English language, it cannot be owned. There is no singular version of English, it belongs to different people and we should allow for the playful and creative use of English. We should allow for different versions of English because it reveals different ways of seeing.

These readings all said many things and had their own specifics, but if you boil it down they were all talking about differences and understanding.

We are connected by our humanity, and there are similarities that bind us and equate us over time and space. This is why literature and art can flow cross culturally and impact people. But in the details we can find misunderstandings cross-culturally, unless we take the effort to do extra research. The details also capture and represent a culture/group/person more accurately and with deeper meaning. The details are a link to the broader social context, they may be references, hints to invisible culture: values and beliefs that are beneath the surface.

Writing and reading as Xu Xi put it, is a cross-cultural experience. A piece of writing and a writer are not separate from the environment they inhabit. Where they live and how they live form their habitus and the writing produced is a reflection of that. In this way, a piece of writing is a cultural artefact. Being aware of how our culture is different to others informs the way we write about it, and makes us aware of what and how we are capturing that culture or way of life. We become more mindful of our own life and the little ways in which we live or see things may be different to others. These are often the things we take for granted, but for someone on the outside they may be a point of interest. Also, for someone within the same culture the little details create a deeper meaning as they can see a reflection of their world. 

Similarly, when writing about another culture it needs considerable research in order to compile differences. Using broad categories that assume difference shouldn’t be assumed and used because there is a danger of generalising. When learning about another culture or group we should seek details, but we shouldn’t miss the similarities either – without the similarities we may paint something completely alien. Writing is about connecting and understanding, if there’s zero point of connection then how can we make the reader see something differently?  

If we have no physical contact with a different culture then reading may be our first encounter with that culture. And we learn about how they are different and the same from the little particular details. This may be the first step towards understanding but actual interaction can bring about something deeper. It is a way of not only drawing out another person but drawing yourself out and seeing your own differences and how you fit in to the rest of the world. Interacting and collaborating gives us a sense of perspective, and a sense of difference.

The essence of writing is to “reach out to other people” in the words of Christian Bobin. He writes, that the aim of writing is “to put an end to the fragmentation of the world.” The world is fragmented through difference and lack of understanding, but difference doesn’t have to divide us. It divides us when we only see difference without understanding the difference, and when the differences keep us from seeing the similarities. Reading and writing about difference is a process of learning, and may be a chance to connect different worlds.

Texts Cited:

Pierre Bourdieu - Outline of Theory of Practice

Kwame Appiah – The Case for Contamination

Xu Xi – Multiculti Literati

Nury Vittachi – A brief plea for East-West literary bridge-building
William B Gudykunst  – Communicating Effectively in Multicultural Context

Somogy Varga – The Paradox of Authenticity

Christopher B. Patterson – How to drown; bilingual creative writers in a sea of meanings

Xiaolu Guo – The concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
Christian Bobin  – A little Party Dress