The Cultural Iceberg — A Model for Cultural Appreciation?
The ‘Cultural Iceberg’ model, developed by Gary Weaver (1986). Graphic layout by me.
I saw a model of the ‘cultural iceberg’ floating around recently. It was developed by interculturalist Gary R. Weaver in 1986, and built on ideas formed by Edward T. Hall and — some might say — Sigmund Freud’s theory of the ‘unconscious mind’ (1915).
Here I have reproduced it with my own graphic design and layout.
In its original context, the iceberg model was intended to address the stress of adjusting to new cultures i.e. culture shock. But in 2020, I believe this model is still relevant as a tool for cultural appreciation.
In the UK, we like to believe we live in a fairly open and diverse country. But, speaking from personal observation and experience, it often seems that we still lack a deeper level of appreciation for the many different cultures that make up our society. For example: Chinese people have centuries of integrated history and contribution in the UK, yet it feels like we are still defined by takeaways and festivals. I am disappointed at how little I am asked about my Chinese-ness beyond where to eat Chinese food. And sure, I use Celestial Peach as a platform to talk about Chinese food, but always with a view to how it’s linked to my heritage and identity.
In recent years, there have been inflammatory debates in the food industry about who gets to cook whose food. It's not about the food itself, it's about acknowledging that food is a magnifying glass onto hidden layers of culture. The cultural iceberg is a useful tool for any person who wishes to meaningfully engage more with another culture, whether on a professional or personal level.
Isn't it time to go deeper into the cultural iceberg?
How can we use surface practices to bring issues of deep culture to the fore? Feel free to leave a comment below, or start a conversation with me on Instagram!
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Update 2/1/2020:
There were lots of insightful and thoughtful comments on my Instagram post so I wanted to share a selection below. I hope these individual stories will provide inspiration and comfort to anyone also digging deeper into the cultural iceberg.
We've always seen our supper clubs as a gateway for people to learn more about the Philippines and Filipino culture and so always talk about our dishes in their cultural (and personal!) context... but looking at that cultural iceberg model, it reminds me of how hard it can be to impart more than just a snapshot of what it is to be Filipino — and so I do wonder what our guests end up taking away from our dinners...
For me, a Czech living in China... People in China often define all white people by American movies 😅... The iceberg is so true... after many years in China I'm slowly getting deeper and deeper under the water and see the iceberg's bigger part.
[When asked, 'what have been the most interesting “deep” aspects of Chinese culture that you uncovered?'] I would prefer to say about Sichuan culture, not Chinese.. Since there is quite some difference... What a "Friendship" is here, how some things work (eg. at universities), what can matchmaking cause... And that they put chicken powder into literally everything😅
Interesting mini article! It made me consider it in this way: a lot of overseas Chinese, or indeed any other minority group in the West may themselves be ‘surface’ only especially if they didn’t grow up speaking the language, or their family were keen to embrace Western or ‘majority’ culture. So by default their notion of culture and what they are able to contribute in terms of teaching about the culture doesn’t run any deeper than the surface of the iceberg.
On a personal level I STILL get asked about Chinese food all the time and yes I love talking about it, and yes, it is a passion of mine but I don’t want to be defined by it, yet at the same time - as your article suggests - I want to use this as a jumping off point to break down cultural stereotypes as well as share positive cultural experiences with everyone and anyone. I don’t want to be judged for my Chinese food, but at the same time I want to be.
Therein lies the paradox.
As a Canadian of Hungarian and Scottish heritage married for over 21 years to a Cantonese man originally from Guangzhou then Hong Kong, I’ve lived and breathed that deeper level. I have such respect for Chinese culture and feel such a disconnect from my own (or lack of it). I secretly always wanted to be Chinese. LOL!
One of my goals for posting on Instagram was to try to celebrate the rich heritage of my husband’s food traditions as well as Taiwan’s, through his plant based cooking. Being in an interracial marriage, these deeper cultural issues are front and center in almost every decision that we make, particularly around food. 95% of the time, we eat Cantonese cuisine. Even the decision to go plant based, had its cultural biases. Little do Westerners realize that plant based cooking began in China, they can’t take credit for it. On the other hand, there was initially some hesitation on his part to transition to this life style as the family saw eating meat and seafood as a symbol of success as it was once a luxury. Now he is on a mission to change that perception. It will be a challenge, but one worth pursuing.
My husband is the creator in the kitchen and he is talented beyond words, yet his Chinese upbringing was not to boast, to be modest in the kitchen. Presenting food that looked beautiful on the plate, that was local, seasonal and acknowledged the farmer that grew the food, as well as the artisan that made the soy sauce, the history behind the dish, these all touch upon those deeper cultural norms. Trying to get people to understand this is another story, but you are doing it, I can assure you. We will keep trying in our own way. “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” — Confucius
[After I asked her if I can share her response]. I wanted to send this to you personally as I almost felt like a fraud posting all the things about Cantonese and Taiwanese cooking. As a Canadian and an artist, I am very conscious of the dangers of cultural appropriation. I hope that I make it clear that my intention is to educate through his eyes. My close Taiwanese American friend actually started the Instagram account as a surprise for us. She felt she was learning so much through her dinners with us and wanted us to share.
It is interesting how you mentioned in your first posting that you are disappointed by how few people ask about your Chineseness. This is something that can cause discomfort for some. I asked that question of an American colleague of mine 5 years ago when I first moved here to teach at Taipei American School. My question was one with genuine interest and yet she was quite defensive and sent me the link to the video. “Where Are You From?” We have to be sensitive to inquiring into issues of identity as well, and not trivialize them.
I taught in Hong Kong for 10 years, Guangzhou for 5 as well as in Taipei and I tried to teach my students to be proud of their culture. So many of them are encouraged either intentionally or unintentionally by their parents to identify with their American passport, making them feel superior to the local kids. So much of this comes from peer pressure as well believing the “other” to be better. I love to remind them of how much more civilized the Chinese were before the west. Again, a tricky place to speak about this.
You won’t believe how often I am asked if I am my husband’s teacher or whether he is my translator. We usually get met with surprise and often disbelief when we say we are married. Even my Hong Kong friends told me he must be rich to marry me! I told them, I never checked his bank account, but rather his personality and his relationship with his mother. It is certainly a much more unusual pairing than the other. There is a tendency for many Caucasian men to feel they come from the dominant superior culture, hence undermining their partner’s. I am hopeful we can help bring about change.
I have lots of ‘quirks’ that I’ve picked up through my international life that occasionally people in the UK now pick up on. I say “is it?” In response to things where is doesn’t technically make sense and point at things using my lips (Filipino influence).
I squat Chinese style, and hold my pen like a paintbrush as that’s how I was taught to write / paint in nursery in HK. I use a lot of Americanisms and have an accent that sounds like I was born and raised in deepest West Country (I’ve never been!). Who we are is so much more than what we look or sound like! I’ve always struggled with my identity, being a real mashup or strong influences so was a nice visual for how much more there is to a person than their accent and language!