Teadusseminar "Do nations, in-country regions, religions, and ethnolinguistic groups have distinct cultures? Evidence from Europe, Asia, Africa, the US, and Russia" (Michael Minkov)

Do nations, in-country regions, religions, and ethnolinguistic groups have distinct cultures? Evidence from Europe, Asia, Africa, the US, and Russia

MICHAEL MINKOV (Varna University of Management, University of Tartu)

Comparative studies of culture use different units of analysis. Anthropologists prefer to compare ethnolinguistic groups, whereas cross-cultural management scholars focus on nations. Cross-cultural psychologists typically compare individuals from different nations, and sometimes from different ethnic groups. There are also many studies comparing "religious" cultures, for instance Protestant versus Catholic or Muslim. There is also growing interest in the cultures of in-country regions. But do these groups really have distinct cultures?

Published studies by Minkov and Hofstede, and by Minkov, Kaasa, and other authors, demonstrate that nations have a powerful homogenizing effect on the cultures within their boundaries, while maintaining their national cultures distinct from those of other nations. Religions do not have that effect: there is no such thing as a Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, or Buddhist culture defined by distinct values, or cultural ideologies. Ethnolinguistic groups are a more complex case. Socioeconomic development in Africa is blurring the distinctions between ethnolinguistic cultures within nations. However, some ethnolinguistic groups in Asia (Chinese, some Indians) have retained a common culture despite living in different countries. The same can be said of the French and German speakers of Europe.

As for in-country regions, the 50 US states and the 80 Russian administrative regions exhibit cultural patterns that make them similar to nations.

In sum, there is no single answer to the questions of what groups of people have distinct cultures. Scholars who compare cultures need first of all to demonstrate that their units of analysis really exhibit meaningful cultural distinctions and patterns.

Toimumiskoht: Narva mnt 18 - 1024 and MS Teams

Kolmapäeval, 21.septembril 2022 kell 11.00

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