Traveling in Moslem
Countries with Cultural Sensitivity
Symposium Sponsored by Partners in Responsible Tourism
January 29, 2002; Berkeley,
CA
Program
Introduction by Brenda Hepler
Gloria Hutter : the etiquette of travel to Islamic countries, focusing on
Iran and Turkey.
Jale Boga Robertson: overview of the many forms of Islam
Cyrus Beheshti; Cyrus Travel: Culturally sensitive travel in Iran
Jale Boga Robertson: Culturally sensitive travel in Turkey
Introduction By: Brenda
Hepler
Welcome to Partners in Responsible Tourism or PIRT for
short.
Who are we? We are a group of individuals and representatives of Tourism
companies who support travel that promotes positive cultural and
environmental ethics and practices. This would mean:
1. Tourism where clients are ecologically and culturally sensitive
2 Learning is a key element
3. The ecological and cultural impact is minimized
4. It is a benefit to local communities
Though much of our communication is done via our website
www.pirt.org,
We
also have educational meetings several times a year. Thus our first one
for
2002: How to travel in Moslem countries with cultural sensitivity.
Before we introduce our speakers tonight I want you to think about the
culture you now live in
and the values it supports. Tonight we will be learning about very different
cultures than our own.
How will you processing cultural differences shown tonight? With cultural
sensitivity......
Defining Cultural Sensitivity
Next I would like to define cultural sensitivity for our purposes
tonight into three parts:
1. Be aware of your own culture and the other cultures on two levels. The
one
level that is seen, which is the behavior, and the one that is not seen, the
assumptions and values that underlie the behavior.
An example: Control------------------------------------------non-control
Islam believes in submission to Allah
Direct------------------------------------------indirect
Islam believes in death announcements
Individual------------------------------------------group
Islam believes in arranged marriages, child naming by grand parents
Linier------------------------------------------non-linier
Islam
believes in plans made in a non-linear spiral formation
Then observe how it makes you feel, so that you are not only observing the
culture around you but also the one within. The question then becomes,
why
am I uncomfortable, as opposed to why are they so weird.
2 Deal with the differences by expanding and/or changing our categories.
a. ( Making the strange familiar) Expand the categories we already
have for
food, dress, family, etc.
b. (Making the familiar strange) Change categories in a more creative way
for often we do not have that category in our repertoire. A TV with many channels
3. Adjust your behavior relative to these different values and
assumptions with integrity:
A. . This means not losing
self but expanding self so that you can do things
differently in different
places. In order to do this, we must feel free to move the
furniture around
in our brains and be less judgmental. Examples.....
(Pakistan) Pace of life- Lots and lots of sitting and
waiting (is that lazy?)
(Pakistan) Women Expressions- They give no smiles of friendship towards men
they do not know,
as it
is not considered just friendship but an overt invitation.
B. Always remember humor, as mistakes are made. Even when you know what to
do and your
mind is fully ready for it, the knee jerk reaction comes forth. (Ex:
Airport
scene)
You have to laugh and have fun with it, because when you have fun with it you
can play, and when you play you can create, and when you create you can
connect with difference, and this is what cultural sensitivity is
truly
Resources:
Books on Iran
1-The Mantel of Prophet by Roy Mottahedeh, Publisher: Panteon Books.
2-God has Ninety-Nine Names by Judith Miller, Publisher: Simon and
Schuster
3-Khomeini, The Life of Ayatollah by Bagher Moin, Publisher: Thomas
Dunne Book
4-Middle East, From Libya to Iran, Lonely Planet Publication.
Books on Turkey
History:
1-Ottoman Centuries, Lord Kinross, Published 1988.
Turkey : A Modern History, Erik J. Zurcher, Published 1998.
2-Classical Anatolia : The Glory of Hellenism, Harry Brewster, Published 1993.
3-The Emergence of Modern Turkey, Bernard Lewis, Published 1986.
Ottoman Empire and Islamic Traditions, Norman Itzkowitz, Chicago University
Press.
4-Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire, Jason Goodwin, American
Edition.
5-A Traveller's History of Turkey (The Traveller's History Series); Richard
Stoneman, John Hoste (Illustrator).
Novels and Memoirs:
1-A Fez of the Heart : Travels Around Turkey in Search of a Hat by Jeremy
Seal, Harvest Books March 1996.
2-Harem : The World Behind the Veil, Alev Lytle Croutier, Bloomsbury,
Published 1989.
3-Turkish Reflections : A Biography of a Place, Mary Lee Settle, 1992.
Stamboul Train by Graham Greene.
4-Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.
5-Embassy to Constantinople : The Travels of Lady Mary Mortley Montagu,
Christopher Pick (Editor), 1989, New Amsterdam Books.
Guidebooks:
1-Western Turkey : Istanbul, the Mediteranean and Aegean Coasts (Cadogan
Guides).
2-Guide to Aegean and Mediterranean Turkey, Diana Darke, London, 1986.
3-Turkish Coast, Metin Demirsar, Insight Guide series, 1993.
4-Istanbul, Eyewitness Travel guides, Dorling Kindersley Publications, 1998.
5-Culture Shock! Turkey, Arin Bayrataroglu, Graphic Arts Publishing, 1996.
6-Eat Smart in Turkey : How to Decipher the Menu, Know the Market Food Embark
on a Tasting Adventure (Eat Smart Series , No. 2) by Joan Peterson.
General Resources
* Understanding Arabs by Margaret Nydell, Intercultural Press
* Folktales…..i.e. Mullah Nasr-ed Din or Nasr-ed Din Hodja/ 398.2 in
library