School is back in session, and my first assignment is due today: a paper on Geert Hofstede's Dimensions of Culture. The great news? It was actually fun!
While the highly essentialist nature of this model has its obvious limitations, this comparison tool provided by the website of The Hofstede Centre gives a surprising amount of general insight between cultures, dividing them into five dimensions and giving a nice explanation at the bottom page about what they all mean.
It's fun to play with too! Below is a screenshot of the United States and South Korea. The differences in individualism are incredible to see quantified.
The tool is here: http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html
It's also interesting to look at the generalized differences between cultures like Sweden and Saudi Arabia, China and Canada. Some things are surprising!
However, while I see the value in such a generalized view, I cannot also help but conjecture that a model like this downplays the complexity of individuals and of culture. What do you think?
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