The diversity within
the human race creates a continuous educational experience. Food, water,
clothing, and shelter are our basic needs for survival. In most cases, these
are the extent of our similarities. There are many languages we speak and
different regions of the world we live in. Each community sparks its own
culture and norms. These practices can be developed from religion, invasion, or
from a charismatic few. However each culture was developed, the one thing that
they each have in common is their uniqueness.
To assist with this report on intercultural
communication, an interview was conducted with Jamshid “Jim” Farhardi. He is a
co-worker of the author. He and the author have worked together for over five years.
Jim is of Persian descent and speaks Farsi, an Arabic dialect, as his primary
language and English as a second language. From the interview with Jim, three
different cultures were revealed. The first being his cultural experience in
Iran under the rule of the Shah. His second cultural experience was also in
Iran under rule of the Ayatollah. During the early 1980s, Jim immigrated to the
U.S. to experience and embrace the American culture.
Some of Jim's earliest memories began in
the mid 1950’s in Iran. Jim explains that these were some of the better days in
Iran’s history because it was still under the rule of the Shah. The Shah of
Iran during this time was Reza Shah Pahlavi, the founder of the Pahlavi
dynasty. He would visit friends and
family often. One particular friend Jim remembered had a very beautiful country
home with a large garden. Like most cultures, having strong family and
friendship ties strengthen are an important part of growing up. School under
the Shah’s regime was mandatory for all children through the 9th
grade.
A big part of the culture in Iran and the
Middle East is religion. The religion that the majority of the people practice
is Islam. “The religion held by the majority of the
Iranian population is Shia Muslim (89%). Sunni Muslims in Iran constitute about
9% of the population and the remaining 2% of Iranians are from ‘other’
religions – primarily Zoroastrian, Christian and Jewish.” (Country Facts, 2010)
Jim is not an exception to this fact. He is a follower of Islam which is a
common trait in the Iranian and Middle Eastern culture. He states that under
the Shah, religion was important but it was not the bases of the entire culture
as it is today under the rule of the Ayatollah. Since his move to the U.S. he
has continued to practice Islam, but rarely participates in the rituals and
traditions that are practiced in his native land.
Iran
is a place with high morals and values. My interviewee reinforces this fact
when asked about the communication with the dominant culture of Iran. He stated
that the dominant culture were the older generations. The older generations
expected a certain level of respect from the younger generations when
communicating or any form of interaction. The main barrier in communication was
the age difference. Jim stated that the older generation was reluctant to
accept new trends and this sometimes created a lack of shared interest.
Jim states that in Iran, English was
taught ass a second language in grade school. One of the most significant
differences was the written language. In Farsi, language is written from right
to left and the alphabet consists of 32 characters. “Persian alphabet has 32
letters (as compared to 26 in English) and is written from right to left. Some
of the letters can be connected to from both left and right and some can only
be connected from right.” (Texas PCC, 2012) Learning to speak and write in
English is important to the Iranian people because of its widespread use around
the world.
In 1979, while still living in Iran, Jim
experienced and was affected by a political turning point; the overthrow of the
Iranian government. The Shah of Iran and his regime were overthrown by an
opposing Islamic force led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. “On February 1,
1979, after nearly fifteen years in exile, Khomeini returned in triumph from
France.” (Macrohistory, 2011) This experience would eventually change Jim’s
life forever.
Under the rule of the Shah, Jim stated,
life was good. This was the regime Jim had known all his life while living in
Iran. He expressed the freedoms he enjoyed and in certain aspects how the
culture was similar to that of the U.S. Many of these freedoms were taken away
under the reign of the Ayatollah. Jim stated how extreme the change was and
that the changes happened almost immediately. Everything from the style of
government to what was allowed on television and radio stations was affected.
The drastic changes that occurred in Iran
in 1979 are experiences only the Iranian people could understand. Here in the
U.S. we have experienced difficult political and economic challenges. Even
through those challenges our government managed to stay in tack and consistent.
Because of the stability of this nation, it attracts those from other nations
that seek a better life. After the Iranian Revolution, “tens of thousands of
Iran's middle class had found it best to flee Iran.” (Macrohistory, 2011) Jim
and his family were among this group.
The unstable government and in fighting
between the forces of the Ayatollah and the forces still loyal to the Shah
impelled Jim, along with his family, to move to the U.S. This was a hard
decision, but a necessary one. Jim had to think of his family and what was best
for them. The state of Iran’s future was uncertain at the time of his decision.
Jim arrived in the U.S., along with his
family in 1982. He first settled in Plattsburgh, New York. His relocation to
the U.S. was a smooth transition without any major hardships. He quickly found
work as a car salesman by day and janitor by night at a local hospital. After
sending his youngest child off to college, Jim and his wife relocated to
Maryland where they currently live today.
The diversity among human beings creates a
need for intercultural communication. Intercultural communication helps develop
a tolerance, understanding, and respect for other cultures and lifestyles.
Country Facts. (2010).
Religion in Iran. Retrieved from.
Jandt,
F.E. (2010). An introduction to intercultural communication:
Identities in a global community
(6th ed.).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Macrohistory
and World Report. (2011). Political
divisions, cleric power and totalitarianism.
Retrieved from. http://www.fsmitha.com/h2/ch29ir3.htm
Persian Cultural
Center. (2012). Persian language writing system. Retrieved from
No comments:
Post a Comment