Acadian Culture
Cultures are constantly evolving, influenced by generation after generation. Acadian, or Cajun, culture is no exception. The rich and lively culture of the Acadians would not exist today if the traditions were not slightly altered and added onto with every passing year. Thrown into this vibrant culture at an early age, I grew to respect and love the impact that it had on me. Below are some of the things I learned while living in Louisiana, paired with the new knowledge that I have of intercultural communication.
Time Matters
Despite the United States generally being referred to as monochronic, I find that the Acadian culture has many polychronic tendencies. Cajuns typically regard relationships as important as anything and will drop tasks immediately in order to strengthen a bond. During the time that I lived in southern Louisiana, I quickly realized that the Cajuns I played tennis with had no regard for time. They would arrive an hour late or even an hour early sometimes, making it impossible to discern a pattern; they were simply at ease with however their day progressed. Barry Ancelet, in his book Cajun Country, describes the importance of hospitality in Acadian culture:
“One could hardly pass the door of an Acadian house without an exchange of greetings and news; the more normal pattern was to be invited inside to chat for a while” (Ancelet 70).
Food, drinks, and friendly banter often accentuated these spontaneous visits and that is still the case to this day (Ancelet 70). While playing a tennis match with one of my Cajun friends, they would be having conversations with others as they walked by or having a conversation with me from all the way across the court. The Cajuns that would get together and play tennis once or twice a week at our tennis club would bring all sorts of snacks, desserts, and alcohol to consume during the course of their tennis matches. This was all very frustrating for me, coming from a competitive tennis culture that enforced many rules of etiquette while on the court. Carlos, one of my Cajun friends that I regularly practiced against, would be just as competitive as me, all while having normal conversation throughout the match. Carlos easily combined task-oriented activities with socio-emotional ones (monochromic site). The growth of a relationship was much more important to him than completing a task or getting work done. All of this makes perfect sense to me now, as I reminisce over my time in Louisiana. If I had known at that time of their polychronic nature, I would have been less judgmental and considerably more tolerant from the beginning. The Cajuns that I interacted with during that time ended up becoming some of my best friends in Louisiana.
Personal Space
Culture, as a subject, covers a vast amount of information that relates to every part of the world in a variety of ways. One specific component that remains relevant throughout all cultures is the concept of space. Every individual has their own perception of comfortable personal space and even that varies depending on who they are communicating with.
For instance, a U.S. male communicates face to face with an unfamiliar man at roughly the distance of 18–20 inches, whereas a Latin American male communicates much closer (Rogers 176). I, on the other hand, probably communicate even further away than 18–20 inches when speaking with someone that I do not know very well. I have always enjoyed my personal space (it doesn’t help that I am a slight germaphobe) and my parents taught me from an early age to respect other people’s personal space as well. Some cultures, like Acadian culture, are comfortable communicating at closer distances than others. The Cajuns that I met in Mandeville, Louisiana had little regard for personal space, but that is normal for them. In tennis there are typically small benches on each side of the court for each respective player to sit on during short breaks. When I played tennis with my Cajun friends, they would often share the small bench with me on the short breaks despite being drenched in sweat from the Louisiana heat.
I soon found that this was just part of their friendly nature and it did not take me long to get used communicating with them. They would put their arm around me after the match and tell me that they had a great time playing tennis with me. It was actually kind of enlightening; I enjoyed the friendliness of the Acadian culture, as opposed to the standoffish culture in Memphis and so many other places that I traveled.
Collectivism
Cajun culture, for the most part, is a collectivistic culture due to its strong traditional roots. Their culture relies on collectivistic tendencies to remain a strong society. For instance, from very early on when Acadians first settled in the rural areas of southern Louisiana, they practiced a tradition referred to as ‘coups de main’: a cooperative working effort to help those in need (Ancelet 50). An example would be that if a farmer is injured or too sick to pick his corn one year, family members and neighbors would arrive and organize what is called a ‘ramassarie’ or communal harvesting venture (Ancelet 50). They could harvest the entire field in a single day. If someone’s barn needed repair, the family and friends would gather and take care of it. The beneficiary would undoubtedly return the favor down the road, (pun intentional). Cajuns do this not only because it is a nice thing to do, but because it strengthens their relationships and preserves mutual interdependence.
Presently, the coups de main tradition is still prevalent, albeit diminished in form due to the money driven economy. A tighter knit group of friends and family members still help each other when building a wing onto a house or building a boat shed, and the favor is always reciprocated. It is an honor to be a part of coups de main and one will rearrange their schedule to be there despite how inconvenient it may be in order to keep their place in the social dynamic (Ancelet 51). While the cooperative ventures are not always a survival effort anymore, Cajuns continue to respect the tradition and its use of strengthening the bond within a society.
Loose Culture
Acadian culture is steeped in age old traditions, many of which are party-oriented. Mardi Gras, for instance, is one of their traditional festivals that involves partying, outlandish behavior, and alcohol consumption. Barry Ancelet writes that Mardi Gras came from the medieval European adaptations of even older rituals where the lower classes would parody the elite and vice versa: “Men dress as women, women as men; the poor dress as rich, the rich as poor; the old as young, the young as old; black as white, white as black” (Ancelet 84). I cannot imagine another culture where this would be accepted, however wonderful it would be. Dr. Michele J. Gelfand, a psychology professor at the University of Maryland College Park, posted a video discussing the continuum of loose and tight cultures.
http://www.gelfand.umd.edu/media.html
Dr. Gelfand explains that some countries, such as India and China, have very tight cultures due to their extremely populated areas (Gelfand). If punishments were not strictly enforced, those populated areas would be in complete chaos. This is starkly contrasted by the Acadian culture; it is the looseness of their culture that allows the acceptance of such outlandish behavior during Mardi Gras and other festivals. Barry Ancelet describes how Acadian social norms can be tempting to outsiders: “An ambience of vibrant good cheer characterizes Acadian social life. This creates an atmosphere that may be unfamiliar but is highly attractive to many outsiders, particularly those of AngloSaxon and Germanic background, where family life may be comparatively rigid and formal, sometimes even austere” (Ancelet 70). While I agree that the vibrant behavior of Acadians can prove alluring to many, especially young adults, I also argue that it goes the opposite direction too.
Many stereotypes have been formed over time that describe all Cajuns as partiers and/or alcoholics; that simply is not the case. While the loose Cajun culture allows behavior that would in some places not be accepted, majority of it is done out of religious and traditional purposes. For example, the masks worn by many during Mardi Gras celebrations provide anonymity so as to shed inhibitions for role-reversals of their social class (Ancelet 84). Much like I was judgemental of the Cajuns at my tennis club, many are quick to judge Cajuns based off of their festivals. I feel as if these stereotypes begin to fade away once gaining knowledge of the religious and traditional aspects of Acadian culture.
Low-Context
Life in southern Louisiana took me a while to grow accustom to as I was thrust into such a spirited culture at an early age, without my family there to answer my many questions. However, there is one distinct similarity between the Acadian culture and the Memphis culture that I grew up in. I quickly realized that Cajuns act in a low-context culture much like I did in Memphis. A low-context culture operates with explicit and direct communication, without the ambiguity of high-context cultures (Rogers 90).
The Cajuns that I interacted with while playing tennis were easily explicit when communicating on the tennis court, many times pointing out to me that I hit a terrible shot or that I was stupid for employing a certain strategy. However frustrating that could be, I took it in stride because they communicated the same way I did on that front; I tell it how it is. Just as they were direct on the tennis court, I was unreserved when trying their Cajun food. I would immediately tell them if it tasted good to me or if it was out of my comfort range and they appreciated the honesty. They would laugh and cut-up, enjoying my discomfort. Ancelet describes the gregariousness of the average Cajun: “So strong is this ethic that Acadian culture assimilates the unwary outsider with considerable ease, almost deliberation, into almost every field of activity and sphere of social interaction” (Ancelet 71). The extremely social dynamic of Acadian culture would not work nearly as well if they were a high-context culture, as it is their frankness that eases a stranger into comfortable conversation.
Sources:
Ancelet, Barry Jean., Jay Dearborn. Edwards, and Glen Pitre. Cajun Country. Jackson: U of Mississippi, 1991. Print.
Rogers, Everett M., and Thomas M. Steinfatt. Intercultural Communication. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland, 1999. Print.
“Media Coverage.” Michele Gelfand, University of Maryland. Web. 03 May 2016.
“Monochronic versus Polychronic Cultures.” Monochronic versus Polychronic Cultures. Web. 03 May 2016.
