Beyond Culture.docx

Beyond Culture.docx

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BeyondCulture

TheParadoxofCulture

ByEdwardT.．Hall

（FromBeyondCulture.EdwardT.．Hall.NewYork:

AnchorPress/Doubleday﹠Company,Inc.1977.）

【作者简介】

爱德华·特·霍尔（EdwardT．Hall，1914—）是美国20世纪最有影响和最富创见的文化人类学家之一。

霍尔一生涉猎广泛，曾致力于“西方国家的民族特性”、“西方国家的工业管理”、“跨文化交际”、“美日关系及商业策略”、“人与空间”、“心理学和民族心理学”等研究。

他采用逆向的文化探索方式，从各民族文化特性中鲜为人知或为世人所漠视的层面上分析人类文化生活的共性和个性。

由于霍尔经常运用传播学的视野去审视文化和跨文化交际活动中的问题，他在美国传播界也享有盛名。

【内容简介】

“文化的悖论”（TheParadoxofCulture）选自《超越文化》（BeyondCulture）的第1章。

本文分析了思维模式的重要作用，其中典型的代表模式为西方的“一时一事制”（M—Time：

一段时间内进行一项活动）和东方的“一时多事制”（P—Time：

一段时间内进行多项活动）。

霍尔在分析和对比两种时制各自利弊的同时，着重剖析了西方思想体系中的线型逻辑思维方式。

他指出，线型模式是导致荒谬、分离人与本我、人与自然的根源。

人们因此过着分隔式的生活，矛盾被闭锁，日常活动受制于时、空的分割。

过分地强调秩序和计划必将导致荒谬和官僚。

霍尔认为所谓“纯粹习俗”的无意识文化因素与传统文化因素有着同等重要的作用。

人类只有跳出传统文化定义的圈子，摆脱陈旧文化观念对人的束缚，才能积极、客观和深刻地理解与评价文化。

【选文】

1.Twowidelydivergentbutinterrelatedexperiences，psycho-analysisandworkasananthropologist，haveledmetothebeliefthatinhisstrivingsfororder，Westernmanhascreatedchaosbydenyingthatpartofhisselfthatintegrateswhileenshriningthepartsthatfragmentexperience．Theseexaminationsofman’spsychehavealsoconvincedmethat：

thenaturalactofthinkingisgreatlymodifiedbyculture；Westernmanusesonlyasmallfractionofhismentalcapabilities;therearemanydifferentandlegitimatewaysofthinking;weintheWestvalueoneofthesewaysaboveallothers—theonewecall“logic,”alinearsystemthathasbeenwithussinceSocrates.

2.Westernmanseeshissystemoflogicassynonymouswiththetruth.Forhimitistheonlyroadtoreality.YetFreudeducatedustothecomplexitiesofthepsyche，helpinghisreaderstolookatdreamsasalegitimatementalprocessthatexistsquiteapartfromthelinearityofmanifestthought.Buthisideaswerefromtheoutsetstrenuouslyresisted,particularlybyscientistsandengineers,whowerestillweddedtoaNewtonianmodel.Whentakenseriously,Freudianthinkingshooktheveryfoundationsofconventionalthought.Freud'sfollowers,particularlyFrommandJung,undeterredbypopularstereotypesandthetremendousprestigeofthephysicalsciences,addedtohistheoriesandbridgedthegapbetweenthelinearworldoflogicandtheintegrativeworldofdreams.1

3.Knowingthattheinterpretationofdreams,myths,andactsisalwaystosomedegreeanindividualmatter,2IcannothelpaskingmyselfwhatapsychoanalyticallysophisticatedreaderwouldaddtomyowninterpretationofasequenceofeventsreportedinTheNewYorkTimesconcerningapolicedogsightedonRuffleBar,anuninhabitedislandnearNewYork.3Visibleonlyfromadistance,thedog,nicknamedtheKingofRuffleBar,hadsustaineditselfforanestimatedtwoyears,wasapparentlyingoodhealth,andpresumablywouldhavesurvivedinhissemi-wildstate,barringaccidents,fortherestofhisnaturallife.However,somewell-meaningsoulheardaboutthedogandreportedhimtotheAmericanSocietyforthePreventionofCrueltytoAnimals,therebysettingthebureaucraticwheelsinmotion.SincetheKingcouldnotbeapproachedbypeople,abaitedtrapwasset.AccordingtotheTimesreport.“...everyday,apolicelaunchfromSheepsheadBaytakesoffforRuffleBar,theuninhabitedswampyislandofthedog.Everyday,apolicehelicopterhoversforahalfhourormoreoverRuffleBar.”Aradioreportofthebroadcastatthetimedescribedhowthehelicopterharassedthedoginfutileeffortsto“catch”（sic）him（herefusedtoenterthetrap）oratleasttogetabetterviewofhim.Policewerequotedassayingthedog“lookedingoodshape.”Whenquestioned,representativesoftheASPCAsaid:

"Whenwecatchthedog,wewillhaveitexaminedbyavet,andifitisingoodhealth,wewillfindahappyhomeforit.”4（italicsadded）

4.Ifthisstoryhadbeenadreamoramythinsteadofanewsreport,thereislittledoubtastoitsinterpretation.Boththelatentandthemanifestcontentarequiteclear,possiblyexplainingwhythislocalnewsitemwasgivennationalcoverage.Ifind,asIgooverthestory,thatfreeassociationscometomindondifferentlevels.Thestoryepitomizesthelittlemanagainstthebigbureaucracy.Thereisalsoadelusionalsidewhichcannotbeoverlooked.TheASPCAbecameobsessedwithcapturingthedog.Oncetriggered,theASPCAinvolvedthepolicewitharemorseless,mindlesspersistencethatistooterrifyinglycharacteristicofbureaucraciesoncetheyareactivated.Interestinglyenough,thepolice,havingknownaboutthedogfortwoyears,hadbeencontenttoleavehimontheisland.Emotionally,theysidedwiththeKing,evenwhilecarryingouttheirorders.“Whydon'ttheyleavethedogalone?

”saidonepoliceman.Anotherobserved,“Thedogisashappyasapiginapuddle.”5

5.Thedelusionalaspectshavetodowiththeinstitutionalizednecessitytocontrol"everything,"andthewidelyacceptednotionthatthebureaucratknowswhatisbest;neverforamomentdoeshedoubtthevalidityofthebureaucraticsolution.Itisalsoslightlyinsane,oratleastindicativeofourincapacitytoorderprioritieswithanycommonsense,tospendthousandsofdollarsforhelicopters,gasoline,andsalariesforthesolepurposeofbureaucraticneatness.

6.Evenmorerecently,aNewYorkTimesnewsitem6reportedaU.S.ParkPolicecampaigntostampoutkiteflyingonthegroundsoftheWashingtonMonument.TheirchartertoharassthekiteflierslayinanoldlawwrittenbyCongresssupposedlytokeeptheWrightbrothers'planesfrombecomingfouledinkitestrings.

7.ThepsychoanalystLaingisconvincedthattheWesternworldismad.7ThesestoriesofthedogandthekitefliersbolsterLaing'sviewandsymbolizeman'splightaswellasanyrecenteventsIknow.8However,itisnotmanwhoiscrazysomuchashisinstitutions9andthoseculturepatternsthatdeterminehisbehavior.WeintheWestarealienatedfromourselvesandfromnature.Welaborunderanumberofdelusions,oneofwhichisthatlifemakessense;i.e.,thatwearesane.Wepersistinthisviewdespitemassiveevidencetothecontrary.Welivefragmented,compartmentalizedlivesinwhichcontradictionsarecarefullysealedofffromeachother.Wehavebeentaughttothinklinearlyratherthancomprehensively,10andwedothisnotthroughconsciousdesignorbecausewearenotintelligentorcapable,butbecauseofthewayinwhichdeepculturalundercurrentsstructurelifeinsubtlebuthighlyconsistentwaysthatarenotconsciouslyformulated.Liketheinvisiblejetstreamsintheskiesthatdeterminethecourseofastorm,thesehiddencurrentsshapeourlives;yettheirinfluenceisonlybeginningtobeidentified.Givenourlinear,step-by-step,compartmentalizedwayofthinking,11fosteredbytheschoolsandpublicmedia,itisimpossibleforourleaderstoconsidereventscomprehensivelyortoweighprioritiesaccordingtoasystemofcommongood,allofwhichcanbeplacedlikeanunwantedwaifonculture'sdoorstep.Yet,paradoxically,fewanthropologistsareinagreementastowhattoincludeunderthegeneralrubricofculture.Whileitwillbedeniedbysome,muchdependsontheanthropologist'sownculture,whichexertsadeepandabidinginfluencenotonlyoverhowanthropologiststhinkbutoverwheretheydrawtheboundariesinsuchmatters.Frequently,thegreaterportionofcontemporaryculturewillbeexcludedorreferredtoas“mereconvention”.Inapracticalsensetheconventionsofthefieldandwhatone'speersarestudyinghavemoretodowithwhatanthropologistsdefineasculturethananappraisalofone'sdatamightindicate.Likeeveryoneelse,anthropologistsusemodels,andsomemodelsaremorefashionablethanothers.Mostofthemarehandeddownandmodifiedperiodically.

8.Thereadermaywellask,“Whatisamodel?

”or“Whatkindofmodelsareyoutalkingabout?

”Whilemodelsandhowmanusesthemarejustbeginningtobeunderstood,onethingiscertain:

manydifferentmodelsexist.Mechanicalmodels,suchasscalemodelsofairplanesflowninwindtunnels,showhowmachinesandprocesseswork.Modelsformakingmoldscanreproduceeverythingfrommachinestocopiesofworksofart.Lifemodelshelptheartistfillingapsinafaultyvisualmemory.Parentsandteachersmaybemodelsfortheyoung.

9.Scientistsusetheoreticalmodels,oftenmathematicalinnature.Theseareusedtosymbolicallyexpresscertainqualities,quantities,andrelationshipsencounteredinlife.Econometricians,forexample,usethesemodelstoinvestigatehowthemoremeasurableaspectsoftheeconomicsystemoperate.

10.Anthropologistsusepredominantlynon-mathematicaltheoreticalmodelsthatarerootedinculture.Sincecultureisitselfaseriesofsituationalmodelsforbehaviorandthought,themodelsanthropologistsusearefrequentlyhighlyabstractversionsofpartsofmodelsthatmakeuptheentireculture（kinshipsystems,forexample）.

11.Manisthemodel-makingorganismparexcellence.Hisearliestintellectualendeavorsresultedinmonumentsthatraysmystifiedandpuzzledtwentieth-centurymanuntiltheywerefiguredout.Stonehenge,forexample,isamodelofthesolarsystemthatenabledtheearlyinhabitantsoftheSalisburyPlaintomakeaccurateobservationsofcelestialeventsandtokeeptrackoftheseasons,ordertheirceremoniallife,andevenpredicteclipsesatatimewhennoonewouldhavethoughtsuchrefinedcalculationsandobservationswerepossible.（fifteenhundredtotwothousandyearsB.C!

）.

12.Grammarsandwritingsystemsaremodelsoflanguage.Anyschoolchildwhohasstruggledtomakesenseofwhatheistaughtknowsthatsomefitreasonablywell,othersdon't.Myths,philosophicalsystems,andsciencerepresentdifferenttypesofmodelsofwhatthesocialscientistscallcognitivesystems.Thepurposeofthemodelistoenabletheusertodoa