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The perils of parsimony. "National culture" as red herring?

University of British Columbia. Skylight (Science Centre for Learning and Teaching); University of British Columbia. Arts Instructional Support & Information Technology

This paper discusses the ways in which Hofstede’s model of ‘dimensions of (‘national’) culture’ – and similar models developed in a functionalist paradigm – are problematically used to classify people. It briefly surveys critiques of Hofstede’s research method, but focusses on the dangers of attempting to develop models of culture within a functionalist paradigm. Although such models may be parsimonious and rapidly applied, I argue that they are a poor fit for CATaC investigations of the dynamic and reciprocal interactions between human cultures and technology. Instead, I contend, we must abandon this paradigm, and embrace methodologies that permit meaningfully explorations of the multiple and dynamic conditions influencing the field of cultural practices in human societies. I discuss the merits of ‘articulation’ as theory and method, and offer Hacking’s theory of “dynamic nominalism” as one example.

Hofstede; national culture; functionalist paradigm; Hacking; Hall; dynamic nominalism; articulation

Text

eng

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0058428

Arts, Faculty of; Science, Faculty of

Reviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/