Publication Type: Invited Paper
Abstract: This paper aims to explore the phenomenon of cross-cultural adjustment,known as culture shock (Oberg, 1960), through a lens of performanceanalysis. Existing literature on the subject has traditionally utilizedan individualistic, linear approach in the mapping of and coping withculture shock and its effects. Using a performance analysis model, whichrecognizes the improvisational aspects of cultural and socialperformance, allows interactants to identify the shared (collective)nature of cross-cultural encounters and the stress they may cause. Thelarger goal of the paper is to create an alternative to the existingmodels used to prepare student sojourners for the study abroadexperience. Thus, creating a more embodied and reflexive sojourn inwhich students can recognize the role they play as ethnographer/travelerin both the present encounter and the larger cultural context. The gapsin the current culture shock models are addressed and the usefulness ofthe CPAS Model (Valentine & Matsumoto, 2001) as a new method isdiscussed. Finally, future research goals and pedagogical implicationsare presented. Examining sojourner experience as performance willinvestigate a unique dimension of cultural adjustment previouslyoverlooked in this area of research, hopefully opening the door to"allow the thinking of ways to connect, to share, in spite of disparatecodes" (Bateson,1993, p. 119).