Glossary

Culture: the shared values, history, customs etc of a people.

Diversity: differences e.g. race, gender, economic status, religion etc.

Cultural diversity: a multicultural society where it is understood that each individual is different re. race, gender, economic status, religion, physical abilities etc. When this occurs we have social harmony i.e. peaceful co-existence of people from different backgrounds. In such a society there will be cross-cultural communication, where people from differing backgrounds can communicate and avoid conflicts and can even adopt aspects of other cultures i.e. acculturation. In this type of society there will be a widely-shared belief in human rights, basic freedoms which belong to all people regardless of colour, language, religion etc.

Bias: If you are biased it means you have an idea that someone or something is superior to another for no logical reason. It is similar to prejudice, e.g. racial prejudice in apartheid South Africa.

Culture shock: This is when you find aspects of another culture so different from your own.

Demographics: The study of the population and its component parts.

Discrimination: There was racial discrimination in apartheid South Africa. N.B. blue eyes v brown eyes.

Ethnic group: It's a group which shares similar race, religion, language, whatever.

Ethnocentricity: It's looking at the world from your own ethnic point of view; it implies that your ethnicity is superior.

Expatriate: Someone from one country living and usually working in another; not a tourist, not a businessman on a short visit.