You are trying to build rapport with a remote community and have been invited to an important ceremony which takes place only once a month. The ceremony involves a particular ritual that you find disturbing (such as circumcision or animal sacrifice). Attendance would signal true interest in the community and its practices and would win respect from important members. Avoidance would be an insult to the community and could jeopardize their involvement in your work. Should you attend this ceremony?
1. Ethical Pluralism
Ethical pluralism states that there are many theories about what is “right” and “wrong” which may be incompatible with your own personal moral norms. Ethical pluralism suggests all cultural practices and ethical norms have a function, they have a reason for being, even if you do not understand it. A relativist would suggest you attend the ceremony with respect for the tradition and an understanding that it has a basis in the community.
- Are you in a position to judge the practice or norm? Are you in a position to change it? Why or why not?
- What might you do if you feel this pushes you beyond your limit of tolerance? Why does that limit exist?
- You should also consider that cultural practices and ethical norms are not necessarily unanimous. Would dissent within the community regarding this practice change your decision-making process? How?
2. Ethic of Care
Ethics of care dictates you must consider your actions and their possible negative impacts on a vulnerable community, as well as the context of a moral dilemma. In the above mentioned case, avoidance would insult the community and negatively affect their relations with the volunteer group. This theory would encourage a volunteer to attend the ceremony.
- What other negative impacts might the avoidance of the ceremony cause?
- Does the context of the situation (ie. religious significance, proscribed gender roles, ancestral veneration) have any impact on your decision?
- Does the context of the situation affect the way you perceive the impacts of your actions on the community? Why or why not?
3. Feminism: principle of Challenge + conflict & consultation
For the volunteer the dilemma is how s/he can accept and celebrate the community’s customs while also maintaining his/her values. Feminism would encourage a dialogue between the volunteer and the community regarding the ceremony to promote better understanding of both parties before reaching a mutually acceptable decision.
- Should the volunteer sacrifice his/her beliefs in order to build a relationship with the local community? Why or why not?
- Considering this is a very important ceremony, how would you approach starting a dialogue around it with the community?
You and a few colleagues decide to attend. At a pivotal point during the ceremony, a member of your team vomits and begins to cry and needs to be helped out of the area by a fellow team member. You are sure that this has deeply offended the community, that this will hinder your project’s work and that your colleague will not be trusted by the community members. How do you re-establish the rapport you feel has been jeopardized?
1. Ethical Pluralism
Ethical pluralism states that many cultural norms are valid and acceptable even if they are not understood. This theory would support the existence of your colleague’s moral norm coexisting with the community’s moral norm. Explaining the importance of allowing multiple moral norms to exist and that they are equally good and important would be the foundation of the dialogue with the community according to Ethical Pluralism.
- What problems may be caused by expecting others to understand or accept your cultural and ethical norms as valid?
- How can you explain ethical pluralism to the community without devaluing their strong beliefs in this important tradition/ceremony?
2. Ethic of Care
Ethics of care states that you must consider the impacts of your actions and decisions on the community in order to minimize negative effects. Here you are dealing with negative affects of a previous choice, ethics of care would recommend the consideration of the contextual details of the situation to promote the interests of the host community. Ethics of care would urge you to explain that your team is not judgmental of the community’s traditions and that you find another event or culturally significant way to reinforce your statements through action.
- How might you be able to express how much your team values the relationship between your project and the community? Will this cause more negative impact?
- In order to counter-act negative impacts on the community, you must first understand what they are. How will you approach this?
- How will the community’s diminished trust affect your efforts to re-build rapport?
3. Feminism: principle of Challenge + conflict & consultation
A feminist would consider this situation as a valuable opportunity to learn, promote cultural diversity and build trust; conflict is inevitable. Feminism would urge you to approach the community members for a open discussion and consultation with them about the situation. The basis of the open discussion should be the community’s understanding of your colleague’s reaction and your project’s understanding of the community’s ceremony; the goal being to reach a level of mutual understanding to allow the work and community-project relationship to continue.
- How can you express respect for the community’s beliefs while being honest with them about your own?
- What should you consider when trying to explain your colleague’s beliefs and actions to the community at this sensitive time?
- How might this conversation positively or negatively affect your project’s goals/work within the community? How might it affect future projects?
Non-Academic Resources (3)
2006. “The Dialogue on Culture and Feminism.” from http://www.learningpartnership.org/en/node/639.
Ayton-Shenker, D. (1995). “The Challenge of Human Rights and Cultural Diversity.” from http://www.un.org/rights/dpi1627e.htm.
Barnga Cultural Awareness Card Game from http://socrates.acadiau.ca/courses/educ/reid/games/Game_descriptions/Barnga1.htm
Academic Resources (7)
Crabtree, R. D. (1998). “Mutual empowerment in cross-cultural participatory development and service learning: Lessons in communication and social justice from projects in El Salvador and Nicaragua.” Journal of Applied Communication Research 26(2): 182-209.
Day, K. (2000). “The Ethic of Care and Women’s Experiences of Public Space.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 20(2): 103-124.
Erlen, J. A. (1998). “Culture, Ethics, and Respect: The Bottom Line Is Understanding.” Orthopaedic Nursing 17(6): 79-82.
Hooks, B. (2000). Feminist Theory: from Margin to Center. London, Pluto Press.
Mitra, A. and J. D. Knottnerus (2008). “Sacrificing Women: A Study of Ritualized Practices among Women Volunteers in India.” Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations 19(3): 242-267.
Pratt, B. (2002). “Volunteerism and Capacity Development.” UNDP Development Policy Journal 2: 95-118.
Shweder, R. A. (2000). What about “Female Genital Mutilation”? And Why Understanding Culture Matters in the First Place. Engaging cultural differences: The multicultural challenge in liberal democracies. R. A. Shweder, M.Minow and H. R. M. (Eds.). New- York, Russell Sage Foundation.: 216–251.
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