international convergenceof literature and culture · · 2011-07-06with the english-language...

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byGuy Amirthanayagam

Margaret KingAmarjit Singh

All members of the project team"Crisis in cultural values" in theEast-West Culture Learning Institute,

Guy Amirthanayagam is a researchassociate, Dr. Margaret King is a re-search intern, and Dr. Amarjit Singhis a senior fellow and associate pro-fessor at Memorial University, New-found/and, Canada.

The "Culture Learning ThroughLiterature" program, part of the

"Crisis in Cultural Values" project atthe East-West Culture Learning In-stitute, provides the literary dimen-sion needed for a deeper under-standing of cross-cultural relationsand inter-cultural values, particu-larly between Asia and the UnitedStates. The Institute's pilot seminarin 1973, dealing with socioliterature,and the subsequent 1975 Consul-tants' Conference on Questions ofCulture Learning through Literaturepostulated various approaches andareas of research for exploring themany rich possibilities of this field.The plan emerging from the Litera-

Vishing esearcner Richard A. Via returned in August from a tour of Korea and seven

Southeast Asian countries, where he conducted seminars and workshops on the subject of

using drama in teaching language. The trip was sponsored by the United States Information

Agency. Pictured at left with Mr. Via is Prof. Daw Them Nyunt, of the Institute of Education,

Rangoon, Burma. usis Photo.

ture and Culture Learning confer-ence includes, as an early sketch ofthe parameters of the study, the fol-lowing subjects: contact literature(works expressing the interaction oftwo or more cultures); literature asan index to differing cultural valuesand aesthetic sensibilities; the con-trast between myths and values ex-pressed in the literatures of thetechnologically "developed" andthe "developing" world; literature asboth a reflection and catalogue ofsocial concerns, as well as source ofinspiration for their solutions; litera-ture as an instigator of social con-sciousness and artistic sensibility;literature as a creator of universalhuman values, including culturaluniversals, and as a record ofunique cultures and subcultures;the position of the writer within hisown culture and against the back-ground of the international literaryscene; and the role of literature, ofits creators, and of its readers, incross-cultural awareness and inter-national understanding.

Literature in contextThis year's conference, "The In-

ternational Convergence of Litera-ture and Culture," began to focus on

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The Culture Learning InstituteReport, until September, 1976,known as the Culture and Lan-guage Learning Newsletter, ispublished by the East-West Cul-ture Learning Institute, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii,USA.

International convergence of literatureand culture

International...(From Page 1)

these questions about literature inits cultural context by posing someproblem areas and tentativehypotheses-often in the form ofdialectic oppositions of ideas-about literature as an expression ofmodern concerns reaching acrossthe international literary and socialspectrum, fed into by writers of tradi-tional, transitional, and developednations. How are the common con-cerns of this emerging "global vil-lage," in every area of human lifefrom industrialization to personal re-lations and the intimacies of the in-dividual psyche, perceived andelaborated upon by the modernwriter, in his choice and treatment ofsubject, in his theme and literarytechnique? How do these choicesand concerns unite or divide the in-ternational community of writers?

For the very reason of its ability tocomprehend all human experience,and to set that experience up forcareful scrutiny, literature is alsoone of the most challenging sub-jects facing the social scientist aswell as the humanist. Two versionsof the world are open for observa-tion. One is the imaginative, literaryconstruct. The other is the grandtotal of real life out of which literaturegleans its kaleidoscopic vision ofman. Students of literature are thusfaced with the world, as well as thereflection of that world, in the uniquemirror of literature, as one attemptsto discern the refracted image fromthe original "object" and as oneseeks to grasp the artist's personalmodification of that object.

Obviously, such a subject must beapproached from a number of dif-ferent perspectives, producing, asin the recent Culture Learning Insti-tute conference, a great many ques-tions and concerns which can beconveniently, if loosely, placedunder several headings. However,because these concerns cover avast scope of subjects ranging fromthe very private and individual na-ture of the creative experience toquestions of world culture in contactacross many historical epochs, allset against the background of afast-moving, steadily-converging in-ternational culture, these questionsare not easily distinguishable; they

double back on each other, lead intoone another's territories, and ad-dress, from what at first seem unre-lated perspectives, many of thesame issues. In this sense, the con-ference discussion itself provided agood lesson in the interdisciplinaryapproach to the exploration of litera-ture.

Cultural interpenetrationOne of the great adventures of the

twentieth century, and perhaps themost notable one, has been the con-tact of world cultures, and theiremerging perceptions of each other.A major part of the record of thisadventure can be found, naturallyenough, in the literature which dealswith cultures in contact and reflectsthe growing awareness that tradi-tional and developed countries haveof one another, marking the risingtide of intercultural consciousness.The complex relationships betweenlocal and global cultures are playedout on the world literary scene. In-deed, a major current of interestwhich the recent conference foundirresistible was the survey ofrudimentary facts of world historyconcerning the diffusion of cultures,the dominance of certain culturesover others, and the essentialtrends of cultural interpenetrationand exchange. Although this tackcould not be pursued at any length,the participants felt that they need tobe more sensitive to the phenom-ena of imperialism, monopolisticcapitalism, state socialism, neo-colonialism and the role of the multi-nationals and their impact on socialstructure, culture and intellectualactivities.One fact of cultural convergence

was felt to be of central importance.The "mutual images" that predomi-nate in contact literature are not theresult of a multi-lateral cultural bal-ance. The Western style dominates.While Asians and other Third-Worldreaders, for example, are familiarwith the English-language literarytradition, few Westerners are famil-iar with literature outside their ownculture. The fact that writers andpoets from Asia were more well-versed in the literary traditions of theWest gave some insights into whathappens in a situation in which onepartner is the colonizer and theother is the colonized. Since its in-ception in 1901, the Nobel Prize in

Literature has been overwhelminglyfavorable to Westerners. It has beenawarded only twice to Asians; theIndian poet Tagore and theJapanese novelist Kawabata.The emerging global culture-

heavily Western in both technologi-cal and artistic aspects-includesthis imbalance as part of its perplex-ing challenge to the survival of themore traditional cultures. This chal-lenge poses a number of interre-lated questions, pointing in variousdirections and addressing a numberof concerns:How can this "global" culture,

consisting in part of the "interna-tional style," be described, and howis its spirit the result of the conflu-ence of Western (developed) andnon-Western (traditional) styles? Isthis new culture monolithic, or doesit operate on a number of levels, in avariety of fields? For example, theworld technological/business cul-ture is quite distinct in characterfrom the world "literary guild" andart world. How do each of thesespheres compare to that of interna-tional politics? The basic questionfor developing nations is how to re-solve the conflict between the styleof internationalism and the mainte-nance of their own cultural tradi-tions. This simple statement of theproblem quickly becomes compli-cated when related aspects areconsidered: the disparity betweendiscrete nations and discrete cul-tures, along with the long history ofcultural contact, which is itself anhistorical process of constantchange (e.g. colonization, trade,military conquest).

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Linguistic imperialismSince the linguistic character of

cultures varies among a number ofmodes, including the traditional, theimported, homogenized, hetero-geneous, colonized, oral, or oral/written, therefore linguistic im-perialism becomes perhaps themost critical aspect of culture ex-change. Cultures are variously af-fected by the domination of Englishand other colonial languages. Forcultures with an ancient literary trad-ition of their own (such as India), thisissue has a much different em-phasis than for exclusively oral cul-tures (such as African examples)which may suffer from various sortsof linguistic victimization. While this

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imperialism, especially at present, isseen as a serious obstacle to the

resolution of cultural identity prob-lems, any common language, how-

ever much foisted upon non-native

speakers, also provides an indis-

pensablellngua franca by which na-tions divided by language barriersand torn internally by balkanized

linguistic patterns can communi-

cate, both within and without. Fromthis double-edged situation arises a

great ambiguity of feeling toward

English as the international medium

of exchange that it is.One of the participants offered a

three-part descriptive model for

categorizing broad types of world

literature resulting from the con-

vergence of cultures. Thefirst groupof worksarethose written in Englishfrom cultures closely allied by lan-

guage, culture, and political ties to

Englandandthe United States (e.g.,Canada). The second group ofworks emerge from ancient classi-cal traditions of written language,such as Sanskrit. The third groupdescribes works from Third Worldverbal cultures with a limited mate-rial culture, heavily based on an oraltradition which is well-integrated

within a self-contained and rather

insular scope of experience, so thatmodern and imported concepts are

brought into these cultures throughcontact with the English language.English is then adapted to fit theirown cultural needs for expression.A related set of questions deals

with the effects of political andeconomic relations upon literatureand its cross-cultural exchange.There appears to be an unavoidablecorrelation between economic!

political hegemony and culturaleminence. But the image of domin-ant and subordinate cultures mustbe tempered by other consi-derations of communication than

simply powerrelationships betweenthestrong andthe weak:thesharingof language, technology, and knowl-

edge; the exchange of cultural con-cerns and values; the internationalelite-the "jet set" of artistic as wellas economic and political pre-eminence; andfinally, the possibilityof the multilateral sharing of com-monthemes as a set of mutual con-cerns, largely through the agency ofthese international or cross-culturalartists and their heterogeneous au-diences.

Ideal genreOne aspect of this intercultural

situation is the question of which

literary forms dominate as channelsfor cross-cultural understanding.Can these same forms be under-stood as ideally suited for this pur-pose? This ideal genre, when dis-covered, could then by extensionserve as a consciously-selectedmedium of cultural exchange forwriters with that purpose in mind.The modern novel tradition, a

Western creation growing out of theindustrial state andthe middle-class

experience, might in fact be con-sidered a reliable index to modernnational economic and social de-

velopment. But is the novel a cul-ture-bound form in this sense, andtherefore a cultural imposition upontraditional cultures; and is it a

necessary, perhaps ideal form of

self-expression for cultures under

going the "Western experience?"Looking at thesame question from adifferent perspective, one observesthat many modern non-Westernwriters whoseworksarewell-read inthe West are likely to use Western

literary forms and styles, especially(Continued on Page 4)

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Five well-known potters from Tokoname, Aiichi-ken, Japan, demonstrated their techniques and exhibited their works atthe East-West CenteronAugust 6. The artists' commentary about their work was interpreted by Dr. Toshiyuki Nishikawa, EWCalumnus and former resident hail staffmember. Ceramists were Mr. and Mrs. Vuzan Azuma, Mr. Elichi Sakakibara, Mr. JuroSugie, Mr. Juzan Yamada, andMs. TokoAzuma.

Photos by Ken Kimura and Gilbert Ikezaki.

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Culture Learning Institute Report 3

International...

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the novel; examples such as Mis-hima and Kawabata come readily to

mind. Butthe adaptation of Western

styles and genres by the East is

open to many sorts of interpretation.Is this use of Western forms to be

viewed simply as another instanceof cultural/artistic imperialism? Or

does Western influence persist inthis way because the novel form,

although its origins are Western, isalso somehow naturally suited tocultural expression by writers of all"modern" cultures? Put another

way, 'do Third-World writers adoptthenovel outof an imitative impulse,or does the form, with its oppor-tunities for elaborate descriptionand psychological probing, uniquelyexpress problems of emerging na-

tions?

The case for poetry takes a

slightly different direction, pointingto the compact focus and sym-bolism of the poem, with its links tothe musical and epic poetry com-monto all linguistic traditions in theirearliest oral stages. Poetry is thusoffered as an additional candidatefor cross-cultural literary expres-sion. Despite some division of opin-ion on this issue, general agreementon the novel as the .ascendent mod-ern medium of cultural exchangeprevailed.

Artistic integrityQuestions about the nature of

literary genres and their power tocommunicate cultural sensibilities

mayappear at first to be purely artis-tic and aesthetic ones. But, like allthe issues which emerge in the "lit-erature-culture" discussion, artisticand social matters are assumed tobe inextricably intertwined. Theexact balance between them is in

fact very complex. Is literature to beconsidered as part of a large socio-

logical framework? Or, as often

postulated by critics andteachers ofliterature, is it contained within soci-

ety as an autonomous system of

symbolsandconventions whosear-tistic integrity exists without directconnection with the society, which itmakes use of only as a kind ofwarehouse of raw materials for arefined artistic vision? The issue ofartistic integrity is often proposed,

even by specialists in the connec-tions between literature andculture,to underlinethe specialfunction per-formed by the artist, which, theyclaim, cannot be compared to theother kinds of "reactive" human be-havior studiedand described by thesocial scientist.

Great literature is considered to

explore an independent and univer-sal form of human experience re-moved from the specific, temporalconditions of life at any given mo-ment. This is an accepted principleof literary study. But evidence frominter-cultural discussions points totraditions outside the West whicharemore in touch with the realities ofsocial and economic life than is

usually granted. Out of these con-

trary (or complementary) views ofliterature comes the question ofwhether literature leads, or whetherit reflects, culture: or to putthe mat-ter more precisely, to what extent itdoes both.A corollary to this concern is the

question of whether the writercreates culture, or culture createsthe writer. The writer's relationshipto his culture differs from society to

society; in the U.S., for example,writers may be closely related toacademic life, through departmentsof English, as teachers andcritics ofliterature themselves; in Japan, onthe other hand, the study of litera-ture and its practice are strictlyseparated.

In Third-World countries dedi-cated to the business of nation-

building, literature poses an evenmore vexing challenge to theview ofthe separation of life and art. Theirwriters may come to have a primar-ily political and propaganda pur-pose. Some leading practitioners ofthis role find no difficulty in admittingthat they are more like journalists,even propagandists, than they arelike the Western version of thealienated, detached, isolated, crea-tive artist. In well-established na-tions, the "outsider" image of thewriter is the expected characteriza-tion. Between the extremes of writ-

ers as culturally supportive (largelypositive in their views of a culturalvision) and writers as critical, sus-

picious, and catabolic, with a nega-tive outlook on the entire notion of"culture," writers from both campsandfrom positions in between them

play a number of roles, dependenton their position with respect to thesocial order. Ultimately, this rolerests on the writer's own acceptanceor rejection of that prescribed placeand/or on his ability to create a dif-ferent version of the artist's persona.One culture may also accept whatanother culture rejects; writers mayalso exchange prominence within asubculture for mainstream accept-ance, or vice-versa.

International sensibilityButdo works which best capturea

cultural zeitgeist also then becomeits exemplary literature? Obviouslya gap does exist between the mostcharacteristic types of literature

(and its practitioners), and thatwhich becomes internationally ac-claimed. The writer who does thebest job of capturing his culture on

papermaynotbe the same onewho

acquires an international followingof eager adulators whoprefer works

appealing to asenseof international

sensibiliity and taste which differsfrom the native standard.

This disparity between local cul-tural expression and world taste is acritical influence on the waythe wri-ter sees himself. What degree ofself-consciousness promotes hisconcerns; is he intimately personalor frankly nationalistic? Writing forhimself, or with what audience-wide or focused, like or unlike thewriter himself? In terms of

purpose-his vision of the writer'smandate-how does this sense of

identity andchoice of subject relyonor take its cues from his public re-

ception, either on the local level, or

through international repute? Doeshe (or should he) write consciouslyin order to help a local culture ex-

perience and examine itself, or to

publicize and proclaim local issuesand sensibilities to an outside audi-ence, which may be national or

global? How does he embody or

interpret his culture to itself? Doesthis self-consciousness, arising outof the writer's self-proclaimed roleas sensitive reader of his own cul-ture, belie his identification with "the

People" on whosebehalf he writes?Here the outside audience forlocalist writing plays the questiona-ble role of "outside adulator," whose

praise and enthusiasm for theseworks, by putting them through the


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CLI Cultural Jurisprudence ProgramReceives NEH Funding

The National Endowment for theHumanities recently awarded theEast-West Culture Learning Insti-tute of the East-WestCenter agrantof $36,500 making NEH a co-

sponsor of the three-week seminarin "Problems of Law and Society:Asia, the Pacific, and the UnitedStates" to be held at the East-WestCenter from July 25 to August 12,1977. This seminar, part of theEast-West Culture Learning Insti-tute's on-going Cultural Jurispru-dence activity, will bring together 30

legal scholars from Asia, the Pacific,and the United States to develop abook of readings for use in thehumane study of the law in highschools, colleges, and continuingeducation programs. Considerationis also being given to dramatizing

andvideotaping thecase studies foruse in educational television and

public broadcasting.TheSeminar will analyze specific

landmark judicial decisions or majorpieces of legislation as a means of

discovering howthese cases illumi-nate thedeeper opinions and valuesof the society or culture as a whole.Each participant will research acase and present it to the Seminar.The case will then be discussed byfellow participants from their owncultural backgrounds and perspec-tives. The book of readings that re-sults from the seminar will be in-tended not so much for use in lawschools by those who are profes-sional students of the law, as for use

by the growing number of teachersand students who are interested in

the humanistic study of the relation-

ships between lawand society, both

municipally and internationally.The East-West Culture Learning

Institute's principal goal is the creat-

ing of greater mutual understandingamong the cultures of the East andthe West. The Cultural Jurispru-dence activity and the Seminar on"Problems of Law and Society:Asia, the Pacific and the UnitedStates" are among the manyEast-West Culture Learning Insti-tute projects and activities directedtoward this overall goal. The Semi-nar is coordinated by Dr. John E.Walsh, Research Associate, whowill be assisted by Dr. John Philip,Visiting Researcher from India, and

by Dr. Carl Selinger, of the Univer-

sity of Hawaii Law School. El

The East-West Culture Learning Institute

sponsored a conference entitled 'Transna-tional Organizations and Networks: PolicyOptions for Global Interdependence," whichwas held at the East-West Center, Sep-tember 13 to 17, 1976. Coordinated by re-search associate Dr. Krishna Kumar, the fif-teen workshop participants planned a

cooperative program ofresearch which will

attempt to identify the cultural impact oftransnational organizations on host coun-tries, to establish the significant variablesthatcause dysfunctional side effects, and toseek ways to mitigate them.

Pictured at left are Dr. John Philip, CLISenior Fellow, India; Dr. Denis Goulet, Over-seas Development Council, Washington,D.C.; and Dr. Ahmed Ashraf, Planning and

Budget Organization, Iran.Photo by Gilbert Ikezaki.


ESOL ADMINISTRATORS 1976GRADUATION ADDRESS

ByM. Harunur Rashid

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

The Graduation Ceremony thisevening brings to a happy close athree-month program for fifteenESOL administrators. To the spon-sors, this is perhaps a welcome endafter a busy and tiring schedule. Butto us participants this will certainlybe an extension of an experience,both academic and cultural.The East-West Center, since its

birth sixteen years ago, has tried tocontribute meaningfully to thegrowth of intercultural harmony. Aswe look at the world today riddledwith stupendous problems-racial,cultural, social and political, we arereminded of the prophetic words ofW. B. Yeats in his Second Coming:

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhereThe ceremony of innocence is drowned;The best lack all conviction, while the worstAre full of passionate intensity.

These words, alarming as theyare, were perhaps never more truethan in the contemporary world weare living through. In the face ofsuch terrible realities, the East-WestCenter efforts towards the growth ofintercultural harmony may perhapsappear to be very insignificant. But

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let us remember that the spirit thatsustains the efforts is imbued with asense of love and toleration. And ofall weapons ever known or madeuse of in the history of mankind, loveis the most powerful. If the Centerprograms have any message toconvey to the world today, I think it isthe spirit of love and toleration morethan anything else, which bear theconnotative significance of thisunique institution. But it is a pity that

there should be a large measure ofignorance about such a placeamong most Americans, let aloneother peoples, who should havedeemed it as one of their proudpossessions.

Cultural interaction and effectivemediation between peoples pre-suppose a good measure ofpsychological and situational condi-tions where the individuals involvedmust operate on a two-way traffic. It

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Members of the Institute's ESOL (English to

Speakers of Other Languages) Adminis-trators Programgather in the PacificRoom ofJefferson Hall for completion ceremonies onOctober29, 1976. Keyaddress was given byMr. M. Harunur Rashid. Text is found in ac-

companying article. Photos by William Feltz.

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is, therefore, necessary that nations

interacting culturally in Center pro-grams should meet on equalgrounds, or at least, they should bemade to feel they do so. Any roleshort of this will make for media-tional failures. What is true of theclassroom is true of larger culturalspheres. When the teacher tends toassume an overly role beating hisscholastic drum and thereby makingthe recipient students feel humble,he will have achieved anything but asuccessful learning situation. Suchan attitude, in a cultural context,

may make for even worse results. Itis the curious turn of history thatmake some nations at some pointassume the role of the recipientsand the participating nations arewell aware of this. Yet if this knowl-

edge is forced, either directly or byimplications, on them all intercul-tural mediational efforts are boundto meet with failures in spite of sin-cerity and goodwill. The East-WestCenter, therefore, with its goals for

achieving cooperation and under-standing between nations, standson a razor's edge and of necessitymust be on a state of perpetual vigil.

Ladies and gentlemen, let us thisevening acknowledge that theacademic experience on the pro-gram has been very fruitful for us all.But it is perhaps the cultural experi-ence which we are going to cherishmost. We have enjoyed being hereon a pearly shell on the Pacific andamong its warm and very friendlypeople. The ever-changing bluewaters of the Hawaiian shores aresymbolic of the bright radiance ofthe hearts of its people who haveachieved one of the world's mostastounding successes in intercul-tural and inter-ethnic co-existence.The ocean that surrounds thisplace, or for that matter any otherocean, is symbolic of purity in itsquiet and happy acceptance of riv-ers that meander through placeswashing away petty prejudices untilthey plunge deep into the ocean'sfathomless depths. Hawaii has livedthe spirit of this symbolic signifi-cance of her vast waters in its ways,rites and rituals and also in her solegreeting word, "Aloha," which nicelysums up love, understanding andgoodwill.The academic program spon-

sored by East-West Culture Learn-

ing Institute has given us a muchclearer glimpse into the Americanexperience in language teaching.We are thankful to the Centerforthisand we hope to be able to share thisexperience with our colleaguesback home. With us goes out thelast of the ESOL Administratorsprograms to be followed in 1978 by aseries of programs officially desig-nated as EIAL, English as an Inter-national Auxiliary Language, whichadds yet another dimension to theCenter programs. We go back withmuch surer confidence that Englishdoes not any longer belong to a fewnative situations only, it belongs tothe world. Understandably, thepedagogical odds are many, but thebold step taken by the Centerspeaks of its dynamism and itsscintillating perception of a linguisticsituation that already exists.

Before I conclude, ladies andgentlemen, I would like to thank, onbehalf of the group, the East-WestCenter staff who have made ourstay so very comfortable and niceon this beautiful campus. Specialthanks are due to Mr. Larry Smith,the Program Co-ordinator, Dr. Ver-ner Bickley, the Director of theEast-West Culture Learning Insti-tute and Dr. Everett Kleinjans, thePresident of the East-West Center.We would also like to thank theFriends of the East-West Center,whose hospitality and care we shall

never forget. The seminar leaderswho gave so much of their valuabletime to make the program asuccessdeserve special commendation andI thank them most cordially. Last butnot the least, ladies and gentlemen,are you who have taken so muchtrouble in coming over here to at-tend this ceremony this evening andI extend to you all my heartiestthanks on behalf of the group.

In conclusion, allow me to say thatthe picture the contemporary worldprojects today is very bleak, but lifewith its love, affection, tendernessand beauty is worth living in spite ofthat. We all know half the earth, as itgoes round, is always in the darkand yet we long for light. It is in thislonging that we live. We tend toforget that light itself would not havebeen worth what it is if there were nodarkness. And very often we do nothave the eyes to see that the dark-ness that stalks without is not half asterrifying as the darkness that lurkswithin. Let us, therefore, bathe our-selves in the mellow light of human-ity and perhaps we can take the cuefrom these few lines by Rabin-dranath Tagore:

Everywhere there's a home for me,I perpetually look for it.

Every Country is mineand I accept her as mine.Awarm welcome awaits me at every doorand I, a perpetual traveller,shall find my way through to every hearth.In every home awaits me dearest friendsand I perpetually look for them. 0

American folk musicpresented at CU. The "Old Pall Highway Ramblers", a music groupwhich meetsregularly at the East-West Culture Learning Institute, presenteda concert ofoldtimey mountain, bluegrass, and countrymusic on October 18, 1976 at the East-West Center.Members are, left to right, William Feltz, Jerry Shapiro, Maggie Madison, Richard Brislin,Bruce Washburne, and Victor Askman. The concert was part of the Institute's CulturalManifestations series.

Photo by Gilbect Ikezab.


Via lectures on American theatreMr. Richard Via, East-West Cul-

ture Institute visiting researcher,

gave a successful presentation on

his experiences in the Americantheatre to a group of degree-seeking scholars and staff memberson October 29, 1976. In recent yearsVia has been active in the teachingof English, resulting in the recentbook, English in Three Acts, pub-lished by the East-West Culture

Learning Institute andthe UniversityPress of Hawaii. The book covers

Via's techniques for teaching Eng-lish through the use of drama. He

has had extensive experience in

drama, which formed the basis both

for his book andfor the presentationin October.

Viabegan full-time work in Ameri-

can theatre in 1943 and continued

through 1966. He was a successful

actor, director, and stage manager.Hisname is associated with some ofthe major landmarks of Americantheatre, since he was active in vari-ous aspects of these Broadwayproductions: "The Miracle Worker,'"Two for the Seesaw," "The Soundof Music," "How to Succeedin Busi-ness Without Really Trying," and"Hello, Dolly." Like any profes-sional, Via was associated with hisshare of "flops;" "Jennie" was

perhaps the most notable becauseof thegreat amount of moneywhichwas lost in its production. Another

interesting aspect of his backgroundis the fact that he was associatedwith very early efforts in televisionand was an actor in the first tele-vised soap opera. He does not re-

gret leaving television, however,since he prefers direct contact withan audience.As part of his presentation, Via

presented a model of howplays are

produced. He discussedtheinterac-tion among producers, directors,writers, stars, stage managers, andcast members. Also covered werevarious roles people play in thetheatre world, such as professionalbit player, stage mother, spouse ofthe superstar, script doctor, and the

overnight sensation. He pointed outthat the person who may seem likean overnight sensation actually mayhave been working tremendouslyhard for years, building up to themoment when he or sheis "discov-ered."

Among other responsibilities, Vianow organizes the "Cultural Mani-festations" series at the East-WestCulture Learning Institute. Theseinvolve public presentations by var-ious artists from different parts of theworld. 11

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IInternational...(From Page 4)

lionizing process, may not be doingthework, or the writer's identificationwith the work, any favors. Can writ-

ers thus address international is-sues through their discussions of

specific culture-bound situations, orcan these be considered to make a

more direct mythological contactwith universal issues, and by exten-sion, create a sense of globalhuman values? The issue here is

clearly one of the qualitative differ-ences between local, national, andworld concerns, as these appear inthe concerns of the writing whichdeals with these spheres.

Global mythologyA global mythology can be seen

to be emerging, based not on thetraditional myths and values of anysingle culture, but on a wide scopeof commonly-held values. The formof this emerging culture is material-

izing through the mass media insuch electronic productions as filmand television, distributed as West-ern exports to theThird World. One

descriptive scheme offered at thelatest conference set forth a loose

pattern of five "international sub-

jects:" the heroic avenger, catas-

trophe on a grand scale, the greatcaper, conspiracy in high places,and pornography. Clearly these

global topics are conveyed throughwidely-diffused electronic mediaand notby literary models, which, bycomparison, begin to take on quitean arcane and rarified appearance.The trend toward mass media,

marked bythe waning of the generalcapacity for the careful, critical

judgments which are involved as

part of the skill and practice of liter-

acy, have become a matter for worldconcern, not simply on the part ofthe literati, but as part of the largerand more immediate question of theeducated populace which is crucialto the support of democratic gov-ernments.

What is the developing relation-

ship between literature, especiallybetween the novel form and themore popularly accessible force ofthe mass media? Does popular cul-ture radically depart from the tradi-tion of high literature, or does it insome ways, as a modern counter-

part to more classical forms, con-tinue some of the literary stylisticandmythic archetypes and images?

The "high culture versus popularculture" debate, in its cross-culturaldimension, usually relies on theWestern/industrial notion which

postulates a dichotomy between

literary/artistic concerns and themanufactured culture of appliedscience. This construct assumesthat these are two separate and ir-reconcilable modes of human

thought and expression which canbe sharply differentiated and whosebasic philosophies are radically op-posed.

The distinction between high cul-ture and popular culture reflectsstratification systems both within a

countryand among nation-states. Itis essentially a power relationship.The participants differed on the

consequences of such a relation-

ship. One line of thinking was thatthepopular culture ofthe West hasaharmful impact on the rich and highculture of the less developed na-tions.Theotherargument wasthat itwas necessary to import Western

popular culture along with Western

technology and science to trans-form the "primitive" indigenous cul-

(Continued at Right)

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Musicians from Okinawa, Japan, and from the Honolulu communitypresented Folk Music of

Okinawa" in August, 1976, as a CLI Cultural Manifestation activity. The master singer, Mr.Antei Tamaki, taught in the summer 'Festival of Okinawan Performing Arts" held at the

UniversityofHawaii Music Department. In thisperformance, Tamaki was assistedbyMs. KikuUchima, Ms. Nobuko Akamine, and Mr. Kiyoshi Kinjo. Photos by Gilbert Ikezaki.

ture. In fact, the transformation of

indigenous culture cannot be stop-pedand it is not desirable to impedemodernization within a country.Some feared that popular culture

has a damaging effect on high cul-ture, while others thought popularculture has weakened class andcaste lines and contributed to

egalitarian and democratic tenden-cies within countries.

However, this divided image ofculture cannot be assumed fornon-Western, traditional cultures,even from an elitist perspective. Re-cent work in both the social sciencesand the humanities, in addition,

points to a much less antagonisticpicture of these forces, and indeedindicates a much better-integratedmodel of modern culture, even forthe West.

Subtle consensusAt the close of the conference on

the international convergence of lit-erature and culture, no clear con-sensus emerged regarding definitesolutions or even simple formula-tions of the problems raised here,since twoor more contrasting viewswere expressed and insisted uponfor all issues discussed. However,the very lack of simple agreementgave rise to a more subtle kind ofconsensus in the awareness that

every issue had twoor more dimen-sions and that these contrastingviews could usually be formulated

comprehensively as a series of

paradoxes, oppositions, dilemmas,or ironies:

1) The more awareand self-con-scious the writer, and the better-known his work, the looser andmore tenuous is his connection withhis indigenous culture. Contact withother cultures can lead to a greaterunderstanding of one's own culture,but at the same time that veryawareness prevents the writer from

unselfconsciously embodying it, ineffect separating him from his less

sophisticated countrymen, makinghim less "authentic" in a culturalsense.

2) The literature popular within aculture is usually notthe literature bywhich the country is known to out-siders. Also, one country's popularculture may become another's eliteculture-in other words, removingfrom its original cultural contextmayalter the character/evaluation of awork.

3) Literature performs the dualfunctions of both reflecting and

shaping culture. Thesetwoversionsof the literature/culture relationshipare commonly thought of as mutu-

ally exclusive; when one image is

employed to describe and analyzea

literary event, the other is ignored orobscured. But clearly both opera-tions are in force and must be con-sidered within some sort of largerframework which can allow for this

apparent contradiction, wideningthe conventions of study in both thefield of literature and the study ofliterature as sociology.

4) Use of a Western (e.g. En-

glish) language facilities interna-tional exchange, but at the sametime begins to lessen cultural dis-


tinctions. In similar fashion, by using

English (or another Western lan-

guage) an "emerging" nation can

gain access to technological ad-vancement and communication with

others, but in this process hastens

the loss of cultural identity. But si-

multaneous with the shaping of

emerging nations by the resources

of the English language, they them-

selves "stretch" English by adaptingfolk traditions from their own lan-

guages to its framework.

5) Countries having economic

and political hegemony oftenachieve a corresponding artistic

hegpmony that feeds ethno-centrism. For example, manyAsians read third-rate Western writ-ers butmaynot be familiar with their

own brilliant ones. The paradox isthat a culture self-confident enoughto learn from other cultures, and

powerful enough to require cultural

sensitivity in order to avoid self-

centered arrogance, receives adu-

lation or criticism rather than the in-

spiration it requires from the rest of

the world. Contrary-wise, the coun-tries that are most in need of de-

veloping a strong sense of individu-

ality and indigenous culture arethe

most likely to imitate and borrow

from others, especially the domin-

ant nations.

How can future research pro-grams, workshops, seminars, and

conferences, within or outside the

East-West Center and its goals, re-

spond to the ideas and vistas set

forth in this 1976 conference?

Clarification of issues

The problems raised by the con-ference called for factual investiga-tion, accumulation, and verificationof possible conclusive and sum-

mary statements in the many areasof interest introduced. But much

more than this, more comprehen-sive clarification and description of

the individual issues is called for inorder to arrive at adeeper apprecia-tion of these paradoxes andconflicts-their underlying features,

supporting framework, and levels atwhich these oppositions and con-

trasts operate. For this research, ofcourse, the existing resources of the

study of literature as a cultural forcewill haveto be assessed, annotated,

and evaluated to arrive at a general

catalogue of available materials,both primary and secondary. Theconference was especially in-terested in locating sources of ThirdWorld literary worksas they arepub-lished and translated, so that thesecould be readily known and avail-able to Western readers.

The conference also suggestedthe development of a number ofcase studies based on individualwriters or collections of works,

chronologically, or by genre, from across-cultural perspective. Thesestudies can be accumulated to formatypology of socioliterary study. Fi-

nally, the developmentof curriculumfor secondary and college level

study based on this research was

posed as one of thekeyfunctions ofsuch research/conference pro-grams as the East-West Culture

Learning Institute can offer.

Also evident was considerableconcern as to the ultimate practicalutility of findings and inquiriessuggested here. Among the

suggestions for studies which wouldbe of immediate and practical be-nefit in relieving, if not solving, someof the perplexities identified at theconference itself, were the follow-

ing: Models of the formation and in-teraction of processes of literature,between cultures and on the inter-national scale; clarification of thetheoretical framework of literature inits social role; identification of majorareas of interest in the field; princi-ples of selection of literary worksfrom a variety of cultural traditions;the determination and definition of"classics," within and across cul-tures; problems of translation; theinfluence of the national andinterna-tional publishing situations; the rela-

tionships between literature andother art forms, including the massmedia; and the description and ex-

planation of contextual materials-all these are salient factors whichmake up the background and nurtur-

ing ecology of the international liter-

ary scene.

Finally, the questions pertainingto literature, social commitment,and nation-building created somedilemmas. Two views emerged: (1)that writers andpoets should be ac-

tively involved in nation building andin counteracting the Western cul-tural and intellectual colonialismand imperialism, (2) that writers

should work in a value free modeand be free from any political or so-cial involvement, and should onlyconform to international standardsof the discipline.

Are Western forms applicable tothe needs of Third World nations?Are they capable of bringing and

reinforcing liberation movements inthe Third World? The answerswere

given as yes and no. It was pointedout that these are complex issuesandmore serious attention hasto be

given to fundamental, historical, and

genetic questions. The writers and

poets in the Third World shouldsearch for new intellectual forms inliterature which will facilitate the lib-eration process. Also, it should bethe social responsibility of writersand poets as intellectuals to reflecton the processes which retard the

emergence of newforms capable of

weakening colonial and depen-dency relations. Social responsibil-ity andintellectual activity should becombined. The writers and poetsshould overcome the fear that the

acceptance of social responsibilitywould somehowdestroy intellectual

creativity. It was asserted that crea-tive activity could be constructive aswell as destructive.

Intellectuals should not feel tootimid to function in normative-criticalmodes and shy away from the tedi-ous problem of making judgmentsabout socially relevant values. Afterall, how can the question of valuesbe avoided in human activity? Liter-

ary intellectuals must continue

searching for socially significantroles. What does literature have todo with ideas of social justice,democracyandhuman community?The search for significant ideals and

socially relevant values does notmean an adherence to some abso-lute goals and values. Significantgoals can be determined after criti-

cally analyzing the historical experi-ences of nation-states, the socialconscience of a society and theworld ecosystem. Some of the

meaningful human aims includedemocratic ideas and social justicein all countries. In defining intellec-tual ends, intellectuals should takeinto account the bases of social jus-tice and the hope of developing aworld-wide human communitywithin the limits set by the planetearth. 0

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Institute Offers Variety of Grants0

byLyn F. Anzai

Institute projects, workshops, andseminars all have a research ele-ment, and participants areasked to

develop one or two research papersbefore arriving to participate in thevarious programs scheduled

throughout the year. This spring four

programs are scheduled, each witha heavy emphasis on the contribu-tions that can be made by cross-cultural groups of scholars with a

single focus: Cross-Cultural Re-search for Behavioral and SocialScientists, Conserving Cultural Val-ues, Cultural Aspects of Educa-tional Leadership, and the ESOLEducators Program. Participants ineach of these programs, as individ-uals andas groups, will contribute tothe ongoing programs of the Insti-tute while benefiting from theoppor-tunity of taking time from their posi-tions to participate in the unique

programs which have been cie-

veloped.

Each year, the Institute offers alimited number of senior fellowshipsand visiting researcherships to ad-vanced scholars who come to theCenter to conduct research and de-

velop programs within the four proj-ect areas of the Institute. As in thecase of Institute research staff,these visiting scholars work with all

types of participants, hopefully de-

veloping a series of team ap-proaches in studying the problemsof culture learning and developingsolutions to such problems. 0

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Several types of awards are of-fered at the East-West Culture

Learning Institute of the East-WestCenter for participation in Institute

projects and for graduate work atthe University of Hawaii. For eachaward emphasis is placed on par-ticipation in and contribution to the

programs of the Institute. For in-stance, recipients of degree studyawards, while workingtowards mas-ter's and Ph.D. degrees at the Uni-

versity of Hawaii, also spend an av-

erage of 5-10 hours per week in-volved in an Institute activity. Thisinvolvement hastaken andwill takevarious forms, but the result is abenefit both for the Institute and forthe participant. The grantees have

participated in the planning of re-search projects and Institute semi-nars and workshops, in designingand/or editing position and workingpapers, in preparing seminars forInstitute staff and participants, andin presenting papers at Institute

workshops. The Institute has beenable to reap the benefits of having inresidence approximately 50 ad-vanced graduate scholars in variouscultures, whovery often have yearsof practical experience behind thembefore coming to CLI.

Another type of degree grant isthe Joint Doctoral Internship whichis a cooperative agreement be-tween the Center and another In-stitution, under which an advancedPh.D. candidate whose dissertation

topic is relevant to Institute research

programs receives a 1-2 year awardto conduct research at the Centerand in the field.

Recognizing that graduate partic-ipants have otherdemands and ob-

ligations, the Center offers a seriesof awards to persons who spendtheir total time at the Center in-volved in some aspect of an Institute

project, be it gathering researchmaterials, analyzing data, writing a

paper, or developing audio-visualmaterials. These awards are for upto one year and are designated Re-search Internships and Professional

Internships.

Lyn Artzai is a Program Officer in the East-West Culture Learning Institute, and, to-gether with Program Officer Kenzi Mad, ad-ministers all types of Institute grants. Ms. An-zai, a former EWC degree student, joined thestaff in 1972.

East-West Culture Learning InstituteFALL 1976 DEGREE STUDENTS

Name Country Degree Field

AHMAD JABAR, Shahari Malaysia PhD Political ScienceAUAPRECHAKUL, Damrong Thailand MA ESLBAK, Sung Yun Rep of Korea PhD LinguisticsBISAZZA, John USA PhD LinguisticsBRANDT, Mary Elizabeth USA PhD PsychologyBUKER, Eloise USA PhD Political Sciencedel VALLE, Teresa USA PhD AnthropologyFOLEY, Mary Kathleen USA PhD Drama & TheatreGONG, Ted USA MA Asian StudiesGUPTA, Sagar Mal India MA LinguisticsGURUNG, Krishan Nepal MA ESLHAGLELGAM, John Trust Territory MA Political ScienceHAMNETr, Michael USA PhD AnthropologyHIATr, Jerry USA JD LawHIGGINBOTHAM, Howard USA PhD PsychologyHOFFMAN, Frank J. USA PhD PhilosophyISOBAL, Luz Philippines MEd Elementary EducationJOHNSON, Bruce USA PhD LinguisticsJOSEPHS, Hilary Sandra USA JD LawJOSHI, Bhupendra India PhD Political ScienceKANEDA, Michikazu Japan PhD LinguisticsKUROIWA, Ken USA PhD LinguisticsLAU, Helen Hong Kong MSW Social WorkLEE, Rolanse . Hong Kong PhD Drama & TheatreLEE, Sung Has Rep of Korea PhD AnthropologyLEE, Young-Oak Rep of Korea PhD American StudiesLI, David Rep of China PhD LinguisticsLUDWIG, losi Masis Trust Territory MEd Educational Admin.LUKE, Elmer K. M. USA PhD American StudiesMINA, Soledad Philippines MEd Educational PsychologyMONTU, Elizabeth Fiji MEd Educational PsychologyPIYADASA, Redza Malaysia MFA ArtPRACHUABMOH, Chavivun Thailand PhD AnthropologyPUNPIPUTT, Grirg-giat Thailand MA DramaPUNPIPUTT, Lapapan Thailand MA EnglishRAFIQ, Sima Afghanistan MA ESL



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RAFIQZAD, Khalilullah Afghanistan MA ESLREYMOND, Joy Claire Australia MA PsychologyROBERTS, Frances USA PhD Political ScienceSARWAR, Ghulam Malaysia PhD Drama & Theatre

SAWADA, Tornoko Japan PhD American StudiesSCHWARTZ, Jennifer USA MSW Social WorkSHARMA, Gautami Nepal MA LinguisticsSHAW, Willard USA MA ESLSLAWEK, Stephen M. USA MA MusicSOLOMON, Rakesh India PhD Drama & TheatreSOLYOM, Garrett USA MA Art HistorySUGIMOTO, Takashi Japan PhD LinguisticsSUH, Sook Rep of Korea PhD American StudiesSWAIN, Cherry Lee Australia MA AnthropologyTAGUCHI, Makiko Japan MA SociologyTANAKA-MATSUMI, Junko Japan PhD PsychologyTONOIKE, Shigeo Japan PhD LinguisticsVUYLSTEKE, Richard USA PhD PhilosophyWRAY, Rosemary Australia MEd Educational FoundationsXAVIER, Melanie Pakistan MA Political Science

RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL INTERNS 1976Name Country Project

ASKMAN, Victor Nills (RI) USA Bilingual Education-Dr. Lester

BOUAMALAY, Christine (RI) USA Bilingual Education-Dr. Rubin

CANDAPPA, Suranjani (RI) Sri Lanka Transnational Organizations & Networks-Dr. Kumar

CHAN, Corinne Mei-li (P1) USA Resource Materials Collection-Bill Feltz

CHARLES, John L. (P1) Hong Kong Museology-James Mack

FOSTER, Brenda Lei (RI) USA Culture and the Interactive Process-Dr. Wu

HENG, Geraldine (RI) Singapore Crisis in Cultural Values-Dr. Walsh

KING, Margaret (RI) USA Thought & Expression in Culture Learning-Mr. Amirthanayagam

JACKSON, Thomas E. (RI) USA Crisis in Cultural Values-Dr. Walsh

MCARThUR, Harold J. (RI) USA Transnational Organizations & Networks-Dr. Kumar

OMAR, Jaafar Bin (RI) Malaysia Workshop on Emotion and Culture-Dr. Boucher

PISE, Hiasinita F. (P1) New Resource Materials CollectionCaledonia -Bill Feltz

STARK, Fumiyo (RI) USA Crisis in Cultural Values-Dr. Walsh

STETSER, Merle (RI) USA Bilingual Education-Dr. Lester

SUMARMO, Sri Suprapti (RI) Indonesia Workshop on Emotion and Culture-Dr. Boucher

JOINT DOCTORAL INTERNS 1976Name Country Projectde TERRA, Diane USA Dr. Watson-GegeoGOODRICH, Thomas S. USA Dr. Watson-GegeoHSIEH, Jiann Rep of China Dr. WuKIM, Ki-hong Rep of Korea Dr. BoucherTAN, Chee Beng Malaysia Dr. Wu

New English language publications announcedThe first three volumes in the Anthology Series of the SEAMEO RegionalEnglish Language Centre (RELC) in Singapore have recently been pub-lished, and are available from the Singapore University Press.

The titles of the three are1. Reading: insights and approaches2. Teaching English for science and technology3. Curriculum development and syllabus design for English teaching

THE EAST-WEST CENTER isa nationaleducational institution established inHawaii by the United States Congressin 1960. Its purpose is to promote bet-ter relations and understanding be-tween the United States and the na-tions of Asia and the Pacific area

through cooperative study, training,and research. Since 1975, the Centerhas been administered by a public,nonprofit educational corporation, of-

ficially known as the "Center for Cul-tural and Technical Interchange Be-tween East and West, Inc." An interna-tional Board of Governors consistingof distinguished scholars, businessleaders, and public servants guidesCenter policies.

Each year more than 1,500 men andwomen from more than 60 nations anddependencies in the region participatein Center programs that seekcoopera-tive solutions to problems of mutual

consequence to East and West. Work-

ing in research and development pro-jects with the Center's multidiscipli-nary and multicultural staff, partici-pants include visiting scholars and re-searchers; leaders, policymakers, andother professionals; and graduate de-

gree students, most of whom are alsoenrolledat the UniversityofHawaii. Foreach Center participant from theUnited States, two participants are

sought from the Asian-Pacific area.

Center programs are conducted byfive institutes addressing problems ofcommunication, culture learning,food, population, and technology anddevelopment. A limited number of

open grants are awarded each year fordegree education and Innovative re-search in areas not encompassed byinstitute programs.

The U.S. Congress provides basic

fundingfor Centerprogramsand a var-

iety of awards to participants. Becauseof the cooperative nature of Center

programs, financial support and

cost-sharing are also sought fromAsian and Pacific governments, publicand private sectors, and Individuals.The Center campus Is on land adjacentto and provided by the University ofHawaii.

East-West CenterEast-WestCultureLearningInstitute1777 East-West RoadHonolulu, Hawaii 96822

Further information on the vol-umes, as well as a complete list ofRELC publications, may be ob-tained by writing to the SingaporeUniversity Press Ptc. Ltd., HouseNo. 11, University of Singapore,Singapore 10.

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