by Camila Flores Copetti
Culture is how we perceive ourselves and our group’s identity in contrast to others. Since we are not able to say that a culture is better than another – because this kind of comparison is not valid in an anthropological point of view – it is valid to say that we can learn about being better people by looking at the examples of different cultures. Besides that, the chance to talk to foreigners is good to understand how stereotypes about Brazil can be related to real and unreal facts.
In the Brazil in the eyes of the other project I had the opportunity, along with my group, to understand how foreign students at UFRGS see us in general. We interviewed most Chinese students who were here for about two or three months, and some of them were living with Brazilians, while others were living with exchange students. The ones who lived with Brazilians seemed to know more about the young adult life in Brazil in contrast to the young adult life in China: they told us some interesting things about the relationship between men and women. They said that men in China are shyer than men in Brazil, and they perceive that on the streets of Porto Alegre, where men stare at women a lot. This made me think about what gives Brazilian men the comfort to do it and what we could learn form the Chinese culture to change this behavior.
Somehow, some stereotypes about Brazil shape our identity for when we meet foreigners: if we have the stereotype of being welcoming, we may act in a welcoming manner, because that is what we are expected to be and because we like to be called welcoming. But, in a talk with Chinese girls, I realized that this stereotype is only true when Brazilians welcome white and rich foreigners. This really shocked me because I had never realized it that way, and that is true. This also showed me how the way we think our identity is controversial.
Culture is how we perceive ourselves and our group’s identity in contrast to others. Since we are not able to say that a culture is better than another – because this kind of comparison is not valid in an anthropological point of view – it is valid to say that we can learn about being better people by looking at the examples of different cultures. Besides that, the chance to talk to foreigners is good to understand how stereotypes about Brazil can be related to real and unreal facts.
In the Brazil in the eyes of the other project I had the opportunity, along with my group, to understand how foreign students at UFRGS see us in general. We interviewed most Chinese students who were here for about two or three months, and some of them were living with Brazilians, while others were living with exchange students. The ones who lived with Brazilians seemed to know more about the young adult life in Brazil in contrast to the young adult life in China: they told us some interesting things about the relationship between men and women. They said that men in China are shyer than men in Brazil, and they perceive that on the streets of Porto Alegre, where men stare at women a lot. This made me think about what gives Brazilian men the comfort to do it and what we could learn form the Chinese culture to change this behavior.
Somehow, some stereotypes about Brazil shape our identity for when we meet foreigners: if we have the stereotype of being welcoming, we may act in a welcoming manner, because that is what we are expected to be and because we like to be called welcoming. But, in a talk with Chinese girls, I realized that this stereotype is only true when Brazilians welcome white and rich foreigners. This really shocked me because I had never realized it that way, and that is true. This also showed me how the way we think our identity is controversial.