Foreign to Familiar: A Quick Guide to Hot and Cold Cultures
Trevin Wax Blog | May 23, 2012
Sarah Lanier's Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot - And Cold - Climate Cultures (McDougal Publishing, 2000) is a helpful little book for anyone involved in cross-cultural ministry. A seasoned missionary, Lanier recounts many stories that help provide insight into the reasons why people react in distinct ways in different cultures. The book describes some of the differences between what Lanier calls "hot-climate" and "cold-climate" cultures.Here is an example: cold-climate cultures are task driven while warm-climate cultures are relationship driven. We in the West tend to think about getting something done and getting it done on time. Those in warm climate cultures consider the entire event.
- In some places it is offensive to arrive to dinner on time (because it makes it seem like you are only arriving for the task and not the relationship).
- In other places it is offensive to arrive to dinner late (because it makes you seem like you are not respecting the other person's time.)
Lanier also shows how the type of communication differs from culture to culture. After all, in a hot-climate culture, communication takes place indirectly. It seeks to maintain the atmosphere of friendship, whatever the cost.
The only weakness of Foreign to Familiar is also its strength. The strength of the book is its brevity and immediate accessibility. But in the interest of brevity, Laner makes major generalizations, and therein lies its only weakness.
Still, as an introduction to understanding the differences between different kinds of culture, Foreign to Familiar is terrific. Pick it up and start learning how to navigate the murky waters of contextualization!
- first published in October 2008
Steve, Winnipeg, Canada
May 23, 2012 at 11:48 AM
Oversimplified? General? Simplistic? Yes, this book is all three.
But it is a fantastic starting place for understanding other cultures. This book is so easy to read which is important for non-academic Church folk. Even though it is so general it can initiate someone into thinking about other cultures and contexts. Many people have not even begun to think about other cultures and this book can at least get them going.
This book was such a blessing to my congregation a few years ago when some were considering short term missions. Also, being such a multi-ethnic congregation, it helped us understand one another better.
A wise pastor could use this book as a great starting place for further discussions and observations.