Dear Jinan,
The fact that we have this discussion here, shows that there are still
other ways of thinking among people from those cultures. The term
modernization is not exactly the same as Westernization. In most cases new
economic powers can be classified as local modernities.
Research about cultural differences and their effect on technology-people
relationships was my main interest for many years. There are evidences that
show people have clear differences, when they want to use the same
technology around the world. In addition, the same user research methods
are not promising in all cultures. For example, I remember a usability
evaluation method, specially designed for India which was called
as Bollywood Method by Apala Lahiri Chavan.
Another example: The "Kilts" concept which was among the Stefen's examples
can not be seen similarly in all cultures. In some cultures it represents
something that breaks the male norms, in some other cultures it may be seen
as an extension of existing norms for men. Just imagine that you want to
use it Saudi Arabia. The meaning can be quite different.
However, I would like to add that, these differences are quite fuzzy. It is
not easy to draw clear lines and borders between for example, Western and
Non-western cultures, or even male, female objects. But all of us know
that, these are some general terms that we need to use, just to convey our
ideas.
I think we should keep in mind that, countries like China and India which
play important roles in the world economy, have been civilizations with
their own philosophies and values for thousands of years. It is hard to
believe that they do not get anything form their past, and the whole
heritage is easily cleaned by the modern education.
Thanks for giving a new direction to this discussion,
Regards,
Bijan
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