The Belgian Co-Cultural Analysis

The Belgian culture consists of several co-cultures, one of them being the Flemish co-culture. Co-cultures are very similar to a dominant culture, yet there are some significant differences which cause the co-culture to exhibit different values, communication behaviours and beliefs (Samovar, Porter, & McDaniel, Co-Cultures, 2013). The most significant difference is the linguistic diversity in Belgium. The country consists of three linguistic regions, Flanders being one of them. As language carries out a cohesive function, the linguistic regions in Belgium can all be perceived as co-cultures. Samovor et al. (2013) stated, “A shared vocabulary enables a group to record and preserve past events, albeit often with a selective interpretation.” (Samovar,

They have presented five criteria to which every culture is exposed to and has to deal with; the most relevant ones to the Flemish culture will be presented in this essay. The first principle covers the human nature of a culture. According to Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck, a culture can either perceive the humankind as generally good, good and evil or evil (Samovar, Porter, & McDaniel, Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck 's Value Orientations, 2013). The Flemish culture sees the humankind as generally “good”. Flemish people, but also Belgians in general, are very rationalistic. They strongly believe that reason outweighs experience. Therefore, they are convinced that people are generally good until the opposite is proven. Flemings tend to give the benefit of the doubt and believe that everybody deserves a chance. During a conversation, all parties will be given the opportunity to have their say on the subject, which is a reflection of equality, another important Flemish value. Also when criminals go to prison for example, the Flemish government does not keep them locked for the sake of keeping them away from society. Instead, they try to rehabilitate them in order for them to join society again in the

Flemings avoid uncertainty and confusion when it comes to their future, but this value also comes forward in their daily conversations and overall communicative behaviour. This makes the Flemish culture a low-context culture. Contrary to high context cultures, which implement meaning in their status, background and affiliations (Samovar, Porter, & McDaniel, Hall 's High-Context and Low-Context Orientations, 2013), Flemings most of the time say what they have to say in order to avoid confusion. They won’t implement vague underlying messages in their sentences. Instead, they are very assertive and not afraid to say what is on their mind. This characteristic of the Flemish culture is clearly visible during group discussions or business meetings. People won’t hold back when they disagree with a certain idea. Sharing your opinion is much more appreciated than not sharing your opinion at all. Participants in the discussion won’t feel offended if someone disagrees with their view on a certain subject, which causes the interpersonal harmony to remain