Bienvenue! Welcome back! Last time, I wrote about my internship experience in Marseille, France. In this blog I will highlight Marseille’s unique culture by discussing their social norms, cultural centers and artifacts, and of course, the food. Allons-y!
Social Norms
Marseille - and France in general - has some cultural norms that are vastly different from those of the U.S. A cultural norm by definition is an unspoken rule that specifies the correct behavior in a certain situation, depending on the culture (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 180).
For example, a cultural norm of France that almost everyone has heard of is kissing - when greeting a friend, it is expected that the pair gives each other a kiss on each cheek. Another cultural norm is eye contact. Eye contact holds very different meanings in different cultures, and in France, making eye contact with a stranger of the opposite sex is considered extremely flirtatious. I learned this too late and, after making accidental eye contact with a random man, was followed miles home on the bus and harassed for being a “tease.” That is a prime example of why it is important to learn the cultural norms of a country before you travel.
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| Bisous! Stephen Colbert demonstrates the French cultural greeting. Source: http://www.primogif.com/tag/cheek%20kiss |
Cultural Centers and Artifacts
Marseille is home to 24 museums and 42 cultural theaters, including the world-famous Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée (MuCEM), which celebrates the history of Mediterranean cultures in Europe (Les musées de Marseille, n.d.). Visiting these cultural centers was not only a way for me to acculturate into the culture of Marseille (learn about a culture other than my own), but also for native French citizens to enculturate (learn about their native culture) with their history and norms (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 190). Here are some of my favorite exhibits from MuCEM and other cultural establishments that are important in Marseille:
Marseille is home to 24 museums and 42 cultural theaters, including the world-famous Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée (MuCEM), which celebrates the history of Mediterranean cultures in Europe (Les musées de Marseille, n.d.). Visiting these cultural centers was not only a way for me to acculturate into the culture of Marseille (learn about a culture other than my own), but also for native French citizens to enculturate (learn about their native culture) with their history and norms (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 190). Here are some of my favorite exhibits from MuCEM and other cultural establishments that are important in Marseille:
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| These giant, elaborate costumes are used when celebrating Carnival. Carnival costumes are supposed to represent the deepest elements of the self, requiring deep self-reflection. Info Source: the MuCEM exhibit |
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| Another type of Carnival costume is the Masquerade mask. Historically, people in this region wore scary masks to "scare away" winter and promote a good spring harvest. Now, the masks are used to represent the self. Each year, a person should add another element to their mask to represent how they have changed in the last year. Info Source: the MuCEM exhibit |
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| This exhibit on social protests highlights just how crucial protesting is to ensure proper treatment in France. Like in the States, protesting is a large part of the culture. |
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| France is a Christian nation at its core, and giant Cathedrals like this world-famous Notre Dame de la Garde, which stands atop a hill overlooking the city, are a constant reminder of that part of the culture. |
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| The interior of Notre Dame de la Garde. |
When people imagine French food, they typically think of crepes, baguettes, cheese, croissants, and other pastries. Marseille has these staples, but this coastal city takes pride in their unique seafood and Provencal offerings. My favorite meal in France was a buffet of locally-caught seafood. None of the options were labelled so I honestly did not know what I was eating, but all the fish had flavors unlike I had ever tasted. I of course also tried Marseille’s specialty soup, bouillabaisse, which is literally just a soup of as much seafood as they can stuff into the pot. Additionally, because the city is part of Providence, I ate plenty of olive dishes and Herbes de Provence. The olive oil in Marseille was the best I have ever had, and the Tapenade - a popular olive spread - was always fresh and homemade.
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| Tapenade! Source: http://frenchcountryfood.com/recipes/entrees/tapenade.html |
Finally, despite all the city’s specialties, the effects of glocalization on food were visible in Marseille. Glocalization refers to when a global company or idea is implemented to reflect local needs and values (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 199). For example, the two McDonald’s restaurants in the city center were an obvious symbol of globalization, but the menus were different than the U.S., featuring many more salad, chicken, and fish options for the health-conscious French consumer as well as French pastries and macaroons in the McCafe. These options make McDonald’s a popular fast-food option in France, and I loved it even more than in the U.S.!
The most important thing I noticed about French culture is that, compared to the U.S. and even Paris, the Core Societal Values of Marseille were quite different. CSVs are the agreed-upon values and ways of living in a society, and have many dimensions (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 183). Marseille, from my experience, has a low masculinity score, as they value community rather than control; a low uncertainty avoidance score because, in a city of growing businesses and wild water sports, almost nothing is routine and risk-less; and finally, a high indulgence score, as the entire culture is extraverted, relaxed, and everyone takes Thursday afternoons off of work to go to the beach and avoid stress (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 183). I feel that the United States tend to be much more rigid, hurried, and risk-averse. This dramatic change of Core Societal Values was one of the reasons why I fell in love with Marseille, and I hope that someday you all have that chance, too!
The most important thing I noticed about French culture is that, compared to the U.S. and even Paris, the Core Societal Values of Marseille were quite different. CSVs are the agreed-upon values and ways of living in a society, and have many dimensions (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 183). Marseille, from my experience, has a low masculinity score, as they value community rather than control; a low uncertainty avoidance score because, in a city of growing businesses and wild water sports, almost nothing is routine and risk-less; and finally, a high indulgence score, as the entire culture is extraverted, relaxed, and everyone takes Thursday afternoons off of work to go to the beach and avoid stress (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 183). I feel that the United States tend to be much more rigid, hurried, and risk-averse. This dramatic change of Core Societal Values was one of the reasons why I fell in love with Marseille, and I hope that someday you all have that chance, too!
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| The people in Marseille believe in a healthy work/life balance, so on Thursday afternoons, every business shuts down and everyone goes to the beach! This is a part of the culture that I wish the U.S. would adopt... |
Au Revoir, mes amis - see you next time when I give you recommendations for touring this beautiful city yourself!
References:
Babin, B. J., & Harris, E. G. (2016). CB7. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Les musées de Marseille | Ville de Marseille. (n.d.). Retrieved March 08, 2017, from
http://culture.marseille.fr/les-musees-de-marseille
Primo GIF. (n.d.). Retrieved March 08, 2017, from
http://www.primogif.com/tag/cheek%20kiss
Tapenade. (2013). Retrieved March 08, 2017, from
http://frenchcountryfood.com/recipes/entrees/tapenade.html
*All other photos are my own!
Salut Kendra,
ReplyDeleteDU coup, je me pose la question de savoir si je fais mon commentaire en anglais ou en français pour pouvoir embêter les TA. :-)
I was so amazed when I see your Blog Title, a blog about Marseille !
Even if I am a little disappointed that in you two articles you did not mentioned once the Great and only Olympique de Marseille and the Velodrome Stadium, I loved reading your article. I'm not from Marseille, I lived for 21 years in Paris and 3 years in Bordeaux where I did my MBA in Kedge Bordeaux (the other campus as you are well aware). But Marseille is my heart's city and I understand perfectly why you loved so much this city. When I saw the image of the Tapenade my tongue shuddered. I loved the eye contact story too, so true by the way.
Marseille is very famous in France for being the most cosmopolitan city in France, and maybe in Western Europe, the concept of acculturation(Babin,2016) as you mentioned is very serious there, and as you may also know, the debate about integration is kind of hot in France but also in the rest of Western Europe.
However, I don't know if you saw that, but all those barriers disseapered in Marseille when you talk about Football (I will not say "Soccer", I'm sorry :-)). Football in Marseille is more than a religion, it is a lifestyle (Babin,2016), you cannot avoid it or not being part of it.
I could comment about every line of you article, especially the Food, the Calanques and the two kisses tradition. I know I'm not unbiased about the subject but I loved how you talk about Marseille and you really seem to appreciate the city. My next advice (excepting making an article about the Olympique de Marseille), would be to encourage you to visit Bordeaux, my second favorite city in France, you would love it for sure and maybe even more than Marseille.
I can't wait for your next article now :)
This post was slightly dangerous to read right before lunch time. It definitely made me hungry, especially that picture of Tapenade! I have a weakness for good olive oil and bread. Even the McDonald’s offerings sounded good to me. I agree that McDonald’s is a company that really has mastered glocalization. When I lived in South Korea, they also catered their menu to local tastes. For example, on all of their burgers, they added a special spicy sauce as this was something that Koreans were used to.
ReplyDeleteI also found it interesting to learn about proper etiquette for greeting friends and strangers. I had no idea that direct eye contact had a very flirtatious connotation. In Marseilles, it is a form of nonverbal communication to convey interest, while in the United States it does not have a deeper meaning (Babin, 2016, p.195). I definitely would have been caught off guard by that experience, but I am sure it is something that happens once and you learn pretty quickly what to avoid doing.
Babin, B., & Harris, E. (2016). CB 7 (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Really insight blogpost, Kendra. I appreciate your advice on cultural norms. I am sorry that that man followed you and harassed you. I naturally make a lot of eye contact and smile at strangers here in the United States, so if I visited France I would have to refrain from doing that. It makes me really think and reflect on how I should prepare for my Vietnam trip. I will be visiting Vietnam this summer, and though my parents are Vietnamese, they moved here almost 20 years ago. There may new cultural norms now that were not there before. I should study modern cultural norms before I arrive, and also talk to my parents about the traditional cultural norms (Babin, 2016, p.180). I think there are also different role expectations for women sometimes, especially when greeting others, in a lot of countries (Babin, 2016, p.180). At least for in Vietnam, women role expectations are that they serve the guests, are polite, and are quiet and soft spoken. I know that I am loud and talkative, so I will be studying more cultural norms before I visit Vietnam now, thanks!
ReplyDeleteBabin, B., & Harris, E. (2016). CB 7 (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.