Clash!: How to Thrive in a Multicultural World

Nothing like what I had assumed. A little too much for "best seller" book category, I would have preferred more analysis rather than more experiments.

It's refreshing that Clash! goes beyond the conventional notions of nationality and language, to a broader definition of "Culture" that includes and examines our personal histories of race, class, gender and even what sector we work in. While the authors' framework, that all of us have independent and interdependent parts of our selves, is seemingly simple, they provide a well-presented and very readable account of the background research to make the framework much more useful, relevant and applicable.The book resonates with my personal experience as an American living and working extensively in Asia. Travel has been a great way for me to stretch out of my comfort zone and reflect on the cultural forces that make me who I am. Today, as globalization so rapidly makes Anytown look like EveryOtherTown with the same stores, clothing, fast food, movies...it's easy to feel like our differences are getting erased. The main message of Clash!, above all others, is that while we may come to outwardly appear similar to each other, driving the same cars, wearing the same clothes, and sharing the same workplaces, we need to remember how we all got here. And our experience of "being here", our goals and our aspirations, are not necessarily the same just because we assume they are.Reading the latest headlines, the world seems to be heading in two opposing directions simultaneously. One is the march toward sameness; the other is the thunderous clash of differences and inequality. No matter where you stand and which of these roads you think you're headed, it's important to remember that our differences and diversity could be our greatest asset in meeting the challenges along the way. Clash! is a call to re-examine our selves, engage in more open and reasoned dialog with those around us, and hopefully turn the bug of diversity into a shining feature.

A comprehensive discussion of cultural clashes. Backed by research yet easy to read.

The title is misleading. By and large, the book does not offer useful concepts or skills to thrive across the world. Only two chapters are about foreign cultures; the bulk of the book draws the contours to some of the most contentious, politically laden debates about multiculturalism in America. It also offers progressive policy prescriptions (e.g., affirmative action), while giving short shrift to the numerous other alternative explanations or policies.The above isn't by itself bad for what it is (if that's what you want), but it's not what you'd expect from the book given its title and the claims it makes on the back cover.The book also adopts some questionable assumptions and oversimplifications. First, the authors divide each topic (each chapter) into a dichotomy (East vs. West, men vs. women, etc.). Sometimes that works, but sometimes it feels artificial. For example, it divides the whole world into East and West, and then relegates the middle east and Africa to "in between" East and West. Further, when contrasting the West with the East, they're really only talking about East Asia (Japan, China, Korea). Then why not just say "East Asia"? Broad generalizations don't sound as cool when they're more limited; the authors chose boldness and simplicity over nuance.Second, throughout the book, the authors propose that each side of the dichotomy should be understood only as either "independent" or "interdependent", while those words mean different things for each dichotomy. The conflicts in America, they say, can only be resolved by better balancing the two, often by embracing more interdependence, which (again) implies different things for different issues. While this simple framework offers a snappy argument to tie together disparate topics in multiculturalism, it all felt rather forced, cumbersome, and distracting.In all, the book can help you understand some issues about multiculturalism in America from a progressive perspective. However, if you're looking for cross-cultural skills and enlightening concepts, I recommend instead The Culture Map by Erin Meyer.

I read Clash! because I was interested in understanding societies around the world. What I discovered, though, was a useful framework for understanding my culture clashes closer to home. The distinction they draw between independent and interdependent styles not only explains differences in global cultures (this is one of the chief aims of the book), but also helped me understand what I wanted from my personal and work relationships, too.Clash! also provides a clear and simple explanation of how to change cultures. The authors describe culture as a cycle involving individuals, interactions, institutions, and ideas. Explained through real world examples, this powerful framework provides a toolkit for making cultural changes--tools I think are important for a vast range of applications--from activists hoping to effect positive change and political wonks driving party agendas, to business leaders creating healthy company cultures and individuals hoping to get more from their relationships with friends, business partners, and loved ones.Clash! is an important book with wide applications, and it's on my list of "must reads".