Communicating With Lebanon

Hofstede's value dimensions are the method that will be used throughout this paper to evaluate Lebanese culture. For instance, Lebanon is definitely more of a collective culture than it is an individualistic culture. Family is extremely important to the Lebanese and quite often businesses are family owned and operated (Gail 435). Therefore, Lebanese families may not just be family but also business associates, which would explain to one who does not know of their customs to an extent how they meet their financial needs. Another aspect of Lebanese families, as it is anywhere else, are children and how they are raised. Lebanese families who live in urban areas tend to have fewer children than those living in rural areas, but regardless of where they are raised the children are very disciplined and also taught to respect their elders (CultureGrams). Having appreciation for one's elders in any culture not only shows common courtesy, but it also pays homage to the past and keeps traditions alive. This is why it is important and should be remembered by everybody everywhere.

There is also a collective impact in Lebanese culture among those who belong to any one of Lebanon's seventeen religious groups (WorldAtlas). There are eleven Christian sects, 5 Muslim sects, and the rest are Jewish (WorldAtlas). The Christians celebrate holidays the way most other Christians do, and the Muslims recognize their holidays the way that other Muslims around the world do as well. In Lebanon the government keeps a record of every citizen's religion and also no Lebanese citizen is allowed to be religiously unaffiliated (Gail 435). This further exemplifies the collective dynamic in Lebanon because one cannot live there and not have ties to a specific faith. Religion in Lebanon goes beyond being just religion because it is a way that government can classify its citizens.

Lebanon is more of a masculine dominated culture as opposed to being a feminine culture. The father is considered to be the head of the family and in many instances when the mother has to work outside of the home it is because of a need of additional income and not her by choice (CultureGrams). This reveals the male need within Lebanese culture to be the sole provider for his family. It also reveals reluctance among the women within the culture to not be provided for in the family situation. Another example of Lebanon's being more of a masculine culture is the ages of men and women when they marry. Most Lebanese men do not marry until they are in their late 20's or early 30's, while most Lebanese women marry in their early 20's (CultureGrams). This gives the man time to acquire the financial security that is needed to support a family (CultureGrams). This further demonstrates how Lebanese women are less concerned with things like their own individual education and financial security. This is not a criticism in any way of the Lebanese culture and how they do things. Who is anyone to judge another culture, especially if they have never actually been a part of it?

The last area that of Hofstede's value dimensions that will be used in examining Lebanese culture is uncertainty avoidance. Lebanon tends to be more of a high uncertainty avoidance culture as opposed to a low uncertainty avoidance culture. About 480,000 people who currently reside in Lebanon are either stateless people refugees or Palestinian refugees which means that they do not have the legal rights of the rest of the Lebanese population (CountryWatch). This displays the boundaries that have in the past and still do exist between the different religious groups Lebanon. Muslims currently make up almost 70% of the Lebanese population, and yet it is the Christians who are there that have had great wealth and government authority (CountryWatch). There was a Civil War which occurred in Lebanon from 1975 to 1990, which is probably one of the ways that many people within the United States came to know anything about the country. Yet just last summer there was a war between Lebanon and Israel, which fortunately only lasted about a month. Unfortunately within that month the war managed to displace hundred of thousands of both Israelis and Lebanese (Amnesty International).

Interestingly the Lebanese Civil War, which as was previously stated took place from 1975 to 1990, became a taboo subject amongst those who were trying reorganize the authority of the government. Though this war was Lebanon's Civil War and it lasted for 15 years destroying countless lives, when the government did retool itself did it did not set aside a memorial day, and any time that any citizen formed organizations or have attempted to raise any related questions to the war they are met with their government's avoidance of the issue (Barak). Obviously these officials are afraid and they would rather just forget and move on. These reactions could be described as being of high uncertainty avoidance. They are afraid because they are uncertain of what the results may be if the war is remembered again in such a public manner and the possibility that it may stir up some bitterness in some people (Barak). But that is foolish because you can't judge what people might do if you do not know what they will actually do, the same way that it is next to impossible within any culture to avoid uncertainty.

In researching this paper, it was often difficult to limit myself to merely the formalities of Lebanese culture. Though it may not appear this way within this paper, I really tried to learn all that I could about the country itself and its past and present. Because of this, I was often distracted by details which really were of no use in writing this paper. That is why I am presenting this paper that seems somewhat thin and falls short in many ways. I wish that I could have had more time to work on this because I really did enjoy reading about Lebanon and I intend to continue on my own after this course is complete. For what it is worth, I am glad that I did not switch topics because this topic really challenges me and also really interests me, and that is really great because it doesn't always happen that way.

Works Cited

Barak, Oren. "'Don't Mention the War?' The Politics of Remembrance and Forgetfulness in Postwar Lebanon." The Middle East Journal. 61.1 (2007): p49 (22). GALE Group Expanded Academic ASAP. Learning Resource Center, County College of Morris, Randolph, NJ. 27 April 2007. http://galenet.galegroup.com

"Israel/Lebanon Under Fire: Hizbullah's Attacks on Northern Israel." Amnesty International. 2 Feb. 2006.

http://web.amnesty.org/library

Kurdin, George Thomas. "Lebanon." Encyclopedia of the World's Nations. New York: Facts on

File, Inc., 2002 (Updated 2006). Facts on File, Inc. WorldAtlas. http://skynet.ccm.edu:2070/Subscription/Atlas/default.asp?SID=3&Pin=M0019808&AtlasType=Ethnic&PeopleType=Ethnic&InputText=&SearchType=access date 4/27/07

"Lebanese." Worldmarks Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life: Asia and Oceania. Ed. Timothy

L. Gail. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1998.

"Lebanon." CultureGrams World Edition. 2007. Proquest CSA. 29 April 2007.

http://skynet.ccm.edu:2068/world/openpdf.php?filename=Lebanon access date 5/2/07

Youngblood-Coleman, Denise, Editor. Country Review: Lebanon. 2007. Houston, Texas: Country Watch Publications, 2007. Country Review: Lebanon. Online. http://skynet.ccm.edu:2065/cw_topic.aspx?type=text & country=97 & topic=CLPEO