MY CULTURAL SUITCASE : aNIME, FOOD, and FAITH across Trinidad & japan Justin Forde - BILLY PSYC-490: CROSS-CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY fALL 2025 DR.

MY CULTURAL SUITCASE : aNIME, FOOD, and FAITH across Trinidad & japan Justin Forde - BILLY PSYC-490: CROSS-CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY fALL 2025 DR. PERI YUKSEL

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TEXTBOOK CONCEPT CONNECTION : Cultural NARRATIVES (SHIRAEV & LEVY, CH.1)

DESTINATION : TRINIDAD TO JAPAN

Cultural narratives

• TRINIDAD: RESILIENCE, JOY, COMMUNITY

• JAPAN : HARMONY, PERSERVERANCE, RESPECT

Textbook Concept (CH.1)Cultural Narratives are shared stories that define values, identity, and worldview. They can vary greatly across societies.

section: MY FAMILY IS FROM Trinidad

INDIVIDUALISM IN TRINIDAD

FAMILY = LOVE

TEXTBOOK CONCEPT (CH.1): INDIVIDUALISM values personal independence and achievement.

1. FAMILY = INDEPENDENCE + LOVE 2. STORY: GATHERINGS CELEBRATE INDIVIDUALITY 3. INDIVIDUALISM (CH.1)

Families In Japan

1. Family = Harmony & Duty 2. Respect For Elders 3. Collectivism (CH.1)

Textbook Concept: (CH.1)Collectivism emphasizes group harmony, duty, and social order.

ANIME IN TRINIDAD = IDENTITY EXPRESSION.

Anime In Trinidad

TEXTBOOK CONCEPT : (CH.1-2)

• Culture Symbols can be Universal but locally reinterpreted.

• Anime = Identity expression

• STORY: Anime Caribe Festival Cosplay

• Fandom Builds Community
• Cultural Narratives & Universals (CH.1 - 2)

TEXTBOOK CONCEPT : (CH.1-2)

• Culture Symbols can be Universal but locally reinterpreted.
• Cultural Narratives spread but are reinterpreted locally

ANIME IN JAPAN

Textbook Concepts (CH. 3)Ethnography & Cultural Relativism help us study how meaning shifts across cultures.

1. Anime Reflects Japanese Myths & History. 2. Themes: Horror, Harmony & Preserverance. 3. Viewed as cultural storytelling.

WE MUST STUDY ANIME IN ITS OWN CULTURAL CONTEXT, NOT JUST FROM OUR OUTSIDER VIEW

ANIME IN JAPAN = CULTURAL STORYTELLING; TIED TO TRADITION

FAITH IN TRINIDAD

• FAITH = Core Identity
• Story: Church/ Temples Gatherings Unite Community
• Enculturation (CH.4)

FAITH IN JAPAN

1. TORII GATE = Sacred Space2. Blends Shinto & Buddhism 3. Cultural Relativism (CH.3)

MY CULTURAL SUITCASE JOURNEY

Through the Suitcase, I learned my items mean different things abroad. Anime, Family, and Faith are central in Trinidad but are seen differently in Japan. Using Metacognition, I reflected on my own assumptions and reduced bias.

• Meanings Shift across cultures
• Growth Through Self-Reflection
• Growth: Empathy + Self- Awareness
• Metacognition (CH.2)

MY CULTURE SUITCASE PEER Q'S & REF.

PEER QUESTION:

• "Do cultural objects like anime, food, or fairth symbols change meaning when carried into another culture?"

REFERENCE:

• Shiraev, E. B., & Levy, D. A. (2021). Cross-Cultural Psychology: Critical Thinking and Contemporary Applications (7th ed.). Routledge.

• Adichie, C. N. (2009). The danger of a single story [Video]. TED.

• Lotto, B. (2012). Optical illusions show how we see [Video]. TED.