PSY/450 Diversity and Cultural
Factors in Psychology
Thanks to several films based on the 1944 novel, Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret
Landon, the most popular of which was the 1956 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical,
The King and I staring Yul Brynner
and Deborah Kerr, many Americans became aware of the ethnic conflicts between
Burma and its surrounding territories. In a country where the King has final say in
everything, a governess tries to bring about desired changes in a nation while
subtly advocating for basic human rights.
In one scene the king refuses to fulfill the promise of a home outside
the palace wall at which Anna, the royal children’s teacher, played by Kerr replies
“…I cannot stay in a country where a
promise has no meaning… A land where
there is talk of honor and a wish for Siam to take its place among the modern
nations of the world, where there is talk of great changes, but where everything
still remains according to the wishes of the king.”
In real life, as portrayed in the movie, the English school
teacher and many of the nation’s immigrants and citizen’s struggle with the
cultural differences between life in Siam and the oppressive conflicts of the
nation’s surrounding it, such as that with Burma. Within the last decade Burma, now called
Myanmar, has become entangled in conflict with the Kachin’s in its northern
most territories. It is understandable for
there to be differences between ethnic groups but culturally there must be some
similarities, a type of conformity between the two cultures that can bring them
together, thus it is important to look at the social perceptions and cognitions
that affect the ability to resolve their conflicts.
Similarities and Differences Between the Burmese
and the Kachin Cultures
The
Burmese/Mynamar People
As the majority influence in the country the people are friendly,
kind-hearted, caring, and religious. Myanmar’s
relative isolation keeps it from many outside influences, thus the majority of
its people still wear traditional dress (e.g., sarongs, and turbans). Even though it may be isolated, the Burmese
Mynamar people are quite diverse as they are typically of mixed ethnicity
(BurmaMynamar, 2011). In addition there
are many religions throughout Mynamar, the country is predominantly Buddhist
with a smattering of Christian, Animist, Muslim, and Hindu faiths but for
governmental structure Buddhism is the preferred choice (BurmaMynamar,
2011). The Burmese government is also
the governing power within the country, making the laws and enforcing them with
political power.
The
Kachin People
According to the Free Kachin Campaign (n.d.) website “The Kachin
people have lived under the occupation of the Burmese government for 50 years,
but are not at all Burmese” (The Kachin People page). With a population of about 2.5 million, the
Kachin’s are considered a mountainous people, the majority of their land covers
“the South East corner of the Himalaya… [which] is the tallest peak
in SE Asia” and the people share in traditions of dress, dance, and festivity
while maintaining strong family bonds, not unlike the Burmese (Free Kachin Campaign,
n.d., The Kachin Land page). Furthermore,
the Kachin’s are but one of the eight national races within Mynamar but “the Burmese
Myanmar government further subdivides these eight groups into 67 subgroups”
(BurmaMynamar, 2011, para. 3). According
to Yang (2013), with the Associated Press, the “Kachin [people]… are
predominantly Christian in a majority Buddhist country” (para. 24).
The
Concept of Conformity
In 1861 Mongkut (1804-1868), the King of Siam (1851-1868), employed
an English governess, Anna Leonowens, to work with his children and wives as a
way to “change their attitudes and behaviors” that they might better be able to
conform to the new ideals of modern development (Encyclopaedia Britannica,
2014; Shiraev & Levy, 2011, p. 283).
However, it was “British colonial rule [that] introduced Western
elements of culture to Myanmar,” influencing its architecture, education
system, and introducing Christianity to its ethnic minorities (BurmaMynamar,
2011, para. 32). Originally, conformity
to the Myanmar’s provided the opportunity for social influence; the ability to
exercise their power. To some extent
this is still the case. However, to the
Kachin’s conformity is imposed as obedience, a way to avoid sanctions by simply
following the orders as given by “the central government and the military, which
rights groups say has orchestrated a campaign of discrimination, forced labor
and abuse against the Kachin and other groups for decades” (Yang, 2013, para.
25). Although religious, social, and
political conflict exists between both of these cultures extremists on either
side tend to accelerate their own adjenda keeping the conflict heightened.
The Relationship Between Social Perception
and Social Cognition
The processes through which the Burmese and the Kachin’s have come
to know and understand each other (i.e., social perception), has taken place through
their interactions over many centuries; their social cognitions, on
the-other-hand, are how they “interpret, remember, and then use [the]
information about the social world” around them on an active basis (Shiraev
& Levy, 2010, p. 276). Within the
social cognition processes cognitive dissonances (e.g., a difference in beliefs
or attitudes) creates a tendency to be closed-minded and even rigid towards
others, thus causing strife and conflict.
The Kachin’s and other ethnic minorities, according to Beech (2014), face
persistent religious discrimination because of their differing faith in a
majority Buddhist country (para. 7). As
part of a repressive military rule, a barrage of “forced labor, rape, and child
slavery” was perpetrated by Burman Mynamar officers against these minority
groups (Beech, 2013, para. 5). However, the
new Mynamar government, under the leadership of Thein Sein, is trying to take
steps to improve its national character; according to the U.S. Department of
State (2013),
“In November 2012, President Obama
pledged $170 million dollars of assistance over two years that will focus on
new and expanded collaboration in the following priority areas: democracy,
human rights, and rule of law; transparent governance; peace and
reconciliation; health; economic opportunity and food security” (para. 8).
Even though Sein has signed some 18 long-term
cease-fire agreements with minority groups throughout the region, even those
are questionable at times as distrust runs deep (Yang, 2013). There is also some opposing thought on why the
cease-fire is unattainable with the Kachin’s, meaning the Kachin Independence
Army (KIA) continue to “snip[e] at Burmese forces… to profit from a war
footing” (Beech, 2013, para. 8). But it
seems that both sides are fighting fiercely to maintain their strongholds
rather than openly approaching peace talks.
Social Perceptions Needed to Resolve the
Conflict
It would be unwise to say that all the countries difficulties
could be solved within the context of one essay; however, it is safe to say
that the social perceptions of both groups need to change to ensure peace
within this nation. A gateway to that
change is going to be communication, which will help to break down the negative
social perceptions that have been instilled within each culture about the
other. To accomplish the social
cognition of such a change in social perceptions the leaders of both the
Burmese and Kachin forces must come to the table in pursuit of a political
dialogue that involves issues such as human rights, including religious
freedom, humanitarian needs, and ethnic reconciliation as well as other
governance issues (U.S. Department of State, 2013). Not only must the agreements be accomplished
in a public fashion but the implementation of such agreements must be executed
in a cooperative manner.
Conclusion
Though these two ethnic groups may appear to be similar, their
social perceptions, political, and religious differences have created conflict
that has lasted for centuries. However,
it is possible to change the social cognition between these peoples so long as
there is an effort toward compliance from all groups, both majority and
minority alike. Communication will be
the key to ensuring cohesiveness for the desired changes and reconciliation to
this nation so that peace can be obtained and ultimately maintained. With improved social perceptions a cognitive
balance can be achieved thus allowing old attitudes to diminish and avoiding
cognitive dissonance. Change is
difficult for everyone but improving human rights is well worth the conflict to
pursue universal moral and civil freedoms.
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