Cross-Cultural Interactions and Cultural Change

A new educational institute known as international institute of management (IIM)  was started last year in a tribal region of Lohiana State. People living in this tribal area never wore upper garments such as shirts nor they were used to wear chappals. Students of IIM belonged to distant urban areas where they followed western way of dressing. During the evenings students wandered around tribal areas and enjoyed the wonderful sights of nature including small jungles, various types of birds and animals. They were also fascinated by the natural water streams and wonderful weather of that area. Above all they were attracted by simplicity and hearty love which they could observe in tribal population.  

Gradually a small town developed around this institute. There were two coffee shops, one restaurant, two stationery shops and one crockery. Students of IIM included major chunk of customers or these shops. Students had sound economic background and being from affluent families they had a lavish life. Day by day the market developed. Two new big shops, one with readymade clothes and textiles and another with bags,shoes and chappals were inaugurated with great pomp and advertisements. 

Gradually tribal population also depended this market for their daily necessities. 

Now the tribal population living around the institute had been accustomed with the culture of students living in the campus. Some tribal people got elementary education through free programmes conducted by the institute. Some tribal students started to wear chappals and shirts imitating the fashion of IIM students. 

Managers of textiles and chappals who got management education from modern institutions in urban areas were very much cunning. They offered 80 percentage off on normal chappals and garments. Many of tribal population bought garments and chappals because they perceived it as part of the culture educated and high status people such as inmates of IIM. Therefore  they considered it as a novel and good attribute to their culture.

The above mentioned story is a simple example for cross-cultural interaction. It explains how culture of particular community receives changes through interaction with the people who belong to another distinct culture.