Understanding Eastern Cultures

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A free, practical textbook on understanding Eastern cultures: collectivism, face, high-context communication, hierarchy, family, religion, and doing business and building relationships across the East-West divide.

Front Matter

1. Introduction: The Other Side of the Bridge

Part I: Part I — The Cultural Lens

1. Part I — The Cultural Lens
2. Chapter 1 — You Have a Culture Too: Why 'Normal' Is Just What You Grew Up With
3. Chapter 2 — The Collectivist Operating System: Why 'We' Comes Before 'I'
4. Chapter 3 — Face: The Concept That Explains Almost Everything
5. Chapter 4 — High-Context Communication: How to Hear What Isn't Said
6. Chapter 5 — The Geography of Thought: Holistic Minds, Cyclical Time, and the Long View

Part II: Part II — Shared Patterns

1. Part II — Shared Patterns
2. Chapter 6 — Hierarchy and Respect: Age, Seniority, and Your Place in the Order
3. Chapter 7 — Family: The Institution That Structures Everything
4. Chapter 8 — Communication Without Words: Silence, Space, Gesture, and the Body
5. Chapter 9 — Food Culture: Why Meals Are Never Just About Eating
6. Chapter 10 — Gift-Giving: Reciprocity and the Minefield of Meaning
7. Chapter 11 — Religion and Philosophy: The Invisible Architecture of Daily Life
8. Chapter 12 — Harmony and Conflict: Saving Face When Things Go Wrong
9. Chapter 13 — Taboos and Sensitivities: The Things Nobody Will Tell You You're Doing

Part III: Part III — Business Across Cultures

1. Part III — Business Across Cultures
2. Chapter 14 — Relationship Before Transaction: Why the Deal Starts Before the Contract
3. Chapter 15 — Meetings and Negotiations: The Decision Made Before You Arrived
4. Chapter 16 — Contracts and Trust: What 'Yes' Really Means
5. Chapter 17 — Managing and Being Managed: Leadership That Translates
6. Chapter 18 — Communication in International Teams: Email, Video, and the Timezone Tightrope
7. Chapter 19 — Hiring, Retention, and Career Development Across Cultures
8. Chapter 20 — Gifts or Bribes? Navigating the Line Between Relationship and Corruption
9. Chapter 21 — Entertaining and Hosting: The Real Negotiation Happens at the Table

Part IV: Part IV — Social and Personal Life

1. Part IV — Social and Personal Life
2. Chapter 22 — Friendship Across Cultures: Slow to Form, Hard to Break
3. Chapter 23 — Romance and Marriage: When the Family Marries Too
4. Chapter 24 — Children and Education
5. Chapter 25 — Holidays and Festivals: The Days the Whole System Comes Into View
6. Chapter 26 — Visiting Eastern Countries: The Etiquette of Being a Guest

Part V: Part V — Culture-Specific Deep Dives

1. Part V — Culture-Specific Deep Dives
2. Chapter 27 — China: The Middle Kingdom
3. Chapter 28 — Japan: Harmony, Craft, and the Art of Unspoken Understanding
4. Chapter 29 — Korea: Rapid Modernity, Deep Tradition
5. Chapter 30 — India: The Billion-Person Democracy of Infinite Diversity
6. Chapter 31 — Beyond India: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal
7. Chapter 32 — Mainland Southeast Asia: Thailand, Vietnam, and Their Neighbors
8. Chapter 33 — Maritime Southeast Asia: The Archipelago of Islands, Faiths, and Faces
9. Chapter 34 — The Arab World: One Language, Twenty-Two Countries, a Thousand Differences
10. Chapter 35 — Persia and Anatolia: Iran and Turkey

Part VI: Part VI — The Future of East-West Relations

1. Part VI — The Future of East-West Relations
2. Chapter 36 — The Shrinking World: The Third-Culture Generation and the Moving Target
3. Chapter 37 — The Eastern Century?
4. Chapter 38 — Stereotypes, Orientalism, and the Traps
5. Chapter 39 — Common Ground: What the Whole Human Family Shares
6. Chapter 40 — Becoming Culturally Intelligent

Appendices

1. Appendix A — Cultural Frameworks Reference
2. Appendix B — Country Quick-Reference
3. Appendix C — Religious and Festival Calendar
4. Appendix D — Dining and Etiquette Reference
5. Appendix E — Gift-Giving and Taboos Reference
6. Appendix F — Greetings and Gestures Reference
7. Appendix G — Language Phrasebook
8. Appendix H — Business Scripts
9. Appendix I — The Cultural Intelligence Portfolio
10. Appendix J — Resource Directory
11. Answers to Selected Exercises
12. Glossary of Cultural Terms
13. Bibliography
14. Index

Understanding Eastern Cultures

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