Cross- cultural Communication This page intentionally left blank

Cultural fault lines
In The Clash of Civilizations (1993), Huntingdon emphasizes that the differ-
ences between civilizations and cultures are at their most extreme on the 
‘cultural fault lines’: ‘The most important conflicts of the future will occur 
along the cultural fault lines separating seven or eight civilizations from 
one another.’ Huntingdon considers that these are Western, Confucian, 
Japanese, Islamic, Hindu,
Slavic- Orthodox, Latin American and possibly 
African. He highlights in particular the Arab/Israeli and Kashmir disputes as 
areas of potential cultural conflict.
We can apply the term ‘cultural fault line’ to any situation or relation-
ship that can cause tension in a local community. If you recognize and are 
sensitive to the main cultural fault lines, you are less likely to cause offence 
or create embarrassment when dealing with people who are not from your 
community. The main cultural fault lines are likely to be as follows:
Language: this occurs when two or more parts of the same national com-
munity speak different languages and have different cultures that are 
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Cultural Profiling and Classification 265
perceived to be in conflict with each other. Belgium’s Flemish speakers 
(who are mostly based in Flanders) and the French- speaking communities 
in Wallonia and Brussels are one such example. In working with Belgians, 
it is helpful to be sensitive to the language community they represent.
Religion: different parts of the community may be of different religions or 
belong to different sects within the same religion. Combined with class 
or economic divisions within a country, this can cause tension. Examples 
include the Roman Catholic/Protestant divide in Northern Ireland and 
the Shi’a/Sunni divide in the Middle East, for example, in Bahrain, Saudi 
Arabia and Iraq.
Race: in some countries, different races living together can cause tension. 
An example of this is the White American/Black American divide, 
although this is now in a much weakened form as a result of the deseg-
regation laws of the 1960s.
Economics: some countries are divided into a rich region adjacent to a poor 
region. An example of this is Italy, where traditionally the Mezzogiorno, 
the area south of the capital, Rome, is traditionally considered to be 
much poorer than the more industrial north.
Politics: in some countries, there are strong political rivalries or even sepa-
ratist movements. An example is the recent Sudan/South Sudan conflict 
or China’s uneasy relationship with Tibet.
History: historical rivalry arouses sensitivity as it may have been the cause 
of wars and other conflicts. The relationship between the Turks and the 
Greeks over Cyprus is an example of this.
In all these areas, there are two main concerns. The first is the importance of 
acquiring knowledge to understand the historical background to these issues. 
The second is sensitivity to the views held by colleagues and contacts and the 
desire not to cause offence by raising potentially embarrassing topics.