Cultural cringe, in
cultural studiesCultural studies is an academic field which combines political economy, communication, sociology, social theory, literary theory, media theory, film/video studies, cultural anthropology, philosophy, museum studies and art history/criticism to study cultural phenomena in various societies...
and
social anthropologySocial anthropology is the branch of anthropology that studies how currently living human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular people: customs, economic and...
, is an internalized
inferiority complexAn inferiority complex, in the fields of psychology and psychoanalysis, is a feeling that one is inferior to others in some way. Such feelings can arise from an imagined or actual inferiority in the afflicted person...
which causes people in a country to dismiss their own culture as inferior to the cultures of other countries. It is closely related, although not identical, to the concept of
colonial mentalityColonial mentality refers to institutionalised or systemic feelings of inferiority within some societies or peoples who have been subjected to colonialism, relative to the mores or values of the foreign powers which had previously subjugated them...
, and is often linked with the display of
anti-intellectual attitudesAnti-intellectualism describes a sentiment of hostility towards, or mistrust of, intellectuals and intellectual pursuits. This may be expressed in various ways, such as attacks on the merits of science, education, art, or literature....
towards thinkers, scientists and artists who originate from a colonial or post-colonial nation. It can also be manifested in individuals in the form of 'Cultural alienation'. In many cases, cultural cringe, or an equivalent term, is an accusation made by a fellow-national, who decries the inferiority complex and asserts the merits of the national
culture.
Origin
The term Cultural cringe was coined after the Second World War by the
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
critic and social commentator
A. A. PhillipsArthur Angel Phillips , generally known as A. A. Phillips, was an Australian writer, critic and teacher, best known for coining the term "Cultural Cringe" in his pioneering essay The Cultural Cringe, which set the early terms for post-colonial theory in Australia...
, and defined in an influential and highly controversial 1950 essay of the same name. It explored ingrained feelings of inferiority that local intellectuals struggled against, and which were most clearly pronounced in the Australian theatre, music, art and letters. The implications of these insights potentially applied to all former colonial nations, and the essay is now recognised as a cornerstone in the development of post-colonial theory in Australia.
In essence, Phillips pointed out that the public widely assumed that anything produced by local dramatists, actors, musicians, artists and writers was necessarily deficient when compared against the works of the British and European counterparts. In the words of the poet
Chris Wallace-CrabbeChris Keith Wallace-Crabbe is an Australian poet and Emeritus Professor in The Australian Centre, University of Melbourne.He was born in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond and educated at Scotch College, Yale University, and the University of Melbourne, where for much of his life he has worked, and...
(quoted by
Peter ConradPeter Conrad may refer to:* Pete Conrad , United States astronaut* Peter Conrad Australian academic long resident in the United Kingdom...
),
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
was being made to rhyme with failure. The only ways local arts professionals could build themselves up in public esteem was either to follow overseas fashions, or, more often, to spend a period of time working in
BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
.
In some professions this ingrained attitude heavily affected employment opportunities. British- or European-born applicants would be given preferential treatment when applying for jobs, with only those Australians who had worked in London being treated as worthy of appointment or promotion. In this way the cultural cringe caused, during the early to mid 20th century, the exodus to Britain of many young talented Australians across a broad range of fields, from the Arts to even the Sciences. They had to spend time working there to advance in their own fields back home. The cultural cringe also was responsible for many former Britons holding senior positions in Australia's public sector.
Much of this could be readily applied to many former colonial nations. Dealing specifically with Australia, Phillips pointed out that
sport has been the only field in which ordinary people accepted that their nation was able to perform and excel internationally. Indeed, while they prided themselves on the qualities of locally produced athletes and sportsmen, whom they invariably considered first rate, Australians behaved as if in more intellectual pursuits the nation generated only second-rate talent. The cultural cringe might therefore be seen as contributing to a strong strand of
anti-intellectualismAnti-intellectualism describes a sentiment of hostility towards, or mistrust of, intellectuals and intellectual pursuits. This may be expressed in various ways, such as attacks on the merits of science, education, art, or literature....
that has underpinned public life in Australia.
Cultural alienation
The cultural cringe is tightly connected with "cultural alienation", that is, the process of devaluing or abandoning one's own culture or cultural background. A person who is culturally alienated places little value on their own or host culture, and instead hungers for that of a - sometimes imposed - colonising nation. The post-colonial theorists Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths and
Helen TiffinHelen M. Tiffin is Professor of English at the University of Tasmania, Australia, and an influential writer in post-colonial theory and literary studies....
link alienation with a sense of dislocation or displacement some peoples (especially those from immigrant cultures) will feel when they look to a distant nation for their values. Culturally alienated societies often exhibit a weak sense of cultural self-identity and place little worth on themselves. The most common manifestation of this alienation among peoples from post-colonial nations at present is an appetite for all things American, from television and music, to clothing, slang, even names. Culturally alienated individuals will also exhibit little knowledge or interest in the history of their host society, placing no real value on such matters.
The issue of cultural alienation has led the
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n sociologists Brian Head and James Walter to interpret the cultural cringe as the belief that one's own country occupies a "subordinate cultural place on the periphery", and that "intellectual standards are set and innovations occur elsewhere". As a consequence, a person who holds this belief is inclined to devalue their own country's cultural, academic and artistic life, and to venerate the "superior" culture of another (colonising) country.
A more sophisticated approach to the issues raised by the cultural cringe, as felt by artistic practitioners in former colonies around the world, was developed and advanced by the Australian art historian
Terry SmithTerry Smith is an Australian artist and historian, best known for his participation in the Art & Language group. He is currently the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Contemporary Art History and Theory in the Henry Clay Frick Department of the History of Art and Architecture at the University of...
in his essay 'The Provincialism Problem'.
Australia
The term cultural cringe is most commonly used in Australia, where it is believed by some to be a fact of Australian cultural life.
In
Another Look at the cultural cringe, the Australian academic Leonard John Hume examined the idea of cultural cringe as an oversimplification of the complexities of Australian history and culture. His controversial essay argues that "The cultural cringe ... did not exist, but it was needed, and so it was invented." This need is demonstrated by its frequent use to deflect criticism of almost anything, on the grounds that the critic is suffering from the cringe.
The cultural cringe can be expressed in the almost obsessive curiosity of Australians to know what overseas celebrities think of Australia and its culture.
Some commentators claim the cultural cringe particularly affects local television programming in Australia, which is heavily influenced by imported shows, mainly of American and British origin. The Federal government has legislated to keep a quota of Australian content (Australian Content Standard and Television Program Standard 23).
Prominent Australians
Germaine GreerGermaine Greer is an Australian-born writer, academic, journalist and scholar of early modern English literature, widely regarded as one of the most significant feminist voices of the later 20th century....
and
Barry HumphriesJohn Barry Humphries, AO, CBE is an Australian comedian, satirist, dadaist, artist and character actor perhaps best known for his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage, a Melbourne housewife and "gigastar", and Sir Les Patterson, Australia's foul-mouthed cultural attaché to the...
have said that they live and work overseas due to the effects of cultural cringe. When cultural cringe is applied to prominent Australian personalities, it is often mistaken as another Australian cultural phenomenon known as
tall poppy syndromeTall Poppy Syndrome is a pejorative term used in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada to describe a societal phenomenon in which people of genuine merit are criticised or resented because their talents or achievements elevate them above or distinguish them from their peers...
.
Some argue that a form of reaction against cultural cringe resulted in anti-heritage attitudes resulting in the demolition of many world class pre-war buildings in
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
and
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
, destroying some of the world's best examples of
Victorian architectureThe term Victorian architecture can refer to one of a number of architectural styles predominantly employed during the Victorian era. As with the latter, the period of building that it covers may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria after whom it is...
. Modernism was promoted to many Australians as casting off imperial Europe to rebuild a new independent identity and the existing pre-war architecture, which were a feature of Australian cities, was denigrated. This resulted in many calls to demolish the
Royal Exhibition BuildingThe Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage Site-listed building in Melbourne, Australia, completed in 1880. It is located in the Carlton Gardens, at the north-eastern edge of the central business district. It was built to host the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880 and later hosted...
, labelled the derogatory term
White Elephant. Ironically, it was not until Queen Elizabeth II granted the building Royal status that Australians began to recognise its value. The building became the first in Australia to be given World Heritage status. This reaction against the cultural cringe continues in some fields such as architecture, where local architects are shunned for using introduced styles.
It has also been claimed that cultural cringe has led to federal government
information technologyInformation technology , as defined by the Information Technology Association of America , is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware." IT deals with the use of electronic...
contracts going to large foreign multinationals rather than domestic IT companies.
Another manifestation of cultural cringe is the "
Convict StainDuring the late 18th and 19th centuries, large numbers of convicts were transported to the various Australian penal colonies by the British government, many for petty crimes they were driven to commit because of the poverty they were forced to live in...
". Many Australians felt a sense of shame about the existence of British Convicts in what is now Australia, and many did not even attempt to investigate their families' origins, for fear that they could be descended from criminals. This was known as the Convict Stain, and it made research all the more difficult. In recent decades community attitudes have changed, and many Australians with convict ancestors are now more comfortable to investigate and discuss their past. It was most evident in sport, where people with known convict heritage were sometimes banned from sporting clubs. For example, in
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
, the
Melbourne Cricket ClubThe Melbourne Cricket Club is a sporting club based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1838 and is regarded as the oldest sporting club in Australia....
has a well known Convict Stain policy, making exception for very few, most notably
Tom WillsThomas Wentworth "Tom" Wills was an Australian all-round sportsman, umpire, coach and administrator who is credited as one of the inventors of Australian rules football....
the inventor of Australian rules football.
Canada
Many cultural commentators in
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
have also suggested that a similar process operates in that country as well. The specific phrase "cultural cringe" is not widely used to label the phenomenon in Canada, although it has been used in isolated instances; more typically, Canadian cultural commentators speak of a "Canadian inferiority complex", or label specific instances of the phenomenon with satirical terms such as
beaver hourThe beaver hour, or beaver bin, is a satirical nickname for a programming philosophy used by some Canadian radio stations, which was prominent especially, but not exclusively, in the 1970s....
.
Prior to the 1970s, Canadian radio stations gave almost no airtime to Canadian music, and apart from
CBC TelevisionCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.-Overview:CBC Television provides a complete 24-hour network schedule of news, sports, entertainment and children's programming, in most cases feeding the same programming at the same local times...
, Canadian television stations spent very little money on Canadian-produced programming. The CRTC adopted
Canadian contentCanadian content refers to the controversial Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requirements that radio and television broadcasters must air a certain percentage of content that was at least partly written, produced, presented, or otherwise contributed to...
regulations to resolve this, although even today such regulation is still criticized by some Canadians as representing inappropriate government interference in the right of Canadians to choose US entertainment.
Similarly, English Canadian film has an extremely difficult time garnering an audience in Canada.
In addition, it has also been claimed that some segments of
QuebecQuebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
society experience cultural cringe in relation both to the rest of Canada and to
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
. Some have proposed that
Quebec sovereigntyThe Quebec sovereignty movement refers to the history and present status of multiple, multi-lateral political movements aimed at attaining statehood for the Canadian province of Quebec. Supporters of the movement advocate a variety of proposals...
is a necessary step toward resolving this. (See section in Colonial mentality.)
Ireland
Ireland's historical relationship with Britain has produced tensions between the (forced or voluntary) adoption of many British cultural practices during the long period of English and British polical hegemony, and the desire of
Irish nationalismIrish nationalism comprises political and social movements and sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and a sense of pride in Ireland and the Irish people...
to assert Irishness as being distinct from any British identity. One symptom is the
epithetAn epithet is a descriptive word or phrase accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a person or thing, which has become a fixed formula...
"West Brit" applied by one
IrishIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
person to another who is felt to adopt excessively the mannerisms of the
BritishGreat Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island. With a population of about 59.6 million people, it is the third most populated island on Earth. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1000 smaller...
(specifically, the
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
). Many of the distinctive features of
Hiberno-EnglishHiberno-English also known as Irish English is the dialect of English spoken in Ireland. The English language was first brought to Ireland during the Norman invasion of Ireland in the late 12th century. However, due to England's inability to control the country, it was only spoken by a small...
are discouraged as
nonstandardA nonstandard dialect is a dialect that does not have the institutional support or sanction that a standardized dialect has.Like any dialect, a nonstandard dialect has its own vocabulary and an internally consistent grammar and syntax; and it may be spoken using a variety of accents. Describing a...
. Conversely, those who continually assert the excellence of Irish culture may be derided by others as blinded to its faults by
chauvinismChauvinism, , in its original and primary meaning, is an exaggerated, bellicose patriotism and a blind belief in national superiority and glory. By extension it has come to include an extreme and unreasoning partisanship on behalf of any group to which one belongs, especially when the...
.
Ireland's emigrant communitiesThe Irish diaspora consists of Irish emigrants and their descendants in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa, Brazil and states of the Caribbean and continental Europe...
may also have developed different relationships with Irish culture from those living within Ireland. The Irish tourist industry often emphasises aspects of Irish culture which some within Ireland consider stereotypical and either obsolete or fabricated; such as Irish dancing,
leprechaunA leprechaun is a type of fairy in Irish folklore, usually taking the form of an old man, clad in a red or green coat, who enjoys partaking in mischief. Like other fairy creatures, leprechauns have been linked to the Tuatha Dé Danann of Irish mythology. Popular depiction shows them as being no...
s,
Aran sweaterThe Aran is a style of jumper/sweater that takes its name from the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. It is sometimes known as a fisherman sweater...
s, Irish pubs, or thatched cottages. Visiting emigrants, typically
Irish AmericanIrish Americans are citizens of the United States who trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,495,800 Americans reported Irish ancestry in the 2006 American Community Survey. The only self-reported ancestral group larger than Irish Americans are German Americans...
s, who take pride in such symbols may be labelled "
plastic PaddiesPlastic Paddy is an often pejorative and sometimes racist term to describe non-Irish people and those of the Irish diaspora who harbour a nostalgic claim of Irishness due to having some degree of Irish heritage. It is based on the term "Paddy", which is an ethnic slur against Irish people...
" by those within Ireland, and seen as not truly Irish, but rather engaged in
cultural appropriationCultural appropriation is the adoption of some specific elements of one culture by a different cultural group. It denotes acculturation or assimilation, but often connotes a negative view towards acculturation from a minority culture by a dominant culture. It can include the introduction of forms...
New Zealand
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
has had a cultural cringe but has been wearing off in recent years. The
New Zealand EnglishNew Zealand English is the form of the English language used in New Zealand.The English language was established in New Zealand by colonists during the 19th century...
accent has been subjected to cultural cringe since the 1900s but it too is lessening in recent years.
In other countries
Other examples include the claimed cringes of
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
(see
Scottish cringeThe Scottish cringe is a Scottish cultural cringe claimed to exist by some politicians and other commentators.These Scottish cultural commentators claim there that a sense of cultural inferiority is felt by many Scots, particularly in relation to a perceived dominance of English culture, partly due...
) .
South African novelist Deon Meyer explores this theme as it applies to
AfrikanerAfrikaners are White Afrikaans speakers who have been established in Southern Africa since the 17th century. They are mainly of northwestern European descent , but their native tongue is Afrikaans, a purported close relative of Dutch...
s in
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
in his novel
Dead Before Daybreak.
A similar phenomenon can be observed in South Asian nations of
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
,
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
, and
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. Being ex-colonies, these nations still consider a lot of their local talents or outputs inferior to that of English-speaking world (especially Britain and United States.)
The battle against cultural cringe in
Sri LankaSri Lanka , officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka , is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India...
goes far back to the nineteenth century when Anagarika Dhammapala started his nationalist campaign against the British. Most accept
Gangodawila Soma TheroGangodawila Soma Thero was a Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka. Following tradition, he used the name of his birthplace, Gangodawila, in front of his name...
as the central figure in the rise of Sinhalese nationalism today. Unlike a few decades ago when English was considered as an elite language, today people who look to the west with servitude are considered as "kalu suddhas" (a derogatory term used for sycophants) and openly censured in the media. Sinhala nationalism is on the upward trend, especially with the chain of defeats of the LTTE by the armed forces of Sri Lanka and the hardline stance of nationalist president Mahinda Rajapaskse against terrorism and terrorist supporters.
See also
- Self-hatred
Self-hatred, self-loathing, also sometimes autophobia refers to an extreme dislike of oneself, or being angry at oneself. The term is also used to designate a dislike or hatred of a group to which one belongs...
- Tall poppy syndrome
Tall Poppy Syndrome is a pejorative term used in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada to describe a societal phenomenon in which people of genuine merit are criticised or resented because their talents or achievements elevate them above or distinguish them from their peers...
- Australian culture
- Post-colonialism
- Nationalism
Nationalism is an ideology, a sentiment, a form of culture, or a social movement that focuses on the nation. It is a type of collectivism emphasizing the collective of a specific nation...