In Howard and Jane Giles’ “Ingroups and Outgroups” chapter, I found the concepts highly applicable to studying leader/follower dynamics on small and large scales. I appreciated that the authors acknowledged that people might have multiple facets to their identities (i.e. being Korean American) that are central to a person’s identity depending on the circumstance. Furthermore, I was particularly interested by the idea of “intergroup boundaries” presented by the authors; specifically, the example of the differences in table manners among Brits and Americans. While the two nations share the “ingroup” quality of speaking the same language (despite dialectical differences), there is an intergroup boundary of food and drink. When traveling to any country, it is important to familiarize oneself with the cultural knowledge of a habit such as eating practices. A “bilingual eater” would speak both eating “languages” of Britain and the United States, and these differences are important to understanding group dynamics of a particular culture. Furthermore, when traveling to another nation, it is important to think about how you might be labeled due to your national origin, as a categorization threat could occur.
Reading “Ingroups and Outgroups” for a second time (I did so before in Leadership and the Social Sciences” gave me a reminder of the importance of calling out stereotypes and being conscientious of them on a global level. After learning about leadership concepts specifically correlated to the humanities, I had a different reaction to the article; learning how literature/art, oratory, and history impact leadership, the concept of ingroups/outgroups are largely applicable to several contexts.
I was also extremely interested in the idea of “intergroup boundaries”; being from Brazil, I have most definitely noticed a major difference in table manners of Americans and Brazilians. However, when moving to America, I had to be cautious about making assumptions based on stereotypes, since it is such a natural reaction of ingroups.
As humans we all have so many different identities and I think it’s really interesting when different situations trigger specific identities. The author also hints at this idea of intersectionality, the ways our identity are formed by the intersections of our race, gender, religion, and region among many other characteristics
This article too reminded me to be conscious of stereotypes that exist all over the world. I think it is important to remember that all people of a certain group are not the same. It seems easier for us to understand the world by making generalizations, but this does not reflect reality.
While reading this article it also reminded me to be aware of the different stereotypes that are out there. It is definitely important to remind yourself of these things as not everyone or group is the same.