Alix Pearce
High Distinction & the Personal Experience Prize
Willoughby Girl's High School
Through the Porthole

Six years ago I sailed from England to Australia in a small homemade 12metre yacht with my Mum, Dad and brother. This sailing experience spanned a year and half and resulted in exposure to hundreds of different cultures; from pearl diving with the locals in the Tuamotus, to dining on goat with the people of Fatu Hiva. There is a whole cruising community which consists of families like mine, who decide to sail the globe and immerse themselves in unique and sometimes forgotten cultures. It is both my personal experience, and the experiences of this community, which I utilised for my Personal Interest Project.

The exploration of Social and Cultural literacy was the fundamental concept I wished to investigate within the ‘cruising community.’ SC literacy is an extremely broad area, so I specifically focused on two key components; empathy with people of different societies and cultures and intercultural communication. This led me to the hypothesis; ‘prolonged cross-cultural contact with limited exposure to the macro world institution of the media, leads to greater social and cultural literacy.’ Comparison of the cruising community with a ‘land based community’, which is exposed to the mass media and limited cross-cultural interaction, allowed me to establish a comparative ‘norm’ by which to measure ‘cruisers’ SC literary development. However, this ‘norm’ was created on a very small scale and is not an accurate representation of the broader standard of SC literacy. The comparison of these two different communities also formed the cross cultural component of my P.I.P.

Unfortunately, this unique cross cultural experience may not be possible in the future as the president for the International Society of Ecology and Culture (ISEC) stated; ‘technological advancement is stimulating globalisation; propelling society towards an amalgamation of indistinguishable cultures.’1 This potential loss of cultural diversity could see the removal of one of the key components which equips cruisers with strong intercultural communication skills and cultural awareness. The process of travelling to remote locations as well as the interaction with the culture on arrival is the unique experience that positively influences cruisers. Psychologist John Shuttleworth applied his professional knowledge to his personal cruising experience as he explained; ’one of the crucial factors which influences an individual’s reaction to a new culture, is how they got there. Cruisers spend months sailing to get to a place, and this automatically establishes a willingness and eagerness to get the most out of any cultural contact when they arrive.’2 However, the motivation, and even the possibility, of traversing oceans in order to achieve a unique cultural experience may be lost if predictions of a mono-culture become a reality. As sociologist and philosopher Harry Redner states; ‘soon society may see the permanent blurring of cultural lines as technology permeates all social and cultural spheres on a macro and micro level.’ 3

ENDNOTES:

1. Berry. W., Matthiessen. P.,Waters. A. (2004) International Society of Ecology and Culture- Protecting Biological and Cultural Diversity. http://www.isec.org.uk/ (Accessed 22/7/09)
2. See Appendix C for interview.
3. Redner, H. (2004.) Conserving Cultures; Technology, Globalisation and the Future of Local Cultures. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (Pg. 14)