A Probe into Brooks’s Adaptations to Cultural Shocks in A Grandson from America from the Perspective of Intercultural Theories_英语论文

摘要

全球化背景下，跨文化交流日益频繁，成为生活常态。人们到新的文化环境中难免会经历许多生活上和文化上的变化，许多人还会出现“文化冲击”现象，面临着文化适应的问题。文化适应是跨文化交际研究的核心问题之一，它是一个复杂、动态的发展过程。《孙子从美国来》是一部典型的反映外籍旅居者在中国生活的电影。本文通过跨文化理论对《孙子从美国来》中的人物布鲁克斯在中国对一系列文化冲击的适应过程进行探讨，展现布鲁克斯从疏远到融合的心理历程，试图探寻其中的文化内涵并提出一些应对文化冲击的建议，以期帮助来华旅居者提高跨文化适应能力，也有助于推广中华文化，提高中国软实力。

关键词：跨文化交际  文化冲击  文化适应

Abstract

In the context of globalization, cross-cultural exchanges have become more frequent and normal. People will inevitably experience many changes in life and culture in the new cultural environment. Besides, many people may experience the phenomenon of “cultural shock”, facing the problem of cultural adaptation. Cultural adaptation is one of the core issues in intercultural communication research. It is a complex and dynamic development process. " A Grandson from America" is a typical film that reflects the lives of foreign sojourner living in China. In the perspective of intercultural theories, this paper probes the cultural shock and adaptation of Brooks in "A Grandson from America", reveals Brooks’ psychological process from alienation to integration, as well as put forward some measures to effectively deal with cultural shocks, hoping to explore the cultural connotation, help sojourner improve cross-cultural adaptability and also help to promote Chinese culture and China's soft power.

Keywords: Intercultural communication  Culture shock  Cultural adaptation

Contents

Chapter One  Introduction 1

1.1  Research Background and Significance 1

1.2  Research Objectives 2

1.3  Research Methodology 2

1.4  Structure of This Thesis 3

Chapter Two  Literature Review 4

2.1  Previous Studies on Intecultural Adaptation Abroad 4

2.2  Previous Studies on Intecultural Adaptation at Home 6

2.3  Summary 6

Chapter Three  Theoretical Framework 8

3.1  Definition of Cultural Adaptation and Its Development 8

3.2  Mansell’s Intercultural Adaptation Stage Theory 10

3.3  Research Questions 11

Chapter Four  A Case Study on Brooks in A Grandson from America 13

4.1  The Process of Cultural Adaptation in Brooks 13

4.1.1 Alienation. 14

4.1.2 Marginality. 16

4.1.3 Acculturation 18

4.1.4 Duality. 19

4.2  The Strategies of Cultural Adaptation in Brooks 20

4.2.1 To do what you are interested in 20

4.2.2 To change your mind 21

4.2.3 To learn the language of host country 21

4.2.4 To understand local culture 22

4.2.5 To participate in social and cultural activities 23

4.3  Summary 24

Chapter Five  Conclusion 25

Bibliography

Acknowledgments