#40 Deep Culture - From Comfort Zones to Culture Bumps with Joseph Shaules

Show notes

What happens when a small everyday moment suddenly feels uncomfortable, confusing, or just slightly “off”?
Maybe it’s being asked to take off your shoes before entering someone’s home.
Maybe it’s silence in a meeting that feels longer than it should.
Maybe it’s navigating a train system that seems perfectly logical to everyone - except you.
These moments are easy to dismiss. Easy to judge. Easy to label as “strange.”
But what if these so-called culture bumps are not obstacles to overcome, rather, invitations to pause, reflect, and uncover the deeper patterns shaping how we see the world?

*Culture Chat*
In this episode, Frauke and Marie-Christine are joined by Joseph Shaules to explore how cultural understanding grows through everyday observations, embodied experience, and psychological awareness. Joseph introduces the concept of culture bumps: moments that interrupt our automatic cultural thinking. Drawing from his experiences in Japan, he explains how something as simple as taking off shoes before entering a house reflects a deeper cultural pattern - the distinction between inside and outside. These small disruptions reveal something profound, culture operates largely beneath our awareness. It is not just visible customs or traditions, it is embodied knowledge.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
• What “culture bumps” are and why they matter
• The difference between abstract cultural theory and embodied cultural knowledge
• How deep culture shapes behavior unconsciously
• Why technology can create cultural comfort zones
• The psychological process behind adapting to foreign environments
• Why asking “why” unlocks deeper cultural insight
• How to slow down your thinking and avoid quick cultural judgments
• What it really takes to develop an intercultural mind

Key Takeaway:
Culture is not something “out there.” It lives within us - in our bodies, perceptions, and automatic reactions. Intercultural growth begins when we notice disruption, reflect on it, and stay curious instead of defensive.

Call to Action:
This week, pay attention to one small “culture bump” in your life—at work, at home, or abroad.
Pause.
Ask why.
Observe your own reaction.
And share your reflections with us because intercultural learning starts with awareness.

About Joseph Shaules:
Joseph Shaules (PhD) has worked in intercultural education in Japan, Mexico and Europe for more than 25 years. He is a Specially Appointed Professor at Keio University’s GIC Center, in Tokyo. He is the director of the Japan Intercultural Institute. Books include: Transformation, Embodiment and Wellbeing in Foreign Language Education (Bloomsbury); Language, Culture and The Embodied Mind (Springer); The Intercultural Mind (Intercultural Press); and Deep Culture (Multilingual Matters). He is the creator and host of The Deep Culture Experience Podcast.

Connect with Joseph:
Email: jshaules@japanintercultural.org
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/josephshaules

Japan Intercultural Institute: https://japanintercultural.org/
Deep Culture Experience podcast:https://japanintercultural.org/podcast-2/
Japan Intercultural Institute Masterclass: https://japanintercultural.org/masterclass/

Connect with cultureXchange:

Instagram: @culture_x_change
Website: https://www.culturexchangepodcast.com/
YouTube: @culturexchange.podcast
LinkedIn: The cultureXchange Podcast
Email: connectculturexchange@gmail.com

Tune in and join Frauke and Marie-Christine for another thoughtful exchange across cultures.