Intercultural Interaction and Competence： Challenges Facing South African Children

South Africa is a country of many cultures. Before the first democratic elections in 1994, people of different cultures found it difficult to interact because of legislated racial segregation, which made it difficult for blacks to mix with whites in almost all spheres of life. The only place interaction could take place was in the workplace. As a result, children from different cultural groups had few opportunities to interact. This made it impossible for South African children to learn about the cultures of other racial groups. With the introduction of a democratic government, all segregation laws were relaxed and people mixed freely in all spheres of life. Intercultural communication became commonplace. This new scenario presented a challenge to many South African children, but despite the limits imposed before 1994, children from all racial groups associated successfully. Their ability to cope with this situation with so much more ease than adults was remarkable. This paper seeks to highlight the communication skills used by South African children from all cultural backgrounds to achieve intercultural competence in a relatively short space of time. The paper will further reflect on the impact made on African children by intercultural interaction and competence.

Cultural interactions among diverse ethnic groups in a frontier region of a mainstream culture:A case study of Thai Korat,Laotian,and Tai Yuan vernacular houses in the central Lamtakong watershed,Nakhon Ratchasima

This study aims to study the conditions for the architectural form of vernacular houses of Thai Korat,Laotian,and Tai Yuan ethnic groups living in the central Lamtakong watershed.Nineteen stilt houses with the age of fifty-three to one hundred years were incorporated in the case study.Data were meticulously gathered through methods such as observation,photography,surveying,architectural drawing,three-dimensional modeling,and interviews.The analysis,conducted within the frameworks of ethnic identity and cultural diffusion,involved morphological and comparative assessments.The findings showed that the houses in the present case study could maintain their ethnic identities as can be clearly seen in the space planning and the shapes of the houses passed down from generation to generation.In addition,there was cultural acceptance among these ethnic groups through exchanging,adopting,and borrowing house construction techniques,in order to express the common traits in the larger social context in a friendly and smoother way.This phenomenon indicates that the co-existence in a multicultural society is the key that makes different ethnic groups be able to maintain their ethnic identity and live with the larger society in a friendly way.Hence,the cultural significance of stilt vernacular houses in the study area is embedded in the dynamic process of exchanging house construction techniques,fostering harmony within the broader social context.This preservation simultaneously safeguards the essential elements and key attributes of ethnic identity in architecture.