(Andrew Kosorok’s review published on Amazon.com)
We rarely if ever really see ourselves as products of our own cultures – our culture is the sea we swim in or the air we walk through, something we exist within but rarely identify. Yet we habitually use our own culture as a ruler or benchmark for everything else we encounter, judging outsiders unconsciously (and many times harshly) without even realizing our own learned prejudices.
A trained sociologist and international consultant, Dr. Abdul Al Lily sees this play out in his work all the time. And most times, the outsiders trying to learn develop their own incorrect assumptions based on their own experience, and a painful “culture clash” can quickly grow. Dr. Al Lily is a native Saudi, and wanted to address this issue with his own culture – with the mistrust which comes with ignorance, he sees that while cultures like that of the Saudis are wondered about, media portrayal is rarely open, fair, or even honest.
And this is true for many cultures portrayed as “Muslim” or “Islamic” – it is far easier for Twitter feeds and sound bites to publish a trivial appraisal when 1400 years of history simply cannot be condensed into a 140-character synopsis.
Of course, although many people may be honestly interested in learning, the culture being examined under these conditions is understandably a bit apprehensive of being “studied”. This is where Dr. Al Lily’s incomparable experience and skill comes into play – he developed unique interviewing strategies to place his volunteers and interviewees at ease as well as ensuring responses were honest and insightful.
This is one reason this book is so truly worthwhile. Not only does Dr. Abdul Al Lily place a stethoscope against the pulse of his own society, but he does it without judgment or apology. He is sharing the inmost secrets of tradition, but by his avoiding agendas or politics I feel I have learned about the idiosyncrasies of my extended family, as opposed to finding excuses to hate or pity a strange culture.
This is a sociological study, but truly unique. Dr. Al Lily was able to survey 2,000 Saudis (natives and foreign-born transplants), recording remarkably honest and candid responses, and share his findings in “tweet-sized” bits of information. Textbooks are dry and boring, but this study is easily digested and actually fun to read!
Groups of “tweets” are organized by subject or situation, and interspersed with reflections from the actual surveys conducted. This was extremely valuable – it helped to provide context for each section of “tweets” and it also illustrated the common humanity shared by people everywhere. People interviewed had a broad range of experience and expectations, and a very diverse range of viewpoints.
Questions about Americans brought observations along the entire spectrum from the perception that we are generally good and religious people all the way to the assertion that we are all racist and immoral. These interludes among the “tweets” really drove home the realization that all of us, even those within what we would consider homogeneous groups, have our own unique opinions and varied understanding of the world around us.
Recently I returned to the US from a fellowship to study Islamic art in Iran, and gratefully I had an opportunity to read the Bro Code before traveling – Iranian and Saudi culture are not the same, but his insights into how we learn about each other is what really stayed with me.
It has been my experience that the great majority of international travelers are patient, kind, and understanding, but those are not the ones we remember. Rather, we remember those few who in their arrogance assume the worst of all they encounter, simply because they do not match up with unreal and inappropriate expectations. Dr. Al Lily’s work forced me to turn a lens on my own behavior and prejudices, and helped me to recognize my own ignorance about the social mores of others.
By laying bare the habits and assumptions of his own society, he helped me become more aware of my own.
Dr. Abdul Al Lily’s Bro Code of Saudi Culture
Andrew Kosorok is a traditionally trained stained glass artist, who has also studied traditional bookbinding techniques. In addition to commissioned studio work, designing, building, and restoring stained glass windows, Andrew work with sculptural stained glass. He enjoys looking for opportunities to explore dialogs of pluralism and shared community. —> View all posts
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