The Rice Theory of Culture
I argue that rice and wheat agriculture have given northern and southern China two very different cultures. Rice requires irrigation networks and about twice the number of man-hours as wheat, which gives rice farmers an economic incentive to cooperate and avoid conflict. I argue that this can explain the large cultural differences between northern and southern China.
Read the original article or write-ups in the National Geographic and The Economist.
See the TedX UVa talk.
I argue that rice and wheat agriculture have given northern and southern China two very different cultures. Rice requires irrigation networks and about twice the number of man-hours as wheat, which gives rice farmers an economic incentive to cooperate and avoid conflict. I argue that this can explain the large cultural differences between northern and southern China.
Read the original article or write-ups in the National Geographic and The Economist.
See the TedX UVa talk.
Liberals and conservative think like they're from different cultures
I tested liberals and conservatives with measures of East-West cultural thought style and perception. I found that conservatives in the US thought more like East Asians, and liberals thought like extreme Westerners. The same was even true in China.
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Moving changes who we are
Shige Oishi and I study how moving makes us and our communities different. For example, people who have moved more tend to be more individualistic, donate less to the community, and think more analytically.
Read more.
I tested liberals and conservatives with measures of East-West cultural thought style and perception. I found that conservatives in the US thought more like East Asians, and liberals thought like extreme Westerners. The same was even true in China.
Read more.
Moving changes who we are
Shige Oishi and I study how moving makes us and our communities different. For example, people who have moved more tend to be more individualistic, donate less to the community, and think more analytically.
Read more.
