Download Winning hearts and minds

Winning hearts and minds, from
Arizona to Afghanistan, via
Damascus
Anthony Pym
© Intercultural Studies Group
Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Taking positions
© Intercultural Studies Group
HB 2281
© Intercultural Studies Group
The debate
-
What kind of society?
What rules?
-
Translationssoziologie? Sociologie de la traduction?
-
-
-
Habermas on the Amish?
But look at what people do!
© Intercultural Studies Group
Inculturation, 1524-25
hasta ponerlos en necesidad de burlar con los niños, y hacerse
niños con ellos [...] se hagan indios con los indios’
porque niños fueron los maestros de los evangelizadores. Los
niños fueron también predicadores, y los niños ministros de la
destrucción de la idolatría.
(Mendieta 1973:1.135)
© Intercultural Studies Group
Inculturation, 1985-1990
“the incarnation of the Gospel in autonomous cultures and at the
same time the introduction of these cultures into the life of the
Church” (John Paul II, Slavorum Apostoli 1985)
“Through inculturation the Church makes the Gospel incarnate in
different cultures and at the same time introduces peoples,
together with their cultures, into her own community.” (John Paul
II, Redemptoris Missio 1990)
© Intercultural Studies Group
Inculturation, 1994
The people of Israel throughout its history preserved the certain
knowledge that it was the chosen people of God, the witness of
his action and love in the midst of the nations. It took from
neighboring peoples certain forms of worship, but its faith in the
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob subjected these borrowings
to profound modifications [...].The encounter between the
Jewish world and Greek wisdom gave rise to a new form of
inculturation: the translation of the Bible into Greek introduced
the word of God into a world that had been closed to it and
caused, under divine inspiration, an enrichment of the
Scriptures. (Varietates Legitimae 1994)
© Intercultural Studies Group
Inculturation, 2001
“The work of inculturation, of which the translation into vernacular
languages is a part, is not therefore to be considered an avenue for
the creation of new varieties or families of rites; on the contrary, it
should be recognized that any adaptations introduced out of
cultural or pastoral necessity thereby become part of the Roman
Rite, and are to be inserted into it in a harmonious way.”
(Liturgiam authenticam 2001: 5)
© Intercultural Studies Group
Inculturation?
-
-
Literature as institution?
Capitalist economies?
IT? (Microsoft?)
Political modernity?
Universities?
Liberal humanism?
Translation Studies?
© Intercultural Studies Group
No innocence for us
“Le métalangage, c’est le grand alibi pour masquer et oublier les
tâches historiques et les missions qui n’ont pas été accomplies,
pour effacer les responsabilités, pour diffuser une culpabilité
latente, un sentiment imprécis de frustration et de malaise.”
Henri Lefebvre, La Vie quotidienne dans le monde moderne 1968:
254.
© Intercultural Studies Group
An unfashionable question
-
What is translated?
(Not really how much, how many, by whom, for whom, when,
or where.)
© Intercultural Studies Group
© Intercultural Studies Group
Counterinsurgency
-
-
-
-
Learns from Mao:
Influence the common people.
Learns from Saul of Tarsis (Philippians 4:7):
And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall
keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (King James
2000).
(     · shall keep them as in a strong place or castle.)
© Intercultural Studies Group
Counterinsurgency
-
-
Once the unit settles into the AO, its next task is to build trusted
networks. This is the true meaning of the phrase “hearts and
minds,” which comprises two separate components. “Hearts”
means persuading people that their best interests are served by
COIN [counterinsurgency] success. “Minds” means convincing
them that the force can protect them and that resisting it is
pointless.
Note that neither concerns whether people like Soldiers and
Marines. Calculated self-interest, not emotion, is what counts.
Over time, successful trusted networks grow like roots into the
populace. They displace enemy networks, which forces enemies
into the open, letting military forces seize the initiative and
destroy the insurgents. (2006: A5)
© Intercultural Studies Group
Counterinsurgency

Cultural knowledge is essential to waging a successful
counterinsurgency. American ideas of what is “normal” or
“rational” are not universal. To the contrary, members of other
societies often have different notions of rationality, appropriate
behavior, level of religious devotion, and norms concerning
gender. Thus, what may appear abnormal or strange to an
external observer may appear as self-evidently normal to a
group member. For this reason, counterinsurgents—especially
commanders, planners, and small-unit leaders—should strive to
avoid imposing their ideals of normalcy on a foreign cultural
problem. (1-80)
-
© Intercultural Studies Group
Counterinsurgency

insurgents hold a distinct advantage in their level of local
knowledge. They speak the language, move easily within the
society, and are more likely to understand the population’s
interests. Thus, effective COIN operations require a greater
emphasis on certain skills, such as language and cultural
understanding, than does conventional warfare. (1-125)
© Intercultural Studies Group
Counterinsurgency

In order to evaluate the people, the following six sociocultural
factors should be analyzed:






Society
Social structure.
Culture
Language
Power and authority
Interests.
© Intercultural Studies Group
Counterinsurgency

When dealing with Home Nation:


Experience with the HN language, the ability to learn languages, or support
of reliable translators.
Patience and tolerance when dealing with language and translation barriers.
© Intercultural Studies Group
Counterinsurgency

In traditional societies, women are hugely influential informing
the social networks that insurgents use for support. When
women support COIN efforts, families support COIN efforts.
Getting the support of families is a big step toward mobilizing
the local populace against the insurgency. Co-opting neutral or
friendly women through targeted social and economic programs
builds networks of enlightened self-interest that eventually
undermine insurgents. Female counterinsurgents, including
interagency people, are required to do this effectively. (A-35)
-
© Intercultural Studies Group
Counterinsurgency



Category I linguists usually are hired locally and require vetting. They do not
have a security clearance. They are the most abundant resource pool; however,
their skill level is limited.
Category II linguists are U.S. citizens with a secret clearance. Often they
possess good oral and written communication skills. They should be managed
carefully due to limited availability. Category II linguists interpret for battalion
and higher.
Category III linguists are U.S. citizens with a top secret clearance. They are a
scarce commodity and often retained at division and higher levels of command.
They have excellent oral and written communications skills.
© Intercultural Studies Group
Why no good linguists?
© Intercultural Studies Group
What is risk?



The probability of failing (not meeting success
conditions).
Ethics of cooperation: Success means mutual
benefits.
Minimally: The benefits must be greater than the
efforts (transaction costs).
© Intercultural Studies Group
What work is done by




The
The
The
The
sergeant?
villagers?
village elder?
interpreter?
© Intercultural Studies Group
Risk management
High impact
Low Impact
High frequency
DO SOMETHING
Think about it
Low Frequency
Think about it
OMIT?
© Intercultural Studies Group
Risk management
For sergeant
High impact
Low Impact
High frequency
Attacks
Other cultures
Low Frequency
BOMBS
Interpreters
© Intercultural Studies Group
Risk management
For villagers
High impact
Low Impact
High frequency
Attacks by Taliban
Visits by Taliban
Low Frequency
Attacks by US
Visits by US
© Intercultural Studies Group
Risk management
For village elder (“wheat and ants”)
High impact
Low Impact
High frequency
Tell Taliban the
truth
Other villagers
Low Frequency
Tell US the truth
Interpreter
© Intercultural Studies Group
Risk management
For interpreter
High impact
Low Impact
High frequency
Maintain trust of
US
Maintain trust of
other tribes
Low Frequency
Be seen as a
traitor
Presence of TV
camera
© Intercultural Studies Group
In this communicative event:




Is everyone a rational egoist?
Is there cooperation?
Could the cooperation be more ethical?
If so, how?
© Intercultural Studies Group
Counterinsurgency
-
-
“Lost in Translation” as a rational encounter of conflicting
interests.
The theory of mutual interests must apply to the mediator as
well.
© Intercultural Studies Group
Conditions for aspiration?
- Multiple communication spaces
-- Personal contact
-
© Intercultural Studies Group