The Cultural Iceberg and France’s Example

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The Cultural Iceberg and France’s Example

What is the cultural iceberg of a nation? We explore this fascinating cultural and sociological concept through the prism of France.

Imagine watching a video of a woman walking down a city street with a baguette under her arm. She’s wearing a beret and a chic scarf, and as she passes an outdoor café you can hear an Edith Piaf tune playing.

Now imagine another video, this time of a man walking down the street of a rural town. He’s wearing a cowboy hat and boots and he passes a burger joint before climbing into his pickup truck.

Most people would guess that the woman is in France and the man in the United States, because of all the clues that are easy to pick out: their clothing, the food, the music, the truck, and more. 

All these clues form the tip of what is called the “cultural iceberg.” Anthropologist Edward Hall coined the term in 1976 because he saw culture as being similar to an iceberg—some of it clearly visible, some parts visible but in a vague way, and much of it invisible and mysterious. Let’s explore this idea of an iceberg and how it applies to France.

Surface Culture

Hall called the parts of a culture that are easily apparent, like the portion of an iceberg floating above the water, “surface culture.” These are things like the woman’s baguette and the man’s cowboy hat. Surface culture includes clothing, food, language, religion, literature, and the arts. These are easy to perceive and are the parts of a culture that tourists usually come in contact with. They help us understand something about a culture, but are only the beginning.

A stock image for ‘French woman’ © shutterstock

Shallow Culture

Next comes “shallow culture.” As with an iceberg, it is the part just below the surface. It’s visible but a bit murky, and you need help to understand what you are seeing. Shallow culture includes etiquette, concepts of privacy, and social rituals.

In France, an example of etiquette is les bises, the small kisses on the cheek that French people give one another in greeting and in parting. Someone who isn’t French can see them, but will need help to understand them—not only when are they given and how many times, but what relationship must exist between two people for les bises to be appropriate.

And then there is privacy. The French don’t chat with strangers—to try it would be considered an invasion of someone’s privacy. But this aspect of French culture is not readily apparent, as American visitors to France have learned to their dismay. Chatting with strangers is normal in the US, and many an American tourist has tried it in France only to receive a cold response. Culture clash! Both the French and the American find the other rude. And it’s because the American was dealing with a part of French culture that is not easily perceived.

One of France’s important social customs is that of vigorous discussion, what some call the art of débat. French people will engage in animated conversation, disagreeing strongly on one subject or another, and to an untrained eye it looks like an argument. But they are not getting upset or taking things personally, they are just having an energetic discussion. It’s a distinctive part of French culture that’s not obvious to outsiders and is influenced by the famous salons of the 17th and 18th century that are called “the cradle of the French Revolution.”

La bise in France comes with many hidden rules and usages © AWeith / Wikimedia Creative Commons

Deep Culture

Finally, we come to the deep beliefs, desires, and values that form the basis for all the rest. They are the hardest to observe and understand, and easy to misinterpret.

For example, why do the French engage in so many strikes and street demonstrations? Here the Ancien Régime and the French Revolution cast a long shadow. For centuries, wealth and power were held by a small group, until the population rose up and seized it for themselves. The result is that the French deeply believe that wealth is a kind of zero-sum game and only collective action—even violent—is the way to improve people’s lives. 

Why do the French seem to hate the rich? France does not have the tradition of the “self-made man” who is worthy of respect and admiration.  Instead, the belief is that anyone rich must have cheated, that you can’t gain wealth honestly. This belief is summed up in a phrase often attributed to Balzac, “behind every great fortune lies a great crime.”

Why do the French take so much vacation? It’s not because they are lazy—the French economy is one of the world’s most productive. Rather, the French believe that you should work to live, rather live to work.

La Liberté Guidant le Peuple, Eugène Delacroix

In Search of Lost Time

Is it possible to fully understand a culture without living it? Can you study your way to a deep comprehension of all three levels of the cultural iceberg? Yes and no.

At an academic level, an anthropologist can certainly understand everything described above. They can study the development of French cultural institutions, read classic French literature, and all the rest. But they can never fully appreciate the innumerable touchpoints that connect people who spent their youth immersed in a culture.

This is especially true of popular culture, the music and games and television shows that form the background to childhood. You see these touchpoints when a French person talks about “Shadoks pumping” or an American says, “we’re not in Kansas anymore.” They reflect the years of shared experiences that cannot be recreated and help give each culture its particular and unique beauty.

 

What do you think? When did you experience culture shock while visiting France? Let us know in the comments!

Lead photo credit : © shutterstock

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Keith Van Sickle is a lifelong traveler who splits his time between California and Provence. He is the author of the best-sellers "One Sip at a Time" and "An Insider’s Guide to Provence.” Keith’s observations on life in France can be found on his website keithvansickle.com.

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Comments

  • Susan O'Neil
    2025-01-29 08:33:46
    Susan O'Neil
    Apparently one does not send thank you notes. After being hosted in France by my daughter’s in-laws, on returning home , I sent a thank you note. My son-in-law who was born in Canada said that his grandmother commented that I was crazy to send the note. In France you thank the person at the time, in person , which I did and then you are done. I guess I crossed a line because my son-in-law was surprised the note was not received in a positive way.

    REPLY

    •  Mme M
      2025-02-06 09:34:26
      Mme M
      I'm sorry your son-in-law unnecessarily made you feel as if you had done something wrong. If his grandmother indeed used the word crazy, that too is impolite and judgemental. Thank you notes after an event are rare; gifts upon arrival are customary but both are appreciated at any time. Recently we had three couples of new American arrivals here in France for a galette and history of the custom. No one had hostess gifts but each immediately sent a thank you. Then when my French girl friends came over for a goûter, each had a hostess gift and a couple also wrote email thank yous. .

      REPLY