Cultural Adaptation in Professional Practice. The lesson of Cuba

Authors

  • Alessandro Masoni Facultad de Ingeniería y Arquitectura de la University of New York Tirana, Albania

Keywords:

intercultural competencies, cultural adaptation, ethnocentrism, international professional practice

Abstract

This essay is the result of the participation in the international conference "1972-2022. Il Patrimonio Mondiale alla prova del tempo," which aimed to highlight how environmental conditions, materials, and local techniques affect interventions in architectural heritage. This essay emphasizes that projects often face cultural frictions and communication problems rather than economic or technical factors. It draws on personal experience, using Cuba as a case study, and analyses it ex post facto through the theory of intercultural competence. It recognizes adaptation as a circular, iterative process influenced by feedback between competencies and experiences, characterized by an inherent asymmetry in intercultural relations. It emphasizes the importance of the "tetrad" of attitudes, skills, knowledge, and self-awareness for adaptation and advocates their inclusion in the training of expatriate professionals. Recognizing their crucial role, it concludes that such competencies are now essential in building a more interconnected and inclusive world.

Author Biography

Alessandro Masoni, Facultad de Ingeniería y Arquitectura de la University of New York Tirana, Albania

Doctor Arquitecto. Jefe del Departamento de Arquitectura y Diseño de la Facultad de Ingeniería y Arquitectura de la University of New York Tirana, Albania.

E-mail: alessandromasoni@unyt.edu.al

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7572-712X

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Published

2024-05-04

How to Cite

Masoni, A. (2024). Cultural Adaptation in Professional Practice. The lesson of Cuba. Revista científica De Arquitectura Y Urbanismo, 45(1), 79–88. Retrieved from https://rau.cujae.edu.cu/index.php/revistaau/article/view/816

Issue

Vol. 45 No. 1 (2024): Arquitectura y Urbanismo

Section

Of Kingdom of this World

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