Cultural Stereotyping: A Comparison of France & India This document compares and contrasts cultural stereotypes between France and India. It provides background information on each country, discussing topics like religion, dress codes, music, food, and terrorism issues. For France, it notes the dominance of Roman Catholicism and describes traditional Breton striped shirts. In India, it outlines the Hindu majority and unique regional dress traditions. The document also explores stereotypes associated with each country's music, noting Bollywood films in India and perceptions of romantic French music.

1. Cultural Stereotyping
A Comparison of :
FRANCE & INDIA
DONE BY: ALEAH ALEXANDER
ALANA DOODHAI
AMANDA SUBIT
MELISSA DESPOT
PAULA JOSEPH

2. WHAT IS CULTURAL STEROTYPING?
 A stereotype is “...a fixed, over generalized belief about a particular
group or class of people.” (Cardwell, 1996).
 Any time you grouping races or individuals together and make a
judgment about them without knowing them, this is an example of a
stereotype. Racial remarks, sexual remarks, and gender remarks are the
biggest stereotypes.
 Stereotypes are often created about people of specific cultures or races.
 Almost every culture or race has a stereotype, including Jewish people,
Blacks, Irish people, and Polish people, among others.

3. India and France
Why was it chosen?

4. India India is officially known as the Republic of India.
 India has the second largest population in the world, with over 1.2 billion.
 India is the seventh largest country by total area.
 India belongs to the continent of Asia, it is bordered by the countries of
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China, Nepal, and Pakistan.
 Many different languages are spoken in India. The main ones are Hindi, Bengali,
Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, and Urdu.
 The capital city is New Delhi, while the most populated city is Mumbai.
 Because of India's location, it experiences periods of heavy rain called Monsoon.
 The Taj Mahal (a famous mausoleum and popular tourist attraction) is
located in the region of Agra.
 India became an independent nation in 1947 after ending British rule that began
in 1858.
 Mahatma Gandhi is famous for the important part he played in gaining India's
independence.
 The national symbol of India is the endangered Bengal Tiger.
 The most popular sport in India is cricket.

5. France
 France is officially known as the French Republic.
 French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion
are also recognized as a part of France.
 the population of mainland France was just under 63 million (62,814,233).
Another 2.8 million (2,816,459) are split between French Guiana, Guadeloupe,
Martinique, Mayotte and Reunion.
 The official language is French.
 French is the second most studied language in the world after English.
 The capital city is Paris. Other major cities include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, a
 nd Nice-Cannes.
 France is the most visited country in the world, with over 80 million visitors every year.
 The Louvre is the most visited art museum in the world. The famous Mona Lisa painting is on
display in this museum.
 The famous Eiffel Tower in Paris was built as the entrance point for the 1889 World Fair. It is one
of the most visited monuments in the world.
 The most famous road bicycle race in the world, the Tour de France zig zags through the French
landscape.
 Louis Pasteur was a French scientist who made many discoveries in the fields of chemistry and
microbiology.

8. Terrorism in France
According to Mc Partland (2014), France is the
“terrorism capital of Europe”.
2006- 6th/164 countries, for Incidences
related to terrorist activities, where 1097
persons were either injured or harmed.

10. Charlie Hebdo – Terrorism Attack

11. Terrorism in India
Terror related deaths, March 15th, 2015 -
http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/databa
se/indiafatalities.htm
Civilians: Thirty-six (36)
Security Officials: Twenty-two (22)
Terrorists: Fifty-nine (59)

12. Terrorism in India cont’d
2013
 February: Two blasts occurred in the city of Hyderabad in southern India in a
crowded shopping area,killing 16 people and wounding 119.
 May: Naxalite insurgents of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) attacked a
convoy of Indian National Congress leaders in Darbha Valley in the Sukma
district of the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh on May 25. The attack
caused at least 27 deaths, including that of a former state minister and two
other politicians.
 October: A series of bomb blasts rocked Patna in the northern state of Bihar
at an election rally for Narendra Modi, who was the prime ministerial
candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party at the time. Six people were
killed during the attack and 85 others were injured.

13. PESHAWAR ATTACK
 The significance of December 16th to India and Pakistan.
1971- Indo – Pakistani War
2014 – Peshawar attack

14. Religion in France
 According to the Central Intelligence Agency (2014), the
religious denominations in France are as follows:
Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%,
Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4%.

15. Religion in India
 HINDUISM -80.5%
 ISLAM – 13.4%
 CHRISTIANITY - 2.3%
 SIKHISM – 1.9%
 BUDDHISM and JAINISM – 1.2%
 OTHER – 0.7%

16. CASTE SYSTEM, ENDOGAMY & ARRANGED
MARRIAGES IN INDIA & FRANCE
 • Caste system: a social class separated from others by distinctions of
hereditary rank or profession or wealth.
 In India’s culture there is four well known caste- priests, warriors, commerce
and workmen. These would be the high caste, while the lower caste would
be, the outcasts or the untouchables. Before the French revolution the French
followed the caste system mainly, the endogamy practice and there was no
way out of it. In this system the three distinct estates, or social classes, were
made up of clergy, the first estate, nobles, the second estate, and the
common people, the third estate.

17. ENDOGAMY & ARRANGE MARRIAGES
CONT’D..
 ENDOGAMY: both India and France once followed this practice, its where
one is required to marry within their own ethnicity, religious or social
groups.
 ARRANGE MARRIAGES: Religious or cultural issues, preservation of wealth, or
the formation of political alliances are common reasons for arranged
marriages.
 Endogamy today is stilled practiced in both France and India but it is no
longer a requirement .
 arranged marriages today in India is preceded by an extended period of
informal ‘dates’ (meetings) between the couple to evaluate each other and
their prospective relationship.

18. Dress code in France
 When you imagine French dress code, the first picture comes to your mind is
stripe T shirt and berets.
 Today the stripe shirt is known as Breton, it was created in 1858 for French
navy sailors Brittany following the act of France. Having twenty one stripes on
the T shirt signifying each of Napoleon victories.
 The stripe T shirts change the fashion industry and was immortalized. This
was done in 1911 by designer Coco Chanel (Anne Andre, 2015).
 French normally dress well, those who live in the towns wear “business casual
attire” (Laura K. Lawless, 2015).

19. Dress code in India
 India the dress code are different from state to state, yet each state are
unique in its own way. Let us explore the attire of India.
 Sari - is a national attire wear by women. It incorporate six to nine yard of
unstitched silk or cotton cloth draped around forming pleats.
 Salwar Kameez- a two piece with dupatta (a veil covering the bosom or
head), with pyjama and a top. The outfit is worn by women it is considered as
being comfortable and worn to work at the office or by unmarried young
women.
 Lehenga and Choli- This is a women attire which include ankle length skirt
and a blouse. Also a Gharara which is a flared skirt which is available in
attractive colours.

20.  The wear Dhoti is cloth drape around from the waist, which is tied at the
waist and passed through the legs, for a top a Kurta is worn.
 Modern attire- is growing wear women wear dresses and jeans and mean
wear t- shirt and pants for casual wear (“How to people dress in India”,
2009).

21. Music in France
 People perceive France music as romantic. Which widens your imagination
'painting the picture of authentic "La Vie en Rose’ settings with lovers kissing
in the rain by the Eiffel Tower, couples hugging on the ancient steps of Notre-
Dame or getting engaged on the Bateaux-Mouche (Nathalie Richard-Sewell,
2012).
 In France there are different types of music, which vary from folk, opera,
classical, pop, and rock (Rachel Hanson, 2015).

22. Music in India
 The most familiar stereotypes about India music are the spectacular
surroundings where couples express their love for each other as they pretend
to sing and dance around the tree (“The India Stereotypes, 2013.”)
 The name Bollywood was obtain through a mixture of names, Bombay (now
known as Mumbai) and Hollywood. Bollywood is the largest film industry in
the world. The film are musical that vary from love, comedy and action thrills
(“What is Bollywood dance?”).

23. Food & Drink in France
Stereotype Reality
Consume large amounts of wine Many vineyards causing heavy wine consumption. Since
1980, national wine consumption has dropped from 13
billion gallons to 8.5 billion. In 1970, the French drank twice
as much wine as mineral water, whereas in 2002, mineral
water consumption doubled that of wine. Very cheap.
Cheese Monarchs of Europe Greek eat more cheese than the French — 52.7 pounds of
cheese per capita in 2009 — well behind Greece's
magnificent 68.3 pounds.
French are snobby eaters Gastronomic meals respect a fixed structure, commencing
with an apéritif (drinks before the meal) and ending with
liqueurs, containing in between at least four successive
courses, namely a starter, fish and/or meat with
vegetables, cheese and dessert.
French cook with heavy sauces
and complicated preparation
Some classic French dishes include Wine, fresh herbs, fresh
mushrooms, onions and garlic.

25. Food & Drink in India
Stereotype Reality
Ubiquitous “Curry” The cooking of the Subcontinent covers a wealth of different culinary
styles, with myriad regional variations and specialities, from the classic
creamy meat and fruit Mughlai dishes of the north through to the banana-
leaf vegetarian thalis of the south.
All Indians are Vegetarians Meat consumption in India is quite high which includes poultry, mutton,
pork and yes, beef. India became the top exporter of beef in 2012. Almost
70% is exported and the other 30% is consumed.
"Indian food is too spicy" This is the most common stereotype about Indian cuisine. While Indian food
uses a lot of spices and condiments in them not all of them are spicy but
they add flavour to the dish. Eating Indian food with youghurt also helps
reduce the spiciness of the dish.
Indian food uses a lot of
rice/roti
Food from the south of India uses a lot of rice since rice is grown there
however in the North of India where wheat are grown, people eat roti's or
chapatti's with their meal. Roti's or chapatti's are flatbread made with
wheat or any other grain.

27. Festivals in France

28. Unique Festivals in France
MENTON LEMON FESTIVAL - Fête du Citron
Carnival known as a festival when the citrus fruits that bring Menton its
wealth and reputation are celebrated.

29. Unique Festivals in France cont’d
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE GARDEN - Festival des Jardins
The International Garden Festival is a contemporary creation in the field of garden and
landscape design in the world. The festival revitalizes the art of gardens and interest to the
public and the profession by presenting new materials, ideas and innovative approaches.

30. Unique Festivals in France cont’d
Festival Medieval de Sedan
Sedan Castle is the greatest castle in Europe, attracting thousand of amateurs who want
to experience the Middle-Ages.

31. Festival in India

32. Unique Festivals in India
Pushkar Camel Fair
50,000 camels converge on the tiny desert town of Pushkar, in India's state of Rajasthan for the
Pushkar Camel Fair. For five days, the camels are dressed up, paraded, shaved, entered into
beauty contests, raced, and of course traded. It's a great opportunity to witness an old,
traditional style Indian festival.

33. Unique Festivals in India cont’d
Kerala Elephant Festival
Temple elephants are very well looked after and carry the resident temple deity during the
annual festivities & processions. These temple elephants are decorated with gold plated
Forehead ornament called Nettipattom, and are further adorned with bells and necklaces.
The Mahouts and Priests mounted on the elephants hold silk parasols calledMuthukuda and
sway large white Yak tail whisks called Venchamaram and Large peacock feather fans
called Aalavattom to the rhythm of the Panchavadyam.

34. Unique Festivals in India cont’d
Pongal Celebration in India
Pongal is one of the most fascinating festivals. Pongal marks the beginning of 'Uttarayana',
the sun's movement towards the north for the next 6 months. For this reason, this festival is
considered as an auspicious and perfect occasion for all events. This festival is celebrated to
thank God and nature for blessing Earth with all the divine gifts in life.

35. CONCLUSION

36. References
 McLeod, S. A. (2008). Stereotypes. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/katz-braly.html
 Facts About India (n.d.) Retrieved 12 March, 2015 from
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/countries/india.html
 Facts About France (n.d.) Retrieved 12 March, 2015 from
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/countries/france.html
 Mc Partland, B. (2014, May 28). France - the 'terrorism capital of Europe' Retrieved March 20, 2015,
from http://www.thelocal.fr/20140528/france-europes-capital-of-terrorism
 France Terrorism Stats: NationMaster.com. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2015, from
http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/profiles/France/Terrorism#2006
 India Fatalities: 1994-2015. (2015, March 15). Retrieved March 20, 2015, from
http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/database/indiafatalities.htm
 Peshawar Attack: Pakistanis Blame India for Massacre of School Children. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20,
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children-617408
 (2014, June 22). Retrieved March 23, 2015, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/geos/fr.html
 Secularism and religious freedom. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2015, from
http://www.france.fr/en/institutions-and-values/secularism-and-religious-freedom.html

37. REFERENCES CONT’D
 Frenchrevolutionshs.wikispaces.com,. 'Frenchrevolutionshs - France Before
1789'. N.p., 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
 wiseGEEK,. 'What Are Arranged Marriages? (With Pictures)'. N.p., 2015. Web.
23 Mar. 2015.
 THE INDIAN STEREOTYPES. (2013, August 22). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from
http://daily.indianroots.com/indian-stereotypes/
 Grant, A. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from
http://worldfilm.about.com/od/bollywood/a/historyofbollywood.htm
 (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from
http://new.bollywooddimensions.com/about/what-is-bollywood-dance/

38. REFERENCES CONT’D
 Hanson, R. (n.d.). History of French Music. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from
http://french.lovetoknow.com/History_of_French_Music

 Lawless, L. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from
http://french.about.com/od/culture/a/onion-johnny.htm

 Andre, A. (n.d.). Top 10 Stereotypes true of false. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from
http://www.annieandre.com/2013/04/stereotypes-about-the-french/
 Richard Sewell, N. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from
http://www.myfrenchlife.org/2012/04/27/french-popular-music-lamour-toujours/
 IndiaFolks. (n.d.). Retrieved March 26, 2015, from
http://www.indiafolks.com/history-and-culture/how-do-people-dress-in-india/