As an author, do you promote your culture through fiction?

[Eldoria]

Cultural Promotion Through Fiction ​

I've read a lot of fiction that uses subtle cultural promotion through fiction. This is common in mainstream Eastern fiction. For example, isekai genre is known for being very Japan-centric (especially if written by a Japanese author).

The protagonist arrives in another world, bringing Japanese culture and attempting to change the local culture. Some isekai fictions explicitly focus on cultural promotion.

While this isn't necessarily wrong, it can disrupt immersion and even shift the focus of the story. Especially if your readers are looking for something new to explore in a fantasy world.

Ultimately, fiction is a medium—an author is free to choose how she/he wants to fill the content. However, don't forget that readers may choose to continue reading or not.

 

[DeOwl]

I think that wether you like it or not, the way you were brought up / the media you consumed will strongly Influence what you write. Because, in an extreme case, a person brought up in a European society with little knowledge of Asia will not be able to write fiction or nonfiction with realistic Asian values and settings, because he simply does not know them.

As for me, a person who was brought up integrating with many European countries through tourism, summer camps, etc while at the same time loving Asian culture, I believe myself to be more impartial then some, even if European media is the predominate source of entertainment / education.

In addition to this, as a person living in current day Russia and writing LGBTQ+, I try to symbolize completely different, if not the opposite values.

 

[Tyranomaster]

I think every fiction is going to always promote the writer's culture, whatever it may be. Our brains develop cognitive bias based on things we've seen or heard, and thus our understanding of how people, and things, work will always end up baked into any story we tell. Even if you consciously try to write something not from your own culture, you just end up writing the "negative image" or opposite of your own culture. You're largely saddled with the cultural axis of understanding that you grew up with.

You can do things to remedy this bias, but it's expensive. The only way to fix it is to spend years living among regular people within another culture. This does not mean simply being a tourist, but truly integrating into another society. This can take 5+ years, and you have to do it for every culture you want to integrate into your own world view. Just consuming their media makes your understanding a caricature of their culture. Americans, real American citizens, contrary to our media, are actually some of the nicest individuals in the world, at least according to a few different studies (and thousands of anecdotal stories from people who traveled to the US from foreign nations). If you only consumed our media though, you wouldn't believe this.

If you only consume anime and isekai, do you think that all the Japanese population likes harems, loli, and very eccentric gameshows? Ultimately, these are caricatures of a subset of desires from the culture. To understand the culture fully, one must interact with thousands of people in the ground for years. It's just the way brains work.

 

[expentio]

To be fair, isekai is also pretty feudal Europe. Often rather poorly, but swords and stone castles are not an asian thing, and anything with fantasy races is usually derived from classic Western fantasy.
In this sense, as my world is currently mostly place for different combinations of European countries (I got Spain-England, Rome-France, probably Germany?), I'd say that even if I try to give an accurate picture, I'm kinda promoting my general sphere of culture.
However, I wouldn't say that I'm only supporting my own beliefs. For example, my MC once stated they find the idea of a republic weird, as they grew up in a monarchy. Meanwhile, I'm absolutely not for any kind of authoritarian regime. Yet I've got a main conflict of corrupt nobles trying to overthrow the somewhat decent rulers.
And in a recent raw for a chapter, I even wrote how their daughter says that the division in power, away from her parents, is a bad thing and only brings problems. Those aren't my beliefs (and I hope people figure that out), it just makes sense to me that influencable youth would come to this conclusion given what she grew up with.

On another note, I also got mentions of a pseudo-Japan, and plan down the line to center something in a pseudo-China.

On a slightly related note, I extremely dislike that China basically has given the command that fiction is only allowed to add to China-supremacist narrative, and can't show other societies as equal or better.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

Cultural Promotion Through Fiction ​

I've read a lot of fiction that uses subtle cultural promotion through fiction. This is common in mainstream Eastern fiction. For example, isekai genre is known for being very Japan-centric (especially if written by a Japanese author).

The protagonist arrives in another world, bringing Japanese culture with them and attempting to change the local culture. Some isekai fictions explicitly focus on cultural promotion.

While this isn't necessarily wrong, it can disrupt immersion and even shift the focus of the story. Especially if your readers are looking for something new to explore in a fantasy world.

Ultimately, fiction is a medium—an author is free to choose how she/he wants to fill the content. However, don't forget that readers may choose to continue reading or not.

It's not so much promoting your culture, its about writing what you know. Your character has certain ideals and habits due to their culture. If they believe that the world they arrive in clashes with those ideals, or if they can use their culture and knowledge to their benefit, thats what you write about.

You aren't writing the story simply to promote your culture, but you cant avoid your character interacting with the world dictated by their upbringing.

It's like me getting Isekai'd and not trying to immediately subjugate the nearest land with oil reserves. Just cant be done.

 

[DeOwl]

Just consuming their media makes your understanding a caricature of their culture. Americans, real American citizens, contrary to our media, are actually some of the nicest individuals in the world, at least according to a few different studies

Yep, this is why, when you don't have the opportunity to spend extended periods of timee in another country, you have to consume "media" from different sources. Not just films or tv series, but books written in that country, preferably in the original language, watch documentaries, read scientific journals, etc.

I have every summer for 5 years in America and still I feel like I know very little about america, not to say Japan / china, etc.

 

[Tyranomaster]

Yep, this is why, when you don't have the opportunity to spend extended periods of timee in another country, you have to consume "media" from different sources. Not just films or tv series, but books written in that country, preferably in the original language, watch documentaries, read scientific journals, etc.

I have every summer for 5 years in America and still I feel like I know very little about america, not to say Japan / china, etc.

First off, very impressive!

As an aside on this, I think that the rise of people being told to touch grass comes from an over consumption of media within their own country. Basically, some people have isolated themselves from their own communities that they live in, and believe their own media caricatures of what their own culture is. Basically, they've become foreigners in their own country and need to interact more to not be alienated. More and more Americans are being affected by this, but Japan has had the problem for well over a decade with NEETs.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

First off, very impressive!

As an aside on this, I think that the rise of people being told to touch grass comes from an over consumption of media within their own country. Basically, some people have isolated themselves from their own communities that they live in, and believe their own media caricatures of what their own culture is. Basically, they've become foreigners in their own country and need to interact more to not be alienated. More and more Americans are being affected by this, but Japan has had the problem for well over a decade with NEETs.

I mean its never been anything new in any nation. There have always been people who isolated themselves and held certain beliefs that go against the reality of their society all on their own.

Media has just allowed for faster and more widespread examples of this and also allowed people in positions of power to push certain beliefs onto more impressionable consumers. Which may then lead to drifting away from their communities. It's just one way of keeping the common people from have a truly united front.

 

[AliceMoonvale]

I promote meme and chaos culture. Does that count?
And being painfully white.

 

[Valmond]

While this is normal, and almost unavoidable. Myself personally, from a young age. I broke off from my culture, and never adapted to the American culture.

I understand it fully, I just don’t care to mesh with it.

As a result, I have always just written what seemed good to me. When I decide to lock in, I can just write whatever I wish.

That’s just me though.

 

[Leti]

Yes, I promote pierogi in my works.

 

[Naravelt]

Rest easy, my fiction is free from government and media propaganda.

 

[MFontana]

Cultural Promotion Through Fiction ​

I've read a lot of fiction that uses subtle cultural promotion through fiction. This is common in mainstream Eastern fiction. For example, isekai genre is known for being very Japan-centric (especially if written by a Japanese author).

The protagonist arrives in another world, bringing Japanese culture with them and attempting to change the local culture. Some isekai fictions explicitly focus on cultural promotion.

While this isn't necessarily wrong, it can disrupt immersion and even shift the focus of the story. Especially if your readers are looking for something new to explore in a fantasy world.

Ultimately, fiction is a medium—an author is free to choose how she/he wants to fill the content. However, don't forget that readers may choose to continue reading or not.

That really depends on the story and its setting, but in truth I try not to beyond showcasing the culture through the lens of the setting.
For example:
Aestelle Nocte takes place in a (fictional) town in Upstate New York, so as far as the cultural aspects of the story go, they are primarily American culture [Which is, in fact, my culture], simply on account of where the story takes place. While the cultural-clashes between the alien characters (sci-fi aliens, not foreigners) add a few additional layers to the series. The biggest such source in this story is Seiara [The Imperial Princess]. Which serve as a part of the story for the comedic beats, fan-service, and laughs. Like, for example, her ongoing war with one of her most formidable campus nemeses. The Cafe Vending Machine. Because, with her home-world's culture (Heavily inspired by Imperial Rome and Ancient Greece), and her upbringing (as the Imperial Heiress to the Empire), the idea of 'inserting money into a machine for snacks' is completely alien to her.

The Elarian Chronicles and Aethara both take place in a High-Fantasy/Dark-Fantasy setting that was heavily influenced by Medieval and Renaissance era Europe, so that is the inherent, native, culture of the setting. While the former of the two, as it features a large number of people from 'our world' who were pulled into said fantasy setting, find themselves in a situation where they effectively develop their own culture within that world, and this also creates a fair degree of culturally themed clashes and tension between the characters. [Natives and Isekaied characters].

So, in essence, I just do my best to accurately, and realistically, present the culture(s) as they are/were, while taking some artistic license in my representations of them, without advocating for any as either morally, or ethically, "superior" to any others, or without having them effectually 'replace' any others in-world.

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

Cultural Promotion Through Fiction ​

I've read a lot of fiction that uses subtle cultural promotion through fiction. This is common in mainstream Eastern fiction. For example, isekai genre is known for being very Japan-centric (especially if written by a Japanese author).

The protagonist arrives in another world, bringing Japanese culture and attempting to change the local culture. Some isekai fictions explicitly focus on cultural promotion.

While this isn't necessarily wrong, it can disrupt immersion and even shift the focus of the story. Especially if your readers are looking for something new to explore in a fantasy world.

Ultimately, fiction is a medium—an author is free to choose how she/he wants to fill the content. However, don't forget that readers may choose to continue reading or not.

Most of the promotion is done subconsciously~.

 

[Rezcore]

The Chinese are bad about it. But yes, everyone pushes their culture. It's what they know, and that's how life is.

 

[Cookiez_N_Potionz]

Sometimes.

But I also branch out and research other cultures

 

[Akenoi]

Yes, I promote pierogi in my works.

As a Polish pierogi enthusiast, I kindly request a link to the book.

 

[CinnaSloth]

As an author, do you promote your culture through fiction?

Hell no, I enjoy my privacy. If I write about any place, person, or geographic, I try to do my homework on the topic. If I write about my culture, it's because it leaned in from another. I don't need to shout from the mountains my IRL location, or what's around me.
Plus, the people I, personally, know are buttheads (friends, family, acquaintances, work companions, and neighbours.) which is very short sighted I know, but I would like to think there are better people out there of my culture (as there always will be in any culture). We all know bad apples, I just happen to be surrounded by them, and to represent them only, would be a disservice to the whole. I wouldn't want that.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

I promote the culture I want to see.

 

[AnkaNix]

I just want people to accept that GenderBender stories can be peak without romance.