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

[Indigodarkchild]

Agreed. Your experiences shape the way you create. Research is an amazing way to learn about how other cultures operate, and it helps the way you interpret the world. We could all use some understanding of different cultures. Especially through reading.

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

I'd get called racist if I portray the blacks that I grew up around with.

 

[Kimsuya]

I don’t consciously aim to promote my culture, but elements of it often appear in my fiction because they are part of my identity and influence my storytelling

 

[Zagaroth]

No, I can not describe my story as promoting American culture. There are certainly some ideals that were inspired in part by some of the best of American ideals, such as a strong lean toward individual freedom and encouraging people to find their own path in life, but there are many other aspects of the world that are different, and would be considered beyond-radical-left by many Americans.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

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).

From critical commentary, this is even more true of Solo Leveling - the original series, especially the later books, "sell" South Korean culture and the hero is uniquely Korean. The anime, however, tries to downplay that (to the ire of many critics, at least, but fans seem to prefer it as it removes most of the cuture-selling... and replaces about a third of what it doesn't remove with Japanese culture-selling!).

I, and I suspect a majority of authors, never INTENTIONALLY do this, but it often creeps in, whether we want it to or not (OR an outright REJECTION of our culture and a focus on its flaws takes over).

 

[Nekyo]

I don't really promote my culture. I started writing fiction partly to escape the culture I grew up in, since it felt like the opposite of the stories and values I gravitated toward, so I never fully integrated. That said, I think it reflects in a slightly bleaker lens of the world at times.

My writing though, aims for that Anime feel
Fueled by Eastern influences like animism, Shinto, Buddhism, and martial arts that always resonated with me on a spiritual level.

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

At the end of the day, it's damn near impossible to. If you need a refresher on what makes a certain media culture to be prevalent you need to view drastically distinct sources. I mean, most of the time here on english specific forums there is blatant racism against the chinese. The "criticism" against how cultivation novels are portrayed beyond the forced national identity is in fact racist. Americans seem to be allergic to fatalism and obedience.

Same with media that has russian views, turkish, indian, french, etc. for the major entertainment players. Look at how the themes are reinforced by the specific, cultural aspects. If you are going to paint over something that you will represent with a strong sense of individualism mixed with a climax because of the self, it's more western and hollywood/american specific. You should consume other media. Especially if the story ends up vindicating them for taking a route away from the group/community/family.

I personally suggest looking at romance movies across studios. Everyone has love. By the end you'll think there is a wrong type of love. You can't remove your biases, only throw a blanket over them and tell it to fight crime with its fancy not-cape.

 

[empalgepuk]

I do insert some SEAsian culture in my worldbuilding.

Ever since I saw silat making an appearance in Kengan Ashura, I thought why not add this? So I added a country that is the whole SEAsia region rolled into one. Hence why the Filipino sounding names of some characters, and a few Indonesian dishes. No one is transported from another world, so everything is already there from the beginning.

 

[Envylope]

Nope, I do not do that.

 

[Kitsuna]

My story doesn't even take place where I live lol

 

[JayMark]

I'm not really sure if I do or not.

 

[SouthernMaiden]

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.

I promote my politics more than culture.

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.

You're not missing out. America doesn't have a culture, it has people trying to sell you things, that's it. Just kidding~

 

[Gray_Mann]

I'd get called racist if I portray the blacks that I grew up around with.

Agreed. Stereotypes aren't born in a vacuum. They don't form from nothing. They are birthed with some truth and accuracy, regardless of anyone's hurt feelings on the matter. Sure they typically became exaggerated caricatures of the original truth, but again, there was some truth in the matter originally.

 

[Lookingforthis]

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.

I've seen it argue that somebody born into the culture, like the Asian person, is just as bad in the opposite way; In this example, the Asiatic person would not be able to write a story with the actual values of their society, merely what they think is their values.

That objectivity, while impossible in a complete sense, is still desirable for the fairest shake and that would be a foreigner, not neccessarily European, studying the culture rather than living it.

That a look from outside is far more informative than one looking from within.

To actually address the topic though, I do not.

Not because I do not believe my culture isn't the best and that the world would benefit from having it, but because I believe all "true" promotions to be intentional rather than accidental. That simple exposure IS a way to transmit culture but that, unless the intention WAS to promote said culture, having a bias towards whatever culture you were born in is not enough to constitute propaganda.

Thus, as I do not make a conscious decision to promote my culture, I do not believe I do so.

 

[Racosharko]

Nah... not culture but something like...

 

[Astrolust]

Ive spent a year pushing the reverse world genre into boston i will stop at nothing to keep pushing that agenda

 

[Lookingforthis]

Nah... not culture but something like...

Yeah, culture includes ethical frameworks and those have to answer such questions as "what do you do when someone isn't excellent towards you?"

 

[CharlesEBrown]

I'd get called racist if I portray the blacks that I grew up around with.

We had a family living in one of the apartment buildings I was at in Chicago who, I swear existed solely so that racists could point to them and say: "See?!"
The oldest child never lied - because he ABSOLUTELY believed EVERYTHING he ever said, no matter how ridiculous.
The only family member who seemed worthwhile turned out to be the "mastermind" behind a group of thieves who hit each other's buildings ... and then sold their loot at the pawn shop a block away.
During his once-a-month visit, the father wore an ankle bracelet issued by the sheriff's department.
During their eviction hearing,, the judge stopped the mother mid sentence with: "Ma'am, please. This is the fourth version of this story you've shared. Pick a version - I don't even care if its the truth at this point, just one single version, and stick with it, please." Her response was to call him a racist and worse, until he interrupted her and gave his judgement immediately ("You want them out? They have ten days").

 

[CanOfTuna]

I promote the fun parts of Buddhism (and some other parts too)