Threads and blocks

Adrian Holliday's (2013, 2016) theory of "small culture formation on the go" offers a new perspective on the concept of culture. According to the author, culture is not a fixed, large, or overarching system, and it is not determined solely by nationality, religion, language, or ethnicity. Holliday suggests that to understand our culture, we should focus on the everyday interactions we experience in our daily lives.

People are constantly creating small cultures ("small culture formation on the go") − a family, a work group, a classroom, or even a spontaneous conversation can be such cultural spaces. These "small cultures" are dynamic and contextual, emerge from relationships between people, and exist in hybrid, complex, and changing forms. Holliday believes that we often already have an intuitive understanding of other cultures, as many of our daily experiences, humanity, and practical solutions are in many cases universal.

The thread and block narratives used in this exhibition highlight an important difference. Block narratives are based on fixed categories such as nationality, religion, ethnicity, gender, or age − they offer rigid, pre-determined templates for defining identity. We often assume that these identities are deeply ingrained and predetermined, and that they define who we are. Such narratives can box us in, simplify things, and often follow an exclusionary logic by highlighting differences.

In contrast, thread narratives focus on our individual stories, everyday situations, and experiences. Identity is understood as a continuously woven "thread" that can present a different picture of us depending on the context: who we are talking to, how we are talking, and in what situation. Threads allow for diversity, nuance, and change, clearly reflecting that our identities are not fixed, but evolving.

Holliday's theory encourages us to stop looking for ready-made answers about culture and instead start asking questions and paying attention. What stories are we part of? What connections are we making? How does what we say about ourselves change depending on where we are and who is listening?

Amadasi, S., & Holliday, A. (2017). Block and thread intercultural narratives and positioning: Conversations with newly arrived postgraduate students. Language and Intercultural Commu-nication, 17(3), 254–269. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2016.1276583

Holliday, A. (2013). Understanding intercultural communication: Negotiating a grammar of culture. London, UK: Routledge.

Holliday, A. (2016). Revisiting intercultural competence: Small culture formation on the go through threads of experience. International Journal of Bias, Identity and Diversities in Edu-cation, 1(2), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJBIDE.2016070101