AN ANALYSIS OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES & CULTURAL CONFLICT IN

BORAT FILM (AMERICA & KAZAKHTAN)

By
I Gede Febry Wira Pratama
1712021134/ 7D
082236169346/ gedepratama889@gmail.com
English Language Education, Ganesha University of Education
Singaraja, Bali

Abstract: There are many cultures that make people confused

about how to study them. Cultural differences and cultural conflict
often occur in society. Therefore, the researcher analyses cultural
differences and cultural conflicts in the film "Borat", namely the
culture of Kazakhstan and America. This study uses a library
research method and is described in a descriptive qualitative
manner which aims to find out cultural differences and cultural
conflicts contained in the film "Borat". The results showed that
there were two cultural differences in the film "Borat". The first is
in Kazakhstan culture, when someone meets a new person they
will kiss and hug the person they met. The second is eating habits
with important people or in the dining room. In addition, there is a
cultural conflict that occurs in the Borat film, namely
discrimination. The discrimination that occurs in the Borat film is
discrimination against the position of women. Then the researchers
concluded that the cultural conflict could occur because the
Kazakh culture still adheres to the old culture, while American
culture has begun to regenerate.

Keyword: Borat film, cultural conflict, cultural differences

A. INTRODUCTION

Language is the identity of a nation. Nowadays, learning many languages is very

important to be able to compete in the world of work. In language learning, it is not only
focused on how to communicate, but also learning about culture. Learning other people's
languages, means we will also learn other people's cultures. This is because every nation
has its own cultural diversity. This agrees with Duranti (1997) as cited in Dirgeyasa
(2015) which states that blood-related groups will have a language and type of culture
that is different from other community groups. Culture is the background to the formation
of a nation. Culture is created because of habits carried out by humans and it is carried
out by generation to generation. In addition, culture is a reflection of the behavior of a
nation which is closely related to language, customs, race, religion and ethnicity.

According to Schein (1990), culture is an organizational forum for studying the

elements of language, religion, race, and ethnicity of a nation. Understanding different
cultures in a nation will make it easier for people to adapt to that new environment.
However, in studying culture we must be able to sort out which culture is positive and
which is negative. In this era of globalization, it is very easy to study the culture of other
nations. Through the internet, people can find information about the culture of other
nations. This is very helpful so that when traveling to other countries we do not
experience a culture shock. Culture shock is an anxiety when people have to operate in
different cultural or social environments. This usually happens to people who have not
prepared themselves before visiting other countries. Therefore, to overcome this, cross-
cultural understanding can help people to avoid cultural problems.

In the current era of globalization, it is easier than ever to study across cultures. We
don't need to go directly to a country to study its culture. With the help of technology,
studying culture can be done anywhere, we can even exchange information directly about
culture with other people. The right solution to quickly understand other people's cultures
is to learn about culture through films. People can learn about culture through the films
they watch, as nowadays many young people are interested in Korean films. From the
film they learned Korean culture, many young people used the words "Sarangheo",
"Oppa", how to eat using chopsticks, etc. All these habits they learn from the Korean
 films they watch. There are many films that introduce and raise cultural issues. One of
them is the Borat film which was published in 2006.

Borat is a film directed by Larry Charles in 2006. The Borat film tells of a man
named Borat Sagdiyev who works as a TV reporter and a journalist from Kazakhstan.
Borat was sent by the government of Kazakhstan to the America to document the
economic, social and Jewish problems that occurred in the USA. On a trip to the
America, Borat thought that Kazakh culture was the same as American culture. But in
reality, their culture is much different. In Kazakhstan, the family culture is still strong,
such as being able to kiss men carelessly on the street, but it is very strange in the
America they don't do this. Borat did a lot of chaos, like releasing chickens on the
subway, and there were many more problems he did. During his travels in the America,
Borat took many courses in understanding culture in America. He learned a lot about
American cultural life such as how to have dinner with important people, etc. At the end
of the film Borat is deported back to his country.

In Borat's film, there are many cultural differences that can be learned. The
differences between the two countries, such as how they eat, meet people, religion and
language are very different. This film contains many cultural conflicts and social
conditions in the two countries, Kazakhstan and America. This is because in the Borat
film there are very far cultural differences and that causes Borat to gets many problems in
the America. Therefore, researchers are interested in analyzing the cultural differences
and conflict contained in the Borat film.

Problem statement:

1. What are the cultural differences between America and Kazakhstan conveyed through
Borat film?
2. What are the cultural conflict that occur in Borat film?

Research objectives:

1. To find out the cultural differences between the USA and Kazakhstan that conveyed
through Borat film.
2. To find out the cultural conflict that occur Borat film.
B. LITERATURE REVIEW
1) Theoretical Review
1.1 Culture
Culture is the most important part in the identity of a nation. Schein (1990)
argues that culture is a managerial term in the container organization, system
authority and is seen as a set of values, beliefs, and ideas. Culture is derived from
ways of thinking, beliefs, feelings, which are passed down through community
groups. According to Bodley (1999), there are three basic components of culture,
namely what people think, what they do, and the material products they produce.
Social norms, symbols and values in organizations are the basic level of culture.
In addition, Hall (1990) as cited in Lebron (2013) defines culture as a way of
storing and processing information. Every country has its own culture, which
makes it very complex. Over time, culture can change due to developmental
factors and human behavior. Therefore, it is very important to understand culture
before doing anything.

1.2 Cross Culture Understanding

Cross cultural understanding is the study of two different cultures. According
to Lingtech, Cross cultural understanding is a science related to understanding
another person's culture to achieve certain goals, such as doing business with
them, working with them, or maybe move to their country. More specifically,
cross cultural understanding is a knowledge of understanding other people's
cultures so that we can become more tolerant and tolerant more generous to the
strange ways that people of different cultures might show us. There are several
objectives of learning cross cultural understanding. First, to gain an understanding
of different cultures. Second, for culture shock or strange feelings when visiting
other countries. Finally, to increase curiosity to learn about other people's
cultures. Culture refers to all aspects of human life, therefore learning cross
cultural understanding will greatly help someone in understanding other people's
cultures.
 1.3 Cultural Differences
Cultural differences often occur in various countries. Cultural differences
involve socially acquired values, beliefs, and rules of behavior that impact a
variety of behaviors that differ from one group of society to another. These
cultural differences can be seen from personality, language, behavior and beliefs.
In cultural differences there is intercultural communication. According to Issa, et
all (2016), Intercultural communication is communication across different
cultures. This means if someone with a different cultural background interacting
with someone with a different cultural background then that is intercultural
communication. Therefore, understanding cultural differences will help a person
to make intercultural communication

1.4 Cultural Conflicts

Cultural conflicts are very common in the world. The term cultural conflict
was first used in 1949. Cultural conflict is a difference between a group of values
and beliefs that do not reach agreement. According to Avruch (2002), cultural
conflict is a conflict that can occur within a different group or group within an
area. Cultural conflicts occur because of different attitudes and personalities. For
example in the Borat film, the very significant cultural differences between the
cultures of Kazakhstan and America, made Borat experience various problems.
Differences such as, personality, attitudes, and ways of life made Borat learn
about American culture. The number of cultures in the world makes cultural
conflicts occur frequently, therefore we must have a sense of tolerance towards
each culture and try to understand it.

2) Empirical Review

In order to support this study, it is necessary to review some previous research

and article that are related to this study.
 The first research was conducted by Nurhasanah (2017) entitled
"CULTURAL CONFLICT IN INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN "PK"
MOVIE BY RAJKUMAR HIRANI ". The purpose of this study is to find out the
components of culture differences and cultural conflicts in the" PK "movie. This
study uses a qualitative method which used note taking as the instrument in order to
find out the valid data. The results of this study found that there are three kinds of
components of culture in the "PK" movie, namely language, religion beliefs, and
norms. In addition, the researchers also found cultural conflicts, namely interpersonal
conflicts, conflicts between individuals, conflicts between groups, and organizational
conflicts. The researcher concluded that the component of culture differences and
cultural conflicts in the "PK" movie has an important role in the occurrence of social
interaction, because of differences in perceptions between communities.

The second research was conducted by Eva Monica, et all (2020) entitled
“CULTURAL CONFLICT EXPERIENCED BY THE CENTRAL CHARACTER IN
THE NOVEL CRAZY RICH ASIAN BY KEVIN KWAN”. The purpose of this
research is to explore the cultural conflict and the settlement in Kevin Kwan's novel
Crazy Rich Asian. This study uses a descriptive analysis method which is used to find
valid and accurate data. The results of this study found that the cultural conflicts
experienced by Rachel and Nick were caused by stereotypes, misunderstandings,
ethnocentrism and materialism, a high sense of selfishness that made the conflict
continue without any resolution.

The last research was conducted by Putera (2016) entitled “AN ANALYSIS
OF THE CROSS-CULTURAL IMMIGRANT CONFLICTS IN PAUL HAGGIS
'MOVIE "CRASH". The purpose of this research is to find out what conflicts are
faced by migrants and the causes of this is in Paul Haggis 'Movie "Crash". This study
uses qualitative research methods and the analysis uses relevant theory (cross-cultural
conflict) by Levine and Adelman which is used to find valid and accurate data. The
results of this study found that cross-cultural conflicts in this film are related to
language, occupation and ethnicity caused by prejudice and negative stereotypes from
the surrounding community.
 Based on previous research that has been done above, it can be concluded that
many researchers have analyzed cultural differences and cultural conflicts that occur
in films. The researchers above have different studies and objectives in analyzing
each film. However, the three studies above have something in common, namely
showing the existence of several cultural conflicts contained in the analyzed films. It
is important for researchers to refer to the above research as a scientific reference in
analyzing cultural differences and conflicts contained in the Borat film.

C. METHODOLOGY
1) Research Design
The research method used in this study is a library research method and is
described in a descriptive qualitative manner. The library research method is a
method of collecting data through various sources such as articles, journals and books
related to the research area. In addition, the library research method goes through
various processes in finding information to write a paper, make a presentation, or
complete a project. The purpose of this research method is to collect data from related
studies and to describe the data obtained systematically and accurately. The object of
this research is the Borat film directed by Larry Charles in 2006.

2) Data Collection
The data collection method in this research is observation. The first step,
researchers watch the film as a whole. The second step, researcher’s record and
record important things related to research from the film. The third step, researchers
analyzed the film to find cultural differences and conflicts that occurred in the film

3) Data Analysis
In analyzing this research, the researcher used three steps, namely:
a. Data Reduction
In this step, the researcher selects and simplifies the data through
watching the Borat film. This is done until the researcher finds the right
final result. Data reduction can be done in various ways such as
 recording, classifying, and summarizing the data obtained in the study
within a predetermined period of time.
b. Data Display
In this step, the researcher will process simplified data to make it
easier to analyze the required data. After that, the researcher makes
further plans about what has been found and draws relevant conclusions.

c. Drawing Conclusion and Verification

In this step, the researcher conducted verification to find valid data.
Evidence of the data obtained must be in accordance with the research
objectives, so that the research results can be said to be accurate and
successful.

D. FINDING & DISCUSSION

1. Cultural Differences in Borat Film
There are two cultural differences between Kazakhstan and America that
the researcher found in Borat film. The first is ethics when meeting new people.
In Kazakhstan culture, when someone meets a new person they will kiss and hug
the person they met. This culture is very commonly used by the Kazakhstan
people. But in America, this is not common practice. This can be seen in Borat's
film, Borat greets American people while kissing him and it annoys American
people with the way Borat greets him or her. American people think Borat is
crazy and in the film also shows American people running away when approached
by Borat. The second is eating habits with important people or in the dining room.
In American culture, when eating, people limit talking to other people who are
sitting far away from us. This is seen in the film, when Borat is told that when we
are at the long table, we should limit conversations with other people. Those are
some of the cultural differences that the researchers found in the Borat film.
 2. Cultural Conflict in Borat Film
The cultural conflict that occurs in this film is discrimination against
women. In the film scene, Borat interviews a female artist in America. In the
interview, Borat stated that the position of women in Kazakhstan does not have an
important role because in Kazakhstan everyone thinks that the ability of the
female brain is weak, in contrast to the male brain which can do anything. This
refers to cultural conflict, because in America women and men have gender
equality. The American perception holds that women and men are equal and
women are not considered weak here. In Kazakhstan, women are not allowed to
go to school, but in America women can also have the same education as men.
The cause of this cultural conflict is that the country of Kazakhstan is not yet
developed, in contrast to America which is already thinking ahead. In addition,
Kazakh culture still adheres to the old culture, while American culture has begun
to regenerate. This is what makes Borat say that women in Kazakhstan do not
have an important role and have weak brains, different from that of men.

E. CONCLUSION
Along with the times, learning Cross Culture Understanding becomes easier.
People don't need to visit other countries to learn about culture because we only need to
study it through the internet, especially films. There are many films that raise issues about
culture, one of which is the Borat film which raises the issue of Kazakh and American
culture. In Borat's film, there are two cultural issues that can be raised, namely cultural
differences and cultural conflicts. There are two cultural differences that the researchers
found in the Borat film. The first is in Kazakhstan culture, when someone meets a new
person they will kiss and hug the person they met. The second is eating habits with
important people or in the dining room. In American culture, when eating, people limit
talking to other people who are sitting far away from us. In addition, there is a cultural
conflict that occurs in the Borat film, namely discrimination. The discrimination that
occurs in the Borat film is discrimination against the position of women. In Kazakhstan
women does not have an important role and have weak brains, different from that of men.
The cause of this cultural conflict is that the country of Kazakhstan is not yet developed,
in contrast to America which is already thinking ahead. Therefore, it is important to learn
Cross Culture Understanding that will increase a sense of tolerance and can anticipate
cross-cultural conflicts.
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Dirgeyasa, W. (2015). Berbeda Dunia, Berbeda Budaya, dan Beragam Bahasa. Universitas
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