Family Communication Patterns between Muslim and Santal Communities in Rural Bangladesh: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

This study compares family communication patterns in association with family socio-cultural status, especially marriage and family pattern, and couples- socio-economic status between Muslim and Santal communities in rural Bangladesh. A total of 288 couples, 145 couples from the Muslim and 143 couples from the Santal were randomly selected through cluster sampling procedure from Kalna village situated in Tanore Upazila of Rajshahi district of Bangladesh, where both the communities dwell as neighbors. In order to collect data from the selected samples, interview method with semistructural questionnaire schedule was applied. The responses given by the respondents were analyzed by Pearson-s chi-squire test and bivariate correlation techniques. The results of Pearson-s chi-squire test revealed that family communication patterns (X2= 25. 90, df= 2, p<0.01, p>0.05) were significantly different between the Muslim and Santal communities. In addition, Spearman-s bivariate correlation coefficients suggested that among the exogenous factors, family type (rs=.135, p<0.05) and occupation of both husband (rs= .197, p<0.01) and wife (rs= .265, p<0.01) were significantly positive associations, and marital arrangement (rs= -.177, p<0.01), education of husband (rs= -.108, p<0.05) and wife (rs= -.142, p<0.01 & p<0.05), and family income (rs= -.164, p<0.01) were significantly negative relations with the family communication patterns followed between the two communities, although age difference between husband and wife, family head and residence patterns were not significant relations with ones.


Authors:



References:
[1] L. A. Baxter & C. L. Clark, "Perceptions of family communication
patterns and the enactment of family rituals", Western Journal of
Communication, vol. 60, no. 3, pp. 254-268, 1996.
[2] L. L. Eggert, "Support in the family ties: stress, coping, and adaptation",
in T. L. Albrecht, M. B. Adelman and Associates, Communicating
Social Support, London: SAGE Publications, 1987.
[3] Y. Fujioka & E. W. Austin, "The relationship of family communication
patterns to parental mediation styles", Communication Research, vol. 29,
no. 6, pp. 642-665, 2002.
[4] F. A. Koerner & M. A. Fitzpatrick, "Toward a theory of family
communication", Communication Theory, vol. 12, pp. 70-91, 2002a.
[5] P. H. Leiderman, S. R. Tulkin & A. Rosenfeld (eds.), Culture and
Infancy: Variations in the Human Experiences. New York: Academic
Press, Inc, 1977.
[6] D. Magnusson & V. L. Allen (eds.), Human Development: An
Interactional Perspective. New York: Academic Press, 1983.
[7] J. M. Meadowcroft, "Family communication patterns and political
development: The child role", Communication Research, vol. 13, no. 4,
pp. 603-624, 1986.
[8] L. D. Ritche & M. A. Fitzpatrick, "Family communication patterns:
Measuring interpersonal perceptions of interpersonal relationships",
Communication Research, vol. 17, pp. 523-544, 1990.
[9] R. Sedgwick, Family Mental Health: Theory and Practice. London: The
C. V. Mosby Company, 1981, p. 61.
[10] K. S. Verderber & R. F. Verderber, Inter-Act: Using Interpersonal
Communication Skills. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing
Company, 1986, 4th edition.
[11] B. Yorburg, Family Relationships. New York: St. Mortin-s Press, 1993.
[12] Q. Z. Zhang, "Family communication patterns and conflict styles in
parent-child relationship", Communication Quarterly, vol. 55, no. 1, pp.
113-128, 2007.
[13] J. M. Meadowcroft & M. A. Fitzpatrick, M. A., "Theories of family
communication: Toward a merger of intersubjectivity and mutual
influence processes", in Robert P. Hawkins, J. M. Kliemann and S.
Suzanee (ed.), Advancing Communication Science: Merging, Mass and
Interpersonal Process. SAGE Publications, 1988, p. 253.
[14] E. W. Austin, "The importance of perspective in parent-child
interpretations of family communication patterns", Communication
Research, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 558-564, 1993.
[15] L. N. Huang, "Family communication patterns and personality
characteristics", Communication Quarterly, vol. 47, pp. 230-246, 1999.
[16] L. Kelly, et al., "Family communication patterns and the development of
reticence", Communication Education, vol. 51, no. 2, pp. 202-209, 2002.
[17] F. A. Koerner & M. A. Fitzpatrick, "Understanding family
communication patterns and family functioning: The roles of conversion
orientation and conformity orientation", in W. Gudykunst (ed.),
Communication Yearbook (vol. 26). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates, 2002c, pp. 37-69.
[18] F. A. Koerner & K. E. Cvancara, "The influence of conformity
orientation on communication patterns in family conversations", Journal
of Family Communication, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 133-152, 2002.
[19] J. Lull, "Family communication patterns and the social uses of
television", Communication Research, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 319-333, 1980.
[20] L. Odol, J. Seeman & J. R. Newbrough, "A study of family
communication patterns and personality integration in children", Child
Psychiatry and Human Development, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 275-285, 2005.
[21] L. D. Ritchie, "Family communication patterns: An epistemic analysis
and conceptual reinterpretation", Communication Research, vol. 18, pp.
548-565, 1991.
[22] M. N. Saphir & S. H. Chaffee, "Adolescents- contributions to family
communication patterns", Human Communication Research, vol. 28, no.
1, pp. 86-108, 2002.
[23] M. E. Shaw, "Communication networks", in L. Berkowitz (ed.),
Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. New York: Academic
Press, 1964, vol.1.
[24] M. E. Shaw, G. H. Rothschild & J. F. Strickland, "Decision processes in
communication nets", in A. J. Smith (ed.), Communication and Culture:
Readings in the Codes of Human Interaction. New York: Holt, Rinehart
and Winston, 1966.
[25] B. G. Blount, Language, Culture and Society: A Book of Readings.
Cambridge: Wintrop Publishers, Inc, 1974.
[26] J. Berger, Status Characteristics and Social Interaction: An Expectation
States Approach. New York: Elsivier, 1977.
[27] R. Edwards, M. W. Allen & C. R. Hayhoe, "Financial attitudes and
family communication about students- finances: the role of sex",
Communication Reports, April 1 (Periodical Article), 2007.
[28] C. E. Izerd, "Cross-cultural perspectives on emotion and emotion
communication", in H. C. Triandis and W. Lonner (ed.), Handbook of
Cross-Cultural Psychology, Basic Processes. Boston: Allyn and Bacon,
Inc, 1980
[29] Y. Nixon & P. Bull, "Cultural communication styles and accuracy in
cross-cultural perception: A British and Japanese study", Journal of
Intercultural Communication, vol. 3, no.12, 2006.
[30] L. A. Samovar & R. E. Porter, Intercultural Communication: A Reader.
Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1985, 4th edition.
[31] D. V. Tanno & A. Gonzalez, (eds.), Communication and Identity across
Cultures. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 1998.
[32] A. Trees, "Attachment: The reciprocal relationship between family
communication and attachment patterns", in D. Braithwaite and L.
Baxter (eds.), Engaging Theories in Family Communication: Multiple
Perspectives. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2006, pp. 165-
180.
[33] A. L. Vangelisti, (ed.), Handbook of FamilyCommunication. California:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004.
[34] A. Bakir, G. M. Rose & A. Shoham, "Family communication patterns:
Mother-s and father-s communication style and children-s perceived
influence in family decision-making", Journal of International
Consumer Marketing, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 75-95, 2006.
[35] J. J. Conger & A. C. Petersen, Adolescence and Youth: Psychological
Development in a Changing World. New York: Harper & Row,
Publishers, 1984, pp. 214-260, 3rd edition.
[36] W. B. Gudykunst, S. Ting-Toomes & T. Nishida (eds.), Communication
in Personal Relationships across Cultures. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA,
1996.
[37] W. B. Gudykunst & C. M. Lee, "An agenda for studying ethnicity and
family communication", Journal of Family Communication, vol. 1, no.,
pp. 75-85, 2001.
[38] W. B. Gudykunst, Cross-Cultural and Intercultural Communication.
Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, 2003.
[39] S. NG. Hung, et al., "Communication correlates of individualism and
collectivism: Talk directed at one or more addressees in family
conversations", Journal of language and Social Psychology, vol. 19, no.
1, pp. 26-45, 2000.
[40] J. J. Honigmann, Understanding Culture. New York: Harper and Row,
Publishers, 1963.
[41] D. A. Hwa-Froelich & D. C. Vigil, "Three aspects of cultural influence
on communication: A literature review", Communication Disorders
Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 107-118, 2004.
[42] G. I. Keitner, et al., "A cross-cultural study of family functioning",
Contemporary Family Therapy, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 439-454, 1990.
[43] J. C. Pearson & J. T. Child, "A cross-cultural comparison of parental and
peer attachment styles among adult children from the United States,
Puerto Rico, and India", Journal of Intercultural Communication
Research, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 15-32, 2007.
[44] S. Rhee, J. Chang & J. Rhee, "Acculturation, communication patterns,
and self-esteem among Asian and Caucasian American adolescents",
Adolescence, Winter, 1-14, 2003.
[45] S. K. Shin, M. Ishman & G. L. Sanders, "An empirical investigation of
socio-cultural factors of information sharing in China", Information and
Management, vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 165-174, 2007.
[46] P. J. Berrtocci, Community Structure and Social Rank in two Villages in
Bangladesh. Contribution to Indian Society, NS. No.6, 1972.
[47] A. Q. Bhuiyan, The Family in a Village in Bangladesh. Ph. D.
Dissertation, Delhi: University of Delhi, Unpublished.
[48] K. M. A. Aziz, Kinship in Bangladesh. Dhaka: International Centre for
Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, 1979.
[49] J. Nath, "The role of women in rural Bangladesh: The situation of
women in Bangladesh", UNICEF. Dhaka: Women's Development
Programme, 1979.
[50] M. S. Qureshi (ed.), Tribal Cultures in Bangladesh. Rajshahi: Institute
of Bangladesh Studies, 1984.
[51] K. M. A. Aziz & C. T. Maloney, Life Stages, Gender and Fertility in
Bangladesh. Dhaka: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease
Research, Bangladesh, 1985.
[52] M. A. Mannan, "Family, society, economy and fertility in Bangladesh",
The Bangladesh Development Studies, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 67-75, 1989.
[53] T. A. Abdulla & S. A. Zeidenstein, Village Women of Bangladesh:
Prospects of Change. New York: Pergamon Press, 1982.
[54] M. Afsaruddin, Society and Culture in Bangladesh. Dhaka: Book House,
1990.
[55] M. S. Naher, "Marriage pattern: Customs and changes in rural
Bangladesh", Journal of Social Studies, vol. 10, no. 30, pp. 34-45, 1985.
[56] S. M. Z. Rahaman, Kinship organization in a village in Bangladesh.
Unpublished Ph. D. Dissertation, Delhi: University of Delhi, 1990, p.
135.
[57] S. M. Z. Rahaman, "Muslim marriage practices in a village of
Bangladesh", Rajshahi University Studies, Part-C, Vol. 3, pp. 131-149,
1995.
[58] A. Z. M. Alam, Family Values. Dhaka: Bangladesh Cooperative Society
Limited, 1995.
[59] S. Kayes, Cultural change of Santal community Of Rajshahi district: An
anthropological study. Unpublished M. Phil Dissertation, Rajshahi:
University of Rajshahi, 1995, p. 67.
[60] M. Mizanuddin, "The Nature of family life and kinship networks in
selected bastees", Rajshahi University Studies, Part-C, Vol.4, pp. 29-51,
1996.
[61] P. C. Sarker, Social Structure & Fertility Behavior: A Cross-Cultural
Study. Centre for Development Services: Dhaka, 1997.
[62] S. Sultana, Kin relation of the Santal community and its recent changes:
A study of four villages of the Naogaon district. M. Phil Dissertation,
Rajshahi, University of Rajshahi, Unpublished.
[63] M. E. Uddin, Family structure in a village of Bangladesh: A crosscultural
study. Ph. D. Thesis, the Institute of Bangladesh Studies,
Rajshahi: Rajshahi University, Unpublished.
[64] D. R. Thomas, Book review on communication in personal relationships
across cultures, Gudykunst WB, Ting-Toomey S, & Nishida T. (eds)
(1996) Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA: 268 pp., 24.00 ISBN 0-8039-4672-4
(paperback), Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, vol.
11, no. 5, pp. 398-399, 2001.
[65] A. G. Johnson, Human Arrangement: An Introduction to Sociology. New
York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers, 1989, p. 219.
[66] Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Statistical yearbook of Bangladesh.
Dhaka: Statistics Division, Ministry of Planning, Government of the
Republic of Bangladesh.
[67] C. T. Maloney, K. M. A. Aziz, & P. C. Sarker, Beliefs and Fertility in
Bangladesh. Dacca: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease
Research, Bangladesh, 1981.
[68] J. R. Eshleman & B. G. Cashion, Sociology: An Introduction. Boston:
Little, Brown and Company, 1985, 2nd edition, p. 209.
[69] B. Levy, The Social Structure of Islam. London: Cambridge University
Press, 1963, 2nd edition.
[70] P. K. Bandyopadhyay, Tribal Situation in Eastern India. Calcutta:
Subarnarekha, 1999, pp. 51-52.
[71] M. A. Ali, The Santals of Bangladesh. Midnapur: Smaj Sevak Sangha
Press, 1998, p. 129.
[72] K. M. R. Karim, Gendered social institutions and the management of
underground irrigation water resources in a Bangladeshi village",
Gender, Technology and Development, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 13-36, 2006.
[73] United Nations, Patterns of First Marriage: Timing and Prevalence.
New York, 1990.
[74] E. J. Thomas, Marital Communication and Decision-Making: Analysis,
Assessment and Change (Paperback Edition). New York: The Free
Press, 1979.
[75] D. F. Fincham, Communication in marriage rank", in A. L. Vangelisti
(Ed.), Handbook of Family Communication. California: Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates, 2004.
[76] M. Coleman, L. Ganong & M. Fine, "Communication in stepfamilies",
in A. L. Vangelisti (Ed.), Handbook of Family Communication.
California: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004.
[77] R. C. Diggsdenison, "Communication, families, and exploring
boundaries of cultural diversity", in A. L. Vangelisti (Ed.), Handbook of
Family Communication. California: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,
2004.
[78] J. M. Lewis & L. Johnson-Reitz, "Communication in divorced and
single-parent families", in A. L. Vangelisti (Ed.), Handbook of Family
Communication. California: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004.
[79] C. E. Ember & M. Ember, Anthropology. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey:
Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1981, pp. 353-354, 3rd edition.
[80] K. A. Toufique & C. Turton, Hands not Land- How Livelihoods are
changing in Rural Bangladesh. Dhaka: Bangladesh Institute of
Development Studies, 2002.
[81] World Bank, Bangladesh: A Proposal on Rural Development Strategy.
Dhaka: The University Press Limited, 2000.
[82] M. A. Sattar, "A comparison of age and sex patterns of participation in
economic activities in Tribal and Non-Tribal communities in
Bangladesh", in M. S. Qureshi (ed.), Tribal Cultures in Bangladesh.
Rajshahi: Institute of Bangladesh Studies, 1984, p. 191.
[83] Sachidananda & R. R. Prasad, Encyclopaedic Profile of Indian Tribes
(Vol.4). New Delhi: Discovering Publishing House, 1998, p. 890.
[84] E. A. Jansen, Rural Bangladesh: Competition for Scarce Resources.
Dhaka: University Press Limited, 1999, p. 56.
[85] S. Bharat (ed.), Family Measurement in India. New Delhi: Sage
Publications Pvt Ltd, 1996.
[86] R. W. Brislin, “Translation and content analysis of oral and written
materials”, in H. C. Triandis and J. W. Berry (ed.), Handbook of CrossCultural
Psychology, Methodology (Vol.2). Boston: Allyn and Bacon,
Inc, 1980, pp. 408-410.
[87] U. Pareek & T. V. Rao, “Cross-cultural surveys and interviewing”, in H.
C. Triandis and J. W. Berry (ed.), Handbook of Cross-Cultural
Psychology, Methodology (Vol.2). Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc, 1980,
p. 153.