Cultural Metaphors

Readings, Research Translations, and Commentary

This outstanding volume offers students, researcher, and cross-cultural trainers the opportunity to gain an understanding of the use of metaphor, particularly the cultural metaphor of a nation, in developing an in-depth, culture-specific perspective. A nation's cultural metaphor is any institution, phenomenon, or activity with which all or most citizens in a nation closely identify, for example, the Swedish stuga or French wine.

The book examines the importance and criticality of metaphors. The research translations include not only limited empirical studies in which specific hypotheses are tested, but also larger, more expansive works published as books and groundbreaking articles. The often overlooked views of political scientists and journalists who conceive of the world in terms of zero-sum game theory are explored, as are the issues of the symbolism associated with cultural metaphors. The book concludes with a description of specific uses of cultural metaphors or metaphorical applications.