Lessons from Cross-Cultural Collaboration: How Cultural Humility Informed and Shaped the Work of an American and a Kenyan

Abstract

The premise of Lessons from Cross-Cultural Collaboration is how the authors, Eloise Hockett and John Muhanji, have used the foundational components of cultural humility within various cross-cultural collaborative initiatives. Hockett is a tenured professor at George Fox University, Newberg, Oregon, United States, while Muhanji is the Director of Africa Ministries for Friends United Meeting (FUM) in Kisumu, Kenya. Cultural humility is an inestimable virtue that both countries have learnt over time in the process of implementing the concepts of peacekeeping practice in Kenya. The principles of cultural humility are so important to the authors that it informed their writing style, allowing the use of less formal academic language and the use of the authors’ first names. The book was not written by accident, but rather by divine inspiration, even though Eloise claimed that the book was initiated by John. It was launched at a point when the Kenyans suffered post-election violence, which reverberated through the entire nation. More than 1000 people were killed and thousands more displaced from their homes. Teaching of peace and conflict-resolution was therefore a matter of urgency in the country. The authors began with the lessons needed to facilitate a cross-cultural collaboration called principles of cultural humility. Cultural differences may occur within the same organizations. These principles answered the following questions: