Reflections on Reality: A Phenomenological Study of Culture Shock on Students from the Provinces

• Main Author: Gochangco, Justine Therese A.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2024
• Subjects: culture shock, identity, existentialism, Sartre, installation art
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_shsrescon/2024/arts_va/1; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/conf_shsrescon/article/2392/viewcontent/VA_Gochangco___Justine_Therese_Gochangco.docx.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study covers phenomenology and aesthetics through a review of different accounts and lived experiences, using art installation as a medium to express the artist’s understanding of the world. Culture shock is a phenomenon that individuals experience when they feel disoriented due to the unfamiliar environment they find themselves in. This shock encapsulates changes within the individual’s perception of how they see themselves among Others in their new environment and is best expressed in the philosophical discussions of Jean-Paul Sartre. This study aims to discuss the link between Sartre’s philosophy and the phenomenon of culture shock as experienced by students from the provinces. Using hermeneutic phenomenology and qualitative content analysis, the study offers conceptual insight into the relationships between culture shock, identity, authenticity, and Sartre’s concept of the Other. It will also use a creative display of materials and space through an art installation entitled ‘Reflections on Reality.’ The goal of this project is to stimulate the findings of the research - the changes an individual undergoes due to differences in the new environment and how they react to these changes.