Berkley Center

The Doyle Global Dialogue (DGD) program has been an important tool for interreligious and intercultural reflection that has helped me to process my two years living in Doha, Qatar. The engagement in the discussions and social media posts provided an opportunity to reflect deeply on religion and culture from the dimensions of society, politics, and residents of the host country. Of all, I was most fascinated when I could do a comparative study of personal conceptions regarding the host country and those associated with my home country.

One important theme that describes my study abroad experience is that religion has a vast influence on societal structures. It is easy to come back to this topic every day from what I could observe during my stay in Qatar. Overwhelming to experience, religion acted as a nebulous force that could directly influence the daily lives of people in the state. Religion interlinked with robust state mechanisms governed the law, bureaucracy, commercial structures, and personal lives of people living in Qatar. These connections are designed in a way to allow people to comfortably practice their faith in Islam. 

Reflecting on religion in Qatar allowed me to see how societies are unique in their own way. I contend that the beauty of a society lies in its common faith that glues together different people. Coming from a different society made me more empathetic and aware of the uniqueness in Qatari society. I was also inclined to look much deeper into the fabric of my own society from a completely new lens to better understand how religion influences my home country, Nepal. In particular, I found religion as an underlying force running through culture and tradition, even when the Nepali state does not administer a particular religion. From my DGD experience, I took an interest in learning the ancient history and origins of Kathmandu, a city in Nepal, from a religious vantage point, something I had previously overlooked. 

Looking forward, I am interested in learning more about societies and religions in the places I will travel to in future. I have come to a realization that “culture shocks” can be a great learning and unlearning experience. It is necessary to fight against any prejudices and misconceptions in navigating different cultures and societies. A reflection on such experiences offers a new chance to learn about an unexplored world. Moving beyond the notion of “culture shocks,” there is a whole lot of opportunity to educate ourselves about people and their diverse practices around the world. Ultimately, the fundamental idea in all societies is to build an environment of coexistence for people with a shared ethos and values. 

My experience in the Doyle Global Dialogue has changed the way I interact with new cultural experiences and helped to develop my cross-cultural understanding. In my host country, I am eager to learn more about their traditions and practices, as well as the rationality behind their culture. Qatar is known for its artistic richness. Every now and then, I try visiting museums and art galleries to learn more about Qatari society through paintings. I also try to attend national celebrations and parades to better understand the emotions of the people and the political dynamics of my host country. 

I seek to expand my knowledge of cultures and religion before pointing out the differences from my own. The best possible way to handle this type of situation is to remain as flexible as possible and try to think from their perspectives. It is always better to find out the root of cultural differences and also the similarities, if any. Engaging in dialogue with people is another means of breaking down the barrier of cultural and religious differences. Being able to accept the richness of diversity of other cultures is a simple, yet powerful approach, a first step to engage with international differences. I deeply appreciate the discussions and lessons shared among my peers in the Doyle Global Dialogue. It provided me with a different perspective to observe cultural and religious differences, highlighting the similarities and differences in how we perceived Qatari society. DGD was helpful in breaking the ice between ourselves and our new city.