Cultural Literacy
MethodKit for Cultural Literacy

Read the room.
In any culture.

62 facets of culture, from greetings and gifts to taboos and time. The unspoken rules that shape how people live, and a shared language for talking about them.

Explore the library Free to read · in English
62 facets of culture
One deck · one shared language · every culture
62facets of culture
10themes
310questions to explore
1shared language
01.

What cultural literacy is

Cultural literacy is the skill of reading the unwritten rules: noticing that your normal is not the only normal, and being able to name the difference instead of just feeling it. Four starting points.

Culture is learned, not natural
Idea 01Nobody is born knowing how close to stand, when to look away, or what counts as rude. We absorb it so early it feels like instinct. Cultural literacy starts with noticing that what feels obvious to you was taught.
Most of it is below the surface
Idea 02Food, flags and festivals are the visible tip. Underneath sit ideas about time, authority, shame and the self that shape behavior far more, and that rarely get said out loud.
Difference is not deficit
Idea 03Another culture's way is not a broken version of your own. Reading a difference as a difference, rather than a mistake, and holding your own norms as one option among many, is the whole skill.
A shared vocabulary helps
Idea 04When people can name the thing, eye contact, taboos, personal space, they can talk about it instead of just feeling it. These 62 cards are that vocabulary.
02.

The library

Search freely or filter by theme. Each card is one facet of culture with its own page: how it varies across cultures, questions to discuss, and things to notice.

Filter by theme

Showing all 62 facets

Card 1: Birthdays 1Birthdays Ways to celebrate becoming a year older Celebrations & traditions Card 2: Celebrations 2Celebrations What and how people celebrate Celebrations & traditions Card 3: History 3History The story of the culture until today History, belief & identity Card 4: Holidays 4Holidays Which they are and how they are celebrated Celebrations & traditions Card 5: Symbols 5Symbols Artifacts, things and symbols that represent it History, belief & identity Card 6: Religion 6Religion Ideas, rituals and how religion shapes life History, belief & identity Card 7: Weddings 7Weddings How they are celebrated and who is invited Celebrations & traditions Card 8: Traditions 8Traditions Traditions that exist in the culture Celebrations & traditions Card 9: Home 9Home Ideas about what a home should be Family & relationships Card 10: Upbringing 10Upbringing Ideas about children and parenting Family & relationships Card 11: Dreams 11Dreams What is seen as a desirable future History, belief & identity Card 12: Family 12Family What role the family plays Family & relationships Card 13: Friendship 13Friendship Expectations, ideas and norms around being friends Family & relationships Card 14: Identity 14Identity How people identify and what that means History, belief & identity Card 15: Relationships 15Relationships Norms, ideas and ways relationships exist Family & relationships Card 16: Body language 16Body language Using the body to express oneself Communication & language Card 17: Clothes 17Clothes Who wears what and when Body, space & appearance Card 18: Cringe 18Cringe What is seen as awkward and embarrassing Boundaries & the unspoken Card 19: Eye contact 19Eye contact How much, and in what way Communication & language Card 20: Facial expressions 20Facial expressions The expressions used and what they mean Communication & language Card 21: Flirting 21Flirting Ways of flirting and how people start dating Family & relationships Card 22: Greetings 22Greetings Ways, gestures and expressions for hello Communication & language Card 23: Humor 23Humor What is funny and what is okay to joke about Communication & language Card 24: Personal space 24Personal space Distance, body contact and closeness Body, space & appearance Card 25: Politeness 25Politeness What indicates being polite Manners, norms & power Card 26: Pride 26Pride Things people are proud about History, belief & identity Card 27: Shame 27Shame Things that are seen as shameful Boundaries & the unspoken Card 28: Apologies & excuses 28Apologies & excuses When people say sorry and when excuses are made Manners, norms & power Card 29: Beauty ideals 29Beauty ideals What is considered attractive or good looking Body, space & appearance Card 30: Bias 30Bias Fixed and preconceived ideas about the culture Boundaries & the unspoken Card 31: Conversational topics 31Conversational topics What people usually like to talk about Communication & language Card 32: Discussion 32Discussion How people debate, and when it is seen as conflict Communication & language Card 33: Food & eating 33Food & eating Norms, ingredients and ideas around eating Daily life & worldview Card 34: Etiquette 34Etiquette Ideas about refined, proper behavior Manners, norms & power Card 35: Gender expressions 35Gender expressions How people of different genders are expected to be Body, space & appearance Card 36: Gifts 36Gifts Views on when to give and what is appropriate Celebrations & traditions Card 37: Language & slang 37Language & slang Ways of speaking, slang and sayings Communication & language Card 38: Nature 38Nature How people relate to nature and wildlife Daily life & worldview Card 39: Authority 39Authority How people relate to power and authority Manners, norms & power Card 40: Rules 40Rules The hidden and visible rules Manners, norms & power Card 41: Do's & don'ts 41Do's & don'ts Things you should or shouldn't do Manners, norms & power Card 42: Taboos 42Taboos What is not talked about Boundaries & the unspoken Card 43: Time 43Time How time is related to and looked upon Daily life & worldview Card 44: Touch 44Touch How people touch each other while talking Body, space & appearance Card 45: Respect 45Respect How you show respect to others Manners, norms & power Card 46: Integrity 46Integrity What, and how much, you share about yourself Boundaries & the unspoken Card 47: Gender equality 47Gender equality How men and women exist within the culture Body, space & appearance Card 48: Good life 48Good life Thoughts about living the good life Daily life & worldview Card 49: Work & career 49Work & career Work ethics, dreams and career ambitions Daily life & worldview Card 50: Image 50Image How people see the culture from afar Status, taste & aspiration Card 51: Knowledge 51Knowledge How it is viewed, and ideas about good knowledge Daily life & worldview Card 52: Luxury 52Luxury What is considered luxurious Status, taste & aspiration Card 53: Values 53Values Common values within the culture History, belief & identity Card 54: Status 54Status What is seen as high or low status Status, taste & aspiration Card 55: Arts & design 55Arts & design Visual and artistic expression within the culture Status, taste & aspiration Card 56: Celebrities 56Celebrities The famous, the beloved, and how we relate to them Status, taste & aspiration Card 57: Public debates 57Public debates What sparks public debate, and why Boundaries & the unspoken Card 58: Trends 58Trends What is trendy and fashionable within the culture Media & popular culture Card 59: Media 59Media Media consumption and popular channels Media & popular culture Card 60: Memes 60Memes Known memes and recurring jokes Media & popular culture Card 61: Music 61Music Popular music and known artists Media & popular culture Card 62: Social media 62Social media Which platforms, and how they are used Media & popular culture
03.

About

A library for reading culture, built on a card deck that already lays the whole subject out on the table.

Why

Culture is not one thing, it is 62. MethodKit for Cultural Literacy is a card deck that together covers the concepts a culture touches, from birthdays and weddings to shame, status and social media. Here each card gets its own page that asks the same questions: what is this facet, how does it vary across cultures, and what is worth noticing before you assume?

It is meant for anyone who moves between cultures: people relocating, teams working across borders, teachers, designers, and the simply curious. The texts are conversation starters and groundwork, not rules of etiquette to memorize.

Method and stance

Cultures are described as tendencies, not absolutes. No culture here is treated as the default or the correct one, and a difference is read as a difference rather than a fault. Examples name places and traditions concretely but carefully, and they are illustrations, not verdicts about everyone in a group.

The texts are AI-assisted drafts reviewed over time. Want the cards in your hand? The deck is available from MethodKit.